HomeMy WebLinkAbout7.8.2019 City Council Work Session MinutesMINUTES
Eugene City Council
Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97401
July 8, 2019
5:30 p.m.
Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Betty Taylor, Jennifer Yeh, Chris Pryor, Mike Clark, Greg Evans,
Claire Syrett (via conference phone), Alan Zelenka
Councilor Taylor opened the July 8, 2019, work session of the Eugene City Council in Mayor Vinis'
absence.
1. Committee Reports and Items of Interest
Council Discussion:
o Councilor Evans - shared information about his recent experience at the National League of
Cities' summer meeting and the group's upcoming report on affordable housing.
o Councilor Semple: announced that there are two new bathrooms coming soon thanks to the
recent budget allocation, noting the Overpark garage bathrooms have new signage and will
be monitored hourly.
o Councilor Taylor - shared complaints she's received about the speed bumps in the Overpark
garage; attended the National League of Cities' summer meeting and learned about a food
recycling program in Indianapolis; attended the recent Livable Cities Conference where she
learned about a day center for homeless residents in Madison, Wisconsin; wanted to know
what could be done to fight implementation of House Bill 2001.
Councilor Clark- requested a work session to talk about HB 2001 in detail.
Councilor Zelenka joined the meeting at 5:46 p.m.
2. WORK SESSION: Parks and Recreation System Development Charge Methodology Update
Parks Natural Resource Planner Carolyn Burke and Consultant Deb Galardi of the Galardi
Rothstein Group gave background on the topic including the overall vision for how funding
would be used, how transportation and parks SDCs are currently calculated, a possible new rate
structure that would be more progressive for housing; a new possible rate structure for
commercial SDCs, and a timeline for continuing the conversation on the topic with council.
Council Discussion:
o Councilor Clark- expressed concern about the corresponding increase in housing costs;
suggested that demand management strategies may be needed; asked what percent of'07
projects were on the list distributed at the meeting.
o Councilor Pryor - appreciated the work to make less expensive, smaller housing types more
affordable.
o Councilor Zelenka - asked for clarification of the SDC project list; appreciated that the
progressive scale accounted for affordability based on square footage.
o Councilor Evans - expressed concern that the City wouldn't be able to afford the parks
development residents were asking for; asked about circumstances under which fees could
MINUTES - Eugene City Council July 8, 2019 Page 1
Work Session
be waived; pointed out that some of the cities used for comparison in the presentation
slides were cities with much higher average incomes than Eugene.
o Councilor Syrett - appreciated the progressive approach, which resulted in a reduction for
accessory dwelling units and smaller homes; preferred not to drop any of the projects on
the list distributed; asked staff to follow up with her on what percentage increases were
used in 2007.
o Councilor Clark - preferred not to increase the cost of housing through SDCs while also
increasing the capacity of the parks by $58 million; felt it was not the time—given the
housing crisis—to do more projects; requested list of projects that were still on the list from
2007.
o Councilor Zelenka - requested data on Springfield, Albany and Portland; noted that it had
been 12 years since council had last increased the SDCs; said that the city's parks increase
livability; noted another option in which the smallest homes had a zero or negative increase
in rate and larger increases for homes with more square footage.
o Councilor Pryor - said that even if the current rate didn't change, the scale should be
adjusted so that it is progressive and, therefore, more affordable for smaller homes.
o Councilor Evans - asked how many developers were working on smaller homes (under
1600 square feet) within the city.
o Councilor Semple - said it was important to encourage development; increasing fees may
discourage housing development.
3. WORK SESSION: Municipal Court Presiding Judge
City Manager's Office Interim Division Manager Becky DeWitt introduced the item Judge Gill spoke
about his professional background, his involvement in the local Community Court; the key values he
thinks the municipal court should uphold; and his vision for the future of the municipal court.
MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Clark, seconded by Councilor Zelenka, moved to extend
the work session by 10 minutes. PASSED 7:0.
Council Discussion:
o Councilor Clark - asked Judge Gill how effective the court was in reducing recidivism; stated
preference for a municipal court that is firmer in holding people accountable than the
previous Presiding Judge's court.
o Councilor Zelenka - asked Judge Gill how he knows the Community Court works and when
the evaluation by National Center for State Courts will be available; asked how the Judge
would handle his role as a partner in his current Firm if he were to be hired by the City as
the presiding judge.
The meeting adjourned at 7:07 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
t8tth JAL�
Beth Forrest
City Recorder
(Recorded by Cas Casados)
Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting here.
MINUTES - Eugene City Council July 8, 2019 Page 2
Work Session