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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 07/29/09 Work Session M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room – City Hall 777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon July 29, 2009 12:00 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Chris Pryor, Mike Clark, George Poling, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Solomon, George Brown (via phone), Andrea Ortiz. Ms. Piercy called the work session meeting of the Eugene City Council to order at 12:00 p.m. A. WORK SESSION – COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER Ms. Piercy reported that she had recently conducted another Mayor’s One on One event with Councilor Poling on July 28, 2009, at the Albertson’s on Coburg Road, where they each fielded a variety of questions and concerns from community members. Mr. Zelenka noted he had attended the recent Fairmount Neighbors’ ice cream social event. Ms. Taylor reported that she and Ms. Solomon had attended the recent meeting of the Human Services Commission and had participated in discussions regarding the group’s funding options. She noted that options to determine funding were based on 1) inflation plus population growth; 2) inflation only; 3) a percentage of the general fund; or 4) a percentage of total taxes budgeted. Ms. Taylor noted that she had recently attended a free performance of the Eugene Symphony at the Cuthbert Amphitheater and found it very enjoyable. She encouraged the other council members and their families to support the arts by attending events at the Cuthbert and other venues. Ms. Taylor was glad to see that a recent grant application for the acquisition of areas along Amazon Creek had been approved and hoped that the City would be able to enforce its ordinances regarding tree cutting on the property until the City took control of those areas. Ms. Taylor noted that a constituent had alerted her to the construction of a building at the intersection of th 16 Avenue and Pearl Street and believed that the building might be in violation of certain local ordinances regarding building height and parking space requirements. Ms. Ortiz suggested that a volunteer participation day might be initiated by the Public Works Department to deal with the over-growth of weeds along the north side of the Public Works property on Roosevelt Avenue. Ms. Ortiz noted that she had attended the Musicians Emergency Medical Association fundraiser at the Sweet Cheeks Winery on July 26 and that it had been very well attended. MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 29, 2009 Page 1 Work Session Ms. Ortiz noted that she had recently attended a meeting with new University of Oregon President Richard Lariviere, and several other community representatives, to discuss the perceived lack of access and opportunities for minority students at the University. Ms. Ortiz noted that she had recently participated in a program at Lane Community College to discuss with students issues related to civic and government service in the community. Ms. Ortiz thanked the other council members, the City Manager and the Eugene Police Department representatives who had participated in the recent listening circle discussion. Ms. Ortiz commented that there were several local boards, commissions and committees with positions available and encouraged the other councilors and any community members listening to the webcast to “get involved.” Ms. Ortiz commented that the City’s taser forum would be taking place on Friday, July 31, at the Hilton and would include EPD Chief Pete Kerns, Police Auditor Mark Gissiner, local ACLU representative Claire Syrett, and Civil Liberties Defense Center representative Lauren Regan. Mr. Pryor noted that an extreme weather advisory had been issued for Eugene and Lane County for the next two days. Mr. Pryor noted that he had also attended the free Eugene Symphony performance at the Cuthbert Amphitheater and found it highly enjoyable. Mr. Brown commented he had attended a recent City Planning Commission meeting to discuss the Walnut Node development and had been surprised to learn of a great deal of skepticism regarding the project from the commissioners. Mr. Brown further noted he had also attended the recent Eugene Redevelopment Advisory Committee meeting where they had discussed the proposal to increase the borrowing limits for the downtown urban renewal district and learned that several committee members were skeptical of such increases as well. Mr. Brown noted he had attended a community listening session and felt that it was a positive event that would go a long way toward building trust between the EPD and the citizens of Eugene. Mr. Brown commented that he had spent a considerable amount of time drafting a memorandum to the other council members regarding the proposed use of the facility reserves to fund the new police building. Mr. Brown indicated he was surprised that the council had not yet discussed his memorandum. Mr. Poling thanked the members of the public that had participated in the Mayor’s One-on-One event. Mr. Poling reported that August 4 would be the National Night Out event, a nationally recognized crime prevention event devoted to helping citizens reclaim their neighborhoods, and that the Mayor and several other councilors were expected to participate. Ms. Solomon was excited to announce that the Bethel area had recently had its first farmers’ market and that it had been very successful. She noted that the Bethel farmers’ market would be happening again on August 15 at the Petersen Barn. MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 29, 2009 Page 2 Work Session Ms. Solomon noted that there had been another automobile accident the previous evening at the intersection of Barger Avenue and North Terry Street. She further noted that the intersection had been the site of several previous accidents and requested that Mr. Ruiz contact the EPD for more information to bring back to the council regarding the matter. Mr. Clark thanked the City Manager and staff for their recent work regarding downtown parking issues. Mr. Clark noted that the City’s free two-hour downtown parking pilot program had begun earlier that day and that he had already received several encouraging phone calls from members of the public. Mr. Clark reported that the Cal Young Neighborhood association picnic would be taking place on August 2, 2009, at 1:00 p.m. Mr. Clark commented that he also planned to take part in the National Night Out event and looked forward to doing so. Mr. Ruiz thanked Parking Services Manager Jeff Petry and his colleagues for their efforts in developing the free downtown parking pilot program. Mr. Ruiz noted that he had recently participated in the Eugene Public Library’s summer children’s reading program and encouraged the other council members to do so as well. Mr. Ruiz reported there were currently four candidates being reviewed as part of the police chief recruitment process and thanked the various community representatives that had provided input and feedback on the matter. He further noted that staff would be compiling information for the executive team before moving forward with the recruitment process. Mr. Ruiz, responding to a question from Ms. Ortiz, noted that the spaces for the free downtown parking pilot program were well-delineated and that the meters on those spaces were covered with highly visible signage indicating their use. Ms. Piercy and Ms. Taylor thanked the Eugene Public Library staff and volunteers for their outstanding summer reading program efforts. B. WORK SESSION – Next Steps on Police Facility/City Hall Central Services Division Manager Mike Penwell provided an overview of the next steps regarding the police facility building and City Hall and gave a PowerPoint presentation illustrating in greater detail the ongoing process regarding those plans. Mr. Penwell further noted that staff was requesting that the council consider three separate but related motions dealing with the implementation plans for the two facilities. Mr. Penwell briefly described the various elements of the City Hall master planning process that had led to the investigation of the use of an alternative facility for the Eugene Police Department headquarters. Mr. Penwell presented information regarding several of the outdated features of the current City Hall building and commented on the various and significant seismic and structural inadequacies of the building itself MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 29, 2009 Page 3 Work Session Mr. Penwell reported on the City’s most recent attempts to relocate certain public safety services out of the current City Hall building including the 911 call center, the property and forensics section of the EPD, and the downtown fire station and the fire marshal’s office. Mr. Penwell continued to describe the current City Hall’s failing building systems, including the deteriorat- ing state of the building’s electrical and heating/ventilation systems. In addition to various other energy inefficiencies endemic to the current City Hall building, Mr. Penwell noted that the use of steam heat for the building would be discontinued by EWEB within the next three to five years. Mr. Penwell described that, although the current City Hall building had won several design awards since its completion in the 1960’s, the structure had not aged well and currently represented an inefficient and inwardly-focused design aesthetic that did not correspond with the City’s urban development planning strategies. Mr. Penwell expressed that one of the main reasons for the investigation for a new city hall facility was that the City divisions had become spread out over too wide an area downtown. Mr. Penwell presented information regarding the proposed police facility building at 300 Country Club Road and reviewed several of that building’s features for the benefit of the council. Mr. Penwell stated that, should the City choose to relocate the EPD headquarters to the Country Club Road building, a downtown public safety station would be established in conjunction with regular car and bike patrols in order to maintain a police presence in the downtown area. Mr. Penwell briefly described the projected costs associated with a new police facility including those associated with a new patrol facility as well as the relocation of the EPD into the Country Club Road building. Mr. Penwell described the current status of the facility reserves for the benefit of the council. Mr. Penwell presented information regarding the City’s Civic Campus Concept and noted that staff was currently recommending that the City utilize its development partnerships with Beam and WG in order to consolidate a number of City offices into their respective development projects. Mr. Penwell noted that, with respect to the plans for the current City Hall building, a variety of public outreach and community involvement opportunities would be provided in order to determine the best possible plans for the site. Mr. Piercy thanked Mr. Penwell for his presentation and appreciated that he had restated much of the information for the benefit of those members of the public watching the council webcast. Ms. Piercy found it hard to believe, in light of the current City Hall’s significant structural and design problems, that it was possible to continue the discussion of the building as a viable public service facility. She appreciated that the building had at one time been a valuable and important facet of the City but felt that the current information indicated that it would be best to discontinue the use of the building. Mr. Zelenka supported the City’s efforts to move out of the current City Hall facility and noted that he was in favor of soliciting public feedback and input regarding the future use of the current building. He agreed that while it might be better to have the EPD based downtown there were currently no viable spaces available and that the Country Club Road building represented the best course of action. MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 29, 2009 Page 4 Work Session Mr. Zelenka liked that the Country Club Road facility represented the re-purposing of an existing structure rather than a completely new construction. Ms. Taylor disagreed with Mr. Ruiz and the staff’s negative assessment of the current City Hall building and felt that the City should use the facility reserves to immediately retrofit the building to comply with seismic life safety standards. She further averred that other options should continue to be considered alternative to the proposed Country Club Road building including allowing EPD officers to take their patrol cars home in the evenings and the use of the previous fire station space to house the EPD. Ms. Taylor believed that implementing a downtown police substation to compliment the proposed Country Club Road police facility was too expensive to consider and felt that the City’s leaders were rushing through the purchase of the Country Club Road building. Ms. Taylor believed that the Country Club Road building would be wiped out in the event of an earthquake that would destroy dams along the Willamette River. Mr. Pryor appreciated the budget committee’s work regarding the next steps for the facility reserves and maintained that it was important that a Eugene police presence be implemented and maintained north of the Willamette River. Mr. Pryor felt it would be important for the City leaders to effectively communicate to the public the urgent need for a new city hall and EPD facility as well as the reasons the Country Club Road building might serve as an efficient and effective space. He noted that successful public outreach on the part of the City might engender greater public support for the new police facility and the City Hall relocation. Mr. Pryor stated that he would not support putting tens of millions of dollars into upgrades of the current City Hall building but felt that the City should hold onto the site. Ms. Ortiz noted that while voters in Eugene had turned down attempts to fund a new police facility through local bond measures, the use of the City’s pre-existing facility reserves toward such ends was an acceptable means of providing a badly needed resource for Eugene police officers. Mr. Brown maintained that the currently proposed use of the facility reserves to purchase the Country Club Road building represented a terrible business plan and would cripple the City’s ability to do anything useful with the remainder of those reserves. Ms. Solomon supported the EPD’s move to Country Club Road and believed that the City should work to unload its current City Hall site into private ownership as soon as possible in order to have it begin generating tax revenue as soon as possible. Mr. Poling noted he was in favor of the three proposed motions regarding the next steps for the facility reserves and felt there needed to be further discussion on the future use of the current City Hall facility. Mr. Poling agreed with Ms. Ortiz’s statement that the use of the facility reserves represented the use of money already in the City’s purview and not the use of a bonding measure where the City did not yet actually have the funds available. MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 29, 2009 Page 5 Work Session Mr. Poling, responding to previous comments made by Ms. Taylor, noted that catastrophic damage to dams along the Willamette River would most likely flood the entire Eugene/Springfield area and not just Country Club Road. Mr. Clark noted his support of the three motions suggested by staff and strongly advocated for the concurrent implementation of a downtown police substation as part of those motions. Mr. Clark noted that he had heard testimony at a recent Sheldon Community Center public forum from a citizen who was generally incensed at the lack of support for the officers of the EPD. Mr. Clark expressed that he valued and appreciated the EPD and would be happy to spend money the City already had in order to finally and adequately support their work. Mr. Clark believed that the incorporation of a downtown police substation as part of the relocation of the EPD to the Country Club Road building would enhance public safety downtown. th Mr. Clark reiterated his support for the use of the EWEB building at 500 East 4 Avenue in Eugene as a new Eugene city hall. Mr. Brown, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved to delay voting on the expenditure of the facility reserves and to not empower the City Manager to enter into negotia- tions on Country Club Road. Mr. Brown maintained it was too early for the City Manager to enter into negotiations for the acquisition of the Country Club Road property and felt there had not been a robust examination of alternative plans. Mr. Brown noted he had recently drafted and distributed a memorandum to the other council members containing a rough outline of his plans to make the current City Hall building compliant with seismic life safety standards. Mr. Brown stated there had been no healthy criticism or discussion of his plan. Mr. Brown believed that moving the EPD employees to the Country Club Road building would not enhance or improve public safety. Mr. Brown maintained that the council was moving too quickly regarding the use of the facility reserves and that inadequate time had been taken by the council and staff to the discussion regarding the use of those funds. Ms. Ortiz stated she did not support Mr. Brown’s motion and encouraged Mr. Brown to have faith in the decisions that had been made previously and the work that had been performed beforehand. Ms. Ortiz noted that the City staff had been researching and investigating the relocation of the EPD and the need for a new City Hall facility for more than nine years and hoped that critics of the proposed plan would have more faith in the process. Mr. Ortiz disagreed with Mr. Brown’s assessment that the City Council was moving too fast with respect to the use of the facility reserves and further noted that while the use of the Country Club Road building had not been her first choice she would support the motions suggested by staff. MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 29, 2009 Page 6 Work Session Ms. Taylor supported Mr. Brown’s motion and believed that not enough members of the public had been adequately apprised of the issues related to the need for a new police facility. Ms. Piercy called for a vote regarding Mr. Brown’s previously stated motion. The motion failed 2:6 (Mr. Clark, Ms. Solomon, Mr. Poling, Mr. Pryor, Ms. Ortiz and Mr. Zelenka voting in opposition.) Mr. Pryor maintained that the current council discussion might encourage the sellers of the Country Club Road building to increase the price and acknowledged that empowering the City Manager to negotiate for the building acquisition would protect the City’s ability to “walk away” from the purchase of the building. Ms. Taylor asked where the funds for a downtown police substation would come from. Ms. Taylor did not understand the connection between moving the EPD to a new facility and the need to relocate the remainder of the City Hall offices to a new space. Ms. Taylor believed that, subsequent to the immediate retrofit of the current City Hall building to seismic life safety standards, other improvements to the current City Hall could be made over time and funded incrementally. Mr. Brown, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved for the City Council to refer to ballot whether or not the City of Eugene should spend up to $16 million for the acquisi- tion and remodel of the property at 300 Country Club Road. Mr. Brown commented that the voters and taxpayers needed to be more involved in the discussion surrounding the use of the facility reserves and believed that putting the matter to a vote would allow the City to better present and refine its plan. Ms. Piercy called for a vote regarding Mr. Brown’s previously stated motion. The motion failed 2:6 (Mr. Clark, Ms. Solomon, Mr. Poling, Mr. Pryor, Ms. Ortiz and Mr. Zelenka voting in opposition.) Mr. Zelenka, seconded by Mr. Clark, moved to 1) authorize the City Manager to negotiate and sign a purchase and sale agreement for the acquisition of the proper- ty at 300 Country Club Road for use as a Police Facility and request on a Sup- plemental Budget an appropriation of up to $16 million from the Facility Reserve for costs related to acquisition, design, construction, furnishing, and move-in, and; 2) to direct the City Manager to return to the council at a future work session in the fall of 2009 with implementation plan options—including a detailed financing plan—for moving the remaining non-police services out of City Hall and creating a new downtown Eugene Police Department substation; and 3) to direct the City Manager to return to the council at a future work session in the fall of 2009 with options and a public input process for the future use of the existing City Hall site. Mr. Zelenka suggested that a downtown police substation could be a leased space and would not necessarily require the utilization of capital funds. MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 29, 2009 Page 7 Work Session Mr. Zelenka noted that he worked near the property on Country Club Road and stated that even at the busiest times it took relatively little time to travel from there to the downtown area. Ms. Solomon agreed with Mr. Zelenka’s suggestion that the space for a downtown police substation be a leased property and hoped that any funds used to do so would come from the$16 million portion of the facility reserves. Mr. Ruiz responded that the intent was to acquire the Country Club Road building and the lease or purchase of space for a downtown police substation using all of the $22 million available in the facility reserves. Mr. Clark agreed that the downtown police substation should be based in a leased property and noted that his support for the acquisition of the Country Club Road building had been expressly contingent upon the creation of a downtown police substation. Mr. Clark hoped that, considering the state of the national and local economies, the City Manager would use a “very sharp pencil with regard to negotiating the price of [the Country Club Road] building.” Mr. Ruiz, responding to a question from Ms. Taylor, confirmed that the $16 million in facility reserves specified in the motion would be directed toward the acquisition of the Country Club Road property and that any funds beyond that to fund a downtown police substation and other related improvements would be part of the financing plan developed for the relocation of the Eugene City Hall. Ms. Piercy recognized that directing the City Manager and staff to return with a financing plan for the relocation of City Hall offices and a downtown police substation would allow the council to continue detailed discussions surrounding the use of the current City Hall as well as the possible creation of a downtown civic campus. Ms. Piercy called for a vote on Mr. Zelenka’s previously stated motion. The mo- tion passed, 6:2 (Mr. Brown and Ms. Taylor voting in opposition.) Ms. Piercy adjourned the work session meeting at 1:22 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jon Ruiz City Manager (Recorded by Wade Hicks) MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 29, 2009 Page 8 Work Session