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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 01/09/02 SOC MINUTES Eugene City Council State of the City Hult Center for the Performing Arts-Eugene, Oregon January 9, 2002 4 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Betty Taylor, David Kelly, Nancy Nathanson, Pat Fart, Scott Meisner, Gary Pap~, Bonny Bettman. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Gary Rayor. STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS Mayor James D. Torrey called the meeting of the City Council to order. I.INTRODUCTIONS OF CITY COUNCILORS Council President Betty Taylor introduced members of the City Council. Il.INTRODUCTION OF EXECUTIVE STAFF Council Vice President David Kelly introduced members of the City's Executive staff. Il.MUSIC The Oregon Young Women's Choir performed several musical selections. III.RECOGNITION AWARDS Mayor Torrey recognized the following City of Eugene employees: · Sam Kamkar - Eugene Police Department · Jennifer Curry - Eugene Police Department · Jenny Shin - City Manager's Office · Claire Ribaud - Library Services Mayor Torrey recognized Martha Fish of the Human Rights Commission for her contributions to the success of the commission. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 9, 2002 Page 1 State of the City IV. MUSIC Jessica Rasmussen of Monroe Middle School performed a musical selection entitled Don't Laugh atMe. V. COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS Mayor Torrey presented community service awards to Nora Cary, project leader, 8th grade class, O'Hara Catholic School, for her efforts in the Teddy Bear Drive for young victims of the September 8 terrorist attacks, and to Paul Peschiera and Jan Gilhousen for their efforts in the Owen Memorial Rose Garden project. VI.SPECIAL PRESENTATION Mayor Torrey asked all the elected officials present to stand and be recognized. Mayor Torrey also asked family members and friends of City Councilors to stand and be recognized for their support of the City Council. Mayor Torrey made a special presentation of flowers to his wife, Kathy Torrey. Mayor Torrey made special presentations to outgoing City Manager Jim Johnson and outgoing Chief of Police Jim Hill in recognition of their long-time service to the community. Mayor Torrey asked that all former mayors and City Councilors stand to be recognized. VII.STATE OF THE CITY Mayor Torrey quoted from Abraham Lincoln: In a democratic society, you must run &e country as you would steer a river boat. You don tjust set your compass and head sou&, or you wi//quickly run aground. Instead, you steer from point to point, according to how &e river is running, and &e obstacles &at appear in your pa&. Mayor Torrey said that some of the obstacles were challenges to be dealt with; others were opportunities from which one should not fail to create a positive result. Mayor Torrey highlighted community events and accomplishments over the past year, specifically noting the success of the Ducks football team, the completed renovation of the Council Chamber, the voters' approval of the West Eugene Parkway, the approval of the first phases of Bus Rapid Transit, the inception of after-school youth programs, the completion of ward redistricting, the voters' approval of the reopening of West Broadway, and the federal government's selection of a new federal courthouse site in Eugene. Speaking to the parkway issue, he expressed hope that intergovernmental cooperation made the parkway a national role model in matching the needs of the environment with the transportation needs of the community. Mayor Torrey noted that a highly debated issue in Eugene in 1902 was whether councilors should be elected citywide or by ward. He anticipated another community discussion on the topic. MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 9, 2002 Page 2 State of the City Mayor Torrey thanked the SMART Program for its assistance with the "reading in schools" effort. Speaking to the reopening of Broadway, Mayor Torrey thanked the Board of County Commissioners for the money that helped make the reopening possible and noted his hopes that the downtown would become a destination point with assistance from the arts community. Mayor Torrey identified some issues he thought were not handled well in the past year, citing specifically the economy and the need for providing jobs for those who want to work, relocation of the Police Department to another facility, and the move of PeaceHealth to Springfield. Mayor Torrey identified the following goals for the coming year: renewal of the library levy on the May 2002 ballot; continued work on the construction of the parkway; securing funding for the restoration of the Delta Ponds; completion of the East Bank Bicycle Trail; construction of a bicycle/pedestrian path at the Delta Ponds; construction of a skateboard park in the Bethel-Danebo area; updating the Parks Master Plan and finding ways to fund the gaps in realizing the plan, and identifying gaps in service areas with the assistance of an advisory committee; acquiring more land for the Ridgeline Trail; beginning work on locating a new aquatics facility in the Churchill area; continued work on replacing the downtown police and fire facilities with the goal of putting a new downtown fire facility on the May 2002 ballot; beginning planning now for the PeaceHealth move to Springfield; continued work on planning for transportation improvements related to the PeaceHealth move on Delta Highway, Highway 99, Beltline, and Coburg Road; continued work on Bus Rapid Transit implementation by focusing on a route that traveled from Springfield to Gateway to the freeway to Coburg Road back to downtown Eugene; asking the University of Oregon to consider allowing the use of Autzen Stadium as a Lane Transit District park-and-ride and to enhance the Autzen Bridge for use as a bridge by small transit vehicles; assisting the local school districts with the shortfall in education funding; and continued work on planning for development around the federal courthouse site in a bold and creative way. Mayor Torrey recognized Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Director Angel Jones for her work implementing the Parks and Open Space measure. Mayor Torrey asked that before City Manager Johnson left his post, he identify options for the council to get the Police Department's property control and crime lab functions out of the basement of City Hall. He also asked City Manager Johnson to convene a gathering of the superintendents of the three local school districts, the mayors of Springfield and Eugene, and the managers of Springfield and Eugene to begin a planning process to identify efficiencies of scale if services were consolidated. Regarding planning for the new federal courthouse site, Mayor Torrey identified the following goals: 1) an enhanced transportation connection from the downtown to the courthouse; 2) public and private investment in the courthouse area and the need for both public and private involvement in the planning effort; 3) an improved connection between downtown and the river; and 4) the creation of a beautiful front door for Eugene at the intersection of Broadway and Mill Street. He expressed hope the planning effort would be completed by July 1. Mayor Torrey noted the government funding problems created in Oregon by reliance on the income tax and stressed the need for local action. He said that there was a continuing pattern of job loss in the community, and the City needed to do more than talk about job creation. He said that Eugene faced the dilemma of how to MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 9, 2002 Page 3 State of the City balance livability and quality of life with economic development and the ability to earn a living. He did not think the community had done a good job in achieving that balance yet, and suggested some of the City's planning efforts had unintended consequences that needed to be addressed quickly. He noted that 83 percent of the respondents to the community survey had indicated Eugene should offer assistance in business siting, development, and permitting. In addition, 78 percent indicated the City should take an active role in helping businesses create new jobs, and 72 percent indicated the City should help outside firms locate to the community. He emphasized the importance of creating family-wage jobs, not just minimum-wage jobs. Mayor Torrey said the community needed to consider fundamental issues such as the supply of commercial and industrial land. The Chamber of Commerce had commissioned a study that indicated there were only 48 acres of constraint-free commercial land available in the community. There were 484 acres of constraint-free industrial land. Mayor Torrey said that Eugene could not enhance its economic well-being without addressing that issue. He said that Eugene must find a way to overcome its reputation as a community that was not open for business. Mayor Torrey related an anecdote shared with him by a developer about the extra effort a City employee put forth to ensure a development application was properly processed. He commended the work done by City staff in resolving conflicts that arose from the recently adopted Land Use Code Update and the work done by the Planning and Development Department in the courthouse siting issue. Mayor Torrey said that he also heard critical comments about the time it took the City to process applications and about the fact that nonlocal companies were not interested in relocating to Eugene because of its anti-business attitude. Mayor Torrey noted the four companies moving from Eugene to Springfield, but said Springfield was a tremendous neighbor and no jobs would be lost as a result of the moves. However, Eugene would lose tax revenue to Springfield as a result. He said that the people who live in Eugene and work for those companies would continue to expect Eugene to deliver services it would have less money for. He asked what Eugene could do to retain existing businesses and attract new organizations, private or public, to create quality jobs. He extended the question to all citizens. He wanted local governments to join together to develop a questionnaire to give to businesses and public organizations to learn from them what their perception of Eugene was and what needed to be done to retain them or attract them. Mayor Torrey suggested the survey results be shared with all citizens to begin a community-wide discussion on what Eugene was prepared to do to enhance its economy. After that discussion, the elected officials could make a conscious decision about how to move forward. Mayor Torrey emphasized the need for the community to have quality education to attract those who wish to create quality jobs. He said he was convinced that Eugene could have an open for business attitude; it would require, however, a cultural shift on the part of all the elected officials and key staff members. Mayor Torrey quoted from Robert Frost's The Road Less Traveled: The woods are lovely, dark, and deep; but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. Mayor Torrey thanked those in attendance. VIII.ADJOURN MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 9, 2002 Page 4 State of the City Mayor Torrey adjourned the meeting at 5:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, James R. Johnson City Manager (Recorded by Kimberly Young) MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 9, 2002 Page 5 State of the City