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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 07/12/06 Work Session M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Work Shop/Work Session McNutt Room—Eugene City Hall July 12, 2006 3 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Jennifer Solomon, Andrea Ortiz, Bonny Bettman, David Kelly, Gary Papé, George Poling, Chris Pryor, Betty Taylor. A. WORKSHOP: Facilitated Dialogue with Communities of Color The council was joined by representatives of the Communities of Color for a facilitated dialogue. B. WORK SESSION: Collaborative Process to Identify a Transportation Solution for West Eugene and the FY06-09 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy reconvened the meeting of the Eugene City Council. She recognized Mr. Papé for a motion. Mr. Papé thanked the mayor and council for agreeing to schedule the session. He indicated his intent to offer the council a motion that would give the council’s representatives to the Metropolitan Policy Committee more flexibility with regard to the City’s position on the Metropolitan Transportation Improve- ment Program (MTIP). Mr. Papé, seconded by Ms. Solomon, moved to (a) rescind the council’s May 24 approval of the motion giving direction to the council’s MPC representatives and (b) request the mayor and City Manager schedule a work session in the fall to discuss a process to design and build transportation projects in west Eugene. Mr. Kelly expressed appreciation to Mr. Papé for his interest in giving himself and the mayor more flexibility at the MPC meeting, but said his desire was the opposite: he wished to ensure that they went to the meeting with very clear direction from a council majority. He agreed with two points in the motion, but felt more was needed, particularly in light of the fact that County Commissioner Bobby Green intended to offer the MPC a motion to retain the West Eugene Parkway in the MTIP. He offered the following substitute motion: Mr. Kelly, seconded by Ms. Bettman, moved that, as a result of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s recent refusal to participate in the collaborative process as outlined in the City Council’s May 24, 2006, motion supporting a draft resolution for the MPC, that the City Council: 1. Rescinds its May 24, 2006, motion regarding the MPC resolution; MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 12, 2006 Page 1 Work Shop/Work Session 2. Continues to support a collaborative process that includes ODOT, if ODOT should change its position; 3. Does not support the West Eugene Parkway in its current alignment nor the recent Fed- eral Highways Administration proposed southern alignment. The southern alignment could only be considered along with a wide range of other projects in the collaborative process; 4. Supports the adoption of the fiscal year 2006-2009 MTIP, including all projects except the West Eugene Parkway; and 5. Directs staff to return with a proposed list of transportation priorities for north and west th Eugene, including projects on the Beltline corridor and West 11 Avenue, and calls for a work session this fall to consider how to advance these priorities. Speaking in support of the substitute motion, Mr. Kelly said he believed it important for the council to go on record that a majority of members continued to support the idea of the Mayor’s collaborative process. The motion made it clear to the MPC that the door was open to examining other possibilities, including the southern alignment. The motion also clarified what the council’s representatives to the MPC should do with regard to the MTIP, and established a work session related to transportation priorities in west Eugene. Mr. Papé, seconded by Mr. Poling, moved to divide each component of the motion into separate motions. City Attorney Glenn Klein advised Mr. Papé against dividing the motion, suggesting that alternatively, he move to delete those components he wished to remove. Mr. Kelly declined to accept a friendly amendment from Mr. Papé to delete items 3 and 4. Mr. Papé, seconded by Mr. Poling, moved to remove items 3 and 4 from the motion. Ms. Bettman indicated that, while it was not her optimum approach, she preferred Mr. Kelly’s motion as stated because it addressed all the interests involved. She supported items 3 and 4 in particular. Mr. Papé wanted the council’s representatives to the MPC to have sufficient flexibility to go to the MPC and find a solution. He pointed out that the solution would be approved by the council. He wanted the Mayor and Mr. Kelly to go to the MPC with open minds and hearts. Mr. Kelly suggested that if the council’s representatives went into the MPC meeting with the direction to be flexible, their actions would upset several councilors. He suggested that the time for flexibility was inside the collaborative process. He expressed disappointment with his meeting with ODOT Director Garrett, as he had hoped for flexibility in that quarter, but instead he and the Mayor were handed a letter stating the director’s position about the collaborative process. He hoped to “restore an atmosphere of flexibility” into the discussion. Mayor Piercy averred that Item 4 merely restated what the council majority in opposition to the parkway had stated all along—that they were willing to move the other MTIP projects forward. She further averred that she received an indication from ODOT that it would be willing to participate in a “new collaborative process.” Mr. Poling said that had he known on May 24 that ODOT was not willing to participate in a collaborative process, he would not have offered the council an amendment to the resolution related to the timing and cost MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 12, 2006 Page 2 Work Shop/Work Session of the process, and was unlikely to have supported the council’s resolution. He supported the amendment on the table because he believed that the spirit of the substitute motion and in particular items 3 and 4 were in direct opposition to the expressed will of the voters. The vote on the amendment to the substitute motion was a 4:4 tie; Ms. Solomon, Mr. Papé, Mr. Poling, and Mr. Pryor voting yes; Ms. Taylor, Mr. Kelly, Ms. Bettman, and Ms. Ortiz voting no. Mayor Piercy cast a vote in opposition to the motion, and it failed on a final vote of 5:4. The vote on the amended (substitute) motion was a 4:4 tie; Ms. Taylor, Mr. Kelly, Ms. Bettman, and Ms. Ortiz voting yes, and Ms. Solomon, Mr. Papé, Mr. Poling, and Mr. Pryor voting no. Mayor Piercy cast a vote in support of the motion, and it passed on a final vote of 5:4. The vote on the amended motion was a 4:4 tie; Ms. Taylor, Mr. Kelly, Ms. Bettman, and Ms. Ortiz voting yes, and Ms. Solomon, Mr. Papé, Mr. Poling, and Mr. Pryor voting no. Mayor Piercy cast a vote in support of the motion, and it passed on a final vote of 5:4. The meeting adjourned at 3:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Dennis M. Taylor City Manager (Recorded by Kimberly Young) MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 12, 2006 Page 3 Work Shop/Work Session