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HomeMy WebLinkAbout230925 WSpdfMINUTES Eugene City Council Work Session Eugene, Oregon 97401 September 25, 2023 5:30 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Greg Evans, Lyndsie Leech, and Randy Groves Councilors Absent: Matt Keating Mayor Vinis opened the September 25, 2023, work session of the Eugene City Council in a hybrid format at 101 W 10th Avenue, Eugene OR 97401. 1. WORK SESSION: Move EUG Update City Manager Medary introduced Reed Dunbar, Senior Transportation Planner, and Rob Inerfeld, Transportation Planning Manager, who provided an update on the Move EUG project. Councilor Discussion: • Mayor Vin is -noted her appreciation for the diligent efforts to engage the community; asked staff to verify the number of Eugene residents that do not drive cars. • Councilor Semple -noted her appreciation for the efforts made to engage the community; noted the impact this work will have on the community, including the 30 percent of Eugene residents that do not drive; stated appreciation for how accessible the information for this project has been made; indicated she felt comfortable with the Bethel area receiving more funds for projects. • Councilor Groves -stated his appreciation for the voter's approval of the road bond; asked if the project includes rain gardens and storm water treatment and the criteria around when that work is done; asked how rising costs are affecting construction projects; asked how leftover money would be allocated; asked how to view projects that are still in the queue. • Councilor Leech -noted her excitement for upcoming projects, particularly in Ward 7; asked about the process for street tree allocation of funds. • Councilor Zelenka -noted the street bonds included three tenets: promises made and promises kept, a city-wide audit, and rough equity; noted his disappointment that projects and total funds allocated for walking, biking, and street trees are not distributed equally throughout the city; believes the rough equity piece has not been achieved; stated this particular bond is distributed differently than the previous bonds; stated he is not sure about supporting this project as he does not believe it complies with the tenet of rough equity. • Councilor Yeh -noted her appreciation for the thorough and careful work that went into the process; is supportive of the process described; believes that equity has been achieved and noted the difference between her interpretation of equity and equality. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session September 25, 2023 Page 1 • Councilor Groves -stated that the 15 million for walking, biking, and street tree projects is only a small portion of the bond's total funds; noted that when the initial distribution was first released, Ward 8 would receive less than all the other wards; while the Bethel area is receiving a large portion of the funding, that area has been traditionally underserved and has several major safety issues. • Councilor Evans -noted that there has been a significant disparity in terms of investments in underserved communities, particularly with streets, street trees, and lighting; asked how the City will collaborate with Eugene Water and Electric Board to increase lighting and lighting infrastructure; asked how trees are selected with consideration to root systems that cause infrastructure damage; noted poorly lit streets pose a traffic hazard; asked if there are funds available for tree root remediation efforts. • Councilor Clark -asked if the City would be adding lighting to county portions of River Road; asked to clarify that the City's funds would not be used to make upgrades to county roads; asked if the number of city residents who will pay the bond, versus the number of county residents within the city limits who will not pay the bond factored into the distribution of project funds. • Councilor Semple -noted projects funds do not need to be distributed equally among wards because residents travel throughout the entire city; does not agree that each ward needs the exact same amount in funding to achieve equity. • Councilor Groves -asked staff if the number of miles per ward were available for roads sidewalks, and bike paths. • Councilor Zelenka -noted the geographic distribution of votes and the distribution of funds are not equal, which may impact voter support for future road bonds. • Councilor Groves -noted commercial and industrial areas produce more tax revenue and nearby streets experience more wear than those in residential neighborhoods. • Mayor Vin is -noted a City priority is addressing the needs of underserved areas. 2. WORK SESSION: City Manager Updates City Manager Medary introduced Mike Caven, Fire Chief, who provided information about the imminent PeaceHealth University District hospital closure. City Manager Medary also provided an update on the proposed Eugene Emeralds stadium. • Councilor Groves -noted concerns about increased wall time for ambulances at hospitals; asked about transports from the Commons on Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard; asked if there was a way to change how the City is delivering services to that location; noted the creation of the Commons has not reduced ambulance responses, but focused them to one location; asked about other areas that have a high call volume; asked how many calls are made by the ho useless population. • Mayor Vinis -noted her appreciation for the preparedness of staff to address the challenge of the PeaceHealth University District hospital closure. • Councilor Zelenka -asked about the meaning of "regular calls for service" in the memo provided; asked how many life-threatening calls were transferred to University District; confirmed that life-threatening calls are transported to hospitals in Springfield; asked about the average transport time; asked how the hospitals prioritize Code 3 intakes. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session September 25, 2023 Page 2 • • • • • Councilor Leech -noted her appreciation for the work of staff; noted that she is looking forward to the state's response and hopes that the state will delay the closure to allow for better planning. Councilor Groves -asked for an update on the proposed Eugene Emeralds stadium; asked about the potential for additional state funding. Councilor Evans -asked if the Hillsboro Hops' need for increased stadium funding affects the Eugene Emeralds' chance of receiving state funds. Councilor Zelenka -stated he is in favor of a bond to provide stadium funds but did not think it should be a city bond; asked if it is too late to do a bond, based on the Eugene Emeralds timeline; asked if the Eugene Emeralds are providing any capital dollars. Councilor Semple -stated that approving a bond measure that does not end up being used will decrease the confidence of voters. •Councilor Evans -asked if the Eugene Emeralds have provided a business plan; believes the City should be provided with a plan that includes an overview of the investments, anticipated returns on investments, and agreements from the team about how long they will stay in the area; noted he is uncomfortable moving forward without additional disclosures and assurances from the team; noted the City is facing a general fund shortfall for the coming biennium. The meeting was adjourned at 6:58 p.m. Respectfully submitted, / I Ii/ -· .// � j )/ 11,l 9)rft-«jck- 1. Katie LaSala City Recorder (Recorded by Cherish Bradshaw) Link to the web cast of this City Council meeting here. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session September 25, 2023 Page 3