Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 09/08/99 WS MINUTES Eugene City Council McNutt Room--City Hall September 8, 1999 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Scott Meisner, Nancy Nathanson, Pat Farr, Bobby Lee, David Kelly, Betty Taylor, Gary Rayor. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Gary PapS. DINNER WORK SESSION OF THE EUGENE CITY COUNCIL A. Items from Mayor and Council Mayor James D. Torrey called the meeting to order and welcomed councilors back from the summer recess. Mr. Meisner introduced a five-minute video produced by the Eugene Library Foundation in conjunction with its fund-raising campaign for the new library building. The council viewed the video. Mr. Meisner described the scope of the Eugene Library Foundation's fund raising efforts and noted the council had been invited to the fund raising kick-off on Friday, September 17, at the former Rice & Spice grocery store site. Mr. Meisner reported that the Library Foundation was seeking major gifts and grants from both individuals and foundations. He reported that individual board members had donated atotal of $130,000 signifying their support of the project, which was important to many grant-making foundations. Mr. Meisner encouraged the councilors to contribute as individuals. He referred councilors to a brochure regarding the fund raising effort and pledge forms, distributed prior to the meeting. Library Foundation President Tom Wiper said that the campaign was proceeding as anticipated, and encouraged councilors to attend the kick-off to the fund raising campaign on Friday, September 10. He reported that the foundation had raised $1.6 million to date. Ms. Taylor had no items. Mr. Farr had no items. Mr. Kelly recollected that City Manager Jim Johnson had previously solicited councilors for questions to ask the outside counsel in Portland regarding the Hyundai matter, and asked if he had any information to share with the council about the topic. Mr. Johnson said that he had received several questions from councilors but had not yet had an opportunity to pass those questions on to outside counsel pending resolution of the local investigation and Governor John Kitzhaber's action on relevant legislation. He indicated that since those situations were resolved, he would pass the questions on. Mr. Rayor had no items. MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 1999 Page 1 5:30 p.m. Mr. Lee called the council's attention to the United Way Day of Caring, Monday, September 13, and reported the council would be working at Looking Glass Station 7. He commended the event and encouraged the council's participation. Ms. Nathanson noted her previous concerns about incidents of crime in isolated areas, particularly developing areas on the periphery, and said it appeared that activities at least at one of the isolated areas about which she was most concerned had been reduced as a result of the City's Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) response. Ms. Nathanson discussed ways the City could support passenger rail service in a manner similar to its support for the airport. She had become concerned because of the effort the City and State were putting into promoting rail service as an alternative for some types of trips while the system was becoming increasing congested and less reliable. She was uncomfortable investing public money in something the City appeared to have little influence over, but she had been working with the City's Intergovernmental Relations staff, Oregon Department of Transportation staff, and the Governor's Office on a resolution to this issue. She said that there may be an intergovernmental solution. Mr. Meisner reminded Ms. Nathanson of the existence of the Willamette Passenger Rail Advisory Committee and suggested she keep that group informed. Ms. Nathanson indicated she would ensure that connection was made if it had not been already. Mr. Johnson said the council will soon see signs at parks and open space improvement projects soon stating that the project in question was funded by the proceeds of the Parks and Open Space bond measure passed by Eugene voters in November 1998. Mr. Johnson noted the Eugene Fire Department's involvement in the emergency response to the tanker truck spill on Highway 126 at Petersen Tunnel near the Suislaw River and said that staf?s performance had been excellent. The paramedics may be receiving a citation. He noted that the State covered the costs of the City's response. Mr. Torrey said he intended to serve with councilors Meisner and Papd on a planning committee for the City's 150th anniversary, occurring in 2001. Mr. Torrey said he had received numerous calls from citizens of Whiteaker who feel frightened by some activities occurring in their neighborhood. The citizens were also questioning the City's support for the Whiteaker Community Council because of the manner in which officers of that group were elected; apparently only ten individuals were present at the meeting at which elections were held. He asked Manager Johnson for more information on the City's neighborhood association recognition policy and noted an upcoming council work session on the topic was scheduled. B. Work Session: Sustainability Planning and Development Department Director Paul Farmer introduced the topic. He acknowledged the effort of staff members Allen Lowe, Les Lyle, and Jim Croteau in developing the presentation. He said that the presentation included a variety of examples of sustainable development. Mr. Farmer called the council's attention to the several definitions of sustainability included in the staff notes and in particularly the definition developed by the United Nations Brandtland Commission: "Sustainable MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 1999 Page 2 5:30 p.m. development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." He suggested that the definition could be a starting point for the council's discussion. The council viewed a PowerPoint presentation on sustainability. Mr. Torrey commended the presentation and asked for council comments on the options outlined in the staff notes. The options were: 1. Adopt a definition of sustainability as it relates to the use of the term in Council Goal 2. 2. Do not adopt a definition of sustainability; defer to a future discussion of council goals. 3. Direct the City Manager to further explore actions that the City might tal~e to incorporate sustainability in local government activities. Ms. Taylor also commended the presentation and indicated support for options 1 and 3. She asked if the council could do anything to stop unsustainable City practices, such as the use of asphalt. She asked if someone planned to do the staff sustainability training mentioned in item 6 on page 19 of the meeting packet. She also asked how the City could foster an environment in which individual employees were dedicated to a sustainability ethic, also mentioned in item 6. Ms. Taylor supported the development of an overarching sustainability policy to guide staff for council adoption as described in item 5 on page 19. Mr. Kelly noted that sustainability was on the minds of many, including the Chamber of Commerce. He said that the chamber's monthly meeting would feature a presentation entitled "Sustainability is Profitable by Definition." The speaker is the president of Collins Pine, a company that has embraced sustainability principles through an approach known as the Natural Step. He encouraged council attendance and circulated information about the event. Mr. Kelly said that the University of Oregon was sponsoring a sustainable business symposium with world- renowned speakers such as Paul Hawken. That event is scheduled for November 5-7, and he indicated he would provide information about the event in the future. Mr. Kelly commended the background memorandum and presentation and endorsed Ms. Taylor's comments regarding the adoption of an overarching policy to guide City departments. He said that there is a council goal regarding sustainability and a definition that articulated that goal would be the start toward an overarching policy. Mr. Kelly said that feedback from constituents indicated to him that the City's attitude toward environmental and sustainability issues varied from department to department, so such a policy would be useful. Mr. Kelly said that the statement on page 3 that sustainability was "also a filter through which growth and development options are viewed as decisions were made" was a great concept and he wanted to see the City make decisions in that manner. MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 1999 Page 3 5:30 p.m. Mr. Kelly said that it was a false dichotomy to pit the economy against the environment; sustainability over the long run was good for both, and he was pleased to see that recognized in the presentation and background materials. Mr. Kelly expressed appreciation for Mr. Farmer's remarks regarding recycling in the City organization. He said that he had received feedback from individuals associated with BRING recycling who pointed out that there was no recycling available to users of some City facilities, such as the airport, and had suggested that Eugene adopt a program similar to Portland, which required construction sites over a certain size to prepare recycling and salvage plans prior to receiving a building permit. Mr. Meisner termed the staff memorandum both clear and informative. He agreed with Ms. Taylor and Mr. Kelly regarding options 1 and 3. Mr. Meisner said that option 3 would mean staff would not only look at internal City practices, but also at City regulations and educational efforts, which might lead to ordinance changes. Mr. Meisner observed that in his own neighborhood, which had very environmentally aware residents, he had been unable to persuade people that washing their automobiles with soap on the street or in the driveway was not a good idea. He believed that the council would have to place significant effort into gaining community acceptance, which would require community education. Regarding the observation in item 1 on page 18 of the staff memorandum that some adopted policies were not being implemented, Ms. Nathanson suggested that staff in different departments may not be aware of some policies and questioned how that issue was being addressed. She was also interested in knowing where policies were in conflict with other policies or practices. Referring to page 5 of the staff memorandum, Ms. Nathanson said although she thought the United Nations definition might be the easiest to adopt and appeared to represent a sort of recognized standard, which she liked to use when possible, some of the concepts in the definition of sustainability attributed to William Ruckelhaus appealed to her. She cited specifically the statement that environmental protection and economic development are complementary rather than antagonistic processes. Ms. Nathanson requested examples of City practices that had been instituted because of council or staff concerns about sustainability and growth management, such as the use of bicycle couriers. She said it would be nice to see a "scorecard" of what had been done over the last five to ten years. Ms. Nathanson also requested a list of practices what staff planned to changed because of the work done on sustainability. She also asked if the City had ever done an overview of its printed materials. Ms. Nathanson said if there were to be indicators or benchmarks, she wanted them to be consistent with those adopted by the Oregon Progress Board for ease of comparison with the State and other cities. Mr. Lee was excited about the topic of sustainability and said it appeared that many councilors had similar thoughts. He believed that the concept was a complex one. Mr. Lee said that someone must take a leadership role on the issue and he believed the council should fill that role. He recommended that the council adopt a resolution regarding the definition of sustainability and ask other local governments units and the school districts to adopt it as well. Mr. Lee said that having a common definition that all agree upon was a first step. Public education about the need for the definition was another step. He hoped that the process led to something concrete like an urban watershed council for the metropolitan area. MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 1999 Page 4 5:30 p.m. Mr. Lee said that other communities were doing such things as paying people to turn in their old, inefficient toilets to save water, and suggested that Eugene could take similar concrete actions. Mr. Lee said that the discussion was an example of thinking globally and acting locally. He supported options 1 and 3, and commended the excellent staff work. Mr. Fart recollected a National League of Cities conference in Phoenix, Arizona, which included tours of sustainable efforts, such as a water-efficient golf courses. He suggested that Eugene had a different view of what sustainability is. He agreed adopting a definition was needed. Mr. Fart liked the United Nations definition but believed it needed to be broadened to suggest that development and sustainability were not incompatible concepts. He said that many people had differing ideas of sustainability, and it was possible that antagonism could develop between different factors of the community if that point was not stressed. Mr. Rayor noted that the majority of the definitions of sustainability in the staff memorandum mentioned the environment, ecology, nature, ecosystem, and resource. He wanted to see "nature" or "environment" in the definition because the earth, in the end, provided everything used by humans. He proposed the revised definition: "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the environment's ability to meet the needs of future generations." Mr. Meisner said the definition did not have to fit every circumstance. He said that the council was discussing a vision and definition, but there were goals the council wanted to accomplish within inside that vision, and implications for how the City operated. Mr. Meisner hoped the council developed a definition and explained that definition and its application. He also hoped the staff presentation could be shared with community groups for the purpose of community education. Mr. Meisner said that the consequences of people's actions should be highlighted to the community. Mr. Meisner suggested that Mr. Rayor's proposed revision could be a start for a discussion of what sustainability means. Mr. Meisner endorsed Mr. Lee's recommendation that the council take a leadership role. He also liked Mr. Lee's suggestion that the City ask other local governments to adopt a common definition to ensure that Eugene was not acting in isolation. Mr. Fart concurred with Mr. Meisner's remarks. He suggested that the City could have the best of development and the environment. He believed that sustainable business practices were on the rise. Mr. Fart agreed with Mr. Meisner that the presentation should be shared with community groups and further suggested it be shared with the schools. Mr. Kelly reported on Home Depot's recent decision to sell lumber from only certified sources using sustainable timber practices. He endorsed Mr. Lee's suggestion that the City Council develop and adopt a resolution containing a definition of sustainable. He liked the United Nations definition but not its focus on sustainable development. Development implied something to people which made the definition more limited than it actually was. The council wanted to define sustainability, not sustainable development. He liked the Rucklehaus definition and suggested the two could be merged. He reiterated his support for the concept that the definition would be a filter for decision making, and proposed an annual follow-up on the impact of the definition on policy making. MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 1999 Page 5 5:30 p.m. Referring to the resolution proposed by Mr. Lee, Ms. Nathanson asked if it could be made sufficiently broad to be adopted by the City's intergovernmental partners. She asked what process the City would use to make presentations to the other local governments about the definition, and requested a staff recommendation on process. Ms. Nathanson suggested that if the staff presentation was shown in other places or on Metrovision, which she thought it should be, she wanted one change. She pointed out that there were several examples of costs, generally listed as "cons," that raised the issue of life cycle costs for her. Ms. Nathanson pointed out that while it might cost 30 percent more to build a certain type of street, that street required less long-term expense than a street built to a lesser standard. She said that the initial costs were not the only costs to taxpayers to worry about. Mr. Meisner liked the idea of the resolution, which could be forwarded to the other jurisdictions with the presentation. He said that the definition could be supported with findings and goals. Mr. Meisner suggested staff be directed to write a definition of sustainability based on the council's discussion. He added he found none of the definitions in the staff memorandum objectionable and believed many of the concepts discussed by councilors could be incorporated into the definition. Mr. Lee cautioned against a definition that was Eugene's alone, and said it was important the definition be a shared product to avoid politicizing the topic. He said that ultimately, a discussion of sustainability was a discussion of changing the community's values and behavior. Mr. Lee said that the definition must also have public ownership, not just the support of politicians. Responding to Mr. Kelly's comments regarding the United Nations definition's reference to development, Mr. Lee referred to Canada's approach, Ecological Sustainable Development. He said that the approach was overseen by a branch of government assisted by merchants and environmentalists who provided policy input. He indicated he would provide Mr. Kelly with information about the Canadian approach. Mr. Lee said that as the resolution went forward, the City needed to be able to defend its rationale and explain its reasons for adopting the definition to the public. He suggested that an op-ed piece in The Register- Cmard would be useful, and stressed the article should take an academic, educational approach. Mr. Johnson appreciated the council's level of enthusiasm for the topic. He said that staff wanted clear direction but he cautioned that he could not promise that the council's direction would be implemented overnight given the current staff resource and workload. Mr. Johnson said that whether the council passed a resolution or he signed an administrative order, telling someone to do something different was not the correct approach. People needed to be convinced of the rightness of an approach. Education was necessary. Mr. Johnson said that the definition could lead to the development of a comprehensive program that takes time and requires money. Mr. Johnson cautioned that the City would need to share more information with the other governments than just the resolution; he suggested the subject was very appropriate for an intergovernmental meeting. Ms. Taylor endorsed an intergovernmental meeting focused on the topic. She also endorsed staff presentations about the topic to neighborhood associations. MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 1999 Page 6 5:30 p.m. Ms. Taylor said that whatever definition of sustainability the council adopts, it should include the concept of not compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs, and that it should make clear that those needs require protection of the environment. She liked Mr. Lee's suggestion for a resolution, and for its adoption by other local governments. Mr. Torrey said that a resolution was a great idea, providing there was "meat" to it. He said that he did not anticipate active opposition to the resolution but cautioned the council that people may initially be skeptical. He recommended that the council ask those people for their input into the content of the resolution. Mr. Torrey said that the council needed to ensure that everyone understood that the City had no hidden agenda in adopting the resolution. Mr. Torrey asked if there was something the City could do about Delta Ponds to improve the water quality. Mr. Johnson indicated staff would update the council on plans for the ponds at a future meeting. Mr. Johnson agreed with Ms. Nathanson regarding the fact that life cycle costs mitigated the impact of higher initial construction costs, but said the City Council, as members of the Budget Committee, would have decisions to make about the tradeoffs involved if the City was restricted to building only concrete streets. He suggested a tradeoff would be less maintenance. Mr. Kelly asked Mr. Johnson to identify those tradeoffs and provide the council with the information needed to make those funding decisions. Mr. Lee said he had to leave the meeting and indicated his support for a proposal regarding council compensation that could be placed on the May 2000 ballot. Mr. Lee left the meeting. C.Work Session: Consideration of Motion Regarding Compensation for Mayor and Council and Discussion of City Charter Issues The council considered a motion still on the table from the August 11, 1999, council work session: That the council place a charter amendment on the May 2000 ballot that calls for compensation for the mayor and city council. The council will appoint a seven-member committee to draft a viable and equitable charter amendment for review and referral by the council. Applications for the citizen committee will be accepted until September 20, 1999. The council will appoint the committee no later than October 20, ~ 999, and the committee will complete its work and forward a charter amendment draft to the council no later than February ~, 2000. At the suggestion of Mr. Meisner, Mr. Kelly revised the dates in the motion to change the application deadline to October 8, and the appointment date to October 27. There was no objection. Mr. Meisner indicated support for the motion, acknowledging the quick time frame but suggesting it was an achievable goal. He believed that the motion represented a clear indication of the MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 1999 Page 7 5:30 p.m. council's intent. He said it was his expectation that the committee would have a public input process. Ms. Nathanson was puzzled as to why it was necessary to appoint a new committee rather than employ the committee appointed previously. She said the committee had momentum and diversity of opinion regarding the topic. That diversity of opinion was important and made a statement about the council's willingness to hear the committee's recommendations. She pointed out that the committee asked for more time to work on a proposal. Ms. Nathanson questioned why the committee not be reconvened as it had moved a long way toward accomplishing the task envisioned in the motion. Regarding the topic of council pay, Ms. Nathanson said that she had been asked her opinions of the topic and had responded that she believed that the council should be reimbursed at a less than half-time level, adding that she would like to hear references to stipends rather than salary. She believed that a salary implied different expectations from citizens regarding council hours and councilors' presence at City Hall, and also noted concerns expressed by the committee that paying councilors salaries would affect the form of City government. Ms. Nathanson briefly noted her own employment situation, which was a full-time job requiring her full-time attendance. Mr. Rayor said that he also had a full-time job and it was a good perspective from which to serve given that the average taxpayer also had a job. He believed there was a higher calling in volunteering for public service. Mr. Rayor said that the question was difficult for him; he did not want to receive compensation if it changed the public's expectations about what he could and could not do within the existing system. He also did not want voters to construe a vote in support of the motion as supporting pay for himself. Mr. Rayor felt the committee had let him down, because he believed that the committee's goal was to decide on a fair level of compensation. Mr. Johnson pointed out that was not the committee's charge. Mr. Rayor said that the new committee should have that charge to avoid getting into other charter issues, which he was not prepared to do. He believed that serving on the council was hard work and agreed with those who thought offering a modest stipend might encourage others to run. He said it would be useful to have a proposal developed in time to give potential candidates information about what to expect. Mr. Rayor said he would support the motion. Mr. Farr said he also had a full-time job that he believed was more reflective of other residents as he had little or no flexibility in the hours he worked. He said in general, it would be difficult to attract people with his working hours to council service, pay or no pay. Mr. Rayor pointed out that the council had changed its meeting time to reflect working hours. Mr. Fart said that it was still difficult to keep up with City duties outside of work hours. He supported convening a committee with a charge that was to develop a compensation package rather than debate whether there should be one. He endorsed Ms. Nathanson's suggestion that the current committee be retained. Ms. Taylor said that the previous committee was hastily appointed and its charge was different than that represented in the motion. She suggested that those individuals could apply for the new committee. She supported the motion, acknowledging there were some who could never run for the council even if there was compensation. However, some level of compensation might open the field to more candidates. She believed that the level of work required was worth some small amount of money. Ms. Taylor hoped the committee would interview all the councilors as well as MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 1999 Page 8 5:30 p.m. potential council candidates and other members of the community. She also hoped there was adequate time for public input into the committee's recommendations. Mr. Johnson said that staff could not guarantee that the previous committee could continue to serve. Due to the short time frame, the committee's charge needed to be very clear. He believed the motion was clear. Mr. Meisner agreed that the previous committee was represented of the diversity of opinion in the community, but he had believed the committee would accept input, and had been disturbed by the hardened positions expressed by members in regard to the appropriateness of compensation in the absence of that input. Mr. Meisner agreed a clear charge was needed, and indicated his support for the motion on the floor. Regarding the issue of the manager/council form of government, Mr. Meisner pointed out that of 125 cities represented at the most recent National League of Cities, Eugene was the only city with no council compensation; every government represented had a council/manager form of government, so compensation did not appear to affect the structure of government to any extent. He hoped such information was shared with the proposed committee. Ms. Nathanson did not know if the previous committee members were still willing to serve in the absence of definitive information. At this point, she was willing to support the motion to facilitate the work to be done. She asked if the council was willing to give a more refined charge to the new committee, such as stating that full-time pay was not an option, or if it wanted to leave the topic "more up in the air." Mr. Kelly believed that having a public input process and the background material the previous committee had would probably lead the new committee to the conclusion that full-time salaries were not a viable option. He said he would find it difficult to develop language at this time that would tighten the charge without precluding something the council might want the public to bring to it. Regarding maintaining the previous committee, Mr. Kelly noted that a little more than half of the committee members attended the final meeting and voted on its report to the council, an indication to him of the level of continuing interest. He said that he had discussed the issue sufficiently with members of the previous committee, who indicated that the philosophical debate between committee members was likely to continue indefinitely. Mr. Rayor expressed hope that previous committee members would apply for the new committee. He said he wanted the new committee to know what the council was currently doing in terms of the time councilors spent on council time, and suggested that those two facts would lead the committee in the direction Ms. Nathanson envisioned. Mr. Torrey endorsed the motion and charge. He did not think the task was a big one and it could be done quickly with enough focus. Mr. Torrey was concerned about the desired outcome: what did the council want the citizens to say yes to, and why? If the outcome was to ensure more people could serve as councilors, the council should also make sure that the committee paid attention to the position of mayor as well. He asked for input on how the committee would be selected. MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 1999 Page 9 5:30 p.m. Mr. Kelly noted that the mayor's position was mentioned in the motion. He suggested that the appointment process would be similar to any other committee convened by the council. Mr. Torrey proposed that Mr. Kelly's statement be considered part of the motion. There was general concurrence. Mr. Torrey referred the council to a memorandum he had distributed regarding the manner in which councilors were elected and suggesting that the new committee be charged to look at a proposal for elections outlined in the memorandum. He also suggested the council hold a work session on the proposal. He noted that any three councilors can request that an item be placed on an upcoming agenda and said he hoped he could find three councilors willing to do so because he would not schedule it on his own or ask the City Manager to schedule it. Mr. Torrey said that councilors had received input from the Friends of Eugene suggesting his proposal had no merit, and he disagreed with that input. He pointed to population increases in the size of several City wards and said that the council should have the discussion if for no other reason to prepare for ward reconfiguration following the 2000 census. He believed that wards 4, 5, 6 and 8 had been under-represented for several years because of the population growth they had experienced. Mr. Torrey believed a committee evaluation of the proposal would be very useful. He said that the current ward approach meant that councilors did not have the benefit of input from all citizens. He believed citizens were interested in the views and votes of councilors in other wards. Mr. Torrey stressed the importance of having the discussion he advocated for to reduce the level of citizens' sense of disconnectedness from City government. He believed the public should make the final decision, not just small interest groups that provide continual input to the City. Mr. Kelly called the question. The motion passed unanimously, 6:0 (Mr. Lee having left the meeting). Mr. Kelly advocated for discussion of Mr. Torrey's proposal as part of a charge given to the charter review committee envisioned in the council's two-year goals. Ms. Nathanson read a suggested motion for future consideration: That the council schedule a work session to consider appointing a citizen committee to study the issues of population change and representation for City wards and potential redistricting as a result of the next census, Mr. Fart indicated he would be willing to second such a motion. Ms. Taylor advocated referring the mayor's proposal to a charter review committee as suggested by Mr. Kelly. Mr. Fart agreed that the proposal was an appropriate issue for a charter review committee, but that would be a longer term process, and he considered the issue somewhat time-sensitive because of the ward reconfiguration question. Mr. Meisner agreed that the mayor's proposal should be folded into the charter review process. He was not interested in a separate committee. He disagreed with Mr. Fart regarding the issue of timing, pointing out redistricting would not be effective until the elections of 2002 MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 1999 Page 10 5:30 p.m. Mr. Johnson asked if there was any objection to scheduling a work session on a charter review committee. There was no objection. The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, James R. Johnson City Manager (Recorded by Kimberly Young) MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 1999 Page 11 5:30 p.m.