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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.08.2018 City Council Work Session MinutesMINUTES Eugene City Council Harris Hall, 125 East 8�h Avenue Eugene, Oregon 97401 October 8, 2018 5:30 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Greg Evans, Claire Syrett, Chris Pyror Mayor Vinis opened the October 8, 2018, Work Session of the Eugene City Council. 1. Committee Reports and Items of Interest Council Discussion • The Sustainability Commission and subcommittees are busy with their work plans. • A work session has been approved to discuss a ban on single -use non -recyclable containers. • The Human Rights Commission is working hard on the homeless situation; more places to sleep are critically needed. • The Council will be asked to take a formal stance opposing Ballot Measure 105. • LRAPA is meeting this Thursday and there is always an opportunity for public comment. • The Public Forum is one of the best services the council provides to the community; it's democratic and thought- provoking. • Thank you to staff for helping make the League of Oregon Cities conference so successful. • Questions asked about the upcoming joint meeting with Lane County Commissioners and about the potential of building a public shelter on County land. • Information shared about the first two Housing Tools and Strategies workshops. • Congratulations to Civic Alliance on groundbreaking for their new sports facility. WORK SESSION: Climate Action Plan 2.0 Update Sustainability Analyst Chelsea Clinton reviewed the City's Climate Recovery efforts and gave an update about the Community Climate Action Plan 2.0. Council Discussion • Question asked about the option to use heat pumps instead of natural gas at Echo Hollow Pool and whether this decision will result in cost savings. • Appreciation expressed for involving large -lever shareholders and reaching out to neighboring communities. • Question asked about council's opportunity to move things forward at the end of the meetings with large -level shareholders. • Hoping to see multiple project timelines start to align. • Questions asked about the City's banking RFP criteria. • Interest expressed in trying to decrease bicycle theft in order to encourage people using their bicycles more. • Request made for a list of different action items that have happened already. • Want to keep equity at the forefront of this work and appreciate the highlight that has been placed on that. • Question asked about whether the large -level shareholder entities are going to be expected to make proposals about how they might change their way of business to help meet goals. MINUTES — Eugene City Council October 8, 2018 Page 1 Work Session • It would be helpful to propose ideas that would help people to feel more connected to where the City is trying to go. • Questions asked about plans for household consumption, purchasing, use, and recovery. • Questions asked about how the fuel use of planes coming in and out of our airport is captured. • Questions asked about the community -wide inventory calculations. • Concern expressed that there is not a sense of urgency because the City is behind on meeting its timelines and goals. • More frequent updates and increasing expectations for more actions from staff would be helpful • As possible actions are prepared, it would be helpful to lay out both the strategies and the impacts each would result in. • Questions asked about the desired outcome for Northwest Natural Gas as a large -lever stakeholder in this dialogue. • It is important not to give people the impression that making progress on CRO goals involves sacrifice or is difficult or costly; there are many things that can be done better, cheaper, faster, and smarter. • It is important to talk about a sense of scale and be mindful of the metrics being used, including those related to airplanes. 3. INFORMATION: Railroad Quiet Zone Update City Engineer Mark Schoening reviewed the history of the Railroad Quiet Zone and updated council about current progress. Council Discussion • Questions asked about plans for changing a section of Jefferson Street to a one-way street. • Questions asked about Union Pacific's involvement in the design work and the City's role in paying for it. • It is important to remember that there are additional crossings outside of the downtown that City may want to be looking ahead to. • Funds from the state gas tax are being used to pay for this project, not funds from the road bonds that voters passed. • Neighbors in the Santa Clara area are asking about the railroad crossings in their neighborhood and look forward to the Phase 2 conversation. • Questions asked about whether the Railroad Quiet Zone will have negative or positive impacts on industrial properties in North Eugene. The meeting adjourned at 6:58 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Elena Domingo Deputy City Recorder Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting: here. MINUTES — Eugene City Council October 8, 2018 Page 2 Work Session