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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/25/1981 Meeting . M I NUT E S Eugene City Council , City Council Chamber r:c November 25, 1981 11 :30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Gretchen Miller, Brian Obie, Betty Smith, Mark Lindberg, D. W. Hamel, Eric Haws, and Emily Schue. COUNCILOR ABSENT: Cynthia Wooten. Adjourned meeting of the City Council of the City of Eugene, Oregon, was called to order by His Honor Mayor Gus Keller. I. ITEMS FROM MAYOR & COUNCIL, APPOINTMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AGENDA ADJUSTMENTS A. LTD Shuttle Service Mr. Lindberg noted that one of the council commitments is for use of alternative transportation. Lane Transit District has started a shuttle bus service every ten minutes between the University of Oregon and downtown. On December 7, 1981, elected officials will be invited to go on a free shuttle ride. B. Sewage Treatment Plant Operation . Ms. Smith stated that the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission met last week and discussed the transition plan for treatment plant operation. They had suggested that Eugene, Springfield, Lane County, and MWMC hold a joint meeting within the next three weeks to discuss the plan. The three agencies have already agreed to the original points in the transition plan. Ms. Miller noted that the councilors have a busy schedule right now. Typically, in order for all to be able to attend a joint meeting, the schedule must be set many months in advance. She suggested sending a representative to present the City's position instead. Ms. Miller moved, seconded by Mr. Hamel, to appoint Mayor Keller as a representative to attend a joint meeting to discuss treatment plant operation with Springfield, Lane County, and MWMC. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. C. Safety Award Mayor Keller stated that during his attendance at the League of Oregon Cities convention in Portland, he had been presented with an award for the City of Eugene for the lowest accident frequency within the organization. He presented the award to Micheal Gleason, City Manager. ., MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 25, 1981 Page 1 / . J' Mayor Keller noted appreciation of the support of the council and staff at the League of Oregon Cities convention. There were many good speakers who all seemed to feel that cities will need to learn to rely more upon themselves " rather than on Federal assistance. He indicated that in January, there may be a need for the councilors to testify on behalf of the League of Oregon Cities and the City in a special legislative session. He feels that cities have survived because they are creative. D. Budget Committee Appointment Ms. Miller moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to reappoint Susan Sowards, 1843 Moss, to the Budget Committee, term to expire 12/31/84. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. II. ROUTINE ITEMS FOR COUNCIL APPROVAL A. 1982 City Council Meeting Schedule Ms. Miller no~ed that she has some concerns regarding the proposed meeting schedule which was provided to the council. She is concerned because in two instances, there is a three-week period with no meetings. Mayor Keller stated that the meeting schedule could be changed as necessary. Mr. Gleason added that staff would like flexibility to be able to ask for special meetings. Mr. Obie indicated that if the proposed meeting schedule is followed, there will be 55 City Council meetings next year. B. Payment of Bills and Claims (distributed) . Res. No. 3607--A resolution authorizing the payment of bills and claims for the period November 18, 1981, through November 25, 1981. Ms. Miller moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to adopt the resolution. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. III. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Formal Reprogramming to Revise 1981-82 Community Development Block Grant Application (memo distributed) \.Mr. Gleason introduced Chri s Hofmann, HCC. Ms. Hofmann stated that this is the final public hearing in a three-month process to reallocate $182,015 of Community Development Block Grant funds from the 1981-82 grant. On September 1, 1981, HUD notified the City that certain 1981-82 projects were defined as administrative/planning costs in excess of the 20 percent limit, and must be reprogrammed. They required that a revised 1981-82 application be submitted to HUD by December 1, 1981. -, MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 25, 1981 Page 2 Ms. Hofmann noted that there is one correction in the staff memo under the ,...{:.. section "West University NIP." For "Housing land Acquisition," the figures . should be $46,050 reprogrammed and $112,919 for the new total. The staff recommendation is for the council to approve the CDC reprogramming package and to direct staff to submit the revised 1981-82 application to HUD by December 1. Public hearing was opened; there being no testimony, public hearing was closed. Ms. Miller moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to approve the CDC repro- gramming package and to direct staff to submit the revised 1981-82 application to HUD by December 1, 1981. Mr. Lindberg noted that this has been a frustrating and confusing process and he is glad it is finished. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. B. New liquor License Outlet: the Bi-Mart Company (package store); located at 1167 Valley River Road; applicant: the Bi-Mart Company, Richard H. Mathisen Public hearing was opened; there being no testimony, public hearing was closed. Ms. Miller moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to forward to OlCC with recommendation for approval, subject to conditions, if any. Roll call vote; motion carried unanimously. . IV. EUGENE-SPRINGFIELD CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU--QUARTERlY UPDATE (report distributed) Mr. Gleason introduced Dave Radcliffe, Eugene-Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. Mr. Radcliffe apologized for being called out of town last week, necessitating the removal of this item from the council agenda. A document was distributed regarding the bureau's marketing process for the last quarter. Groups with which the bureau has played a direct or supportive role in confirming bookings are: Northwest Regional American Chemical Society, Western Section of Medical Group Management Association, National Grange, Association of Oregon Food Industries, Tri-State Airport Executives, Pacific Northwest Pollution Control Association, West Coast Western Market, Diet Pepsi Classic, SPEBSQSA, Sweet Adelines Regional Competition, International Society of Music Educators Congress, Oregon Teachers of English as a Second language, and Northwest State Apprentice- ship Training Conference. The total number of confirmed delegates is 16,800, which is up 261 percent. The number of confirmed room nights is 28,000, which is up 189 percent. The total dollar figure is up 232 per cent. The Nat i ona 1 Grange will be meeting in Eugene for over 14 days, with over 5,000 delegates. The International Society of Music Educators Congress will be an international delegation. There are 45 associations representing thousands of potential delegates who have either been confirmed or solicited in this quarter. .. MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 25, 1981 Page 3 / / , ; / ( . Mr. Radcliffe stated that the last section of the report deals with the number of walk-ins served. Approximately 10,000 out-of-state visitors have been served at the Springfield Chamber of Commerce and the Eugene-Springfield Convention and , Visitors Bureau, which is up 75 to 100 per cent from last year. This is the . best year since 1978. They've been extremely pleased with responses from the clientele. An additional salesperson has been added to the staff. This is positive economic news, and they have just begun. They have received prelim- inary information that the League of Oregon Cities will hold their annual convention here in 1982. Mr. Gleason noted that it is ironic that the community, through efforts of the government, has provided over 250 jobs. The media exposure regarding the Hilton infers that the process has been a mistake and he feels that is unfortun- ate. It is the myopic perception by people and the media which makes the economic development job twice as hard. Over 20,000 days in the Hilton are booked already, and that will payoff. Staff is working toward destination- point development. Mayor Keller stated that the League of Oregon Cities annual convention will be held here next year after the negotiations have been finished. Delegates are looking forward to coming to Eugene and now other cities will have to compete for this business. Also, the room rates will be the same as they were in 1981. Ms. Smith stated that, as Chair of the Room Tax Committee, she thinks Mr. Radcliffe's report highlights additional funding for destination-point develop- ment. She hopes this report will reinforce the importance of funding the Convention Bureau and she would like to see this funding increased. Ms. Schue added that it was not just that these people will stay in hotels and that Eugene people will be employed. Those people will be eating in restaurants and buying . retail goods, as well as being involved in sporting events. This is economic development for Eugene, and it has a real future. Ms. Miller stated that this is the effort that is generating money and jobs now. She would like for the cit1Zens of Eugene to think about that and to convey a positive attitude to those visiting our city. If citizens will be friendly and have good interactions, people will come back. Mayor Keller noted agreement. Mr. Radcliffe noted appreciation for the support. This has been a good 18 months, and he hopes this can continue to generate new customers. Mr. Lindberg asked if notices could be put in the paper when the various conventions would occur. Mayor Keller stated that they could. V. 1981 LEGISLATIVE SESSIO~--REPORT FROM WOMEN'S COMMISSION (memo distributed) Mr. Gleason introduced Julie Aspinwall-Lamberts, President of the Eugene Commis- sion on the Rights of Women. Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts stated that this is the first in a series of reports of issues and activities from the Women's Commission to the City Council. During this past year, one of the primary projects of the Women's Commission has been to monitor and lobby on behalf of bills affecting the rights of women before the Oregon Legislature. To accomplish this project, the legislative task force has met weekly throughout the session to discuss bills, take positions on them, and to develop testimony or letters supporting or opposing bills. Prior to taking . MINUTfS--Eugene City Council November 25, 1981 Page 4 . v any public stand, either on behalf of the City or on behalf of the commission ~ alone, their recommendations were presented to the council's legislative subcom- . mittee for approval or information. A concerted effort was made to coordinate efforts with those of Paget Engen, the City's lobbyist. Additionally, the commission participated in the Women's Rights Coalition, which is a broad-based group organized to hire a professional lobbyist to work on behalf of women's issues with the Oregon Legislature. Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts continued, saying that the commission took positions on approximately 30 bills. Of these, seven bills were passed by the Legislature, and five were signed into law by the Governor. The specific bills, as well as the position taken on them, are included in the council's packet of materials. They feel that the highlights of the session were: 1) no bills which directly opposed equal rights for women passed the Legislature this session; 2) funding for shelter homes was obtained through the imposition of an additional $20 marriage license fee (Current estimates are that the passage of House Bill 2308 will generate approximately $800,000 during the 1981-83 biennium. Of this amount, approximately $600,000 will go to shelter homes for battered women, and $200,000 will be used for child abuse-related services. At this time, it is not possible to estimate the amount which will come to Womenspace. However, this bill will make a significant difference in their ability to continue to provide service to our community); and 3) the passage of three companion bills--SB 355, 356, and 357--which expanded the definition of abuse to include involuntary sexual relations and introduced some major reforms in the court procedures concerning obtaining restraining orders and other abuse-related procedures. The passage of these bills should foster more effective enforcement of the spousal abuse prevention laws. . Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts stated that the issues fared fairly well in a session preoccupied with issues of budget reform and revenue loss. Some of the Women's Commission's key bills passed; others did not. Of particular concern was the failure of the Legislature to pass HB 2926, which would have provided funding for displaced homemakers' services. This is a critical need facing this commun- ity and one which they will continue to support. The commission's legislative task force is currently focusing on Federal legislation concerning women. However, they expect to begin focusing on Oregon legislation again if the Governor calls the Legislature into special session as anticipated. They feel that the commission's lobbying efforts, along with the willingness of the City Council to take an active role in furthering women's issues, has had a strong impact on the treatment of those issues by the Oregon Legislature. She thanked the council on behalf of the entire commission for their continued support for the Women's Commission activities during the legislative sessions. She intro- duced Sheri Oeser, Legislative Vice President, Oregon Women's Political Caucus. Ms. Oeser stated that on behalf of the Oregon Women's Political Caucus and the Women's Rights Coalition, she wanted to expr'ess appreciation to the Women's Commission and the City Council for taking a position on the various bills. It helped their credibility immensely. . MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 25, 1981 Page 5 I I or ~ Ms. Miller stated that the Women's Commission is doing a good job. They work hard and are outstanding people putting in efforts all the time. Ms. Schue noted agreement. This is the kind of thing Eugene is known for and should be ~ proud ofe-citizens cooperating with government to make things work. VI. COUNCILOR ABSENCE Mr Obie noted that the council has scheduled a special meeting on December 7, 1981. He will try to be present at that meeting, but he will not be available at the December 9 meeting nor for the legislative subcommittee meeting. He anticipates that he will not be serving on this subcommittee next year as he has for the past four years, and this would be a good time for another councilor to become i nvo 1 ved with that subcommittee. \ The meeting was adjourned. R~~~~ ~/r,., ,r' ? ~ --q- . M~Ch~D. leas ~. Clty Manager'- ' (Recorded by Lynda Nelson) LN:clj/CM27b1 . MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 25, 1981 Page 6 ." / / I I J