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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 03/13/00 Meeting MINUTES Eugene City Council Regular Meeting Council Chamber--City Hall March 13, 2000 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Pat Farr, Bobby Lee, Gary Rayor, David Kelly, Gary Pap~. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Betty Taylor, Scott Meisner, Nancy Nathanson. Mayor Torrey's assistant for the day, Alan Kelley, called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. Mayor Torrey stated his appreciation for Mr. Kelley's assistance for the day. I.CEREMONIAL MATTERS Mayor Torrey made a proclamation to salute Clare Rosenfeld of Eugene as the American Diabetes Association's National Youth Advocate. Mayor Torrey made a proclamation to salute Alex Zerzan of Eugene, A youth advocate of the American Diabetes Association who collected 2,502 signatures to increase diabetes research funding and would attend the rally for the cure in Washington DC. Mayor Torrey made a proclamation to salute Stephanie Waples of Eugene, a youth advocate of the American Diabetes Association who collected 2,623 signatures to increase diabetes research funding and would attend the rally for the cure in Washington D.C. Mayor Torrey made a proclamation to salute Jenna Rosenfeld of Eugene, a youth advocate of the American Diabetes Association who collected 2,767 signatures to increase diabetes research funding and would attend the rally for the cure in Washington D.C. Mayor Torrey presented a certificate of recognition of service to the City of Eugene as "Youth Mayor for a Day" to Alan Kelley. He thanked Mr. Kelley on behalf of himself and the citizens of Eugene. II.PUBLIC FORUM Jim Hale, 1715 Linnea Avenue, stressed the importance of a new police facility. He cited figures that showed Eugene's police facilities ranked 66 out of 73 cities that were comparable to Eugene. He noted that, on the same list of cities, Eugene's police ranked 30 percent higher as far as dealing with crimes. MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 13, 2000 Page 1 Regular Meeting Charles Biggs, 2405 Willakenzie Street, spoke against Autzen Stadium's request for a parking exemption. He said that the University of Oregon should go by the same rules as every one else. He suggested free bus fare days provided by Lane Transit District on days of Autzen Stadium events. He also called for more involvement by the Harlow Neighborhood Association and the East Alton Baker Park Citizen Planning Committee in any decisions that were made. Tracy Olsen, 795 Willamette Street, raised concern over the closure of the police substation located at Lane Transit District's downtown station. He said that the substation helped to develop a relationship between the community and the Eugene Police. He suggested a public/private partnership to fund the continued use of the substation by the Eugene Police. Nicholas Antone Jr., 512 Honeysuckle Lane, raise concern over the fact that he was homeless and unable to get into any City homeless programs. Becky Riley, 202 Hawthorne Street, spoke for the Friends of Rasor Park and against the annual car show on that site. She said that she had nothing against the car show, but that it did not belong at the Rasor Park site. She suggested the back parking lot at Valley River Center as an alternate site. Steven Mueller, 65 Lund Street, added to Ms. Riley's comments. He said that there was no reason that the car show could not be moved to another site and added that the neighborhood did not need the annual show. Responding to Mr. Bigg's statements regarding Autzen Stadium, Councilor Rayor commented that the night's planned action was just the beginning of the process. Regarding the issue of the car show and Rasor Park, Councilor Rayor called for more information on the issue from staff. Responding to Mr. Olsen's concern over the closure of the substation, Councilor Kelly noted that the facility would remain as a work location for the Eugene Police Department. Regarding the Rasor Park question, Councilor Kelly suggested that a new location could be found for the annual car show. Councilor Lee took an opportunity to stress the importance of answering the census that was in progress. He also asked staff to look into the problems Mr. Antone was having regarding getting into a car camp program. III.CONSENT CALENDAR Councilor Lee, seconded by Councilor Fart, moved to approve the items on the consent calendar. Councilor Kelly referred to page 1 of the January 24 work session minutes and noted that the year of the meeting was incorrectly shown as 1999 rather than 2000. MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 13, 2000 Page 2 Regular Meeting For the January 26 work session (page 8), Councilor Kelly suggested the wording "did not include the broader review of other charter elements, and he thought that should be included as a separate work plan item." Regarding the February 7 work session on page 5, he suggested adding words to clarify that he meant a public information campaign could be conducted by Eugene Water & Electric Board, not the City, and noted that item A was incorrectly labeled item B. For the work session minutes of February 14, Councilor Kelly suggested adding the word "effective" to the end of the second sentence in paragraph 2 on page 2. On page 5, he said that "respond" was incorrectly spelled "response" in the next to last paragraph. On page 6, he said the minutes incorrectly referred to the 2000 State legislature rather than the 2001 legislature. Regarding the February 16 work session minutes, Councilor Kelly noted that the location was at the Police/Fire Training Center on Chambers Street and 2nd Avenue. On page 6, he clarified the reference to the council goal of a healthy natural and built environment. The motion passed unanimously, 5:0. IV. PUBLIC HEARING: AN ORDINANCE CONCERNING PUBLIC CONTRACTING REGULATIONS THAT AMENDS SECTIONS 2.1210, 2.1220, AND 2.1255 OF THE EUGENE CODE, 1971 Mayor Torrey opened the public hearing. Seeing no one wishing to speak, he closed the hearing and called for comments/questions from councilors. There were none. V. PUBLIC HEARING AND POSSIBLE ACTION: AN ORDINANCE CONCERNING LOW INCOME RESIDENTIAL HOUSING PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION AND AMENDING THE SECTIONS 2.938, 2.939, AND 2.940 OF THE EUGENE CODE, 1971; AND A RESOLUTION ADOPTING AMENDED STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR PRO- CESSING APPLICATIONS FOR NEW LOW-INCOME RENTAL HOUSING LOCAL PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION AND REPEALING RESOLUTION 4418 Mayor Torrey opened the public hearing. Seeing no one wishing to speak, he closed the public hearing and called for questions/comments from the council. Councilor Kelly commented that he usually opposed special tax treatment, but supported this program. City Manager Johnson asked the council to consider Council Bill 4727, an ordinance concerning Iow income rental housing property tax exemption, and amending sections 2.938, 2.939, and 2.940 of the Eugene Code, 1971. Councilor Lee, seconded by Councilor Fart, moved that the bill, with unanimous consent of the council, be read the MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 13, 2000 Page 3 Regular Meeting second time by council bill number only and that enactment be considered at that time. The motion passed unanimously, 5:0. City Manager Johnson asked council to consider Council Bill 4727 by number only. Councilor Lee, seconded by Councilor Fart, moved that the bill be approved and given final passage. Councilor Fart read an excerpt from the 1999 vision and goal statement from the City Council. He noted that one of the goals was to foster affordable housing including subsidized and Iow-income housing. He said that this was another example of the City following up on its goals. He commented that the best staff in the entire country was working on the project and thanked the City Manager for his attention to detail. The motion passed unanimously, 5:0, and the bill became Ordinance No. 20192. Councilor Lee, seconded by Councilor Fart, moved to adopt Resolution No. 4623, adopting amended standards and guidelines for processing applications for new Iow-income rental housing and local property tax exemption and repealing Resolution No. 4418. The motion passed unanimously, 5:0. VI.PUBLIC HEARING AND POSSIBLE ACTION: A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF AIRPORT REVENUE REFUNDING BONDS, SERIES 2000 Mayor Torrey opened the public hearing. Seeing no one wishing to speak, he closed the public hearing and called for questions/comments from the council. Councilor Lee, seconded by Councilor Fart, moved to adopt Resolution No. 4624, a resolution of the City of Eugene Oregon, authorizing airport revenue refunding bonds, Series 2000 and providing the terms under which future airport revenue bonds may be issued. Councilor Pap~ questioned the reason for the resolution. City Manager Johnson said that the City was saving about $250,000 including the underwriting costs. The motion carried unanimously, 5:0. vim. PUBLIC HEARING AND POSSIBLE ACTION: A RESOLUTION ADOPTING A SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET; MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE CITY OF EUGENE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JULY 1, 1999 AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2000 City Manager Johnson noted that a revised handout was distributed. The council packet omitted two lines of the briefing summary. MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 13, 2000 Page 4 Regular Meeting Mayor Tarrey opened the public hearing. Seeing no one wishing to speak, he closed the public hearing and called for questions/comments from the council. In response to a question from Councilor Kelly regarding a contingency request for $30,000 to be moved from the General Fund to the Planning and Development Department to pay mailing costs for the Land Use Code Update hearing, Warren Wang said that the purpose of a contingency fund was to offset unforeseen expenditures. The mailing cost requirement was unknown when the FY00 budget was developed. Councilor Kelly noted that contingency had $100,000 left. In response to a question from Councilor Kelly regarding the transfer of the Public Arts Trust Fund from the Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department to the Public Works Department, Mr. Johnson explained that since Ballot Measure 47/50, staffing for the One Percent for Art Program no longer existed. He went on to say that the rest of the construction projects were managed by the Public Works Department, so it seemed a more efficient choice to have Public Works manage the Public Arts Trust Fund. He said that a committee made up of local artists and representatives from the Lane Arts Council was established to oversee the program. Staff hires managers under contract to work with artists on projects as a way to lessen staff costs after Ballot Measure 47/50 and still get needed skills and expertise. Councilor Pap~ called for a staff response to the need for the budget increase show in the Wastewater Fund. Mr. Wang agreed, and said that Public Works Department staff would provide details of the transaction to the council. In response to a question from Councilor Pap~ regarding the $416,536 increase in property tax exemption revenue and the transfer from the General Fund and Road Capital Projects Fund's Library Construction Subfund, Mr. Wang said that part of the financing for the new library downtown was the sale of the Sears Building. He said that the City was guaranteeing $550,000 would go into the library project by moving property tax money from the General Fund into the Capital Projects Fund. He noted that if the Sears Building was sold, the money would be returned to the General Fund. Councilor Lee, seconded by Councilor Farr, moved to approve Resolution No. 4625, a resolution adopting a supplemental budget; making appropriations for the City of Eugene for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1999 and ending June 30, 2000. The motion carried unanimously, 5:0. Mayor Tarrey adjourned the meeting of the City Council and convened a meeting of the Urban Renewal Agency. VIII.PUBLIC HEARING AND POSSIBLE ACTION: URBAN RENEWAL AGENCY: A RESOLUTION ADOPTING A SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET; MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE URBAN RENEWAL AGENCY OF THE CITY OF EUGENE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JULY 1, 1999 AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2000 Mayor Tarrey opened the public hearing. Seeing no one wishing to speak, he closed the public hearing and called for questions/comments from the council. MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 13, 2000 Page 5 Regular Meeting Councilor Lee, seconded by Councilor Farr, moved to approve Resolution No. 1006, a resolution adopting a supplemental budget; making appropriations for the Urban Renewal Agency of Eugene for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1999 and ending June 30, 2000. The motion passed unanimously, 5:0. Mayor Torrey adjourned the meeting of the Urban Renewal Agency and re-convened the meeting of the Eugene City Council. IX.ACTION: INITIATION OF LAND USE CODE AMENDMENT; AUTZEN STADIUM PARKING REQUIREMENTS Councilor Lee, seconded by Councilor Fart, moved to initiate an amendment to Chapter 9 of the Eugene Code to allow a reduction in the parking requirement for Autzen Stadium in excess of 50 percent in conjunction with the City approval of a transportation demand management program. Mayor Torrey stressed that the current action was only the initiation of the process and not acceptance. Planning Director Jan Childs reiterated the Mayor's comments and added, for the sake of the audience, that the council was not supporting a particular code amendment by taking action to begin the process that evening. She said that there would be two public hearings before any action was taken. Councilor Fart commented that the outcome would be positive for the community and commented that he was looking forward to the process. Councilor Kelly said that he wanted to believe that the project would work. He raised concern that not enough alternative mode transportation would be used. He said the proposal was a challenging enterprise and called for code language that would include an annual measurement of success and would require feedback to the University of Oregon if the transportation demand management was not successful. Councilor Kelly called for a memorandum to the council that would speak to the University of Oregon's responsibility for the litter problem in Alton Baker Park and called for a role in the proposal for the East Alton Baker Park Citizen Planning Committee. Councilor Kelly raised concern over the ability of LTD to handle the additional capacity and called for input from LTD on the subject. Councilor Rayor commented that it was not readily known that several hundred of the extra parking places were located in Alton Baker Park and that the University was late in fulfilling terms of its agreement with Alton Baker Park. He called for a clarification of the agreement between the City and the University of Oregon. He stressed the need for good background information. The motion passed unanimously, 5:0. MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 13, 2000 Page 6 Regular Meeting X.ACTION: JOINT RESOLUTION BETWEEN EUGENE WATER AND ELECTRIC BOARD AND CITY OF EUGENE Councilor Lee, seconded by Councilor Fart, moved to adopt the joint resolution between the City of Eugene and Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB). Councilor Fart indicated he seconded the motion for the sake of discussion. Councilor Pap~ stated that he was as anxious as anyone else to have universal access to high speed telecommunications in the City at the least possible cost. He commented that the original proposal was submitted in a rushed fashion and raised concern over the breadth of the resolution with regard to the use of content. He was concerned that the issue was being rushed and commented that it would do no harm to have the issue on the November ballot as opposed to the May ballot. Councilor Kelly said he was surprised by Councilor Papa's comments. He said that his concerns had been alleviated by EVVEB's agreement to go back to council and the voters before any bonds were issued. He called for getting the issue on the ballot and not waiting. Councilor Fart was not in favor of the joint resolution. He said it was a deviation from business as usual and that there were too many unanswered questions. He wanted to wait for the November ballot. He said that the resolution was a charter amendment and he took charter amendments very seriously. He stated a hope that the council would postpone a decision on the issue. In response to a question from Councilor Lee regarding the EWEB board being fully confident in the direction it was going, EVVEB's representative said that the board was fully confident. Mayor Torrey pointed out that two of the councilors who were in Washington D.C. were in support of the resolution. Mayor Torrey's position was that the City Council should not support the resolution. Mayor Torrey took offense to comments made at a recent EWEB board meeting. He said that when board members indicated that the City Council was coming perilously close to interfering with the responsibilities of the EVVEB commissioners as it related to this issue, he would point out to the members of that board that until the citizens of Eugene took away the council's authority by voting in support of the telecommunications measure, it was the responsibility of the City Council, and he hoped that discussions would take place at a high level from that point forward. In response to a question from Councilor Pap~ regarding guaranteed access throughout the city, City Attorney Glenn Klein said that a franchise agreement was a contract and, if that provider made such a guarantee as part of the contract, then it would be a binding agreement. Councilor Rayor said that the council had fully investigated the issue and it had lots of safeguards built in. He said that voter control was built in. Councilor Fart reiterated his concerns but added that he did not want an adversarial relationship with EWEB. He raised concern over the timing of providing universal access. MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 13, 2000 Page 7 Regular Meeting Councilor Kelly said that the issue was the question of whether telecommunications was a utility like water and electricity. He opined that it was. Mayor Torrey urged the council to table the motion and contact the absentee councilors for their input. He stressed his desire to see the full council involved in the decision. Councilor Rayor said that EWEB would have to show a timing plan for providing access to the entire community. He was against postponing the issue. Councilor Farr was also against postponing the item. Councilor Lee supported the resolution with concerns. He said that it was an intergovernmental issue and everyone needed to "be on the same page." He stressed the need for better communication between the City and other agencies. He commented that no one had all the answers on the issue because they were entering into an entirely new area. He asked if EWEB should sit on the sidelines and watch the world change. He noted that at every meeting he had asked how confident EWEB was with its decisions and the answer was always yes. Councilor Farr reiterated that the joint resolution was a significant change from the usual way the public did business and was an important milestone. He did not believe that significant questions had been answered to his satisfaction. Councilor Lee said that the council was not making a decision. He said the council was referring a ballot measure to the public who would make the decision. He said that public discussion was warranted. The motion passed 3:2; councilors Farr and Pap~ voting in opposition. Mr. Kelly closed the meeting of the City Council at 9:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, James R. Johnson City Manager (Recorded by Joe Sams) MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 13, 2000 Page 8 Regular Meeting