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HomeMy WebLinkAbout230412 WS and URAMINUTES Eugene City Council Work Session and Meeting of the Urban Renewal Agency Eugene, Oregon 97401 April 12, 2023 12:00 p.m. Councilors Present: Matt Keating, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Randy Groves, Alan Zelenka, Emily Semple, Greg Evans and Lyndsie Leech Mayor Vinis opened the April 12, 2023, meeting of the Urban Renewal Agency in a hybrid format at 101 W 10th Avenue, Eugene OR 97401. 1. WORK SESSION and POSSIBLE ACTION: Proposed Downtown Urban Renewal Amendment Agency Director Sarah Medary introduced Community Development Manager Will Dowdy and Development Programs Manager Amanda D'Souza, who presented information on the proposed Downtown Urban Renewal Amendment. Councilor Discussion: • • • • • Councilor Zelenka -asked what projects funded by the Urban Renewal Agency would require Council approval; asked staff to clarify how funding will be allocated; asked about the purpose of the project list in attachment D; noted a preference to shift more funding to housing; asked to clarify the proposed motion; would support a motion that relates to maximum indebtedness without allocating funds but signaling intent to allocate the majority to housing. Councilor Clark -asked staff if option B included administrative costs; asked staff for a breakdown of administrative costs; asked what percentage of a unit's construction cost is funded by tax incremental financing. Councilor Evans -asked if Council chose to extend the district up to $50 million, could a lower amount be spent; asked what guarantees can be built into allocations to provide for affordable housing; noted a desire to use funds to provide affordable housing to individuals within a specific percentage of area median income. Councilor Groves -noted he would be supportive of approving an extension based on a specific dollar amount and focus on allocations at a later time. Councilor Zelenka -believes that it would be more effective to extend a timeline rather than a dollar amount; would support an 11-year extension with the option to grow at a later date. • Councilor Keating -would like a large portion of funding allocated to housing; asked staff to clarify if the emerging projects were provided as suggestions. • Councilor Yeh -believes that it makes more sense to extend the timeframe to account for timeline variances and to allow for projects that may not have been discussed yet. • Mayor Vinis -is in favor of an option that extends the District for the longer time period to ensure that project timelines and variances that building housing can encounter. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session April 12, 2023 Page 1 • Councilor Semple -asked if a project list is required prior to approving an increase; would support a larger extension to increase flexibility and resources for projects; noted that housing is the biggest need but would support funding other projects; supports the proposal to extend the Downtown Urban Renewal Plan by $50 million. • Councilor Leech -is in support of a higher level of investment for Downtown Urban Renewal; believes housing is important and that the physical and safety improvements are critical to the Downtown area. • Councilor Evans -supports the $50 million option with longer timelines to allow for flexibility on project timelines. • Councilor Zelenka -is not supportive of a $50 million, 20-year extension; would like input from stakeholders and members of the public on this topic; is concerned that Council is considering extending without allocating funds to inform the public on how funds would be spent; is concerned that projects suggested in Attachment D could be controversial or reduce public support; would like certain projects to be removed from consideration. • Councilor Clark -noted that Council has been vocal in their desire to allocate a large percentage of the funds to housing. • Mayor Vinis -asked staff to clarify that removed projects could still be considered by Council in the future. MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Groves, seconded by Councilor Keating, moved to direct the Agency Director to begin the process of amending the Downtown Urban Renewal Plan using total maximum indebtedness of $50 million consistent with the draft plan and report and included in attachments A and B. VOTE: PASSED 7:1 (opposed by Councilor Zelenka) • Councilor Zelenka -noted that he would have supported the motion if the total amount were $40 million. Mayor Vinis closed the meeting of the Urban Renewal Agency at 12:41p.m. and opened the April 12, 2023 work session of the Eugene City Council. 2. WORK SESSION and POSSIBLE ACTION: Revenue Team City Manager Sarah Medary introduced Finance Director Twylla Miller, who provided information regarding the Revenue Team. Councilor Discussion: • • • Councilor Keating -asked if the Revenue Team is a subcommittee of Council or the Budget Committee; asked if the Revenue Team meetings would be considered public meetings; asked for a breakdown of the suggested membership pool; asked why the Revenue Team duties would not be considered and extension of the Budget Committee; asked if there would be Council work sessions before the Revenue Team convenes to receive information on unfunded services. Councilor Zelenka -noted the importance of a clear plan for the Revenue Team; is in support of the proposal. Councilor Leech -noted her support of the proposal. MINUTES Eugene City Council Work Session April 12, 2023 Page 2 • Councilor Clark -asked to clarify if Council members could attend any committee meeting if they wanted; would like to have the option to attend the Revenue Team meetings; would like to see enhanced invitations for voluntary annexation to the City discussed as source of revenue. • Mayor Vinis -noted that she will accept requests from Council to be assigned to the committee. • Councilor Semple -noted that increased revenue is important and that it is difficult to develop new revenue routes; noted that this would be an advisory committee not a committee to develop policy. • Councilor Zelenka -is concerned that Revenue Team meetings would not be considered public meetings; expressed interest in serving on the Revenue Team. • Councilor Yeh -asked to clarify that decisions about the work the Revenue Team would be tasked with would be done in public meetings; is in support of the proposal. • Councilor Keating -indicated desire to serve on the Revenue Team; asked for clarification on Council members attendance or observation of public meetings; asked for information about committees Council members can attend without violating public meetings law. • Councilor Evans -noted that all committees, with the exception of the Planning Commission, are advisory to Council and Council is the only body that makes policy decisions. • Councilor Zelenka -noted that Council will hold public meetings about what type of revenue sources to implement; asked why the Revenue Team discussions would not be publicly noticed; believes that Revenue Team meetings should be held as public meetings. • Mayor Vinis -noted that previous committees of this type resulted in public documents that showed the options considered. • Councilor Clark -believes that the Revenue Team meetings should be held publicly; noted that revenue sources can have various impacts on community members, and therefore the public should have the ability to attend and observe the meetings; prefers that the entire process be transparent. MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Groves, seconded by Councilor Keating, moved to adopt the revenue team proposal as outlined in Attachment A. • Councilor Keating -asked why the Revenue Team makes recommendations to City Manager and not to Council; asked if the proposal supports holding the Revenue Team meetings being held publicly; asked if the Revenue Team meetings could be held publicly. MOTION TO AMEND: Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Keating, moved to amend the motion to have the Revenue Team meetings open public meetings VOTE: FAILED 4:5 (opposed by Councilors Groves, Semple, Leech, Yeh, and Mayor Vinis) MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session April 12, 2023 Page 3 VOTE ON MAIN MOTION: PASSED 6:2 (opposed by Councilors Zelenka and Clark) Mayor Vinis adjourned the meeting at 1:14 p.m. Katie LaSala City Recorder (Recorded by Sara McKinney) Link to the we beast of this City Council meeting here. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session April 12, 2023 Page 4