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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 11/28/01 Meeting MINUTES Eugene City Council Goals Process Session Fire & Emergency Services Facility--Classroom 1 1715 West 2nd Avenue November 28, 2001 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Betty Taylor, David Kelly, Nancy Nathanson, Scott Meisner, Gary Rayor, Gary Pap~. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Pat Farr, Bonny Bettman. CITY COUNCIL GOALS PROCESS SESSION Mayor James D. Torrey called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. Those present introduced themselves by revealing something that others did not know about them. A. Work Session: 2001-2002 City Council Goals Work Plan Progress Report The council was joined for the goals process session by City Manager Jim Johnson, Assistant City Manager Jim Carlson, and executive managers Chief Jim Hill (Police Department), Chief Tom Tallon (Fire & Emergency Medical Services Department), Kurt Corey (Public Works Department), Angel Jones (Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department), and Tom Coyle (Planning and Development Department). Jan Bohman and Tom Olshanski of the City Manager's Office, DeeAnn Hardt of the Financial Services Division, and Linda Phelps of the Police Department were also present. Ms. Nathanson arrived. Ms. Bohman indicated that each executive would provide a status report on the progress of work program activities, and she asked the council to provide feedback on the reports. Chief Hill discussed the Police Department's progress on work plan activities under the goal Safe Community. Ms. Taylor asked if the senior patrol would work in uniform. Chief Hill said yes, a uniform was being developed. He confirmed that members of the patrol would travel in pairs. Mr. Meisner questioned if the foot patrol assignments were effectively distributed. Chief Hill said that deployment was not an exact science, and staff worked to some degree on anecdotal MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 2001 Page 1 Goals Process Session information and instinct on deployment in the context of the resources the department had. Mr. Meisner said he did not think that the document should indicate that the task was complete and on- target because staff had not yet determined the effectiveness of distribution. He added that was not an objection to deployment. Mr. Johnson suggested that Chief Hill write a memorandum discussing the rationale for current deployment patterns. Ms. Phelps said that the department did an analysis to determine whether the foot patrol was effective, given community needs and resources. She thought that the department was 95 percent of the way to what Mr. Meisner was requesting. When the analysis work is complete, the Police Department will provide the council with a report on foot patrol deployment. Noting frequent sector head assignment changes, Ms. Nathanson asked if changing assignments frequently benefitted the City or negatively impacted the City's ability to achieve its goals. Chief Hill responded that the department preferred to maintain its sector lieutenants, but changes were required for a variety of reasons, including shifting lieutenants more toward watch responsibility, or the minute-by-minute activities, rather than on more programmatic responsibilities. Mr. Johnson noted the impact of September 11 on the Police Department in terms of its training requirements and the request from the Department of Justice for assistance in interviewing men from the Middle East. He said that one thing after another had consumed command staff's time since that date. Chief Tallon discussed the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department's progress on the work plan activities under the goal Safe Community. Mr. Pap~ noted that there had been no fire events in the south hills during a very dry time. Chief Tallon agreed, saying that the City had done some public education and the community had been lucky. Ms. Nathanson said there were a few small events that could have gotten out of hand if the department had not responded quickly. Ms. Taylor asked how fireworks regulations could be implemented before fireworks sales began. Chief Tallon responded that in any given year, conditions could mandate City action. Referring to the previous summer's conditions, Chief Tallon said he would have recommended to the City Manager, even if fireworks sales had begun, to halt fireworks sales if conditions warranted. He said that the subject was a touchy one, but the department sometimes had to make such difficult decisions. He noted that both Skinner Butte and Spencer Butte parks had been closed for a period of time during the summer. Mr. Kelly was pleased to hear about progress on the work activity related to analyzing building materials for fire danger. He requested a progress report on the Lane Rural Ambulance situation. Chief Tallon indicated a report was forthcoming. He said the board had made a very bad decision, and he believed prehospital care would be affected. He appreciated the City Manager and council's strong support of the department. He added that he thought Eugene worked well with other jurisdictions, particularly Springfield. He described some of the training Eugene conducted MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 2001 Page 2 Goals Process Session in conjunction with Springfield, and noted that Eugene would participate in a study related to consolidation and mergers, and it would cost that City approximately $45,000 to add Eugene to that effort. Mr. Meisner was concerned that Eugene was working on the subject of building materials but other jurisdictions were not. Planning and Development Department Director Tom Coyle discussed the department's progress on the work plan activities under the goal Sustainability Community and Growth. Mr. Rayor commended the work done by staff on the hospital issue the previous year and hoped that staff would keep the work done in conjunction with that issue ready as events unfolded. He asked about the financial status of the Permit and Information Center and the impact of the implementation of the Land Use Code. Mr. Coyle believed that in three months he would have a better assessment of the impact of the code on center's financial status. Mr. Kelly agreed with Mr. Rayor regarding staff's work on the hospital issue and commended the department's swift response to some of the unintended consequences of the code. Referring to the work activities on pages 8 and 9 related to downtown economic development, Mr. Kelly expressed concern that work was not progressing in a timely way and urged staff to propose adequate funding to the Budget Committee in the fiscal year 2003 budget. Focusing more specifically on the work activity related to an economic development strategy in general on page 9, he questioned how progress could be made without more resources. Mr. Kelly was very concerned about that. He recommended that staff bring the associated resource issues to the council soon and do what was possible to seek funding sources outside the City. He recollected interest on the part of the Institute for Sustainable Ethics and Economics in working with the City on the subject, and the City received a letter from the Rocky Mountain Institute volunteering to raise matching funds. Mr. Johnson said that there had been a recent contact between staff of the institute and the Chamber of Commerce on the topic. Mr. Meisner concurred with Mr. Kelly's concerns about the economic development strategy. He noted a concern about the City's progress in protecting downtown housing, and said that opening Broadway may create pressure for the conversion of such residential structures to commercial uses, which heightened his concern about the delay. Mr. Meisner was pleased with the planning going on around the site of the new federal courthouse and former Chiquita area. He questioned how the City could integrate its plans for downtown with the courthouse development area. He also expressed concern that the Planning Commission was embarking on planning for the Chiquita redevelopment without anyone thinking about the costs involved, such as the funds that would be required to move the road, for example. Noting that the City had preliminary cost estimates, Mr. Johnson reported that at the third public meeting there were good comments from both staff and the consultants regarding the cost of the project and the MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 2001 Page 3 Goals Process Session associated costs of such items as moving the Millrace. Mr. Meisner noted the focus of his concerns on the street, which would consume quite a bit of land. Ms. Nathanson asked to what extent the Downtown Advocacy Alliance would help the City achieve its goals or complicate the process of achieving them, as it was one more party to negotiate with. She asked Mr. Coyle what he knew about the organization. Mr. Coyle acknowledged he did not know much at this point. Mr. Pap6 said that the remarks made by Mr. Meisner recalled for him the library cost overruns, and emphasized that he wanted to avoid a similar situation around the courthouse and Chiquita site. Mr. Pap6 also commended the staff work on the hospital issue and agreed with Mr. Rayor that the City needed to be ready with the materials gathered during that effort if another hospital approached it regarding possible location in Eugene. Mr. Rayor shared the concerns expressed by Mr. Pap~ and Mr. Meisner, suggesting that the City approach the issue of the Chiquita redesign using a series of overlays; each overlay could have a cost assigned it. Mr. Pap~ determined from Mr. Johnson that City was considering the ramifications of an urban renewal zone in association with the courthouse and Chiquita redevelopment. Ms. Nathanson said she was more concerned about what happened to the Willamette Street site owned by PeaceHealth than about what happened to the organization's Hilyard campus, given the importance of the site to the core of the community. She did not want the issue to slip through under the council's radar screen. Mr. Johnson said media reports about his discussions with the management of McKenzie Willamette Hospital were accurate; there was no other discussion that had occurred. He said the discussions were just beginning. Public Works Department Kurt Corey discussed the department's progress on the work plan activities under the goals Safe Community, Sustainability Community and Growth, and Healthy Natural and Built Environment. Mr. Meisner asked what the department's plans were for public information regarding the stormwater fee increase. Mr. Corey said that staff proposed to do outreach through the stormwater newsletter, the web site, and other informational outlets. Mr. Meisner noted his change of heart about the fee increase and said if he had to do it again, he would not vote for it. He said that the public had no opportunity to vote on the increase, and he was concerned it could have a negative impact on the public's reaction to other City measures. Mr. Johnson suggested that the information outreach would solicit input from the public about whether it wanted the increase, which he pointed out was not yet implemented. Mr. Meisner wanted to ask the public if MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 2001 Page 4 Goals Process Session it wanted its utility bills increased to support a stream acquisition program. Mr. Corey noted that the responses to the community survey indicated support. Ms. Nathanson endorsed bicycle use but expressed concern about people who used bicycles unsafely, such as those who ride on the sidewalk or in the wrong direction on bicycle lanes, particularly in the University of Oregon campus area. She asked if the department was working with the University to educate people on the proper use of bicycles, or if anything that was done could be very effective. She suggested that staff identify where the conflicts existed, and target a safety campaign in those locations. Mr. Corey said that the outreach the City did was more focused on those who wanted to learn the right way to use a bicycle. It was very difficult to change behavior. He said the City used its Alternate Modes Coordinator to work with various segments of the community, including the University, on bicycle safety issues. Ms. Nathanson suggested a chat with the Police Department could also be helpful. Ms. Nathanson noted a group newly formed to advocate for a new parks and open space bond measure. She further noted that the former Parks and Open Space Committee had anticipated such a bond would be needed. She suggested that anything the council did in terms of a new bond revenue be discussed in the context of other issues, e.g., the library's revenue needs. Mr. Johnson noted that he had encouraged the group's representative to contact the council regarding the timing of a possible bond issue. Mr. Rayor suggested that the fliers mailed with Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) bills be used to communicate information about the stormwater fee increase being contemplated. The flier should be sent when there were no other fliers being mailed. Mr. Rayor asked staff to consider what funding priorities existed and what the council should ask the voters to support in terms of bond measures. He added he would not vote to support any "hurry-up" measures. Ms. Taylor noted she personally did not read the fliers in the EWEB bills. Ms. Taylor asked why the City did not employ more stop signs, such as on East Amazon and Fox Hollow streets, saying they improved pedestrian safety and slowed motorists. She asked what was being done for pedestrian safety, saying it was unsafe to cross streets in downtown. She did not know if the issue was a Public Works or a Police issue. Mr. Corey said that comparatively, Eugene does a great deal in terms of pedestrian amenities to make life easier for pedestrians. He pointed to the many mid-block improvements that were made in neighborhoods to facilitate pedestrian movements, and cited the Ayres Road project as an example of a specific problem area where the City built in many pedestrian amenities. He thought a lot was being done and money was being well-spent. Ms. Taylor said that stop signs are cheap and stop traffic. She thought the City's focus was more on moving traffic than on keeping pedestrians safe. Mr. Kelly wanted the policy issues related to Photo Red Light brought back to the council. MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 2001 Page 5 Goals Process Session Mr. Kelly said that he had been very impressed by the work done by the staff with the community on different neighborhood parks. People had real ownership of the parks, and he appreciated the staff s work with the public. Speaking to the remarks made by Ms. Nathanson, Mr. Kelly said he had no sense yet of the scope of the other measures that might be on the ballot. He suggested that the staff give the council a "straw man" in the form of a reasonable array of bond measures and related time lines. Mayor Torrey suggested that staff postpone its evaluation of Ayres Road until people had time to get used to the improvements. Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department Director Angel Jones discussed the department's progress on the work plan activities under the goals Healthy Natural Built Environment and Accessible and Thriving Culture and Recreation. Returning to the subject of parks financing, Mr. Rayor asked if the City had some way of finding out what other agencies were going to offer the public in terms of bond measures. Mr. Johnson said that he could put the issue on the agenda for the next meeting of the chief executive officers of the three local jurisdictions. He added that the City had some idea of what School District 4J had planned; the district was contemplating offering voters a $120 million bond for facilities improvements. Mr. Kelly asked if the 20-37 programs would be presented in a unified way and if they would be in the next Recreation Guide published by LRCS. Ms. Jones said there would be a concentrated marketing effort for those programs and they could be included in the tabloid. She noted that the City was only funding a part of the programs offered by the organizations in question and it would need to look at effectiveness of using the guide as a marketing tool, because the contact would normally be Recreation staff. Ms. Jones noted further that staff was considering the guide from an overall effectiveness viewpoint. Mr. Kelly suggested the public was used to finding youth and recreation programs listed in the guide. Ms. Jones said that was a very good point and she would follow-up. She noted that the City was working to get Lane Community College to list all the programs there were available in a one-stop, comprehensive list. All the agencies were acting independently at the current time. Mr. Kelly hoped that the results of the review of service delivery and gaps would be provided to the council. He suggested that prior to coming to the council with a plan, staff provide a memo with observations and conclusions and laying out broad policy areas for the council to consider. He thought it would help move the process forward. Ms. Jones agreed. She was hoping to present the council with a recommendation of how the existing service gaps could be funded and who would deliver those services, but in the meantime she could provide the complete inventory to the council. Mr. Kelly reiterated his request for a summary of what the staff learned. MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 2001 Page 6 Goals Process Session Mr. Pap~ thanked Ms. Jones and staff for their work in running the pool and for being flexible to demands for more hours of use. Mayor Torrey noted ongoing interjurisdictional work on the subject of after-school program funding. Mr. Johnson asked how the City could get credit for providing Measure 20-37 money to nonprofit organizations. Ms. Jones concurred that was an important issue. Ms. Hardt of the Central Services Department discussed the department's progress on the work plan activities under the goal Effective, Accountable Municipal Government and Fair, Stable and Adequate Financial Resources. Ms. Nathanson spoke to the lack of coordination she perceived between two bodies she served on, the Human Services Commission (HSC) and Public Safety Coordinating Council (PSCC). She indicated her interest in greater regional collaboration and her intent to seek more information about performance levels from the HSC. She was unsure how she would pursue the issue through the PSCC. Mr. Meisner requested regular updates reports on what was being done in terms of fees for non- Eugene residents. Ms. Hardt indicated no work session was planned at this time. Mr. Johnson said he asked Mr. Carlson to look at City agreements with Lane County and the City of Springfield regarding payments for mutual assistance, for example, the police canine response. He indicated staff would provide regular updates. Mr. Rayor concurred with Ms. Nathanson as to the importance of coordination between the two bodies' concerns and said that perhaps some of the issues involved could be resolved in the Budget Committee setting. Ms. Taylor asked if the PSCC and HSC were made up of representatives of the same groups. Mr. Johnson said no, but both were related to Lane County government, which had the responsibility for coordinating both groups. He wanted to look at the monitoring of the intergovernmental agreement to ensure that it was being done well. In response to a follow-up question from Ms. Taylor, Mr. Johnson said that the PSCC had about 30 members and many spots were designated by State law. Two members must be from the City Council. Mayor Torrey and Ms. Nathanson served on the body itself; he was an ex officio member. The two groups could not be combined because the PSCC was established by law. Mr. Johnson thought that to some degree, the board had responsibility for the coordination Ms. Nathanson sought. Mayor Torrey referred to the additional revenues anticipated in the form of in-lieu taxes from EWEB and recommended that the council have a work session and discuss creative, useful way to use those dollars. He said the City also needed to do some post-Ballot Measure 47/50 prioritization. He agreed that the PSCC and HSC needed more integration. MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 2001 Page 7 Goals Process Session Mr. Carlson discussed the City's efforts related to energy conservation, campaign finance reform, the provision of City information, citizen issue tracking, downtown office and public safety space planning, multi-year financial planning, and operations, maintenance, and preservation costs associated with facilities. Mr. Meisner emphasized his interest in complaint resolution as opposed to complaint tracking, and characterized progress on the work plan item as "invisible." He was joined in his concern by Mr. Kelly. Mr. Johnson promised a status report soon, saying much had been done on the issue. Mr. Kelly raised the issue of campaign finance reform and how to proceed from this point, given the recommendations of the Citizen Charter Review Committee. Mr. Carlson briefly reviewed the recommendations of the Citizen Charter Review Committee as they related to the topic. Mr. Kelly wanted the ordinances before the council soon so they had an impact on the next election. Ms. Nathanson said that with regard to what went well, it seemed she saw more interdepartmental collaboration than she had in the past. Department heads attended council meetings, which helped. The organization changed the way it worked, and she extended her thanks to the manager and staff. Ms. Nathanson asked if the City had the right work plan items under the goal regarding the PSCC. The PSCC would follow its work plan, not the City's work plan. Ms. Nathanson said that when she looked at the goals and associated work activities, and at the staff resources, she thought staff was small and the council was asking it to do more than it could do in a year. It did not surprise her that emerging issues had pushed some of the work activities out. Staff had been immediately responsive to the council's high profile issues. Mr. Pap~ concurred. Mr. Kelly said that the council focused on what had not gone well, but it was clear that the work plan was largely going well, and Ms. Nathanson's points were well-taken. He said that staff needed to tell the council when it needed resources. Referring to the secondary list, Mr. Kelly requested a report on the progress of those items. The meeting adjourned at 8 p.m. Respectfully submitted, James R. Johnson City Manager MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 2001 Page 8 Goals Process Session (Recorded by Kimberly Young) MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 2001 Page 9 Goals Process Session