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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Approval of City Council Minutes Meeting Date: January 23, 2006 Agenda Item Number: 2A Department: City Manager’s Office Staff Contact: Lynda Rose www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5017 ISSUE STATEMENT This is a routine item to approve City Council meeting minutes. SUGGESTED MOTION Move to approve the minutes of the November 30, 2005, Work Session, December 12, 2005, Work Session, and December 12, 2005, City Council Meeting. ATTACHMENTS A.November 30, 2005, Work Session B.December 12, 2005, Work Session C.December 12, 2005, City Council Meeting FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Lynda Rose Telephone: 682-5017 Staff E-Mail: lynda.l.rose@ci.eugene.or.us L:\CMO\2006 Council Agendas\M060123\S0601232A.doc NAME OF MEETING: Eugene City Council DATE OF MEETING: November 30, 2005–Regular Meeting TO: Beth Forrest RECORDED BY: Ruth Atcherson MINUTES FILE NAME: M:\2005\Central Services Department\City Manager’s Office\City Council\cc051130m1.doc BACKUP STORAGE: Ruth #32 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = R O U T I N G I N F O R M A T I O N 12/27/05rma Draft to Staff (Date & Initials) 1/9 bf Reviewed/Returned by Staff 1/9 ky Returned to Minutes Recording 1/18 ky Proofed/Revised by Minutes Recording 1/18 ky Returned to Staff Council Amendments Incorporated = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ATTACHMENT A M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room—Eugene City Hall November 30, 2005 Noon COUNCILORS PRESENT: George Poling, Jennifer Solomon, Gary Papé, Betty Taylor, Andrea Ortiz, Chris Pryor, David Kelly, Bonny Bettman. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the November 30, 2005, work session of the Eugene City Council to order. Mayor Piercy welcomed the students from Kelly Middle School who were present to observe council proceedings. Mayor Piercy introduced Paul Carlson, regional coordinator of Pacific Northwest and Alaska United States Inter-Agency Council on Homelessness, who was in the City of Eugene for several days reviewing local efforts related to housing and homelessness. She read a proclamation in support of Mr. Carlson’s work into the record. Mr. P. Carlson thanked everyone. He said he enjoyed the tours of homeless providers. He stated that his agency was a small one charged with “knitting together” the efforts of all of the federal agencies. He noted that he was in Oregon with the Housing and Urban Development Department Community Planning Division Director for Oregon and Idaho, Doug Carlson. He related that he and Mr. D. Carlson met with Mayor Piercy to discuss some of the specific issues of developing a ten-year plan to end homelessness. He wanted to underscore that homelessness was ubiquitous throughout the country at unprecedented levels. He said many times progressive areas, such as the City of Eugene, did work toward ending homelessness leading to an impression among elected leaders that providing too many services for homeless people would draw them from other areas. He noted that many mayors and county commissioners shared this impression, a perception that was both real and perceived. He stated that among federal, state, and local governments, local government was a key partner to develop local movements to address homelessness. Mr. Papé arrived. Mr. P. Carlson reported that when he began this work, 12 communities were working on plans to end homelessness and now, three years later, over 200 were working on such plans. He stated that four or five plans had been completed in the past year and he hoped the rest would be completed in the coming year. He said he would meet with Governor Kulongoski’s staff to start crafting a way to plan at the State level that would help local agencies with this work. He thanked everyone for allowing him to speak and particularly the Mayor for her proclamation. He declared that efforts in the past had not been successful as evidenced by the unrelenting growth in the numbers of homeless people and attributed this to thinking too small. He MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 30, 2005 Page 1 Work Session averred that the nature of the 10-year planning requirement was not to satisfy a HUD requirement but to garner broad community will to do such planning work. A. WORK SESSION: Plan for Communities of Color Meeting Assistant City Manager Jim Carlson explained that City Manager Dennis Taylor was on his way to the Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia. He said Mr. Taylor was on the advisory panel, made up of city managers from across the country, which advised the University there on its “exemplary program” on continuing education for city managers. Assistant City Manager Carlson stated that the work session sought to address two action priorities of the council, the issue of race and the issue of homelessness. He asked Executive Director of the Human Resource and Risk Services Department (HRRS) Lauren Chouinard to introduce the guests and lead the discussion on the first item. Mr. Chouinard stressed that this was a workshop and as such would be different from the usual work session as it provided an opportunity to hear from community representatives. He reviewed the work that had been done since 1989 when then-Mayor Jeff Miller began working with the communities of color. He stated that the present workshop was to prepare for a larger workshop with a larger group of representa- tives, tentatively scheduled for February, 2006. He said one action item in the priority for race was to connect more with the community to find out what they were feeling, what their issues were and how the council could help impact those issues as a body in the community. Mayor Piercy reiterated that this was an opportunity to listen to community representatives. Those present introduced themselves. Mr. Chouinard said the result that was hoped for from these community members’ input was a structure for the meeting planned for February and of the identification of topics to be discussed. He stated that staff would take this information and draft a purpose and basic agenda for the meeting to provide to the City Council for review and to the community members who were providing the input. Henry Luvert , representative of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and member of the African-American community, stated that one reason the discussions were few and far between was that people would be gathered to vent about the situation for people of color in Eugene and then no follow-up or work sessions would occur to address the issues that were raised. He felt the people who came to hear what community representatives had to say needed to be in touch with themselves before they could be in touch with him. Here they were trying to get the council to understand their feelings. He understood all of the feelings the representatives who were present experienced, so the question for him was why the City and its staff did not understand those feelings. He thought the result would be that staff would say “Gee, I did not know it was so bad,” but the same feelings had been expressed at the last meeting. He called it a redundant process. He averred that communities of color were looking for attitude change and this might involve workshops to help City staff understand more about themselves and their relationship with race and how coming from a point of privilege affects life. He noted that all of the people of color were on one side of the room and the councilors were all around the table. He said it always seemed to be that way. He thought one way to address this would be that the City could work with a lot of “our initiatives,” MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 30, 2005 Page 2 Work Session the NAACP’s mentoring programs, and Centro Latino Americano’s programs. Guadalupe Quinn , a representative of the Latino community who works with an organization on immigrant rights at the state and local level, called this meeting a great idea. She shared Mr. Luvert’s concern that over the last 25 years she had been to many meetings that provided members of the communities of color the opportunity to raise concerns and talk about how they felt about being members of the community, with little effect. She said this happened at the county level, but the information came back and nothing happened. She wondered if the same information would be gathered and what the value was in that if it was not going to be useful for either side of the table. She wanted the process to be strategic and she wanted everyone involved to be clear about the intent behind the process so that people felt their time was being used wisely and that their participation really mattered. She hoped some change would come of it. Tony Lum , representative of the Asian and Pacific Islander communities, commented that race was a complicated thing. He said even for himself it was complicated and within communities themselves it was complicated. He wanted to see a discussion in the February meeting of ideas on how the various races could benefit each other through celebration. He remarked that he could read enough about why everyone hated each other in The Register-Guard every morning. He wanted to see something different that could perhaps benefit the next council, the next mayor, and even the next children born. He felt that the community did not need to hear about race anymore. He declared that he had been hearing about race for 50 years, since he arrived in Eugene. He discussed his recent visit with his parents in Hawaii. He related that Hawaii was the largest mass of people that was farthest away from any other mass of people. He said each culture struggled internally with how to get along with each other. He stated that the governor of Hawaii tried to figure out how everyone could get along as a state, so that people were no longer black, red, or white communities. He averred that he was a part of the Eugene community and he wanted to be a Eugene community citizen. Carmen Urbina , representative of the Latino community and Human Rights Commissioner, read the vision and the goals of the City Council as set forth in June 2005. She commented that there was always the “hammer” approach where everyone was adversarial and the “kumbaya” approach that declared everyone the same, but she wanted to see the “matter of fact” approach, which was that the City of Eugene had an obligation to all of its residents to provide equal services and access to services in an equal manner. As she read the visions and the goals, she said she thought this was a great step and appreciated that the council was looking at two issues that were close to her heart, race relations and homelessness. She asked the City and its council to consider how the visions and goals applied to the community and how the community was perceived. She stated that the Latino community was diverse within itself and asked if the council and administrators were aware of that. She underscored that she was unable, as an individual, to represent the whole Latino community. She said even when looking at the systems in the hiring process, the community had been through some difficult years with race relations. She reminded the council of the Exit Files, a list of local people of color who left the community, and stressed that this was “reality for us.” She related that employees of color in the City felt isolated and afraid and wished to disappear, do their work and go. She averred that with this level of fear of the system, there had to be something wrong within the system itself that was encouraging this fear. She felt one thing that could not be “shied away from” was that the communities of color within this community were growing. She stated that the Latino community alone had grown by 112 percent. She asked what the City had done to hire people from the Latino community, and to provide bilingual and bicultural abilities at all levels of the staff. She felt it was wonderful to have this conversation but questioned how it would be put into action. She declared that this was a tremendous opportunity to do the right thing for all of the citizens of Eugene. MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 30, 2005 Page 3 Work Session Dwight Souers , spoke as a representative of the Native American community. He shared his admiration for the previous speakers. He said the Native American community would benefit as much as the City by having these discussions or workshops. He noted that the community included several smaller communities. He felt all would benefit from hearing each other at this level. He commented that sometimes people get along fine and sometimes they do not and discussions would help all to be heard. Ibrahim Hamide , representing the Arab-American community, remarked that each community was unique, as were its problems. He said any teacher would say that abused children act up in class and he observed that abused communities act up within the community. He agreed with Ms. Urbina that access to services should be equal and that all areas of the City should be inclusive and mindful of the subcultures that exist in the community. He thought sometimes one had to think outside the box and go beyond legislation. He said compassion would go a long way. He related that the Arab-American community felt disenfranchised, especially since the events of September 11, 2001. He felt his community was the “doormat” and the “kicking dog” for everyone and had, as a result, been “slinking along” and trying to escape notice. He averred that this did not make for a healthy community. He hoped the City would find the compassion to bring his community into the fold and support them. He said his community was also diverse and it would not always be realistic to expect a community to stand up, organize itself, and act as a strong and viable part of the bigger culture. He related that people were busy raising families and tackling what every other person was tackling in their lives. But, he added, his community was also reeling from the image of being an unwanted and undesirable group. He said his community needed to be coaxed and helped to get over their fear. The City needed to figure out how to reach the community if it really wanted participation from diverse groups. He declared that the City may need to learn something about the uniqueness of its inhabitants. George Russell , School Superintendent for the School District 4J and member of the African-American community, commended the City Council for taking on the task. He predicted that the council would find this issue to be a huge undertaking, fraught with complications. He reiterated that there was no such thing as a monolithic community of color. He felt it was important to understand that there were different views and perspectives within all communities. He thought all the necessary ingredients for success in this endeavor were contained in the action plan. He stated that the challenge lay in how it would be made meaningful. He observed that, based on past history, there was not a real trust that any dialogue or community conversations would end up being meaningful and result in substantive improvement. He reiterated that he could not represent the African-American community because it was large and diverse. He thought many of the strategies and the action plan were things that had been tried before. He stressed the importance of structuring the meetings in a way that people really believed they were going to have meaning and that productive things would come of them. He said it was about a larger sense of community and how Eugene could become a model for race relations, not only for the State but for the country. Carla Gary , member of the African-American community, felt that everyone preceding her had said all the right words. She thought the only thing she could add was that though the plan was fine, it was not the plan per se but what would be done with it that really mattered. She said part of this lay in how what needed to be done would be interpreted. She stated that unless everyone, including councilors, could be part of a training, the same material would appear the same way. She likened it to the Ruben illusion, which could be perceived as a profile or a candelabrum. She said she did not care which vision one saw, but she cared that everyone recognized that there was more than one way to look at it. She felt that unless one had the capacity to look at this through different eyes, the results of the process would be the same because the perceptions would remain the same. She said the training needed to happen and then the City needed to determine where the areas in which problems had been experienced were, how they had been resolved, and how they could MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 30, 2005 Page 4 Work Session have been resolved in a better way. She agreed that she could not represent an entire community; she was a part of it. She noted that she was also a part of the University of Oregon community and that community depended greatly on what happened in the City of Eugene. She stressed that this was not just about the City of Eugene and the City Council; it was about everyone who was in the city of Eugene and wanted to make it home. She felt this meant it was important to remember that this process was not just about a plan, but it was about how people planned to live their lives. She averred that everyone had “hard work and heavy lifting” to do and it might not be comfortable. She added that it had not been comfortable for many people for a very long time. She wanted to look at the plan and look at what happened and let history serve the process. She said there were reasons things did not go well. She asked if those things were documented, what would be better, and if there was accountability. She asked if there would be a measurable outcome and if this measurable outcome did not happen at a time certain, would there be ways to engage that conversation so that the process did not become “yet another misstep.” She underscored that this was hard work and everyone should be prepared for it. James Florendo , professor of Native American studies at Lane Community College and enrolled member of the Wasco Tribe and the Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs, echoed the comments of previous speakers. He said his “take” on the process was similar to that of Mr. Luvert, in that the community members were on one side of the room while the council was at the table. He thought it was wonderful that the council recognized that there was a changing demographic in the city of Eugene and that issues needed to be addressed, but he thought it would be good to mentor citizens of the color to sit at the table, too. He wanted the council to know that members of the communities of color were not just out there, they were members of the city government and citizens of this town, sharing similar aspirations with the rest of the community. He acknowledged the approaches to achieving the dreams might be different, but those differences could benefit the entire community. He averred that his understanding of government was that it sought to represent the people. He observed that his people were not at the table. He added that he would not necessarily expect them to be there, because the population was small, but he felt it would be nice to have someone of color at the table. He stressed that there had to be true representation in order to provide balance in the community. He noted that he had been part of this community for 30 years and thought the city had good and bad points. He did not know the councilors and was uncertain whether any of them could represent him. Ms. Quinn noted that she had served on the task force when it was convened by former Mayor Jeff Miller. She related that it had been the first time she had seen a gathering of people of color put together by a mayor of a city to develop some kind of plan. She also had worked on the Lane County Diversity Plan. She recalled that none of the people who worked on the plan had heard back from the County about where the plan was at and how it was doing. She felt the biggest problem in the community was that most people did not know what was going on in the communities of color and the issues that people of color faced. She asked if the council understood what it was like for the Latino and immigrant communities and whether they were aware of the struggles they faced every day in this community. She cited the school districts and how they were and were not serving Latino children as one example of issues the community faced that the council should be aware of. She reiterated that the Latino community had grown and changed. She felt it would be challenging to be “real” about a plan and to serve and provide and be there on behalf of communi- ties of color. Ms. Urbina thanked the City Council and Mayor Piercy for taking this on. She said it was a tremendous opportunity to leave a legacy of lasting positive change. She observed that all of the people present had put many hours into making changes. She noted that she had also participated in the Lane County Diversity Plan. She stated that people’s willingness to have this conversation again spoke to the urgent need to have this conversation honestly. She pointed out that the people around the table would change in four years and MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 30, 2005 Page 5 Work Session observed that the real challenge would be to create something sustainable from this as the City continued to change and grow. Mayor Piercy thanked the community members for attending and participating. She wished to underscore that she was not interested in giving platitudes. She wanted to take in the words of the council’s guests and spend some time digesting them. She felt the challenge was to move past the talk. She reiterated her gratitude for the time people took from their busy lives to come to the council work session and speak. Mr. Poling, seconded by Ms. Solomon, moved to direct staff to hire a facilitator experi- enced in diversity and race issues to facilitate a meeting between the council and representa- tives of the communities of color. Mayor Piercy stressed that this motion did not mean “just a meeting.” The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. B. WORK SESSION: City Council Priority Issue – Update on Homeless Strategy for Eugene Executive Director of the Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department (LRCS), Angel Jones, thanked the council for the opportunity to bring back the revised plan on the priority issue of homelessness. She also thanked the staff that served on the committee and the service providers and homelessness representatives. She felt proud to be part of a dedicated staff team working on this priority. She said the document before the council was a result of committee members’ creativity, energy, and passion. She also thanked the council for recognizing homelessness as a priority issue and directing staff to look at it. She opined that there was no better example of the role of government than to give voice to those most vulnerable citizens of the community. Mike Magee, LRCS Administrative Manager and staff lead on the issue, stated that the major changes to the plan lay in more specificity in the recommendations than those contained in the plan submitted to the council in July. He pointed out that the plan was Attachment A to the Agenda Item Summary, and the major changes had been pulled out and graphed in Attachment C. He said Attachment B was the timeline of things that had happened to date in the community and Attachment D encompassed the gaps that had been identified, knowing that they had not all been prioritized at this time. In response to a question from Mr. Kelly, Mr. Magee said “all or most of the major players” in the service provider community that tried to meet the needs of homeless singles, families, and youths had been contacted in the process, including Whitebird. Mr. Kelly said it was important to him to see a balance between serving and preventing homelessness. He thought good things had been done with people “at risk” in the past, but not as much was being done with people at risk of being homeless in the present. Mr. Kelly recalled that he asked for a memorandum at the meeting in July with details on exactly what the County had done in terms of the application to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) about the 10-year plan. He reiterated his request. MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 30, 2005 Page 6 Work Session Mr. Kelly observed that prioritizing the strategies to address homelessness would be challenging and asked who would be doing the prioritizing and how it would be done. Ms. Jones responded that the current group, which included all of the stakeholders and homeless community members, would conduct the prioritization and attempt to determine what the best use of limited resources would be in this endeavor. Mr. Kelly asked that the results and requisite resource attachments be brought back to the council in the form of updates and reviews. Ms. Jones affirmed that this was the plan and the intention was to provide quarterly updates. Mr. Pryor expressed his approval of where this plan was going. He observed that many communities tried and failed to address this issue. He felt homelessness had to be tracked on multiple levels as, like the communities of color, homeless people were not one monolithic entity. He noted that he had discussed this at a Human Services Commission meeting the previous day. He said there were basic services and there were prevention components, including intervention services, but there was a fourth component and this was the enforcement piece, in other words, the need to be able to help people even if they do not want it. He did not want to focus too much on one service to the exclusion of what may be essential and important services. He also did not want to be a “carrot and a stick,” but rather wanted to find a flexible and appropriate way to respond to all of the different issues. He hoped to collaborate with agencies that could provide that level of service. Mr. Papé asked if there was a clearinghouse for all of the services available for homeless people in Eugene included in the priorities. Mr. Magee said it was included on page 324 of the AIS. He noted that it was one thing that was identified by the continuum of care group. Mr. Papé remarked that it would not be possible to “do it all” all at once due to limitation of financial and human resources. He related that he received a letter regarding the homeless program in San Francisco. Mayor Piercy said Portland embarked on a model similar to the San Francisco program that was based on permanent housing solutions for people as opposed to stop-gap solutions. She underscored that Eugene was not alone as it had community and state partnerships to reach its goals. She noted that there were many people in this community who gave generously to try to help homeless people or prevent homelessness, but she was uncertain of whether people had a real idea of what homelessness was in Eugene, Oregon. She stressed that it would take work to paint a full picture of what that was and it had to do with jobs and many other factors that were out there. She said this issue was about the fabric of the community and not about some people who had fallen on hard times. It was about what kind of community people wanted to live in and how to ensure, within the community’s means, that most people were in their own homes and could provide for themselves. Ms. Bettman stated that social service providers did an incredible job with limited resources, but they needed more resources. She indicated she would consider a small utility tax or fee dedicated to homeless preven- tion. She emphasized that people need a roof over their heads when it is freezing outside. Ms. Ortiz expressed appreciation for the work that went into the plan. She liked the continuum of care model as it was much cheaper to keep someone in a house than it was to help them once they were homeless. Ms. Taylor did not believe that the Eugene Mission received enough appreciation. She related that according to the Mission they had never turned anyone away. She agreed that it was easier to keep people in their houses than to help them once homeless. She supported passing a living wage ordinance. She noted MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 30, 2005 Page 7 Work Session that health care was a financial drain for those who did not have insurance and often played a role in homelessness. She recalled meeting a mentally ill man who was homeless because the hospital had “turned him out.” She averred that there was a need for tax-supported shelters for such people. Ms. Solomon agreed that the Mission was a good provider and asked if they had been included in the stakeholders group. Mr. Magee confirmed that it was. Mr. Kelly commented that at a specific program level, the City Council was not able to prioritize services. Regarding specific resources, he noted that the council could not make budget decisions until the budget process had begun, but smaller items could be brought forth and addressed at the council level. Ms. Jones responded that items (15) through (19) from Attachment C: Action Planning Steps Summary could be those items addressed in this way. Mr. Kelly noted that the City of Portland introduced a plan called “Real Change, Not Spare Change” that provided vouchers for food and shelter for people to give panhandlers in lieu of money. He was interested in pursuing a similar program for Eugene. Ms. Bettman liked that idea. She noted that Safe & Sound was on the list for project development in the first 24 months of the plan, on Attachment C, and approved of this. She also supported development of the other projects that sought to help homeless youth, as well as programs to help people with domestic violence in their lives. She reiterated that her focus would be on putting a roof over peoples’ heads. Mr. Papé wanted to give recognition to the Housing Policy Board. He noted that its goal had been to put 100 subsidized homes into the housing inventory since 1990 when, in actuality, it helped to provide 1,526 subsidized housing units since then. He wondered if that goal should be changed, given that the stock of subsidized housing had not kept pace with the need for it. Urban Services Manager for the Community Development Division Richie Weinman replied that a change in the goal was worth considering but the challenge lay in the federal money that came in, as it helped dramatically to make that goal. Mr. Papé asked if providing homeless people with access to the library would cost a lot. Ms. Jones replied that it would not. In response to a follow-up question from Mr. Papé, Ms. Jones stated that the library could play a role in providing access to the internet, but the key would be to have access where the providers were so that homeless people had multiple options to be able to access information and other resource needs. She said access to the library would be provided in January 2006. Mr. Papé wondered if it would be possible to track library and internet use discreetly and report back to the council on the level of use. Ms. Jones responded that this was still under discussion but she hoped to have something to report. Mr. Poling thanked everyone for the hard work put into refining the action plan. Mr. Poling, seconded by Ms. Solomon, moved to approve the proposed “Help the Homeless in Eugene” priority issue action plan. The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. Assistant City Manager Carlson wished to mark the occasion as when the council approved the last of its eight priority action plans. He noted that it had taken ten months since the goal-setting section. He thanked the council. MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 30, 2005 Page 8 Work Session Mayor Piercy thanked staff for the presentation. She felt the council was making progress but the challenges to be faced in this issue and the preceding issue were large. Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting at 1:23 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Dennis M. Taylor City Manager (Recorded by Ruth Atcherson) MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 30, 2005 Page 9 Work Session NAME OF MEETING: Eugene City Council DATE OF MEETING: December 12, 2005—Work Session TO: Beth Forrest RECORDED BY: Kimberly Young MINUTES FILE NAME: M:\2004\Central Services Department\City Council\cc041027m1.doc BACKUP STORAGE: KYOct2004 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = R O U T I N G I N F O R M A T I O N 1/12 ky Draft to Staff (Date & Initials) _1/17 bf__ Reviewed/Returned by Staff _1/17 ky_ Returned to Minutes Recording __1/18 ky Proofed/Revised by Minutes Recording _1/18_____ Returned to Staff ______ Council Amendments Incorporated = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ATTACHMENT B M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room—Eugene City Hall December 12, 2005 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: George Poling, Jennifer Solomon, David Kelly, Betty Taylor, Gary Papé, Chris Pryor; Andrea Ortiz. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Bonny Bettman. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. She noted that Ms. Ortiz and Ms. Bettman were at a conference regarding police civilian review; however, Ms. Ortiz would be joining the meeting via speakerphone. A. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, AND CITY MANAGER Mayor Piercy noted a recent article in The Oregonian regarding River Play at Skinner Butte Park. Mayor Piercy said that Lane Community College signed on to a worldwide effort for a sustainable future called the Talloires Declaration, an action plan for teaching and operating in ways that help achieve environmental literacy and sustainability. She congratulated the college and noted it also committed to wind power purchases from the Eugene Water & Electric Board. Mayor Piercy reported that she recently participated in Human Rights Day at Kelly Middle School, which was a great experience, and also visited the Bertha Holt School to present gifts from Holt Childrens Services in Korea as well as give a slide show presentation regarding her recent sister city trip. Mayor Piercy invited the public to attend the Sustainable Business Initiative Town Hall the following night at City Hall at 7 p.m. Mr. Poling had no items. Mr. Pryor reported the Enterprise Zone Committee met recently and reviewed the public input it received. It also discussed the standards for wages and benefits to be paid in the zone. The next meeting was scheduled for January 9. Mr. Pryor said he attended the McKenzie Watershed Council meeting on December 8 and heard a presentation on the Oregon Riparian Tax Incentives Program, which provided property tax relief for land located within riparian zones. The program included areas within cities, and would likely apply to most MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 1 Work Session Goal 5 areas in Eugene, allowing those affected property owners to apply for relief for such things as riparian setbacks. It did not amount to much money but was some incentive for maintaining a riparian zone. Mr. Pryor said the City would have to adopt the program for property owners to take advantage of it. He promised to return to the council with more information. Ms. Taylor said she just returned from the National League of Cities conference in Augusta, Georgia, where she learned Eugene was not the only United States city focusing on the arts and outdoors as an economic tool, and she and Mr. Papé attended a workshop on the topic. She commended the keynote presentation by former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, which focused on the “high road and low road” to economic development. The high road was investing in education, public transit, good streets, and people; the low road was attempting to attract businesses with low taxes and tax breaks. Ms. Ortiz said she also attended the Kelly Middle School “Hometown Heros” event with the mayor, and learned a great deal from a fellow participant who had been interned during World War II. Ms. Ortiz said the Police Commission met the previous week and agreed to forward the Eugene Police Department’s Strategic Plan to the City Council. She characterized the plan as good work. Ms. Ortiz said she was attending a conference in Miami regarding police review and it was a very good conference. She would report in more detail when she returned. Mr. Kelly said he understood a Request for Proposals (RFP) had been issued for private operation of the Cuthbert Amphitheater. He asked why the council was not notified and asked to weigh in on the decision. He said the council just authorized funding for the Cultural Services Strategic Plan, which was not to start until the next year. He asked why the City was proposing such a change before the planning began. He requested a memorandum on the topic. While he acknowledged the manager had the charter authority to implement his management decision, he asked that the contract award be postponed. Mr. Papé shared Mr. Kelly’s interest in the Cuthbert Amphitheater issue. He said that other local businesses were interested in the contract. City Manager Taylor said he understood that there was an appeal to the review committee. Mr. Papé noted his recent participation in a Habitat for Humanity project, which was intended to benefit residents of St. Charles, Louisiana. Mr. Papé noted some upcoming agenda items related to River Road/Santa Clara and asked if parks could be a part of those discussions. Ms. Solomon said she read about the RFP for the Cuthbert Amphitheater in the City Council newsletter several months ago and had been pleased to see it. She had a long-time concern about how to make the facility more profitable as she though it was a “gem,” and did not think the City was currently realizing its “bang for the buck.” She appreciated that staff was willing to look at the issue from another point of view. She also expressed appreciation for the concerns expressed by Mr. Kelly and Mr. Papé. Ms. Solomon noted she would soon take Ms. Taylor’s seat on the Public Safety Coordinating Council. City Manager Taylor said that the City reached agreement in principle with the Federal Highway Admini- stration (FHWA) on a collaborative process that allowed the community to review alternatives to the West MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 2 Work Session Eugene Parkway with the assistance of an experienced facilitator. It was envisioned that the process would occur over between February and April 2006 and would be part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. He believed that there was increasing “buy-in” to the concept from all those involved. Mayor Piercy recognized Mr. Kelly for a motion. Mr. Kelly, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved to initiate the required process to name the rdth 3/4 Connector “Shelton Boulevard.” Mr. Papé favored the motion but questioned whether the name was the appropriate name to honor the Shelton-McMurphy-Johnson House. Mr. Taylor noted there was concern that “Shelton” was the name of an existing street. He indicated he would return with a process to initiate a name change so the council could have a thoughtful discussion about the name change. Mr. Kelly said the reason for the name was because it was the most recent request from the board of directors that oversaw the house. The motion merely initiated the process. The motion passed, 7:0. B. WORK SESSION: River Avenue Improvements Michelle Cahill of the Public Works Engineering Division joined the council for the item. She called attention to e-mail correspondence received by the City since the packet was prepared. Ms. Cahill reviewed the public input process that led to the development of the recommendations before the council. She said the City formed a stakeholders group, which included representatives of the affected property owners, the two neighborhood associations, and the Eugene Bicycle Coalition. Ms. Cahill called attention to the amendments to the staff-prepared motion prepared at the request of Mr. Kelly and Ms. Taylor. Ms. Cahill described the proposed improvements, which included a center turn lane the full length of the street from River Road to the Beltline ramps, bicycle lanes on the west end of the street that stopped just short of the post office, a multi-use path along the east end of the project in lieu of bicycle paths, street trees along both sides of the west end of the project, and along the south side on the east end of the project; and bioswales where possible. In addition, the project included two additions that were not part of the scope of the original project: 1) operational improvements in the intersection of River Avenue and River Road; and 2) to move forward the extension of a path for bicyclists and pedestrians that would pass under the Beltline Bridge and connect to the Santa Clara neighborhood. Ms. Cahill noted the need for additional right-of-way due to the multi-use path, the bioswales, and tree plantings. Ms. Cahill noted the initial unanimous support for the proposal at the end of the process and the decision of the River Road Community Organization (RRCO) to withdraw its support, for a final vote of 8:2. However, that left a supermajority of stakeholders supporting the recommendations, which was the process agreed to by the stakeholder participants. MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 3 Work Session Ms. Cahill noted an amendment to the City’s Arterial and Collector Street Plan (ACSP) providing for another exception that would be needed if the project were to go forward. Ms. Cahill recommended the council accept the recommendations of the stakeholders group and direct the City Manager to go forward with the initial implementation steps. She noted the council would see the project again when staff returned to request approval to form a local improvement district (LID) for the project. Mayor Piercy called on the council for questions and comments. Ms. Solomon thanked Ms. Cahill for her hard work. She said she had gotten everyone to the table and they produced a great plan that everyone could support. People might not have gotten everything they wanted, but they had been able to reach agreement. She supported the recommendations before the council. Mr. Kelly echoed Ms. Solomon’s compliments to staff and also expressed appreciation to the stakeholders. He thought a good compromise emerged and was supportive of most elements of it. Mr. Kelly asked what staff believed the phrase “bioswales are possible” actually meant. Ms. Cahill said that bioswales could occur in the front of the wastewater treatment plant, at some locations in the west end of the project. There were challenges to locating the bioswales in some areas, but staff would see where there was space for such facilities and if more right-of-way would be needed to accommodate them. She said the City believed it had the space to fulfill its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) requirements. She anticipated a significant number of bioswales would be included in the project. Mr. Poling asked what would happen if the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) shut down the ramps at Beltline, and if any consideration had been given to what the City would do with the remaining underpass to connect it back north of the Beltline. Ms. Cahill said ODOT indicated it would not disconnect the ramps and that local connectivity was important to what it wanted to do. No firm plans were offered. Mr. Poling asked how much time elapsed between the vote and the change of heart by the RRCO. Ms. Cahill said the group acted on October 5 and by the end of October, staff was informed the votes were rescinded. No additional meetings of the stakeholders group had occurred since October 5. Mr. Poling asked about the additional cost of the street trees. Ms. Cahill said that more right-of-way would be required to install street trees. Mr. Poling also shared in the thanks to staff and the stakeholders. Mr. Papé thought the stakeholder process, while it could be refined, had worked well in this instance. He had been concerned after the initial meeting, but thought staff and the facilitator had done a good job in working with the stakeholders. He also supported the recommendations before the council, noting that the group had agreed that 8 of 10 votes would move a recommendation forward. Mr. Pryor wanted to employ bioswales as much as possible. He said after reviewing the minority report, he believed the issue came down to the character of the street, and he asked that staff give consideration to that issue. He wanted to continue the conversation with the public as the project proceeded, citing continued conversation about the property owners regarding the trees as an example. MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 4 Work Session Ms. Taylor also commended Ms. Cahill and the stakeholders for their work. She said that many people supported changes to the plan and she hoped the council supported the amendments prepared on her and Mr. Kelly’s behalf. Ms. Taylor was pleased to see that bioswales were envisioned. Ms. Taylor agreed about the need to retain the character of the street. Ms. Ortiz was disappointed she could not attend the meeting in person, noting that she had asked that the issue be postponed but, due because of bidding issues that was not possible. She was very supportive of the stakeholders’ recommendations and also commended the process. She acknowledged that some community members were not satisfied but thought the amendments to be offered by Mr. Kelly would address those concerns. Mayor Piercy said when she received the stakeholders’ recommendations and the minority report she made inquiries about how the two conflicting recommendations would be addressed. She had been under the impression that with the exception of the issues related to Beltline, those issues could be resolved. However, she had since learned that might not be the case, and apologized for the misunderstanding. Mr. Poling, seconded by Ms. Solomon, moved to approve the conceptual design of trans- portation improvements for River Avenue approved by the River Avenue Stakeholder Group and direct the City Manager to proceed with the final design and bidding of an im- provement project. Mr. Kelly, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved to amend the motion by inserting the phrase “except that street trees shall be included along the full length of both the north and south sides of the improvement” after the word “group.” Mr. Kelly acknowledged it would cost money to acquire the right-of-way and plant the street trees, but he thought it fundamental to the street character. He acknowledged the property owners agreed to talk about the issue but he wished to make the planting of trees a requirement like it was in other parts of the community. Ms. Solomon asked why the property owners wanted to use discretion with regard to the planting of trees on the north side of the east end of the project. Ms. Cahill said the property owners made the proposal and it had stayed in place. Ms. Solomon acknowledged Mr. Kelly’s concerns, but because the stakeholders group reached the agreement, she wanted to honor its recommendations and leave the issue to the discretion of the property owners. She suggested the City consider incentives for the property owners to plant the trees. Mr. Papé said he understood many compromises were made by different stakeholders, including compro- mises by the RRCO and property owners. He determined from Ms. Cahill that the Eugene Bicycle Coalition and Santa Clara neighborhood association continued to support the stakeholder recommendations. Responding to a question from Mr. Papé, Ms. Cahill confirmed that business visibility was a major concern for the property owners. MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 5 Work Session At the request of Mr. Papé, Ms. Cahill pointed out the area that would be affected if the amendment to the motion passed. She said the commercial businesses on the east end were being squeezed by the Beltline and used every available inch of space as they redeveloped. Ms. Ortiz supported the amendment to the motion and asked for council support. She acknowledged that the recommendations enjoyed the support of a majority of the stakeholders but thought the councilors as decision-makers were responsible for maintaining the character of the street. Ms. Ortiz said she thought streets without trees were ugly. She determined from Ms. Cahill that funding for the City’s share of the project would come from transportation systems development charges (SDCs) rather than the General Fund. Mr. Pryor said he wanted to plant trees in most cases but suggested that in this case it might not be feasible. He agreed that the City should provide some incentive to make it more attractive for property owners to plant trees. He did not want to require it in this instance but would support whatever incentives could be created for increased tree planting. Mayor Piercy said if Mr. Kelly’s motion failed, she hoped the property owners would work with the City to plant trees. She said that trees were important to the community. Mr. Kelly asked if the ACSP provided for exceptions to street tree planting if physical constraints existed. Ms. Cahill said yes. Mr. Kelly pointed out to Mr. Pryor that the City would not require trees if they were physically impossible to install. Nothing in the amendment limited the existing exception to the ACSP. He emphasized that the intent of his amendment was to maintain the standard City street tree policy. City Manager Taylor suggested that Mr. Kelly could clarify his intent by adding the “in accordance with the ACSP” after the word “included” to recognize the deviation from the plan. Mr. Kelly and Ms. Taylor accepted the suggestion as a friendly amendment. Mr. Schoening said the original design met the standards in the ACSP and included trees along the section of the road in question, so staff believed it was somewhat disingenuous to employ an exception in the alternative plan that was not needed in the first plan. Mr. Kelly said every street was unique, which was the reason for the exceptions in the ACSP. However, he did not know the street in question was so unique that it could not accommodate street trees. Regarding the issue of business visibility, Mr. Kelly said that was an issue all over the city and that it was one an arborist could easily address. At the request of Mr. Papé, Ms. Cahill reviewed the six exceptions in the ACSP. Mr. Papé continued to be concerned about the issue of business visibility as a result of trees. The amendment to the motion failed, 4:3, Ms. Taylor, Mr. Kelly, and Ms. Ortiz voting yes. Ms. Taylor moved to direct the City Manager to proceed with final design and bidding of an improvement project for River Avenue in accordance with Plan A described in the Minority Report submitted by representatives of the River Road Community Organization. The motion died for lack of a second. MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 6 Work Session Mr. Kelly said that he would be unable to support the motion because of the failure of his amendment. He thought deviating from the street tree policies was a very bad precedent for a City that “pretends” to pride itself on its standing as a Tree City USA. The main motion passed, 4:3; Ms. Taylor, Mr. Kelly, and Ms. Ortiz voting no. C. WORK SESSION: Telecommunications Tax Fund The council was joined for the item by Assistant City Manager Jim Carlson. He noted that Information Services Director Randy Kolb and Franchise Manager Pam Berrian were also present for the item. He called attention to the background materials provided in the meeting packet and reviewed the history of the fund, which was initially established in 1997 following passage of Ordinance 20083 establishing a two percent telecommunications business privilege tax. Assistant City Manager Carlson recalled the litigation that occurred following the implementation of the ordinance, which was finally resolved in the City’s favor. The City received arrears payments of fees and taxes that were directed to the General Fund and Telecommunications Tax Fund. The money had been used to repay the General Fund for the City’s court costs and administration of the program during litigation. Assistant City Manager Carlson said that when a large amount of arrears was received in FY2005, the council directed it to the Facilities Reserve, consistent with the council’s policy that one-time funds be used for one-time purposes. Assistant City Manager Carlson said that a regular payment stream had not yet been established, but he estimated about $2.2 million in revenues per year to the Telecommunications Tax Fund. That fund supported related administrative costs, projects, and equipment replacement. The projects are cable or telecommunications-related projects of benefit to the community. A list of the projects was included in the meeting packet. Each year, department proposals are reviewed by the executive managers and forwarded to the City Manager for a final decision. Assistant City Manager Carlson noted that much of the funding collected as a result of the telecommunica- tions tax had been used for public safety services. The revenues funded mobile date terminals in all police and fire apparatus and would fund video cameras in police cars. Assistant City Manager Carlson also noted the funding that had gone to improve the City’s Web portal, which would allow more e-government activities to occur on line. The City would seek public input on how that would occur. Assistant City Manager Carlson reported that there continued to be legislative assaults on the City’s ability to charge a telecommunications tax and even a franchise fee. Until the City had a clear understanding of the federal legislation to be proposed, he recommended the program be continued in its present form before seeking input from the public regarding possible new services and the use of the money. Assistant City Manager Carlson said the Equipment Replacement Fund was an issue identified in the multi- year financial fund for several years. The fund was established because of the short life expectancy of some equipment and the need to replace it over time. Staff was looking at a more comprehensive way to replace MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 7 Work Session equipment such as radios. It could be that the telecommunications revenues can be used to replace both radios and radio system components such as towers and repeaters. Mayor Piercy called for council comments and questions. Mr. Poling appreciated the emphasis being placed on police, fire, and EMS services, as well as public works. He said radios for cultural services during events and for emergency preparedness may not sound like much, but it was extremely important when staff needed to have the right equipment that worked. He asked if the fund could be used to pay for the activation and deactivation of the Community Emergency Notification System (CENS) system. Assistant City Manager Carlson said the fund was being used for that purpose. Responding to a question from Mr. Poling, Ms. Berrian said the web cam footage for the cameras in parks would only be reviewed by staff. The web cams will be permanently installed at three park sites. Assistant City Manager Carlson noted that two other web cams were operating on the public Web portal - one at the Owens Rose Garden and one at the west wetlands area. Mr. Papé said he thought the City was doing a great job in this area and had persevered through many court cases. He asked if the City’s legal fees could be recovered from those filing suit. Assistant City Manager Carlson said no, not in this instance. Mr. Papé noted the council’s goal related to neighborhoods and asked if there was anything else the City could do in the next year. Assistant City Manager Carlson said that the “My Neighborhood” concept was a staff-generated concept about how to provide residents with information about their neighborhood, but he thought it would be useful for the City to go to the neighborhoods and seek information about what they want in the way of services, such as a greater Web presence for neighborhood organizations. Mr. Papé suggested cable coverage of neighborhood meetings to generate more interest and involvement. Assistant City Manager Carlson noted that council meetings would soon be available on the Web. He added that the new Web portal gave the City some tools it previously did not have to get additional information to interest groups. That might be useful to the council’s neighborhood initiative. Mr. Papé acknowledged Ms. Berrian’s work and said the City was lucky to have her on staff as she was a known expert. Mr. Papé called attention to pending federal legislation that could further erode the City’s ability to charge the two percent telecommunications tax. Mayor Piercy said the League of Oregon Cities was working on the issue and there may be an opportunity for the council to help. She noted that Senator Gordon Smith had introduced legislation related to the topic and was willing to work with local communities on changes. Responding to a question from Ms. Solomon about the federal legislation, Ms. Berrian said some of the bills that had been introduced threatened the City’s right-of-way management authority. In the worst case, any fees would be taken out of local hands, taxes would be prohibited, and disputes would be resolved at the federal level. City Manager Taylor said like other federal legislation, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was up for review, and it created an opportunity for renewed discussion. Without the vigilance of communities like Eugene, he thought the national discussion would be quite different. MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 8 Work Session Mr. Kelly thought the City’s ordinance forward-thinking. He saw no reason to make significant changes to it. Mr. Kelly said the projects that had been funded made solid contributions to operational efficiencies. He asked when projects would be considered next. Assistant City Manager Carlson said the process was evolving. Currently, project requests were done as part of the annual Information Services work plan in the spring, and projects occur on a fiscal year basis. The departments would like to change that timing so requests that were not funded could be referred to the Budget Committee for consideration. Mr. Kelly suggested that not all great project ideas were within the organization. He suggested setting aside ten percent of the funds annually and allocating it to community projects through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process. That could include such things as Internet kiosks and wireless access at community gathering locations. City Manager Taylor said that the City may get additional ideas when it solicits ideas from the community, which could help it get a sense of what was needed in terms of funding. He concurred with a suggestion from Mr. Kelly that that work could form the basis of an RFP process. He added that the process used by staff helped put more rigor in the equipment replacement system across the board, and staff was contemplating returning to the council with a proposal to do something similar for all large City equipment, not just telecommunications equipment. Assistant City Manager Carlson thought Mr. Kelly’s proposal consistent with the intent of the fund and that the FY08 process could accommodate the suggestions. Ms. Taylor also complimented Ms. Berrian. She asked why the council would want to have meetings on the Web when they were already on television. Assistant City Manager Carlson pointed out that not everyone had cable and those with interest might live outside the local Comcast service area. It allowed people to view archived meetings as well. Ms. Taylor asked if the money could be used to fund neighborhood Web pages. Assistant City Manager Carlson said it could be used to help create the environment to develop a Web page, but historically the money had not been used to pay staff. He said it was possible the City could provide a dedicated server to host neighborhood Web pages. Mr. Poling, seconded by Ms. Solomon, moved to maintain the program as currently oper- ated, at least as long as there remain active threats to the revenue stream, requesting a staff report after the 2005-2006 Congressional session. Mr. Papé asked if the City’s communications were interoperable. Ms. Berrian indicated she would provide the council with information about what was occurring to make the City’s radio system interoperable. Mr. Papé wanted to ensure the City’s communications were interoperable, and if not, he thought the item should be added to the list. Mr. Kolb said that the City’s computer network was highly interoperable. Mr. Papé asked if the funds could be used to improve radio interoperability between government emergency service providers. Ms. Berrian indicated she would get back to him with an answer to the question. Responding to a question from Mr. Papé, Assistant City Manager Carlson indicated he was not aware of any legal or financial barriers to use the Telecommunications Fund for loans to other agencies, such as the County. MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 9 Work Session Mr. Kelly observed that another advantage of Web casting council meetings was that it was completely on demand. Mr. Kelly determined from staff that it did not interpret the motion as precluding the implementation of his suggestions for a community RFP. Mr. Kelly said that the fund contained $2 million but it lacked council oversight. He suggested that once the executive managers reviewed the list, it be referred to the council as a Consent Calendar item. He asked for council comment. Responding to a question from Mr. Poling, Assistant City Manager Carlson said the fund was in the budget document but staff did not generally provide detail about individual projects. He likened it to the $2.9 million of General Fund capital expenditure. Mr. Poling suggested that rather than include the item on a Consent Calendar, staff provide an annual update on projects. Mr. Papé indicated staff already sent the council annual updates and preferred to see the projects listed in the budget document. He asked for a staff recommendation to accomplish that end. Assistant City Manager Carlson agreed that information could be illustrated in FY08. The motion passed unanimously, 7:0. The meeting adjourned at 7:17 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Dennis M. Taylor City Manager (Recorded by Kimberly Young) MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 10 Work Session NAME OF MEETING: Eugene City Council Date Needed for Mail out: _________________ DATE OF MEETING: December 12, 2005–Regular Meeting TO: Beth Forrest RECORDED BY: Ruth Atcherson MINUTES FILE NAME: M:\2005\Central Services Department\City Council\cc051212m2.doc BACKUP STORAGE: Ruth #32 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = R O U T I N G I N F O R M A T I O N 1/08/06 rma Draft to Staff (Date & Initials) 1/17 bf Reviewed by Staff and Returned to Minutes Recording Office (Date & Initials) _1/17 ky Received by Minutes Recording Office (Date & Initials) 1/18 ky Revised Draft Proofed/Revised (Date & Initials) 1/18 Final Printed and Sent to Staff By COURIER, E-MAIL, FAX, OTHER (Date & Initials) (Circle Method of Transmittal) Approved Minutes Amendments Incorporated and Sent to Staff (Date & Initials) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ATTACHMENT C M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Regular Session Council Chamber—City Hall December 12, 2005 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: George Poling, Jennifer Solomon, David Kelly, Chris Pryor, Betty Taylor, Gary Papé. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Andrea Ortiz, Bonny Bettman. Mayor Kitty Piercy convened the meeting of the Eugene City Council. She noted that Linda Dawson, Grants Manager for the Community Development Division, had been awarded the City of Eugene International Human Rights Day Staff Recognition Award on December 10. She said each year the Human Rights Commission recognized a City of Eugene work unit or employee for their contribution in the area of human rights and in the promotion of social justice. She related that Ms. Dawson oversaw the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee. She spoke glowingly of the work that Ms. Dawson did on behalf of the community and its residents. Ms. Dawson was given a round of applause. 1. CEREMONIAL MATTERS - International City County Management Association Performance Measurement Award City Manager Dennis Taylor was pleased to acknowledge the receipt of the certificate of distinction from the Center for Performance Management. He said the City of Eugene took performance management seriously and had been a national leader in this effort for 10 years. He stated that Eugene was one of a handful of communities to receive this certificate. He commended the efforts of staff across the organization in gathering the data, using it to inform their decision-making, and communicating with the community about it. He said a publication called Community Snapshots would be published by the end of the month and would contain some of the key measures for performance in the City. City Manager Taylor listed some examples of the leadership the City of Eugene demonstrated in promoting the effective use of performance management: ? The City of Eugene helped launch a new Oregon Performance Consortium that would allow the City to share high quality comparative data with 13 other Oregon communities. ? The City of Eugene founded, in collaboration with the Oregon Progress Board, a new organization that brought together people from state and local government to improve the practice of performance measurement in the state. MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 1 Regular Session ? The City was awarded a Trailblazer Grant from the National Center for Civic Innovation to improve performance reporting to share what had been learned with other communities. City Manager Taylor lauded Service Improvement Manager, Terrie Monroe, and all of the people in City’s departments who work hard to make performance management a part of the City’s culture. Those present applauded. Mayor Piercy shared her pride in the award and thanked those responsible for their work. Mayor Piercy reported that Councilor Bettman and Councilor Ortiz were attending a conference on civilian review boards. 2. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Piercy welcomed everyone to the City Council meeting and reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. Zachary Vishanoff , Patterson Street, asserted that Westmoreland residents had begun to move to avoid a rush. He was unhappy with the council because he wanted them to speak out about it. He opined that closing Westmoreland student housing was racist and would make the city a future hotbed for Ku Klux Klan activity. He felt the City should not ignore the actions of the University of Oregon in closing the student housing. He urged the councilors to speak about it. He averred that silence was “enabling a dictatorship.” th Melissa Mona , East 16 Avenue, shared her support for the Council Priority on Homelessness. She said unlike many cities, Eugene had not begun to formulate a 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness. She was concerned the City was missing a valuable opportunity for technical support and cooperation by “side- stepping this option.” She related that the task force assigned to this priority worked closely with the Human Services Commission (HSC), a County organization, and at a forum homeless people had been asked to provide ideas of small things that would help them. She felt the forum was not an opportunity for the homeless people to identify their most basic and urgent need, which was housing. She labeled it a “political dog and pony show.” She underscored that the best way to prevent homelessness was to provide housing. She called housing a form of health care and a basic need. Ms. Mona commented that by not providing a secular shelter, the City abdicated the oversight and planning of any homeless shelter to a private religious organization. She said while she respected the Eugene Mission’s efforts, because it did not receive public money it was not held to the standards of human rights as outlined in the City of Eugene’s human rights code. She felt homeless people were being coerced into a situation that was unacceptable by making it illegal for homeless people to sleep outdoors. In closing, Ms. Mona observed that it was cold outside. She said as a social service worker, she had worked with over 200 chronically homeless people in the last 12 months, most of whom were permanent residents and fellow citizens of the city. She submitted her testimony in writing. Norman Riddle , 1238 Crest Drive, agreed with Ms. Mona. He stated that he had been a homeless outreach worker, counselor, and case manager for 18 years. He remarked that he sometimes felt he had a “magic bag of tricks,” but one thing that was missing from those tricks was the ability to convey to the council that a portion of the homeless population was being ignored. He said it was 29 degrees outside and approximately MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 2 Regular Session 25 people were wandering around trying to stay awake in order to keep from freezing. He shared that the sadness and pain was “unbearable.” He had reviewed the plan on homelessness and did not see anything in the plan for the people he wanted to serve. He felt he would have to continue to answer questions from people about why there was no place for them to live. Mr. Riddle did not believe economics was truly a part of the equation as his clients used “incredible amounts” of emergency room time and money, police department time and money, and jail space. He said both Portland and Seattle had realized that it was cheaper to open a shelter. He urged the council to consider the prudence of this idea. It was hoped that a forum of homeless people could be held in January or February to have them share their experiences and information. He stated that a National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day observance would be held on December 21 as part of the national effort to provide healthcare to homeless people at which the names of people who had died on the streets in the past year would be read. He said candles would be lit for them. Russ Brink , 132 East Broadway, speaking on behalf of Downtown Eugene, Incorporated (DEI), said the council would hear from several downtown business and property owners at this meeting and then more after the break. He predicted that 2006 would be a critical year for the downtown area. He averred that the City and private sector and non-profit organizations in the downtown area needed to come together and make some of the development projects happen. He said perceptions needed to be changed among community residents about the present and future downtown and public safety needed to be improved. He recommended that the City elevate the development of the safety and cleanliness in the downtown area as well its effectiveness and viability back onto the council’s list of priorities. Thomas Emmons , 859 Willamette Street, Suite 500, Vice President of Lunar Logic Finance Administration, stated that Lunar Logic was a software company headquartered in the Park Place building and employing 150 people in the area at several locations. He related that Lunar Logic had looked forward to relocating its headquarters to the downtown area, but during that time some employees brought up concerns about security and parking. He said most of the concern revolved around the increased cost of parking and parking in garages located two blocks away. He stated that the company helped alleviate concerns by continuing to support alternative modes of transportation, such as bus passes and subsidized parking, as well as a secured bicycle room. Mr. Emmons reported that employees had experienced, since the move, several vehicle crimes ranging from property damage to vehicle theft. Additionally, he related that some employees questioned their personal safety especially in leaving the building after dark. He wanted to be able to let employees know that the City of Eugene was doing something about these safety problems. He stated that Lunar Logic wished to continue to expand its business in the downtown area. He believed that public safety played a critical role in developing the economic health and sustainability of all downtown Eugene businesses. He looked forward to increased security measures in the area. Roxie Cuellar , 2053 Laura Street, Springfield, representing the Lane County Home Builders Association, said she had testified in support of the recommendation on the Chambers Area special area zone and she had failed to do so in front of council. She wanted to make the council aware of the association’s support for it and urged the council to support it as well. She applauded the process by which the Chambers Area Families for Healthy Neighborhoods (CAFHN) worked with the City. Charles Biggs , 540 Antelope Way, commented that the River Avenue improvements may not need to be built to regular standards for a multi-use path. He thought significant savings could be realized if asphalt was used instead of concrete. He suggested that this money could be redirected to build parking access for the Willamette Greenway bicycle system. He also expressed concern about the pedestrian crossing by the MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 3 Regular Session post office on River Avenue. He said significant efforts should be made to provide for greater awareness of pedestrians in the form of better signage and possibly rumble strips and different colored pavement. John Rowell , One East Broadway, spoke on behalf of Kazem Oveissi and Greg Brokaw, with whom he co- owns the building at the aforementioned location. He stated that the three businessmen recently remodeled and moved their small family businesses there. He related that he observed much activity in that area between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. while working late. He requested more police presence there as he rarely saw patrols coming through that area. He noted that they had been advised to call 9-1-1, but were reluctant to do so as their lights were frequently the only ones on and they were concern there would be retaliation. He reported that all of the store windows had been damaged, plants had been pulled out, windows had been spit on, and drug transactions had been witnessed in the parking lot within the last four or five months. He added that sun shades they had installed had been climbed on and damaged. He expressed concern about the risk in investing in the downtown area. He stressed that if the City wished to see small investors mixing in with the larger ones, the City needed to help out and make the downtown area a safe place to invest in. Mayor Piercy closed the Public Forum and called for questions and comments from the council. Councilor Kelly commented that Ms. Mona’s point regarding the formation of a 10-year plan for ending chronic homelessness was well-taken. He recalled that when the council discussed the initiative earlier in the year, it had been told that Lane County had begun that process. He had requested a report on their progress. He said he had yet to receive this report. He wished to ensure that the County was moving forward aggressively in its efforts in this endeavor and that the City’s efforts were a complement to those made by the County. City Manager Taylor noted that he was meeting with Lane County Director of Human Services, Steve Manela, on the following day. He said he would make this the first topic of discussion. 3. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approval of City Council Minutes -October 24, 2005, City Council Meeting -October 26, 2005, Work Session B. Approval of Tentative Working Agenda C. Appointment to Human Services Commission Councilor Poling, seconded by Councilor Solomon, moved approval of the Consent Calendar. Mayor Piercy noted Councilor Bettman’s corrections to the minutes, submitted electronically. Councilor Papé recalled a discussion earlier in the year about having a presentation on Leadership on Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. He wondered if it could be scheduled for early in 2006. City Manager Taylor said it was on the list of things that would be placed on the schedule and he was relatively certain the discussion would be timely. MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 4 Regular Session Councilor Kelly stated that he had submitted a correction to the minutes electronically. Mayor Piercy deemed the correction, without objection, approved. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 6:0. 4.PUBLIC HEARING: An Ordinance Adopting a New Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan (“PROS Comprehensive Plan”) as a Refinement of the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan; Repealing Resolution No. 4127 and the Eugene Parks and Recreation Plan Adopted Therein; Amending Section 9.8010 of the Eugene Code, 1971; Repealing Section 9.9550 of that Code; Adopting a Severability Clause; and Providing an Effective Date City Manager Taylor asked Parks Planning Manager for the Parks and Open Space Division, Carolyn Weiss, to present the outline of the new Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Comprehensive Plan. Ms. Weiss stated that the PROS plan provided concepts, goals, and strategies to guide the enhancement and preservation of Eugene’s parks, recreation, and open space system for the next 20 years. She underscored that the plan was the result of over three years of planning and public involvement, overseen by a Mayor’s advisory committee made up of eleven community members. She stated that extensive public outreach formed the basis of the plan including a statistically valid survey, a youth questionnaire, speakers’ bureau presentations to over 44 groups, and 7 community-wide forums, among others. Staff also met with the Lane County Board of County Commissioners and the Lane County Planning Commission, as well as the Eugene Planning Commission, which held a public hearing on October 11. She reiterated the Eugene Planning Commission’s approval of the plan with amendments. Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing. Roxie Cuellar , 2053 Laura Street, Springfield, representing the Lane County Home Builders Association (LCHBA) and the Home Builders Construction Company, underscored the LCHBA’s support for parks. However, the LCHBA did not support the PROS Comprehensive Plan. She stated that the document contained all of the projects and maps included in it originally, but the list had been removed. She asserted this would allow staff to promote a “legal fiction.” She said though there was an identified need for 1,626 additional acres, assumed to be acquired within the existing urban growth boundary (UGB), the plan assumed there would be no impact on the current land supply. She alleged that staff said it was “just a plan” and that the plan would not do anything. She said the project list that would come before the City Council to adopt by resolution in March would not be a land use measure. She felt this meant there would be no discussion on the impact on the land supply. She thought staff was saying that the City of Eugene could purchase “every single acre” of land designated for residential use inside the UGB with no such impact. She called this an abandonment of the basic concepts of the State land use system. She declared that the process should include how the plan would impact other land uses. John Dotson , 2447 Canterbury Street, said the reason he had come to testify was that he had not had time to read the plan. He was uncertain the plan was a step forward. He thought merely broadening the interpretation of what was planned might not be a good way to make progress. He felt there should be incremental ways to know the plan was moving forward and making progress. He said there needed to be performance standards to measure against. He requested more time for public input. MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 5 Regular Session Kate Perle , 4740 Wendover Street, requested that the record be left open for seven days. She related that members of her neighborhood organization had difficulty gaining access to the plan because it was only available online or through an office copy kept in the Public Works Department office. She averred that the original PROS plan had been created for a project list since “removed” from the plan, but now the plan was “insufficient to stand alone” as the guiding document for Eugene’s parks for the next 20 years. She thought it was made up of a long list of possible park improvements and acquisitions accompanied by a long list of potential funding sources with no real plan for implementation. She did not think the plan should be adopted in its present state. She claimed the plan continued to pay lip service to the idea of creating a balanced, equitable system of parks and recreation services, but did little advance this aim. She referred to Table B-2, which delineated the planning sub-area of River Road and Santa Clara. She underscored that Santa Clara was grossly underserved. She submitted her testimony in writing. Ellen Hyman , 3863 Dorchester Lane, said there were no major differences between the first draft of the plan and the one that was before the council except that the entire priority list had been eliminated. She opined that this rendered the document useless “except as nicely worded fluff.” She observed that since the 1970s there had been public record conversations about the need for parks and opens spaces in Santa Clara. She thought in reading the documents one would think there was a huge commitment to ensure the core values of equitable distribution of parks and open spaces within the community. She did not think the PROS Plan indicated how this equity would be achieved. She reiterated the need for more park area in Santa Clara. She opined that if the PROS Plan was the blueprint for a bond measure, then the 1998 bond measure clearly delineated what funds should be spent on. She stated that according to expenditures, $3 million had not been spent, including spending designated for four planned projects. She said money from the bond measure was used for planning, including $33,000 for signage, nearly $250,000 for the PROS plan ($104,000 from SDCs), and almost $500,000 for projects that were not identified or approved in the original bond measure. She averred that this did not include $8 million in SDC money, much of which was collected from Santa Clara. She declared that of the $25 million in the bond measure, only $387,000 had been spent in Santa Clara for the development of two parks. She commented that she would be hard-pressed to support another bond measure for parks given how the money had been spent thus far. Larry Reed , of JRH Transportation Engineering at 4765 Village Plaza Loop, submitted his testimony in writing. He opined that the PROS Plan was fatally flawed. He based his position on three premises: 1. The plan did not take into account the open space owned by the County, State, and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the West Eugene Wetlands Plan area nor the Willamette Greenway. It also overlooked the park space located at school sites. He thought this could open the door for lawsuits as these lands were required to be included in the inventory by law. 2. The plan was premature and out of balance and was not done in conjunction with other planning elements such as community housing, homelessness, economic development, job growth and transportation. 3. If the City adopted this plan, the City Council’s hands would be tied in the future as the City staff would instruct the council that it could not revisit these goals and policies. Mr. Reed asked the council to send the plan back to the staff with the direction to review, incorporate, and coordinate this “great vision” into the community’s broader land use planning. Debbie Jeffries , 3800 North Delta Highway, concurred with the remarks of Mr. Reed. She thought the main flaw of the PROS plan was that it lacked a foundation of facts. She said the plan omitted almost 3,000 MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 6 Regular Session acres including the McKenzie River and the Willamette River, both of which were within the planning region outside the City and metropolitan planning area. She wished to remind people that her property was not inside the city boundaries and she had not received any notice about the plan, although it included land outside the city. She averred that the process had not defined that it was going outside the city’s boundaries and the metropolitan area. She said it had not included any participation by Lane County. She commented that as a property owner with property within the UGB but outside the city’s boundary, the council’s decision did impact her property. Ms. Jeffries stated that the council had its priorities and its priorities should be infrastructure and public safety. She opined that parks and open space would not make a “hill of beans” worth of difference if Eugene was not a safe place to be and there was not a safe way to get to the park. She suggested the council revisit it and return it to the Planning Commission. Terry Connolly , 1401 Willamette Street, on behalf of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, wished to reaffirm that parks made a positive contribution to the overall quality of life of the community including the economy. He said from a land use planning aspect and in consideration of the limited amount of land available within the UGB, the PROS plan was not a comprehensive plan as it was not being integrated with other ongoing planning activities such as the Goal 5 Natural Resources Inventory. He reiterated that it also did not take into account existing public lands such as the West Eugene Wetlands. He conveyed the chamber’s concern on what the potential impact would be on the buildable land supply within the UGB if the PROS plan was implemented. He thought a truly comprehensive plan would include such an analysis. He predicted that at the conclusion of the PROS plan, the City would have undergone another planning exercise that would ultimately result in actions that would reduce the buildable land inventory. He thought the council would take a comprehensive look to determine what impacts might be relative to existing inventory and then other planning activities would have been skipped on the technicality that the PROS plan and its project list were completely separate no matter how much future acquisition of land resembled implementation of the PROS document. He said the chamber wished the Planning Commission had been a little more assertive in its advice that the PROS Plan fell short of being a truly comprehensive plan. th Bill Kloos , 375 West 4 Avenue, Suite 204, speaking on behalf of the LCHBA, provided copies of a two- page letter he submitted to the City Manager. He shared the four points in the letter: 1. Adoption of the PROS Plan would bring other laws into play as the plan had to meet legal standards found in State statutes, Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) rules, the definition of a comprehensive plan, and in the Metro Plan. The City needed to follow through with the plan and state how it would be implemented. 2. The plan would debit the inventory of buildable lands and had already done so. 3. The plan extended parks planning “deep into Lane County.” He remarked that Lane County was not happy with the City of Eugene and was thinking it should co-adopt the plan with the city. 4. There was a surprising lack of funding for the plan. Charles Biggs , 540 Antelope Way, read a letter into the record. He opined that the 1989 Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plan was more clear and concise than the present PROS plan. He thought the plan could not be called comprehensive without a project list. He noted the 1989 plan included such a list. He opined that the plan lacked policies, adding that he had listed 103 policies contained in the 1989 plan. He asked how many 1989 projects had not been built and wondered if they should not be moved to the top of the list. He echoed previous testimony regarding the removal of the project list. He asked if the PROS plan would be subject to annual review. He suggested that in the next 20 years, the City should include plant and MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 7 Regular Session animal habitat in the title and give it the recognition and attention it deserved. He questioned the methodology used to inventory lands and the goal of equitable distribution of park resource types as proposed. He objected specifically to the development of Striker Field in the Willakenzie area. He averred that this proposed project had not been supported by data received during public comment on the draft PROS plan when it went into the separate project district areas. He was appalled that a neighborhood park could be redesignated to a community park without due public process. He called it excessive to have three sports park facilities within a two-mile radius. He submitted his testimony in writing. He requested the record remain open until the project list and the PROS plan could be considered at the same time. Charles Moss , 4255 Burrywood Drive, stated that it had cost him $15 to obtain a copy of the PROS Plan. He noted that the copy available at the Public Works Department was a draft, dated July 2005. He felt there had been big changes from the draft to the final copy, including the following changes: ? Chapter 4 changed from strategies and actions to only strategies; ? Chapter 5 changed to funding options and did not explain where the money would be spent; ? Chapter 6 included performance measures that, as indicated, still needed development. Mr. Moss said he would like to see where the money would be spent and then he would be able to measure performance. He noted that Appendix A described the benefits of a public plaza including that it provides positive community identity. He opined that if community identity was so important, why were the City and School District 4J standing by the decision to raze the Santa Clara Elementary School building? He asserted that residents wanted the historic building as part of their community identity. Mr. Moss reviewed Appendix B, which delineated the proportion of population to developed acres of park by areas of the community. He underscored that the Santa Clara/River Road area of the City contained 18 percent of the population and one percent of developed park acres. Zachary Vishanoff , Patterson Street, echoed the comments made in previous testimony. He averred that the City’s parks had been stolen from the people. He reiterated concerns he made in the summer regarding the park in the University area. He blamed the media for not paying better attention to the issue. He felt that developers wanted to do public/private partnerships outside the UGB and that parks were a “trick” to get people to agree to “break” the UGB in order to further development. He repeated his objections to the River Play playground development under construction in Skinner Butte Park. He said the City needed to stop using parks as “weapons against neighborhoods.” Jerry Finigan , 1250 Irvington Drive, said he was a resident in Santa Clara and had been a stakeholder in the 1989 parks plan. He underscored that 15 years later, not much had happened. He had been encouraged by the PROS plan, but after reading it he did not feel it told him very much. He agreed that without a project list, the plan did not hold as much weight. Dan Arkin , 655 Goodpasture Island Road, #28, stated that he had served on the committee that developed the PROS plan. He said the citizens who sat on the committee for 2-1/2 years tried to do their best job. He thought the one word that would sum up the goal the committee tried to keep in mind for the process was “balance.” He hoped that even Ms. Cuellar would admit that. He commented that it was an impossible goal to achieve perfection. He was proud of what the committee had done, as it was the best it could be. He underscored that it was impossible to please everyone but he believed the committee had done a “damned good job” in its attempt to do so. He said the committee was very aware that the City had no right to dictate to jurisdictions outside of the boundaries of Eugene what would happen to property, but nonetheless, the MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 8 Regular Session committee sought to create a whole plan that needed to be integrated into a region and coordinated with what was going on and available in other areas. The concept was to do this through negotiation, cooperation, and mutual assistance. He wished to address two other issues and did so in written testimony submitted to the council. Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing and called for comments and questions from the council. Councilor Kelly stated that the packet included a follow-up to questions raised in the work session, one of which was whether the plan should be adopted as a refinement plan. He asked the City Manager if council direction was needed as to what option for adoption of the plan should be used. City Manager Taylor stated that the recommended option was Option B, though there were no strong feelings in opposition to Option C. Councilor Poling, seconded by Councilor Solomon, moved to keep the record open until December 30, 2005. In response to a question from Councilor Kelly, Ms. Weiss indicated that leaving the record open for two weeks would be sufficient. Councilor Poling asked why the project list had been removed from the plan. Ms. Weiss responded that the list needed to be flexible and able to adapt as new funding mechanisms became available. She stressed that the amendment process would be extensive; should the project list be included and need to be changed, and would take a lot of resources. She conveyed staff’s feeling that the plan should be a “living document.” City Attorney Jerry Lidz reiterated that the idea behind the plan was that it would provide the guidance and the vision, while the project list would remain a living document. He said the hope was that staff and the council would be able to be “lighter on their feet” in terms of amending the project list to respond to opportunities that may arise. Roll call vote; the motion to keep the record open until December 30 passed unanimously, 6:0. Councilor Papé asked if the PROS plan would be reintegrated into the Metro Plan. He questioned the wisdom of having both exist separately. Ms. Weiss replied that the current recommendation was to adopt the PROS plan as a refinement to the Metro Plan. City Manager Taylor clarified that, should the council direct it, Option C would be a strategy that would be equally viable. He reiterated that the way staff was recommending adoption was the traditional way, similar to the 1989 plan, but council requested some legal foundation for another way of adopting the plan. Councilor Papé asked how the council could approach its governmental partners and ask how they liked the City’s aspirations without a project list. Ms. Weiss replied that the project list was available for review on the City’s Web site. She underscored that the intent was that the resolution process by which the project and priority plan would be adopted would include a public hearing and then the list would be inserted into the PROS plan as an appendix. She stated that the whole document would then read as one, but the plan and MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 9 Regular Session the list were undergoing separate adoption processes so that it would facilitate amendment to the list as needed. City Manager Taylor stated that there had been council direction to bring back smaller lists sooner with regard to bond issues. He said the process that had been recommended was to have the PROS plan discussion and then a short list of bond issue projects would be brought for consideration in November 2006. Subsequent to this, the project list would be brought to before the council for approval. Councilor Papé asked what was happening with the plan for a community park in the Santa Clara area. Ms. Weiss responded that staff was currently evaluating different options and looking at smaller parcels both within and outside the UGB. In response to a follow-up question from Councilor Papé, Ms. Weiss agreed that the number of existing acres of park in the Santa Clara area was not equitable. She said within the proposed parks plan there would be additions to the neighborhood and community park categories in that area. She reiterated that the project list pointed this out. Councilor Pryor observed that the part of the driving force for wanting to get the PROS plan adopted sooner rather than later had to do with the upcoming bond discussion. Ms. Weiss affirmed this. Councilor Pryor surmised from testimony and from input from the community that there was a real lack of trust with regard to having the PROS plan and the project list as two separate pieces. He did not perceive that people thought that the parks plan project list would be distributed equitably. He said the notion that the acres envisioned for future parks coming out of some place also needed to be fully vetted. He thought the list should be refined and recalled a council discussion on a bond project list. He recalled an earlier version, also called a PROS plan, which created so much controversy it wound up being adopted as an internal document. Because of this, he felt very aware of how distrust could actually “shoot one in the foot.” In addition to leaving the record open, he suggested the council discuss whether it should allow a bond measure to compel it to put out the plan prematurely. He felt the project list could be left a separate document if that was necessary, but it needed to be kept to a parallel course. Councilor Kelly asked what happened to the 1998 bond measure and the project list that went with it. Ms. Weiss replied that the 1998 bond measure process had taken a long time. She recalled that the committee met at length, having started from scratch. She said they did not have an initial project list or priorities. Councilor Kelly asked if the process for the bond measure had utilized the project list from the 1989 plan. Parks and Open Space Director Johnny Medlin responded that the land use arena was different now than it was at that time. As far as the process for the bond, he said the plan from 1989 was ten years old and contained a number of projects that had been implemented and also some projects that, as time passed and the community changed, seemed less prudent to pursue. He recalled the “Field of Dreams” group which tried to get the community moving around the issue of sports facilities. He said this “snowballed” into more conversation about a bond. He noted that, at that time, there had been council and staff discussions about whether to launch a bond or conduct an update of the parks plan prior to launching a bond. He hoped that the PROS Plan process provided an improved foundation with strategies and framework in the document and then a large community effort on the project generation that would come in the subsequent document. He acknowledged that the project list was large and indicated that the comments and direction from the MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 10 Regular Session council, particularly on whether there would be a short list of projects in a bond, would be critical to the modification of the list for adoption. Mayor Piercy adjourned the City Council at 9:03 p.m. Mayor Piercy convened the Eugene Urban Renewal Agency at 9:10 p.m. 5. PUBLIC HEARING AND ACTION: Resolution 1036 Adopting a Supplemental Budget; Making Appropriations for the Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Eugene for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2005 and Ending June 30, 2006 Budget Manager Kitty Murdoch explained that this first supplemental budget of the year sought to reconcile the estimates put into the budget. She said in the case of the Urban Renewal Agency (URA), the two estimates that were being reconciled were the beginning working capital estimate and the capital carryover estimate. She noted one other transaction: the rebudgeting of the $500,000 that had been appropriated for the Patterson Underpass. She stated that this money would go to the City of Eugene should there be an agreement in the future on doing such a project. She stressed that these funds would not be spent until staff received further direction. Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing. Zachary Vishanoff , Patterson Street, felt there had been a lack of dialogue regarding URA spending. He said he had no idea what the URA was doing and he thought the media did not know anything about it either. He expressed concern that the Willamette Greenway would be lost because of urban renewal projects. He called urban renewal a “negative thing in this community.” Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing. Urban Renewal Agency President Poling, seconded by Councilor Solomon, moved to adopt Resolution 1036 adopting a Supplemental Budget; making appropriations for the Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Eugene for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2005 and ending June 30, 2006. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 6:0. Mayor Piercy adjourned the Eugene Urban Renewal Agency. Mayor Piercy reconvened the Eugene City Council at 9:15 p.m. 6. PUBLIC HEARING AND ACTION: Resolution 4855 Adopting a Supplemental Budget; Making Appropriations for the City of Eugene for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2005, and Ending June 30, 2006 Ms. Murdoch explained that this supplemental budget would reconcile three estimates that were in the adopted budget: beginning working capital; the reserve for encumbrance; and the capital carryover estimate. She described the three reconciliations. She noted one new budget request of $22,748 not previously MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 11 Regular Session discussed from the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, which sought to pay backfill for emergency service workers who were called to the Gulf of Mexico area. Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing. Seeing no one who wished to speak on the item, Mayor Piercy closed the hearing. Councilor Papé asked if there was a way to “tighten up” the budget process so that there would not be $1 million that was not budgeted at the end of the year. Ms. Murdoch replied that the $1.8 million represented between one and two percent of the total General Fund and was actually less of a variance than the previous year. She commented that the Finance Division felt uncomfortable in going below a one percent variance in its estimates. Councilor Poling, seconded by Councilor Solomon, moved to adopt Resolution 4855 adopting a Supplemental Budget; making appropriations for the City of Eugene for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2005, and ending June 30, 2006. Councilor Kelly, seconded by Councilor Poling, moved to amend the supplemental budget resolution to increase the Planning and Development Department’s General Fund expenditure by $8,617 and decrease the General Fund Contingency account by the same amount in order for the department to pay Downtown Eugene, Incorporated (DEI) a “fifth quarter” payment on City-owned properties for support of the organization’s downtown marketing efforts. Councilor Kelly pointed out that DEI had been working to expand its mission in “branding” the downtown and, as of three weeks ago, more than 60 percent of the downtown property owners had agreed to the “fifth quarter” payment. Roll call vote; the motion to amend passed unanimously, 6:0. Roll call vote; the main motion, as amended, passed unanimously, 6:0. 7. PUBLIC HEARING AND POSSIBLE ACTION: An Ordinance Requesting That Jurisdiction Over Portions of County Road Nos. 1313, 32, 543, 636, 1695, 1697, 1696, 1511, 1430, 1557, 2097, 2050, 1003, 2143, 2228, 200, 1123, 1500, 2236, and 548 Be Transferred to the City of Eugene Within a Specified Period of Time City Manager Taylor asked City Engineer Mark Schoening, to explain the ordinance. Mr. Schoening stated that the ordinance being considered would initiate the process of transferring jurisdiction of 21 different road segments totaling 4.27 miles from the County to the City. He said the roads had been annexed to the City over the past 13 years and, in general, served City residents. He reported that the Metro Plan provided the policy framework for this jurisdictional transfer in that it declared the City the logical service provider within the UGB. He recommended the council move forward with adoption of the ordinance should there be no testimony at the Public Hearing. Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing. Seeing no one who wished to speak, she closed the public hearing. MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 12 Regular Session In response to a question from Councilor Papé, Mr. Schoening said some of the roads were improved and some were unimproved. Councilor Papé asked if the City of Eugene would take over and assume maintenance responsibility for the roads and whether any “money was coming with it.” Mr. Schoening responded that there was not money coming from the County, but there was an existing agreement with the County that divided the maintenance of roads based more on logical geographic boundaries than jurisdictional boundaries. He noted that some of the roads in the River Road/Santa Clara area were already maintained by the City and others were not. Councilor Papé asked if the City had talked with the County about how it was “giving us sour milk.” Mr. Schoening replied that City/County funding of road improvements was an ongoing conversation. Councilor Papé indicated he would not support the ordinance because he did not believe the City and the County had reached an agreement that meted out funding for road maintenance equitably. Mayor Piercy ascertained from the council that there were no objections to taking action at the present meeting. Councilor Poling, seconded by Councilor Solomon, moved that the City Council adopt Council Bill 4913, an ordinance requesting transfer of jurisdiction of County roads to the City of Eugene. Roll call vote; the motion passed, 4:2; councilors Papé and Kelly voting in opposition. Councilor Solomon asked if there was a way to stop annexing roads until the issue Councilor Papé raised could be addressed. City Manager Taylor replied that it was not annexation, in that the roads affected by the ordinance were already within the incorporated city limits. He felt the ordinance was part of a rationalization of how the City provided road maintenance. He reminded the council that there was an agreement with the County that had come with the transfer of jurisdiction, the partnership funding from the County Road Fund. He said the City benefited from this partnership and expressed hope that the County would continue this. Councilor Solomon asked why it was not possible to stop. City Manager Taylor said he would provide her with follow-up information from the Public Works Director and from the City Engineer about why it was thought to be a good policy to continue to pursue this and what the consequences would be if the City stopped assuming jurisdiction for the County roads that lay within the City limits. Councilor Solomon said she wished the City could stop assuming responsibility for roads until the County came to the table with some money. 8. ACTION: An Ordinance Establishing a Chambers Special Area Zone; Amending Sections 9.0500, 9.1030, 9.8030, and 9.8865 of the Eugene Code, 1971; Adding Sections 9.3050 Through 9.3065 to That Code; Amending the Eugene Zoning Map; Adopting a Severability Clause; and Providing an Effective Date MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 13 Regular Session Councilor Poling, seconded by Councilor Solomon, moved that the City Council adopt Council Bill 4912, an ordinance establishing a Chambers Special Area Zone. Councilor Kelly moved to amend proposed Eugene Code Section 9.3065(3)(a) to delete the following words from the first sentence of paragraph (a): “there is no minimum density requirement regardless of lot size, and…” The motion died for lack of a second. Councilor Kelly thought that rowhouse and condominium development could be compatible for the neighborhood. He noted that staff indicated that this change in language would necessitate development of additional design standards. Because of this, he provided an amendment to the motion in this regard and a separate motion to give staff direction to develop those standards. Councilor Kelly, seconded by Councilor Papé, moved to amend proposed Eugene Code Section 9.3065(3)(h) by deleting part 7 from paragraph (h). Councilor Solomon asked if it would be necessary to pass the amendment for the stand-alone motion to be made. Councilor Kelly replied that it would be pointless to direct staff to develop additional design standards without approval of the amendment. Councilor Solomon acknowledged the work and dedication of the Chambers Area Families for Healthy Neighborhoods (CAFHN) and said she could not support the amendment on the face of it. She could, however, support the directive to staff should it be so moved. Councilor Papé asked Councilor Kelly what the City would have with the passage of this amendment. Councilor Kelly replied that lot aggregation and lot adjustments would then be the same in this area as in other areas of the City. In response to a follow-up question from Councilor Papé, Senior Planner Allen Lowe stated that the language had been placed in this ordinance to ensure that any new development, redevelopment, and infill occurring in the neighborhood would be consistent with the driving feature of the neighborhood - the establishment and continuance of single-family detached dwellings. He underscored that this was the description of the character of the neighborhood. He said removal of the lot aggregation clause would permit acquisition and combination of a series of lots for the purpose of erecting rowhouse developments which, in the opinions of CAFHN members and staff, would be inconsistent with the existing character of the 12-block area. Councilor Taylor opposed the amendment. She said it would negate the whole effect of the plan to preserve the character of the neighborhood. Roll call vote; the motion failed, 5:1; Councilor Kelly voting in favor. Councilor Poling commended the work of the CAFHN group and staff on this issue. He particularly appreciated that the approach of the CAFHN group had been very professional, characterizing it as “low- key in one way, but high pressure in another.” He cited it as an example of what could be done when people worked as a neighborhood or a community toward a common goal. He commented that he could not praise the work done on the project enough. MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 14 Regular Session Councilor Kelly said while he appreciated the process that CAFHN undertook, he thought the goal of compact urban development superceded the desires of the neighborhood. He was concerned that the change that came with growth would become a great deal of “sprawl.” He thought the Chambers Area project felt like a half project and would be a small step toward the breakdown of land use planning. Councilor Papé echoed the comments of Councilor Poling. Mayor Piercy remarked that she would support the ordinance in the unlikely event there would be a tie. She commended CAFHN and staff for the work they had done. Roll call vote; the motion passed, 5:1; Councilor Kelly voting in opposition. Mayor Piercy wished everyone happy holidays. She adjourned the meeting at 9:42 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Dennis M. Taylor City Manager (Recorded by Ruth Atcherson) MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2005 Page 15 Regular Session