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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 05/26/98 Work Session MINUTES Eugene City Council McNutt Room--City Hall May 26, 1998 6p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Tim Laue, Bobby Lee, Scott Meisner, Laurie Swanson Gribskov, Betty Taylor Betty Taylor, Ken Tollenaar. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Pat Fart, Nancy Nathanson. I. CALL TO ORDER The adjourned May 20, 1998, Eugene City Council meeting was called to order at 6 p.m.; His Honor Mayor James D. Torrey presiding. Mayor Torrey indicated that the City of Springfield officials, public safety staff, and the community have relayed their appreciation for the City of Eugene's support following the May 21 tragedy at Thurston High School. Councilors voiced their condolences to the families of the victims and the entire Springfield community. Ms. Swanson Gribskov noted that the blue ribbons being distributed by the Springfield Fire Department symbolize the phrase "let it stop here" and she asked staff to secure some for use by this community. She indicated that the incident with be added to a June agenda of the Public Safety Coordinating Council. Ms. Swanson Gribskov announced an open public forum and the May 26 Springfield City Council meeting. Mr. Tollenaar recalled a Eugene City Club study on school safety, saying this is a resource for thinking about "where do we go from here." Mr. Meisner said he was impressed with the larger community's response, which has been "how do we stop it here--how do we prevent this" not "how do we punish this." Mr. Lee thanked City Manager Pro Tem Jim Johnson for keeping the council apprized of developments. He urged the council to continue to look for ways to protect every child. Ms. Taylor expressed concern for the children in both communities who now feel "less safe" because of the incident. She said one good outcome is that most parents will show their children more love. Mr. Johnson said the City of Springfield, at some point, will officially express its gratitude. He said it was troubling that apparently there are many youths in the community with much more overt signs of being at risk than the alleged perpetrator. He expressed concern about just how large the problem is and what to do about it collectively. II. ACTION ITEMS A. FY99 Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission Budget Ratification Minutes--Eugene City Council May 26, 1998 Page 1 6p.m. Wastewater Division Director Peter Ruffler acknowledged the presence of Susie Smith, Director of the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC). He noted that the FY99 MWMC budget had already been adopted by the commission and under the intergovernmental agreement, each of the three governing bodies must also ratify the budget. Mr. Ruffler said the bottom line was that there is no change proposed in the regional user rate structure. Ms. Smith distributed a copy of her May 21, 1998, memorandum to the commission on rate comparisons using the Association of Metropolitan Sewage Agencies (AMSA) Index. Addressing a question from Ms. Swanson Gribskov, Mr. Ruffler said a citizens advisory committee researched system development charges (SDCs) and made recommendations. Ms. Smith recalled that the committee, representing a broad cross-section of the community, reached consensus in recommending a new methodology for assessing rates and greatly improved the base of knowledge for the area. She noted that the jurisdictions adopted the methodology and there have been no problems with the rate schedule. Ms. Swanson Gribskov ascertained that the SDC revenue was a small but important addition to the capital improvement program. Mr. Meisner noted that the annual cost-of-living adjustments were different between the two communities and wondered why that was so. Mr. Ruffler said the figures reflected the fact that there was no cost-of-living adjustment in Eugene last year but there was in Springfield. Mr. Meisner expressed concern with the indirect overhead costs, particularly Eugene's. He asked for a comparison of billing entries between the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) and the Springfield Utility board (SUB). Ms. Smith said the City of Springfield did a comparison study of billing costs by utilities providing the service and were able to renegotiated a decreased charge per bill from SUB, which was, however, still above the middle of the range for the state. In response to a question from Mr. Laue, Mr. Ruffler said there was sufficient base capacity to serve both communities through the year 2017. Addressing a question from Ms. Swanson Gribskov, Mr. Ruffler said there is a sinking fund for equipment replacement funded on a regular basis and one for major rehab based on revenue generation. He added that the capital costs will be paid for partly by SDCs supplemented by other funding if needed. In response to a question from Mr. Tollenaar, Mr. Ruffler said biosolid (sludge) management entails air- drying the biosolids and then land-applying them. The current system can only handle about 50 percent of the sludge generated on an annual basis, but a de-watering process project was planned that will add the required capacity. Mayor Torrey commended what he called "the finest example of intergovernmental cooperation" in the area. Mr. Tollenaar moved, seconded by Mr. Lee. to ratify the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission budget for FY 1999. Roll call vote. The motion passed unanimously, 6:0. Ms. Smith personally thanked the council for its sympathetic comments at the beginning of the meeting, adding that the City of Springfield organization was very appreciative of the City's and council's support. Minutes--Eugene City Council May 26, 1998 Page 2 6p.m. iii. DIRECTION REGARDING LIBRARY FINANCING ISSUES Mr. Johnson said that due to scheduling confusion for the public hearing on the library funding issues, the council may wish to recess the hearing this evening and reopen it on June 1. He asked for staff direction from the council on: 1) maximum indebtedness; and 2) the timing of the local option levy for operation costs; and 3) the size of the local option levy. Mr. Johnson said the council may wish to seek advice from the Council Committee on Finance or the Mayor's Library Improvement Committee. He noted that the November ballot may be crowded with measures from the three jurisdictions. Ms. Taylor said there was no question that anything having to do with a property tax should go out in November, given the failure of Ballot Measure 53. She said she believed that both the library and parks bond measures should be able to pass on the same ballot. Ms. Swanson Gribskov agreed with Ms. Taylor, noting that this primary election was the only window of opportunity for avoiding the double majority rule in the next two years. She suggested buying options on land parcels now for use as parks in the future rather than putting a parks measure on the upcoming ballot. Ms. Swanson Gribskov said the library capital should be limited to whatever can be realized from the urban renewal fund and those funds raised privately. Mr. Laue expressed his view that the library should be built with urban renewal funds without referring it to voters and finance operations later, saying the community was more likely to support an operations measure once the library is built. Mr. Tollenaar said he supported the concept of not building something that the City cannot afford to operate. He predicted a "reshaping" of the public safety measure, given the events of last week, that garner more enthusiastic support from the community. He urged caution about what is put on the November ballot, adding that he would be comfortable postponing the parks measure because there was good momentum built- up for the library and it would be foolish not to "go for it". Mr. Lee agreed that November was the preferred election date, but he was undecided about which measure to put forward. He ascertained that the council must take action no later than August 27 for the November ballot. Mr. Meisner said the library committee public forums were complete but the information had not yet been collated. He reported that public sentiment was that a library was needed and the idea of branches was very popular. With that in mind, he said, a) there should not be a separate urban renewal vote, and b) he was not attached to a specific election date--it was more important move forward and keep trying until it passed. Mr. Meisner said he was undecided about how to address parks at this time. Mayor Torrey said using the $18 million to build a library without addressing operating will give the perception that the council is circumventing the public. He expressed concern that if the measure passed in September without the double majority, it would go down as a defeat. He suggested asking the parks committee for a smaller figure and also to postpone any decision until Councilor Nancy Nathanson gave input. Mr. Johnson said staffhad already discussed a reduced figure for parks to refer to the committee. Addressing the library issue, he indicated that based on public comment, it was obvious that the library proposal will include branches. With the existing ordinance on urban renewal, there would have to be another election in Minutes--Eugene City Council May 26, 1998 Page 3 6p.m. two years. And in two years, he added, the community's priority need might be something other than the library. In response to a question from Mr. Tollenaar, Mr. Meisner said branches would not mean that the community could get away with a smaller main library. He explained that storefront branches were mostly for recreational use, with a main branch for research and other uses. Addressing a question from Mr. Laue, Mr. Johnson said that once the council's direction was clear and if it included branches, staff would research all the possibilities including branches in schools. Mr. Meisner added that public input included experience with branches in schools and the feedback indicated that they were not the favored approach; at best, they had a mixed track record. Mr. Lee noted public enthusiasm for a new library and said he had not perceived the same level of enthusiasm for parks. Ms. Swanson Gribskov said she assumed the library committee was considering revenue realized from the City's sale of assets, adding that branches might be more affordable if they were phased in. Mr. Tollenaar asked for a definition of"maximum indebtedness." Sue Cutsogeorge, Financial Management Services, referred to a wall chart describing that the phrase referred to a "ceiling that, once adopted cannot be changed" and that was based on a good faith estimate of the cost of the projects being completed in the Urban Renewal Plan. She indicated that the figure included the principal amount of a library bond and any future expansions, fund administration costs, and existing projects (improvements to the Overpark). She noted that the interest on the bond and payments on existing bonds (for the conference center and Parcade) were not counted in that figure. Ms. Cutsogeorge said the administrative costs were based on reduced costs as presented to the Budget Committee. She explained how staff arrived at the figure, saying it could be refined as the final plan was developed and refinements made. Referring to her May 26, 1998, memorandum, Ms. Cutsogeorge said it was uncertain how much will be available in the future through urban renewal for a library. The meeting adjourned at 7:28 p.m. Respectfully submitted, James R. Johnson City Manager Pro Tem (Recorded by Yolanda Paule) R:~1998~Admin Services~CIS~Council~CC980526. ml. wpd Minutes--Eugene City Council May 26, 1998 Page 4 6p.m.