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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 10/21/98 Work Session MINUTES Eugene City Council McNutt Room--City Hall October 21, 1998 11:30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Pat Fart, Tim Laue, Bobby Lee,Scott Meisner, Nancy Nathanson, Laurie Swanson Gribskov, Betty Taylor Betty Taylor, Ken Tollenaar. I. CALL TO ORDER The adjourned October 14, 1998, Eugene City Council meeting was called to order at 11:30 a.m.; His Honor Mayor James D. Torrey presiding. ITEMS FROM MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, AND CITY MANAGER A. Signage Mr. Laue said a constituent who received a speeding citation has asked that the Jefferson Street portion between 18th and 28th Avenues be signed to make it clear the speed limit is 25 miles per hour. B. Amazon Parking Expansion Ms. Taylor said several people have communicated their concern at the City's plan to expand the parking lot at Amazon Pool. C. Information Requests Mr. Meisner made the following information requests: 1) budget figures for the restoration of the traffic control officer lost in the Ballot Measure 47/50 process; and 2) analysis of delinquent and uncollected taxes. D. School District's Athletic Stadium Ms. Nathanson said she cannot emphasize enough how important it is for the council to have a good relationship with the 4J School District, given the siting discussions of the district's athletic stadium. She particularly thanked City and district staff who assisted her understand the issue. She said the following issues related to the siting were raised in the school board's meeting the previous evening: traffic congestion, traffic speed, graffiti, lighting, and noise. Ms. Nathanson noted that some of these problems are not new, but will be exacerbated by the stadium. She said the mobile traffic speed monitor purchased by the City several years ago seemed to be a great success as it was scheduled everyday and asked staff to assess the need for a second monitor. She indicated she has also spoken with Public Works about the possibility of installing a traffic signal on Bailey Hill Road if the new facility is located there. MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 21, 1998 Page 1 11:30 a.m. E. Federal Planning Money Ms. Nathanson said that now that federal planning money was available for the new Amtrak station and the new federal courthouse, it was not too soon to begin the process of planning for the north side of town. She called it a great opportunity for doing some "macro planning" in land use and transportation using an intergovernmental approach. Ms. Nathanson said she would work with staff on developing a report to council. Mr. Meisner asked to be involved in that process as well. F. River Road/Santa Clara Mr. Tollenaar said that the number of noncontiguous annexations in the River Road/Santa Clara area has begun to cause confusion and service problems. He indicated that representation was also a problem. He reported on a meeting with Mr. Meisner and Lane County Board Commissioner Bobby Green last evening and said the group agreed on two things: 1) there should be a joint City/County staff analysis and report on the service problems; and 2) there should be follow-up meetings with the jurisdictions and residents of the area to focus on service problems. Mr. Tollenaar said the group also agreed that there should be a staff report soon on the history and status of urban transition for perusal by the Joint Elected Officials. At Mr. Tollenaar's invitation, Mr. Green added that the service problem issue for the area has been raised for many years and the residents of the area have felt under represented. He said he believed the two jurisdictions should join in policy discussions and decide how best to serve that area. Mr. Green agreed with Mr. Tollenaar that it would benefit all to have the broad discussion on urban transition. He said he represented the County board in supporting the requests for analysis of the service problems and follow-up meetings to address those problems. Mayor Torrey asked City Manager Jim Johnson to meet with County Administrator Bill Van Vactor to devise a process for addressing the issue. G. Homeless Camping Mr. Lee said he was pleased at the smooth transition of industrial street homeless campers to other areas. Mr. Johnson credited St. Vincent de Paul's "Mac" McFadden who was assisted by other nonprofits and the City to find other places for homeless campers. Mr. Farr echoed praise for City staff, particularly Richie Weinman, and St. Vincent de Paul, calling it a tremendous team effort. H. Halloween Recalling last year's Halloween "riots" in the University of Oregon neighborhood, Mr. Lee said he had been meeting with University of Oregon administrators to design alternative activities for students this year. I. Airport Ceremony MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 21, 1998 Page 2 11:30 a.m. Mayor Torrey announced a 10 a.m. press conference and brief celebration tomorrow for the airport's new Category 2 Instrument Landing System, which allows much more aircraft traffic in inclement weather. J. Work Session Canceled Mayor Torrey said that, without objection, the October 28 council work session would be canceled and all the items on that agenda had been moved to other dates. There was no objection. II. WORK SESSION: BUDGET PROCESS FOR SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDING Richie Weinman, Planning and Development Department, gave the staff report and explained how the intergovernmental Human Services Commission (HSC) is funded: United Way, State and federal funding, private and foundation funding, and the HSC (local government funding). He described the City's role on the commission, noting that three of the seven members represented the City because it made the largest financial contribution. Mr. Weinman said that the system worked so well that the HSC had received numerous accolades including a US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) "Blue Ribbon Practice Award" last year for its collaborative nature in identifying and meeting community service needs. He reviewed the system's two-year planning and funding cycles, noting that most funding was spent on basic needs although everyone recognized the value and need for prevention programs. Mr. Weinman said the next round of projects would be funded in July 1999, following a March 1999 application deadline. Local jurisdictions, he continued, in 1995 agreed to contribute one percent of their general fund but the City of Springfield has yet to meet that guideline. In addition to this contribution, he said both cities contributed community block grant funds, with up to 15 percent going toward social services. Mr. Weinman said that the policy question for the council and Budget Committee is should the one percent contribution concept be continued? He indicated that an issue had been raised with regard to projects that had been funded through the City's contingency request process and then competed in the HSC process successfully. Since the HSC process is on a two-year cycle, he noted, the City might fund a project in the initial year and the project is unable to get HSC funding for the next year. Addressing a question from Ms. Swanson Gribskov, Lane County's Steve Manela said the HSC budget was $6.7 million. In response to a question from Mr. Meisner, Mr. Weinman said the City has not contemplated contracting with United Way to administer the work of the HSC as other communities have done. Addressing a follow-up question, Mr. Weinman said the City has never discussed allocating money to the HSC for contingency requests. Mr. Johnson added that it would be possible to do so if approved by the council. Ms. Swanson Gribskov said she hoped the HSC, at some point, would consider taking on the contingency request system. At least, she suggested, the HSC might consider review and comment of the City's contingency fund requests. She encouraged further HSC discussion with United Way because it has parallel processes and good community and private sector involvement. Ms. Swanson Gribskov noted that the director groups for both organizations had members in common. MINUTES-Eugene City Council October 21, 1998 Page 3 11:30 a.m. Addressing a question from Mr. Tollenaar, Mr. Manela said the HSC had an operational contingency fund of $40,000. Mr. Tollenaar wondered if the HSC, as a government entity, qualified for federal or State money that a "purely private nonprofit" might not qualify for. Mr. Manela said some of the funding comes to the commission with specific accountability and fiduciary requirements, including some private funding that is for specific projects that are part of the HSC's strategic plan. Mr. Farr called attention to the packet material and pointed out that the largest contributor is the federal government and there is a requirement that the money must be administered by a public agency, which precludes having the United Way involved. Mr. Weinman said there could be ways of working around that requirement. Mr. Farr said the current practice made more sense to him because the HSC is able to leverage more money and it establishes competition among contributors. He added that he was amazed at the Iow overhead for the HSC. Mr. Johnson added that the allocation and selection of projects can be different than the actual contracting to deliver services. Mr. Laue pointed out that the missions of the HSC and United Way were different, with the latter focusing more on rural communities and having a much greater overhead. He favored current practice, saying that some projects deemed worthy by the City may fail to win support in an interjurisdictional setting. Ms. Nathanson summarized the discussion by saying there were two concepts to think about: 1) the potential for collaboration between a public entity and United Way; and 2) how do we allocate and spend Contingency Fund money. She addressed the latter by saying that if the council majority decided not to allocate contingency funding to the HSC, then it should separate out social services money. Aside from this, Ms. Nathanson said, she is worried about the contingency request process, pointing out the potential for having a very worthy project unfunded later in the year because all the money has been used up. Mr. Johnson said the council needed to give direction with regard to the one percent general fund allocation and its wishes regarding pursuing a collaborative effort with United Way. He said there should be agreement from the City's jurisdictional partners to pursue the latter, followed by a scoping effort, with a report back from staff. Mr. Meisner said it was terribly important to reflect on council goals in developing a budget. He said the same thing was relevant to this discussion, adding there should be processes among the collaborators that supported each other. With regard to the contingency fund, he continued, to the extent that the City provides contingency funding for nonprofits for social services purposes, the council might consider having it go through the process of looking at the its goals and priorities--a service that the HSC can provide for the City. Addressing a question from Ms. Taylor, Mr. Weinman said there were about 40 agencies receiving funds from the HSC, with some also receiving funding from United Way. She ascertained that traditionally one of the Eugene representatives on the HSC has always been a member of the Budget Committee. Ms. Taylor said she was concerned with funding duplication between the HSC and United way and with the council's contingency fund process. Mr. Lee said the Budget Committee should review the City's one percent allocation to the HSC. MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 21, 1998 Page 4 11:30 a.m. In response to a comment from Ms. Swanson Gribskov about the level of collaboration in community services, Mr. Weinman said there already exists much collaboration among the community groups providing social services, citing the United Way and HSC collaboration on the community needs assessments as an example. Ms. Swanson Gribskov moved, seconded by Mr. Meisner, to direct the City Manager to work with Lane County, Springfield, and United Way to explore ways to further improve coordination and collaboration in the provision of human services and report back to the council by April 1, 1999. Mayor Torrey recommended that the council maintain the one percent level and identify a pool above that one percent for community social service requests. Mr. Johnson clarified that the intention with the budget was to provide what was provided last year and not reduce it to the one percent. The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. Mr. Fart moved, seconded by Mr. Tollenaar, to direct the Budget Committee to review the current policy which dedicates one percent of budgeted General Fund revenue (as of July 1 of a fiscal year) to the intergovernmental Human Services Commission contract. Mr. Laue recalled that the council had established the one percent level as a "floor" to ensure stable funding for human service needs. He cautioned against reducing that amount, saying that human services are over-subscribed and under staffed as it is. Ms. Nathanson wondered what the motion's intent was and asked that it be reworded. Hillary Kittleson, Administrative Services, explained some situations that can reduce the amount of the one percent base so staff was asking for a different kind of direction--one that would assure a stable floor. Ms. Nathanson asked for information on how the City's computation of the one percent compares with the other jurisdictions. Mr. Green asked the council to consider outcomes in deciding on a percentage, and reflect on the accomplishments made through the fund. The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. III. WORK SESSION: GENERAL FUND CONTINGENCY ACCOUNT GUIDELINES Kitty Murdoch, Administrative Services, provided the staff report and referred the council to information in the meeting packet that addresses the question, What types of request should be funded from the contingency account? She indicated that many of the requests have to do with relief from fees that are charged by the City--something against policy. She noted that no other community waives fees either. She said the contingency account appropriation has been as high as $1.5 million and as Iow as $627,000, and there has always been a remaining balance at the end of the fiscal year. Ms. Murdoch said the fund has primarily been used for one-time extraordinary needs of the City. She called attention to Attachment 3 of the packet, which identified how the fund has been spent over the last six years and noted that the amount MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 21, 1998 Page 5 11:30 a.m. awarded to nonprofit agencies was significantly less than the other categories. Ms. Murdoch said the packet material included proposed criteria but if the council chose to limit the use of the contingency account to only city-related, council goal-related projects, consideration of the criteria was less important. Ms. Nathanson said she would support a motion that limited the fund to City projects; but she would follow that by introducing or supporting a revised motion that set aside an amount for community requests and adopt more limiting criteria. Mr. Fart moved, seconded by Mr. Lee, to continue the current process, which allows nonprofit agencies to request any amount of assistance. Requests for funding will be reviewed on a quarterly basis and to be approved a funding request must meet criteria as set forth in items (a) through (m) of the proposed criteria. Mr. Laue objected to the request limit and urged the council not to constrain itself in this way and to continue the practice of rejecting or reducing applications deemed unqualified. Ms. Swanson Gribskov expressed concern that the council might be exerting more control than reasonable, saying the policy discussion were clearly outlined in the item summary and it was not a question of "doing away with anything." Ms. Nathanson said this was turning into a process argument instead of a content argument. She asked the council to decide how much to reserve for the organization's unanticipated extraordinary expenses and then how much the council wishes to spend on other types of programs or activities. She said the motion on the floor was not inconsistent with where she wanted to "end up" but it lacked the structure she favored. Mr. Tollenaar moved, seconded by Ms. Swanson Gribskov, to amend the motion by adding: "any contingency fund request from a social service agency or program first be referred to the HSC for review and comment in light of its continuum of care concept and the two-year plan." Mr. Tollenaar said he was impressed with the work of the HSC and the council would benefit from its experience. With respect to the proposed criteria, he said he believed there was too many requirements and, if passed, staff should not be too literal in applying it. Mr. Meisner said he opposed the amendment because he wished to retain the option to contract with the HSC to administer a contingency fund. Mr. Farr expressed support for the amendment, although he was concerned that some requests might be time -sensitive and hindered by the two-year cycle. Mr. Johnson said the council was essentially designing a program, with staff developing guidelines and funding criteria. Ms. Swanson Gribskov said she was not ready to vote and asked to postpone further discussion. Mr. Johnson said staff anticipated the need for more than one council work session primarily because staff needed some initial direction before clarifying and refining it for final action. MINUTES-Eugene City Council October 21, 1998 Page 6 11:30 a.m. Ms. Nathanson moved, seconded by Ms. Taylor, to table the motion and have staff bring it back before the council at the earliest opportunity. The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. Mr. Meisner ascertained that the moratorium on requests would remain pending further council discussion. IV. WORK SESSION: POTENTIAL CITY-INITIATION OF WHITEAKER PLAN AMENDMENT AND ZONE CHANGE Mr. Meisner recalled that the Whiteaker Plan had been reaffirmed by the council one year ago, and the process of plan adoption included clear mailed notice to all property owners, including the one who had raised the issue under consideration. He said the property in question was rezoned after multiple notices to the owner without any response, acknowledging that staff erred. Since then, Mr. Meisner continued, the owner has removed the house in front without a permit and has not, during other processes, sought rezoning. Teresa Bishow, Planning and Development Department, said the council needed to decide whether the City should initiate an amendment to the Whiteaker Plan. She said the council's October 26 packet for the public hearing would provide a greater overview of the issue and a decision was scheduled for November 9. Mr. Tollenaar said the question would set a precedent and the council should not underestimate the significance. Addressing a question from Mr. Meisner, Ms. Bishow said that the code does not require the council to hold a public hearing before deciding whether to City-initiate a plan amendment. However, staff anticipated that the owner would come back again and again if not afforded an opportunity to address the council and so a public hearing was scheduled out of courtesy to the property owner and the neighborhood group. Ms. Bishow reviewed the policy question: When there is an error made by City staff during preparation of a plan, how does the council stand on whether to City-initiate a plan amendment to reconsider the matter. Mr. Tollenaar moved, seconded by Mr. Meisner, that the City not initiate a request for a refinement plan amendment and zone change. Mr. Tollenaar said the Whiteaker Plan was an extremely complicated process and given adequate notice, the City should not assume the responsibility for initiating an amendment despite the staff error made in a land use survey. Ms. Swanson Gribskov said she was confused and needed to understand the issue to vote or she would have to support a public hearing. City Attorney Glenn Klein explained that with the motion the council is calling off the public hearing. If the motion fails, the scheduled public hearing will go forward and public testimony will be made on whether the City should be the one to start this planning process or whether it should be the property owner that should initiate the process. Given that, Ms. Swanson Gribskov said, then she needed to understand the nature of the staff error. MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 21, 1998 Page 7 11:30 a.m. Mr. Fart left the meeting. Ms. Nathanson said the issue appeared to be that since there was ample notice to the property owner, there was adequate time to call this to staff's attention and have the error corrected. She wondered why it mattered who initiated the amendment and if there was a financial consequence. With the council's agreement, Mayor Torrey postponed agenda item V in order to complete the discussion. Ms. Bishow distributed a copy of the Land Use Plan Diagram in the Whiteaker Plan and explained the error. She confirmed that there was extensive notice to individual property owners and also confirmed that the land use application fees amounted to $1,020 for a zone change and $1,028 for a refinement plan amendment. She assumed that if the property owners had the financial means, they would have already applied for the plan amendment and zone change on their own. The property owner's position is that the City has made a mistake and it should correct it. The motion failed, 5:2; with Mr. Meisner and Mr. Tollenaar voting in opposition, and Mr. Farr having left the meeting. Mr. Meisner requested that staff provide a list of key events that led up to the current situation and information on the use of the concrete block building located at the rear of the property being considered. Ms. Bishow agreed to provide the information at the public hearing. V. PUBLIC SAFETY COORDINATING COUNCIL UPDATE Mr. Johnson said the purpose of the item was to explain the Turnaround Program and its relationship to the Court School and the rest of the education in the community. He added that the program was well-defined in the meeting packet material. Mr. Laue spoke in support of the program. Mayor Torrey said the best thing about the program was the process that brought the three different jurisdictions to the table. Ms. Swanson Gribskov called the measure "excellent work" by the committee. Mr. Tollenaar added that the Turnaround School has enhanced the prospects of passing the levy because it was something tangible to offer rural areas. Ms. Nathanson said there is some concern that the public perception is that the City parks levy and the school district's levy are linked together and she asked the City Manager to respond to that misperception publicly. Mr. Johnson emphasized that the general policy direction is to work together with intergovernmental partners and the youth sports park is saying "if the City and the school district decide to join together in a partnership, here is an idea on how it can be done." Ms. Nathanson added that there is no duplication of funding. A. ADJOURN MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 21, 1998 Page 8 11:30 a.m. The meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, James R. Johnson City Manager (Recorded by Yolanda Paule) MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 21, 1998 Page 9 11:30 a.m.