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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 3C: Adoption of 2006 City Council Priorities ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Adoption of 2006 City Council Priority Issues Meeting Date: February 13, 2006 Agenda Item Number: 3C Department: City Manager’s Office Staff Contact: Dennis Taylor www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5336 ISSUE STATEMENT This is an affirmation of the City Council’s priority issues as agreed upon at its goal-setting retreat held on January 20, 2006. BACKGROUND The City Council annually convenes in a retreat setting to deliberate and decide upon its goals and/or priority issues. This year, the council met for one day with the City’s executive management team to further refine the eight priority issues agreed upon at the February 2005 retreat. Those priority issues are: 1. Launch neighborhood initiatives; 2. Conclude the discussion on City Hall/police building; 3. Facilitate the development of a hospital in Eugene (reaffirmation of the council’s 2004 goal as a priority); 4. Complete and consider the Police Department review and implement appropriate strategies; 5. Re-staff Fire Station #9; 6. Promote the arts and outdoors as a theme for Eugene; 7. Create a City Council position on racial issues; and 8. Develop a strategy to help the homeless in Eugene. Julia Novak, regional vice president of Management Partners, Inc., facilitated the one-day session held at the Eugene Public Library. Ms. Novak also facilitated the 2004 and 2005 retreats. Several refinements were suggested to the current priority issues, most notably removing re-staffing of Fire Station #9. Full re-staffing was realized in January due to monies allocated in the FY06 budget process, and further augmented by a federal grant, Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER). Councilors discussed in detail the implications of what constitutes a council priority. Of the seven remaining items, it was agreed that they represent several things, including: 1) a direct impact on funding and a focus on energy and resources; 2) an identified need; 3) common ground of agreement among elected officials; and 4) awareness that there are community expectations associated with these priority issues. L:\CMO\2006 Council Agendas\M060213\S0602133C.doc Ms. Novak led the group through a detailed assessment of each priority issue and their progress to-date. They discussed both positive and negative aspects of each; however, the general consensus was that most issues were receiving appropriate attention by staff in order to realize some degree of success in the coming year, before new councilors are sworn in next January. Acknowledgement was made, however, that several of the priority issues will take months, if not years, to complete. The recent distribution of the first priority issues quarterly report/update identified specific measurable outcomes and mid-term benchmarks that are based on the council-approved action plans. Councilors concluded that, based on the past year’s activities, updating of the priority issue title, as well as some distillation the action plans, was necessary to more accurately reflect work currently underway. The revised priority issues are as follows: 1.Neighborhood Association Initiative; 2.Conclude Development Plan Phase of City Hall Complex; 3.Facilitate the Development of a Full-Service Hospital in Eugene; 4.Implement Police Complaint Oversight (Measure 20-106) and Launch Police Department Strategic Plan; 5.Strengthen and Promote Community “Arts and Outdoors” Assets; 6.Enhance Understanding of Race Issues and Improve Community Relationships; and 7.Develop a Strategy to Help the Homeless in Eugene. RELATED CITY POLICIES As councilors contemplated the priority issues, they remained mindful of the newly-revised vision and goals statement, which was refined last spring and adopted on June 27, 2005. All priority issues intertwine and overlap with the five overarching goals statements, which are: ?Safe Community ?Sustainable Development ?Accessible and Thriving Culture and Recreation ?Effective and Accountable Municipal Government ?Fair, Stable, and Adequate Financial Resources COUNCIL OPTIONS Several options are available to the City Council: 1. Adoption of all seven priority issues, as determined at its retreat on January 20, 2006; 2. Adoption of specific priority issues, but not all seven as identified above; or 3. Adoption of none of the priority issues. CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION The City Manager recommends adoption of the City Council’s seven priority issues. SUGGESTED MOTION Move to adopt the City Council’s seven priority issues for 2006. L:\CMO\2006 Council Agendas\M060213\S0602133C.doc ATTACHMENTS A. Final Retreat Summary from Management Partners, Inc. FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Dennis Taylor Telephone: 682-5336 Staff E-Mail: dennis.m.taylor@ci.eugene.or.us L:\CMO\2006 Council Agendas\M060213\S0602133C.doc CE ITY OF UGENE CCR ITY OUNCIL ETREAT January 20, 2006 City of Eugene, Oregon City Council Retreat Retreat Goals ? To affirm the Council’s priorities for the upcoming year ? To articulate what it means for an item to be a Council priority ? To continue to work on improving the effectiveness of the governing body ? To continue to build a successful relationship between members of the governing body and the City’s Executive staff The Best Thing… Everyone was asked to identify “The Best Thing…” or at least a really good thing that happened since the last City Council Retreat: ? 2008 Olympic Trials are coming to Eugene ? Peace Health Medical Center permit approved ? Stuck with our 8 Goals ? Re-staffed Fire Station #9 ? Home Depot in my neighborhood ? Finished Goal 5 after 14 years ? Goal 5 expanded to include the upland area ? Chambers reconsidered ? Opened 2 Fire Stations ? The Fire Department was accredited ? 20-106 passed! ? Oakway Center Traffic Signals ? No “new” references (i.e. New City Manager, New Mayor, New Council, etc.) at the State of the City – we have our sea legs ? Susan Muir in place ? Jason Mak in place ? Improved a lot of streets – better pavement ? $2M Brownfield’s Grant for Downtown & $1.2 M SAFR Grant ? Opening the parallel runway at the airport ? Work on Sustainable Business Initiative ? Establishing Enterprise Zone ? Completed New Park & Recreation and Open Space Plan Management Partners, Inc. 2 City of Eugene, Oregon City Council Retreat What it Means for Something to be a “Council Priority” The City Council reflected on the following: ? The City has identified a need – becomes the focus of the staff – but don’t forget about the day-to-day business ? Direct Impact on Funding – direct staffing and financial resource assignments, beyond day to day services ? Council Priorities are where there is overlap between individual priorities – it is common ground – where we all agree ? To not put aside something urgent that comes along – still be flexible to respond to urgent needs ? Measurable – know we are making progress ? Establishes accountability – something for which the City accepts accountability ? Has a time frame ? Where you will focus energy and resources…what does it mean to take off the list ? Don’t go in, or come off lightly…know when you’ve gotten there…when “done” becomes part of the day to day business of the City ? Inevitable tension between Council priorities and other work – okay to identify when it is becoming too much ? Constantly making trade-offs – priorities are the trade offs you’ve decided upon ? Timelines need to be established quickly (took too long in 2005) The Executive’s shared their perspective on this topic with the Council, which they had discussed at their retreat the day before: ? It is how we decide what to spend our time on ? Reference point for decision making – decision package criteria (budget) ? Council has committed to spending time on – okay to put something on the agenda ? Helps focus on issue outcomes ? It is what the organization talks about ? Organizing theme for our efforts ? It helps the employees transcend the daily routine and grasp the larger picture ? We need clarification on – how we prioritize new initiatives versus things already in progress Clarifying Points: ? When we hit critical mass – how do we balance “new things” – be attuned to the tension – we will know when/if it happens ? We are still at the beginning, doing groundwork – first steps are very hard ? Perception of some disconnects… Development of natural areas conflicts with Arts and Outdoors o Hospital should have used eminent domain – effort without results o disappointing Neighborhood Initiative – haven’t done enough – hypocrisy o ? Need to be achievable before the Council changes ? Didn’t flesh things out sufficiently to identify what we want staff to do – that is why it took so long to bring things back Management Partners, Inc. 3 City of Eugene, Oregon City Council Retreat ? 8 priorities without measurable priorities – “do good not evil” the more specific ones we’ve done better on ? Today – we do have 8 “Action Plans” – do each have measurable outcomes ? We have created community expectations – be cautious ? Made 8 promises…finish those that are done, be careful about adding new ? Race & homelessness may never be “done” – they are a quest ? Can articulate discrete steps to be taking towards achieving the priorities Management Partners, Inc. 4 City of Eugene, Oregon City Council Retreat Assessing Performance/Status of Existing Priority Neighborhood Initiative What has gone well… What could go better… ?? Final action plan a good start Initial action plan missed the mark ?? Increased communication tools, i.e. Like Charlotte’s “Neighborhood newsletters Cabinet” approach ?? One of Three specifics is underway Tensions between neighborhood (Opportunity Siting) desires and City policies (i.e. density) – ? creates challenges Pleased to see the way the ? organization is collaborating with Be pre-emptive on planning issues – various groups of organized neighbors balance in showing plans not as a ? done deal – want input, get it up front Doing a better job listening and without the Council having to say go collaborating with neighbors – not just back to the neighbors announcing our “solutions” ? ? Working on how these partnerships Neighbors being invited into City Hall work is appropriate – roles are conversation understood ? Dedicated staff really help (kudos to ? Could have gone to NLC earlier Steve Norris) ? ? Need to recognize/establish NLC’s Good start legitimacy if we are going to use them ? Seeing staff give neighborhoods more ? We (Council) need to won fleshing out options – good beginning the priorities ? Congruence with NLC and staff ? Neighborhoods is not the same thing approach as public involvement – they work together but are not interchangeable ? Active associations do strengthen the City’s communication avenues City Hall Complex What has gone well… What could go better… ?? Spent focused time on this Bond issue timing suggests we did not ? embrace this as a priority Public input going in the right direction ? ? Doing this also costs political capital for Outside team is exemplary elected officials ? Bonds not only funding mechanism ? Funding mechanisms are “interesting” here – saving for it, need more conversation ? Pleased with our investment here – about funding as a reflection of support quality outreach process Management Partners, Inc. 5 City of Eugene, Oregon City Council Retreat Hospital What has gone well… What could go better… ?? Staff done an extraordinary amount of Points out deficiencies with our work government partners (County, EWEB) ?? Triad has announced site on Delta Could have made better progress ? Highway – staff is working on details Larger goal has suffered due to focus on specific details of various sites – need to keep both in site ? Need to work on Plan B at the same time we work on details of Delta Highway ? EWEB will/could work for a hospital, just maybe not McKenzie Triad ? Threads of governance don’t work together on an ongoing basis – City/County/EWEB – need to change the culture of how we work together – these are very complex, long term relationships – there is much more than what we see on the surface Police Reviews What has gone well… What could go better… ?? All going well! Still have work to do – moving from ? planning to implementing Strategic Plan is excellent ? Ballot measure passed ? Agency doing critical self-evaluation ? Chief doing great job with Strategic Plan – well written and easy to understand Arts and Outdoors What has gone well… What could go better… ?? Has evolved significantly from last year Question – how, or do we, include ? Natural Areas? 2008 Olympic trials ? ? Need a new title – beyond marketing Mayor’s visible support of the Arts ? Must commit to developing the asset behind the identity ? Commitment of resources goes beyond buying and developing marketing materials ? Embrace the past and plan for the future ? Balance of development and preservation Management Partners, Inc. 6 City of Eugene, Oregon City Council Retreat Station #9 What has gone well… What could go better… ?? Done! ? SAFR Grant Race What has gone well… What could go better… ?? Participation in the “White Privilege” Still unclear what our end goal is – conversation by the Council perhaps “safe, valued and welcomed” ?? Everyone on Council participated Really just getting started ?? Fact it is a priority has elevated the Not clear on what problem is we are issue in the community trying to solve ?? Deep emotional issues must be aware Issue still too Mayor and Council of this and be careful and focused in focused rather than City organization our communication and community focused ?? Sincerity of City is critical to success Still could improve how to bring ? important stakeholders into this See Civilian Review Board and Outside conversation Auditor s a response to this ? ? Communities of interest want specific Council learning is important modeling outreach by the Council on an for the community individual basis before meeting ? Upcoming forum will help us refine this ? Disappointed with the format of the ? City’s efforts on diversity are ongoing – meeting with community -- hope we remember this learn from this ? Good for us to initiate this ? City organization can help on this – not just a “Council-do” Homeless What has gone well… What could go better… ?? Good just having it on our list Times when Council could have gotten ? involved but didn’t work because of Good outreach to stakeholders and schedule conflicts authorities ? ? Lots of room for community education HRC input on Action Plan – staff ? already on top of it – like that Societal issue hopefully we can impact engagement it ?? HSC Subcommittee is part of the We need to hone into specific areas to workplan – multi governmental entities work on – not just responding to involved – County, 4J, City concerns – framework is very important ? HSC Conversations confirm this is a multi-dimensional issue – it’s about so many things! Multi jurisdictional approach still needs to be established ? Need an emergency shelter, allow tents – safe to sleep with sanitary facilities – need a humane alternative for those we are chasing out ? Need to work with the state – they need to help-this is not just a City issue ? Need to prevent homelessness – work with EWEB on no shutoffs, etc. Management Partners, Inc. 7 City of Eugene, Oregon City Council Retreat 2006 Priorities The Council considered the existing priorities and agreed that Fire Station #9 was complete and would come off the list for 2006. The remaining seven initiatives were reconsidered and the following language agreed upon by the group: ? Neighborhood Association Initiative ? Conclude Development Plan Phase of City Hall Complex ? Facilitate the Development of a full-service Hospital in Eugene Clarify the Action Plan to develop a back-up site in the outcome section of o the document ? Implement Police Complaint Oversight (Measure 20-106) and Launch Police Department Strategic Plan ? Strengthen and Promote Community “Arts and Outdoors” Assets ? Enhance understanding of Race Issues and Improve Community Relationships Clarify the Action Plan to include identifying gapes in service delivery to o communities of color and develop and implement solutions ? Develop a Strategy to help the Homeless in Eugene The group considered the possibility of adding additional initiatives for 2006 – but ultimately reached consensus on the fact that there is sufficient work to do on the existing initiatives and it would be best to stay focused for the remainder of 2006 and then allow the next Council to identify new initiatives in 2007. The ideas that were brainstormed included: ? Identify new sources of revenue – tax reform ? Implement Downtown Safety Plan ? Seize opportunity for development in Downtown Eugene ? Fix Potholes and Roads ? Economic Development ? University/Community Relations ? Transportation Funding ? Utilize Urban Renewal to focus Police Patrols Downtown ? Utilize Urban Renewal to finalize ORI Project ? Pursue development of a downtown fixed rail circulation street car ? Identify permanent funding source for roadway maintenance ? Embrace the Mayor’s Sustainable Business Initiative as a Council priority Management Partners, Inc. 8 City of Eugene, Oregon City Council Retreat Wrap-up/Next Steps Everyone in attendance had an opportunity to share a parting thought as we closed out the retreat. Mayor: Great process, but disappointed about the Sustainable Business Initiative – Council is important to that initiative – thank you for sticking with the list of goals – very important work. George: Great conversation; good precise refresher on our priorities – worth the efforts. Tom: Thanks again – this is hard work – in the last three years the goals and priorities have really focused the City, it is an honor and a privilege to serve here David: Discussion today was very valuable; lots of common ground – do want the Council to embrace the SBI – let’s flesh it out at a worksession Bob: Thank you Bonnie: Pleased to see we have done something sensible in sticking with and clarifying the seven priorities. Appreciate staff participation. SBI is Mayor’s initiative – would be hard to own it because we didn’t help conceive it. Jennifer: Thank you – very productive – good use of time Jim: Appreciated being here again – like hearing the nuances – pleased with the work the Council did to make things more discrete and attainable Gary: Thanks to staff for efforts on the 8 goals – know you will work just as hard on the seven – any criticism was constructive – lots of respect for the staff Lauren: Feel like staff is on the field with the Council – Quality of the work is superb Dennis: Thanks for the hard work – have clarity and understanding – you’ve focused and refined the Council’s ideas Andrea: Thanks to David and Gary – it is enriching working with you; this was a good session – glad to hear the organization is getting the information. Next year we will need more time – Mayor bring back the SBI Angel: Issue on race is very personal – appreciate the leadership of the Council on the race issue – it is a tough issue in this community Betty: Disappointed at hospital discussion and that we don’t take on financial issues. Predict Gary and David will run again . Thanks to Lynda and Kim!! ? Susan: Thank you – clarity and richness will help us run with this Chris: Need to spend two days – it is worth it – Like where this goes – collective discussion gets us to a better decision than what I would have come up with on my own. Management Partners, Inc. 9