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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 02/23/98 Meeting MINUTES Eugene City Council City Council Chamber--City Hall February 23, 1998 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Pat Fart, Tim Laue, Bobby Lee, Scott Meisner, Nancy Nathanson, Betty Taylor, Ken Tollenaar. COUNCILOR ABSENT: Laurie Swanson Gribskov. The Adjourned February 18, 1998, Eugene City Council meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m.; Mayor James D. Torrey presiding. I. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Torrey reviewed guidelines for participation in the Public Forum. Judith Lerner, 2510 Kincaid Street, said she was a leader of a group of ten developmentally disabled members of Campfire who attended the Sheldon Life Skills program where they received vocational training as part of their education. She said the members would describe their experiences and career goals as part of an appeal to the City to include persons with developmental disabilities in its diversified work force. She said she and others were available as a resource to aid in developing job categories and create positions which would meet the needs of the City and of available workers to make Eugene a place of equal opportunity for all. Becca Rasmussen, 1404 Willagillespie Street, stated that she was 18 years old, attended Sheldon High School, worked with children as a volunteer, and worked in a restaurant. She said when she finished school she wanted to work with animals or in a hospital. Angie Micken, 1948 Olive Street, said she was in a community living program and worked as a library assistant at Lane Community College. She said she wanted to be independent and buy her own house. Molly Ann Marshall, 3590 Mill Street, said she worked at a children's day care facility. She described her responsibilities. She said that when she finished school she wanted to purchase a van and go places with her friends. She said she wanted to help her friends. Emma Niedermeyer, 830 West 22nd Avenue, said she attended Sheldon High School and that she would like to work with little children or animals. She said she wanted to work to earn money and have a family. Sarah Marshall, 3560 Mill Street, said she attended Sheldon High School and worked every morning at a childcare center at a church. She described her work. She said she wanted to MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 23, 1998 Page 1 7:30 p.m. continue to work in childcare when she was an adult because she did a good job and was able to make children happy. Ron Minty, 377 West 8th Avenue #211, stated that he was a key holder, board member, and vice president of SAFE, Incorporated. He said because he resided in the downtown area he had experienced first hand the Eugene Celebration and an incident on June 1, 1997, involving the removal of trees. He said he pledged his support to holding the Eugene Celebration in the downtown area. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approval of City Council Minutes of November 19, 1997, Lunch Work Session; January 12, 1998, Dinner Work Session; and January 21, 1998, Lunch Work Session. B. Call for Public Hearings--Street Vacations for University of Oregon (SV 98-1) and (SV98-2) C. Resolution Concerning Call for Public Hearing to Consider Proposed Withdrawal of Territory (Breeden Land Company, C EU 9-36) from the Junction City Water Control District. Res. No. 4557--A resolution calling a public hearing to consider proposed withdrawal of territory (Breeden Land Company, C EU 97-36) from the Junction City Water Control District. Mr. Fart moved, seconded by Mr. Tollenaar, to approve the City Council Consent Calendar for February 23, 1998. Mr. Fart requested that sentence 1 of Section 2 of Resolution Number 4557 be changed, as follows: Section 2. Wednesday, March 11, 1998, at !2:00 noon '1'1:30 a.m., Pacific Time, in the Council Chambers McNutt Room, City Hall, Eugene, Oregon, is hereby fixed as the date, time and place for hearing objections to the withdrawal. Mayor Torrey determined there was no objection to the amendment. The amended motion was adopted unanimously, 7:0. II1. PUBLIC HEARING: ORDINANCE CONCERNING METRO PLAN AMENDMENT AND CONCURRENT ZONE CHANGE, COSTCO WHOLESALE (MA 97'-4) Mayor Torrey stated that if no one spoke in opposition to the application about to be considered, the council would vote on the proposed ordinance at the current meeting; but that if opposition was expressed, the council would vote on the ordinance at its next meeting. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 23, 1998 Page 2 7:30 p.m. A. Declarations of Conflicts of Interest or Ex Parte Contacts Mayor Torrey stated that he and Mr. Fart were members of Costco. He determined from City Attorney Glenn Klein that such a membership did not constitute a conflict of interest or an impediment to participating in a decision regarding the Metro Plan amendment and zone change to be considered in the public hearing. Mayor Torrey determined that no councilor had a conflict of interest or had participated in ex parte contacts regarding the application in question. B. Staff Presentation Kurt Yeiter, Planning and Development Department, referred to the Agenda Item Summary dated February 23, 1998, and other material regarding the application of Costco Wholesale for a Type II Metro Plan Amendment and Zone Change (MA 97-4) distributed with the agenda of the meeting. He explained processes followed and criteria used to approve such amendments and zone changes. Mr. Yeiter reviewed the application and the recommendation for its approval made by the Planning Commission. He summarized findings, conclusions, and recommendations about the application. Mr. Yeiter explained that the public hearing was to be "on the record" and the council could only consider evidence submitted during the hearing of the Planning Commission. Mr. Yeiter reported that an oversight in the adoption of the Willakenzie Area Plan had erroneously retained a Special Light Industrial designation for the current Costco site, even though it was zoned General Commercial with a Site Review overlay. He said the error would be corrected in a future recommendation from the Planning Commission. C. Questions of Staff In response to questions from Ms. Nathanson, Mr. Yeiter drew attention to a vicinity map in material provided with the agenda of the meeting and explained that growth in the area of the proposed project was proceeding briskly and that a wide range of interests could likely pursue development of the parcel of industrially zoned land from which the application was proposing annexation of a 2.24 acre parcel. Ms. Nathanson asked how the proposed project would improve parking and circulation. Mr. Yeiter replied that the easterly driveway from the property onto Chad Drive would be relocated and parking lot redesign would create additional accessibility for vehicles. Mr. Tollenaar pointed out that dates included in items V.D and E of the Agenda Item Summary needed to be corrected. He said he realized Transportation Rule Implementation Project (TRIP) regulations were not part of criteria to be used in evaluating the application, but he asked if they would be imposed at a later time. Mr. Yeiter replied that all parking lot guidelines, including landscaping standards, would be imposed on the project. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 23, 1998 Page 3 7:30 p.m. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 23, 1998 Page 4 7:30 p.m. D. Public Testimony Alan Wagner, 2650 Chuckanut Street, stated that he was a nearby resident of the proposed project and that he supported the application. He said he believed Costco needed a larger capacity parking area and he encouraged the council to "go easy" on landscaping requirements. Jack S. Frank, 999 Lake Drive, Issquah, Washington, stated that he represented the applicant, Costco Wholesale Corporation. He expressed appreciation to City staff who, he said, had treated the application with courtesy and professionalism. He described the property in question and the remodeling project it would support. He explained that remodeling the current Costco facility was needed to meet its desire for business expansion and effectiveness. He said Costco had 56,000 members in the Eugene area. Mark Vandehey, 610 SW Alder, Suite 700, Portland, stated that he represented Kittelson and Associates, the firm which had performed the Transportation Impact Analysis submitted with the application. He distributed copies of a document entitled "Transportation Summary--Costco Metro Plan Amendment (MA 97-4)." He reviewed descriptions of existing conditions, project impact, and parking needs contained in the document. He stated that recommendations had been made to improve traffic in the Coburg Road/Chad Drive intersection area. E. Council Deliberation Ms. Nathanson said she questioned the finding on page 11 of the Planning Division Staff Report dated December 24, 1997, which suggested the application was "consistent with the principles of compact and sequential growth..." because it proposed horizontal expansion. She asked when parking structures would be financially feasible for commercial developments. Mr. Yeiter replied that staff had found the application was consistent with compact growth because it enabled the applicant to remain in its present location and not develop a larger second site elsewhere in the City. He said issues related to parking structures had been discussed by the Planning Commission in its deliberation regarding the application. Ms. Nathanson asked if expansion of the size of Costco did not imply an increase of customers which would again push parking limits to undesirable levels. Mr. Vandehey replied that current peak parking lot usage was at 90 percent and that the parking lot expansion was calculated to be able to provide peak usage at 85 percent, with customer growth factored into the calculations. In response to questions from Ms. Nathanson regarding parking lot maximum sizes, Mr. Yeiter explained that the proposed expansion was within TRIP limitations. He noted that a major portion of the business of Costco was with wholesale customers and that the applicant had submitted studies which showed that customers at warehouse-type stores stayed a longer period of time than in normal retail outlets. Mr. Meisner stated that Planning Commission and council action adopting growth management policies had led him to be sensitive to negative public concepts for "big box" retail stores. He said he was pleased to learn that Costco encouraged employees to use bicycles and public MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 23, 1998 Page 5 7:30 p.m. transportation to come to work, but he noted that few customers could likely use such alternate modes of travel. He said he was concerned by the inconsistency of testimony regarding wetland issues and industrial zoning recently received by the council and the current staff findings regarding industrial zoning and commercial activity. Mr. Yeiter said the inconsistency identified by Mr. Meisner was the major question to be decided by the council and had contributed to the split vote supporting the recommendation of the Planning Commission. He explained available industrially zoned land was less than had previously been judged to be in excess of that needed and that a review of recent Chad Drive development had showed that most projects were requesting subdivision into parcels of one acre or less. Mr. Meisner suggested that the Planning Division revisit the Industrial Lands survey. Ms. Taylor asked what benefit the proposed project would provide to the City of Eugene. Mr. Yeiter stated that a Planning Commission recommendation pointed out that the application met established development criteria and that if it was approved, TRIP standards would allow beautification of parking lot landscaping. He said that a very sizeable number of Eugene residents were members of Costco and would benefit from the proposed development. Mr. Tollenaar said that he agreed with Mr. Meisner that there was vocal objection to "big box" retail stores, but that the project in question did not propose any development of an additional such facility. He said he agreed with Mr. Meisner that testimony received regarding wetland issues and commercial development issues and industrial land zoning had been inconsistent, but he pointed out that the testimony had been received from different sources. He asked if the applicant for the Metro Plan amendment and zone change was the owner of the property in question. Mr. Frank replied that Costco was not the owner of the property, but had established a contract to purchase it contingent on approval of the amendment and zone changes. Mr. Farr said he did not believe very many people objected to "big box" retail stores because of their popularity with customers. He said such stores provided a service not available elsewhere. Mr. Laue pointed out that the proposed project was not a nodal development discussed in urban planning policies, but that it would have significant impacts on transportation patterns. He asked how it was possible for the existing Costco store to have been built on industrially zoned property. Mr. Yeiter explained that the existing Costco store was identified as commercial property in a list in the ordinance adopting the Willakenzie Area Plan, but that it had not been included as a commercial site in a Metro Plan ordinance chart. Mr. Laue said he supported the application because he believed it was preferable for Costco to expand in its current location than to force it to relocate elsewhere. Mayor Torrey stated that if the council vote on the ordinance resulted in a tie, he would vote to support the application for a Metro Plan amendment and zone change. Ms. Nathanson stated that her primary concerns about the application were the loss of industrially zoned land and that the proposed project was not consistent with the growth MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 23, 1998 Page 6 7:30 p.m. management policy of compact development. She said the fact that ample industrial land remained available reduced her concern, but that she was not pleased that compact development did not seem to be encouraged by incentives or market forces. Ms. Nathanson said it would take a major concern for her to vote against a recommendation of the Planning Commission. She also believed the imposition of TRIP requirements on parking lot development would create a more attractive and safer Costco site. Mr. Meisner asked for information regarding a previous request to switch industrial and commercial zoning on neighboring parcels of land in the area of Chad Drive. Land Use Planner Kent Kullby stated that a proposal to switch neighborhood commercial zoning for industrial zoning on neighboring parcels of land was not initiated by the City as a Type 1 Metro Plan Amendment because of an effort to focus neighborhood commercial zoning on Crescent Drive. Mr. Fart stated that he would prefer that local companies would be able to provide services such as those found in Costco, but realized it would be impossible. Mayor Torrey determined that councilors had no further questions or wished to further discuss issues related to the application. Mayor Torrey determined that staff did not wish to reply to any testimony received at the public hearing. Mayor Torrey closed the public hearing. City Manager Vicki Elmer announced that the council would consider Council Bill 4637, an ordinance amending the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan diagram and the Willakenzie Area Plan diagram to redesignate property identified as Map 17-03-16-32, a Portion of the Tax Lot 600 (Costco Site) from Campus Industrial to Commercial, and rezoning the property from I-1, Special Light Industrial to C-2/SR, General Commercial with Site Review Subdistrict. Mr. Fart moved, seconded by Mr. Tollenaar that Council Bill 4637, with the unanimous consent of the council, be read the second time by council bill number only, and that enactment be considered at this time. The motion was adopted unanimously, 7:0. Ms. Elmer announced that the council would consider Council Bill 4637 by number only. Mr. Fart moved, seconded by Mr. Tollenaar, that Council Bill 4637 be approved and given final passage. The motion was adopted, 4:3, with Mr. Lee, Mr. Meisner, and Ms. Taylor voting no, and became Ordinance 20107. IV. PUBLIC HEARING: ORDINANCE CONCERNING SEPARATION OF CITY RECORDER AND FINANCE OFFICERAS REFERENCED IN EUGENE CODE, 1971 MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 23, 1998 Page 7 7:30 p.m. Mr. Klein reported that the City Manager had reorganized the operations of the City Recorder, moving it from the Administrative Services Department and creating a position of City Clerk/Recorder in the Office of the City Manager. He said the functions of City Recorder and City Finance Officer had previously been vested in a single person and that the City Code reflected the practice. He said he believed the ordinance to be considered was "housekeeping" in nature and enabled the current or other reorganization of the functions. He said Section 9 of the ordinance authorized the City Recorder, with the concurrence of the City Attorney, to make changes to the City Code, making its language gender neutral. Ms. Elmer explained how City Clerk/Recorder functions had been placed with those providing council support. In response to questions from Mr. Laue, she said election and contract recording functions would be included in responsibilities of the City Recorder. She said upgraded responsibilities would provide for a more active role for the City Clerk in providing citizen education functions. She said negotiation and financial elements of contracting would continue as City Finance Officer functions and that separating them from recording functions would improve their efficiency. Mr. Meisner said he did not believe background information given to councilors on the proposed ordinance amendments provided an adequate base for him to cast a fully informed vote. He asked if repealing Section 5 of the ordinance was recommended because its provisions were subsumed in Oregon Revised Statutes. Mr. Klein replied that provisions of the section regarding City records were amplified by a 100 page interpretation of the Attorney General and an administrative rule of the City Manager. Mr. Lee asked for information about how the City Manager had reached her decision to reorganize the functions of the City Recorder and Finance Officer, whether outsiders had been involved in the decision, whether the Bowling Report had been used as a basis for the decision, and whether interviews of councilors by the Service Improvement Director had been supportive of the decision. He asked how many other cities in Oregon had similar organizational structures. Ms. Elmer stated that she was unsure of how many Oregon cities had City Clerk/Recorder operations, but that the structure was common throughout the United States. Mr. Lee said he believed City Clerk positions were only efficient in smaller cities. He asked if Ms. Elmer was reorganizing City operations because she believed the previous structure was not functioning efficiently. Ms. Elmer stated that she believed splitting of institutional memory functions in the previous structure had been ineffective. She said changes were made to improve already good council agenda and support operations of the City and to improve outreach to citizens from the City Council. Mr. Lee asked if any recent evaluation had been done of City operations. Ms. Elmer replied that Tom Bowling had been engaged in consulting work with the City for a number of years and that some recent reorganizations had been based on his recommendations. Mr. Lee asked what the reorganization under consideration had cost. Ms. Elmer replied that preparation of the ordinance had been included in normal City Attorney contract fees. She said MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 23, 1998 Page 8 7:30 p.m. one position had been upgraded from management analyst to senior management analyst and that one position had been eliminated. She said that the overall reorganization of the City Manager's Office had resulted in a reduction of 5 Full Time Equivalent positions and produced a savings of $354,000. Mr. Lee said that he believed the reorganization placed Eugene either on the cutting edge of city administration practices or was moving it backward. Ms. Elmer replied that she believed the changes she had instituted allowed the City to be more responsive to citizen requests for information, provided increased outreach, and pulled operational functions together in a unifying way. Mr. Lee asked if Ms. Elmer did not consider the previous operational system to be adequate. Ms. Elmer replied that she believed the previous operational system had served the previous council well, but that the new council needed a different way of operating. Mr. Tollenaar said he believed the questions of Mr. Lee to be appropriate, but reminded the council that the City Charter gave responsibility for organizational structure of the City to the City Manager. He said he was surprised that so many concerns had been raised about a relatively minor function of the City, but that none had been raised about the major reorganization which had dissolved the Department of Public Safety. He said he was aware that most cities in Oregon did not operate recorder and financial officer functions as Eugene had until the reorganization instituted by the City Manager. Ms. Nathanson suggested that the council hold the scheduled public hearing and then further consider issues raised in a later work session, as proposed in the agenda of the meeting. Mayor Torrey opened the public hearing on the ordinance concerning separation of City Recorder and Finance Officer. Mayor Torrey determined there was no one present wishing to testify in the public hearing. Mayor Torrey closed the public hearing and adjourned the meeting at 9 p.m. V. WORK SESSION: CONTINUED DISCUSSION OF EUGENE CELEBRATION Mayor Torrey reconvened the meeting of the council in the McNutt Room at 9:05 p.m. He reminded the council of its action on February 16 to postpone consideration of a motion regarding the Eugene Celebration to the current meeting. He read the motion, as follows: Mr. Fart moved, seconded by Mr. Tollenaar, to direct the Eugene Celebration staff and Steering Committee to explore privatization of the event either by developing a relationship with an existing nonprofit organization with goals that support the ongoing production of the event, or by forming a new nonprofit organization; and to direct the staff and committee to return to the City Council during the month of May with a specific request for one-time transition dollars for the event. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 23, 1998 Page 9 7:30 p.m. Mayor Torrey reported that when he had been contacted by media to comment on issues raised at the resignation of members of the Eugene Celebration planning committee, he had suggested the council might consider providing a loan for start up costs to not exceed $250,000 for an organization which would sponsor the event. He said he has subsequently discussed the concerns of resigned members and was convinced that they continued to support the Eugene Celebration, but were convinced its continuance would be impossible without City subsidy. Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Executive Manager Jim Johnson reviewed actions of the City Council related to the Eugene Celebration and presented options to be considered by the council, as follows: · Continue the Eugene Celebration as a City managed event. · Transition sponsorship and management of the Eugene Celebration to a qualified nonprofit organization. · Provide no City support for the Eugene Celebration, likely ending the event. Steve Schriver stated that his firm, S/2 Intelligence, had been engaged to research successful patterns in nine events with formats similar to that of the Eugene Celebration. He reviewed highlights of his report as reported in the Agenda Item Summary distributed with the agenda of the meeting. He made nine recommendations, as follows: · The Eugene Celebration needs to evolve or dissolve. · A private nonprofit sponsor/manager of the Eugene Celebration should be found. · Funding through commercial sponsorship and other means should be increased. · An adequate and stable location for the event should be identified. · The event sponsors should recognize that times and perhaps the event's purpose have changed since the initial celebration. Mr. Meisner asked if any events reviewed by Mr. Schriver had changed from being city-sponsored to nonprofit organization sponsored. Mr. Schriver replied that the "Artquake" festival in Portland had moved from city- to nonprofit-sponsored status within two to three years of its inception and that the city continued to provide personnel, office space, and other in-kind support. Mayor Torrey stated that he did not believe the motion under consideration gave adequate direction for resolving issues related to the Eugene Celebration. Mr. Fart requested that his motion made at the February 16 meeting be withdrawn from consideration. Mayor Torrey determined there was no objection to having the motion withdrawn and declared it was not under consideration. Mr. Fart moved, seconded by Mr. Tollenaar, to express the support of the City Council that the Eugene Celebration continue. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 23, 1998 Page 10 7:30 p.m. Ms. Nathanson said that she would have difficulty voting on the motion because she favored supporting the celebration but only if it required a minimal of financial support from the City. Mr. Lee said he believed citizens were saying they wanted the Eugene Celebration to take place and that they wanted City leaders to find a way to make it happen. Mr. Tollenaar said he was unable to vote for the motion because it would imply a commitment to proceed with the celebration without consideration of cost to the City. Mr. Fart requested that his motion be withdrawn from consideration. Mayor Torrey determined that Ms. Taylor objected to having the motion withdrawn and declared that it continued to be under consideration. Mr. Tollenaar moved to amend the motion by adding the phrase "if a reasonable and affordable option can be found to continue it." Mr. Fart stated that he accepted the amendment to be part of his motion. Ms. Nathanson stated that the "threshold question" for her was whether the City should finance the Eugene Celebration. Mr. Laue said he believed continuing the Eugene Celebration was only possible with City support. The amended motion was adopted unanimously, 7:0. Ms. Taylor said that she would like to continue City financial support for the celebration in 1998 and to immediately begin discussing how alternate means of supporting it could be found for the following years. She said the event had been high on her list of priorities in council discussions of cutbacks required by Ballot Measures 47/50. Ms. Nathanson stated she had ambivalent feelings about the Eugene Celebration. She said she wanted it to continue, but that she was concerned that it might not be possible when persons who have been actively involved in planning the event refused to be involved in 1998. She said she felt the trust of the council had been violated in 1997 when the allocation of support provided by the council had been exceeded by more than 300 percent. Ms. Nathanson said that she preferred that sponsoring and managing the Eugene Celebration be transitioned to a nonprofit organization. Mr. Tollenaar said he wanted the Eugene Celebration to continue. He said he did not believe the event was the only way to celebrate the diversity of the City or that its support was a core service of the City. He said for the council to reverse its priorities and provide funding for the event would "open the door" to all of the other programs of the City for which support had been reduced or eliminated in budget cutting processes. He suggested that the City continue to provide in-kind Police and Department of Public Works support for the event. He said he believed that if the council "stuck to its guns" regarding financial support for the celebration, a way would be found for it to continue. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 23, 1998 Page 11 7:30 p.m. Mr. Fart moved, seconded by Mr. Tollenaar, to transition the Eugene Celebration to a qualified nonprofit organization; to authorize staff to release a Request for Qualifications and select a qualified nonprofit corporation to manage and have responsibility for the event in 1998; and to report to the council no later than May 4, 1998. Ms. Taylor asked that City costs for the Eugene Celebration be explained. Mr. Johnson replied that expenditures for the 1997 event totaled more that $340,000, which exceeded revenue by approximately $90,000. He explained that the council had authorized a $25,000 Room Tax subsidy for the event and had covered the balance of the shortage with one-time General Fund revenue. Mr. Johnson said that City expenditures for the 1998 Eugene Celebration in the scenario under consideration could include $44,000 for event staff for the period July through December 1998, $34,500 for direct labor costs of the Department of Public Works and Police Department, and $10,000-$25,000 for costs associated with management employee time in various departments. In addition, he said, a nonprofit manager would likely require a loan or line-of-credit provided by the City to provide for start-up costs needed before revenue was generated. Mayor Torrey said that he liked the proposed motion and that he was interested in seeing what someone could do with it. He said it was possible that the council could determine that the best proposal received to manage the celebration was not fiscally prudent and have to reject it, requiring that there be no 1998 event. Ms. Nathanson asked if there was a way for a Request for Qualifications to be issued which would ensure that an event would be proposed which would preserve the essential qualities of previous celebrations. Mr. Johnson said such a criteria could be included in the request when it was issued. Mayor Torrey suggested that leading planners of previous celebrations and members of the City Council plan the Request for Qualifications to be issued. Mr. Laue said he felt a request to provide descriptive elements of a proposed celebration be included in the Request for Qualifications. Mr. Johnson such a request could be included. Mr. Johnson said that if the council passed the motion under consideration, staff would continue to plan for a successful 1998 Eugene Celebration in September, keeping all options open. Mr. Tollenaar asked if it would be possible for staff to do as Mr. Johnson had suggested without establishing obligating contracts for services which could not be fulfilled. Mr. Johnson replied that he believed it would be possible to establish such contracts on a contingency basis. Mr. Fart asked if it would be possible for the Council Committee on Infrastructure and Planning Services to be involved in developing the proposed Request for Qualifications and other work related to the celebration. Mr. Meisner said that, as chair of the committee, he believed such involvement would only be possible at the meeting currently scheduled for March 5. Mr. Johnson suggested that it would be difficult to accomplish needed preparation by that date. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 23, 1998 Page 12 7:30 p.m. Ms. Elmer suggested that the earlier suggestion of the Mayor that leading planners of previous celebrations and members of the City Council plan the Request for Qualifications to be issued be considered. Mr. Laue suggested that current members of the Eugene Celebration Steering Committee be used to help develop the Request for Qualifications. Ms. Nathanson said she would be briefly available to be involved in fundamental issues related to the Request for Qualifications. Ms. Taylor asked when the 1998 Eugene Celebration was scheduled. Mr. Johnson replied that the event was scheduled for September 18-20. Ms. Taylor said she wanted to provide a City subsidy for the 1998 Eugene Celebration and that she believed there was ample resources in the Contingency Fund to provide it. Mr. Lee moved that debate cease and the council immediately precede to vote on the pending question. Mayor Torrey determined there was no councilor willing to second the motion of Mr. Lee and declared it was not under consideration. Mr. Johnson said that Eugene Celebration staff Carol Brewster had expressed to him that the decision under consideration would not guarantee that a 1998 event would occur. The motion to transition management of the Eugene Celebration to a qualified nonprofit corporation was adopted, 6:1, Ms. Taylor voting no. The meeting adjourned at 9:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, James R. Johnson City Manager Pro Tern (Recorded by Dan Lindstrom) MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 23, 1998 Page 13 7:30 p.m.