HomeMy WebLinkAbout02.26.20 City Council Work Session MinutesMINUTES
Eugene City Council
Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97401
February 26, 2020
12:00 p.m.
Councilors Present: Betty Taylor, Emily Semple, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark,
Greg Evans, Claire Syrett, Chris Pryor
Councilor Semple opened the February 26, 2020, work session of the Eugene City Council. Councilor
Syrett joined the meeting at 12:25 p.m.
WORK SESSION: Parks and Recreation System Development Charge Methodology Update
Parks and Natural Resource Planner Carolyn Burke and Interim Public Works Director Matt
Rodrigues introduced the topic.
Council Discussion
Councilor Clark- asked for clarification on stormwater system development charges;
expressed support for Option 4 and interest in suspending SDCs for accessory dwelling
units; said that affordable, smaller homes become available as people move out of them
because they move into larger homes.
Councilor Zelenka - expressed support for adopting the proposed project list; asked what
the comparison was between Portland's and Eugene's rates; appreciated that the model
supported small housing and transportation access; expressed support for a two-year
phase -in of the fee increase.
Councilor Pryor - wanted to figure out how to increase the number of smaller, affordable
homes built; was most interested in Options 2 and 3.
Councilor Yeh - agreed with Councilor Pryor in support of Options 2 or 3; was willing to
phase in the fee increase.
Councilor Evans - was interested in a fifth option that would include no increase in the first
year, a 20 percent increase in the second year, and a phased increase for two years after
that.
Councilor Semple - asked for clarification on what would occur between years one and two
in Options 5 and 3.
Councilor Syrett - weighed the need to increase housing while also continuing to fund parks
development; supported the proposed Option S.
Councilor Clark - supported keeping the current fees for two more years; interested in a
comparison between in -market cities nearby (including Veneta, Creswell, etc.); raised the
idea that the increase could occur over ten years' time.
Councilor Zelenka - thought the comparison between Eugene and its competitors for where
people wanted to build were with cities like Corvallis and Bend and that the $500 difference
between Eugene and Springfield would not make much of an impact in the overall choice of
where to build locally.
Councilor Pryor - said he looked forward to a rate structure that encourages building
smaller; supported Option S.
Councilor Syrett - asked about the impact of the change in the administrative fee.
Councilor Clark- thought Option 5 would result in builders choosing to build elsewhere and
wanted to see a slower rate change over ten years; asked how the administrative fee might
be used to eliminate fees for SDCs.
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Work Session
Mayor Vinis - expressed interest in putting the motions on the table to determine whether a
second work session would be needed.
Councilor Taylor - supported the first two motions and wanted to delay voting on the fee
structure timing.
Councilor Zelenka - thought there was enough support to adopt Option 5 and wanted to
vote rather than delay.
Councilor Semple - noted that when people moved to larger homes, their smaller homes
were often demolished; asked what the lost revenue might be depending on each choice.
Councilor Zelenka - offered a rough figure of lost revenue resulting from a delay in
implementation of the new fee structure.
MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to direct the
City Manager to prepare for adoption a reduction in the SEC administrative fee from
nine percent to five percent. PASSED: 8:0
MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to direct the
City Manager to prepare for adoption the proposed project list and components of the
proposed methodology to ensure funding for 2018 Parks and Recreation bond measure
projects. PASSED 7:1, Councilor Clark opposed.
MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Evans, seconded by Councilor Syrett moved to direct
the City Manager to prepare Option 5 for adoption. PASSED: 6:2, Councilors Clark and
Taylor opposed.
MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to direct the
City Manager to prepare for adoption an SDC adjustment for large multi -family units
that implement Envision Eugene and Climate Recovery goals. PASSED: 7:1, Councilor
Taylor opposed.
2. WORK SESSION: E-Scooters and Micromobility
Transportation Planning Intern Karen Mason and Transportation Planning Manager Rob
Inerfeld introduced the topic.
Council Discussion
Mayor Vinis - asked for clarification on the definition of a shared use path.
Councilor Semple - shared a personal story about being hit by an e-scooter and did not
support having them on sidewalks; said that if a pilot was implemented, she wanted as
many options as possible as well as scooters with seats and baskets; wanted to require
helmets and consider equity concerns.
Councilor Zelenka - shared his experience with using scooters in a couple of different cities;
thought they were an important tool for reducing greenhouse gases; thought parking spots
were helpful, technology was very helpful for controlling speed and educating about use
Councilor Taylor - said she thought there were problems with parking and sidewalk use,
and that scooters were a hazard generally; thought e-bikes were already a problem on
shared use paths.
Councilor Pryor - said he was focused on rider behavior for all mobility devices and that a
pilot was an opportunity to see how safely the City could get people to ride.
Councilor Clark- expressed concern about the interaction between scooters and cars; did
not think the City should expend any funds for this service when there were so many other
more pressing needs.
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Work Session
Councilor Yeh - expressed concerns but supported a pilot program; thought a longer trial
period would be helpful; asked for clarification on the location of the pilot within the city;
wanted to ensure people outside of downtown would have the opportunity to use them.
Councilor Evans - said he shared the concerns of Councilors Semple and Taylor; shared
personal experiences with e-scooters; asked how many cities have banned e-scooters due to
safety issues; was hesitant to support a pilot and wanted to learn from the experiences of
other cities.
Councilor Syrett - asked staff to speak more about how geo-fencing might be used; thought
Eugene could incorporate best practices into its pilot to alleviate some concerns, and that
the City needed to encourage people to travel without their cars; wanted a city-wide pilot.
MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to
extend the meeting by 10 minutes. PASSED 8:0
• Councilor Taylor - did not support a pilot and wanted to know who would issue fines;
thought it might discourage people from biking and walking, and draw riders away from
buses.
MOTION: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to direct the City
Manager to bring back for council consideration an ordinance amending the code to
allow the administrative establishment of a pilot program for licensing e-scooter
share services in Eugene.
• Councilor Semple - expressed support for the pilot.
VOTE: PASSED 6:2, Councilors Taylor and Evans opposed.
• Councilor Clark - asked for clarification on where people could use e-scooters currently.
MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to
direct the City Manager to bring back for council consideration an ordinance
amending the code to allow e-scooters and other electric micromobility devices
(e.g., e-skateboards) on shared use paths (outside of East Alton Baker Park).
PASSED 6:2, Councilors Taylor and Evans opposed.
The meeting adjourned at 1:42 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Beth Forrest
City Recorder
(Recorded by Cas Casados)
View the video recording of the meeting here.
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Work Session