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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2D: Ratification of IGR Committee Actions of December 16, 2009 ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Ratification of Intergovernmental Relations Committee Minutes of December 16, 2009 Meeting Date: February 8, 2010 Agenda Item Number: 2D Department: City Manager’s Office Staff Contact: Brenda Wilson www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-8441 ISSUE STATEMENT This is an action item to ratify the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) Committee meeting of December 16, 2009. BACKGROUND As a matter of procedure, the City Council is routinely asked to ratify the actions taken by the Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) Committee. This is done by submitting the minutes of each committee meeting to the council. RELATED CITY POLICIES Ratification of IGR Committee actions is the making or affirming of the City of Eugene’s policy with respect to federal and state legislative issues or such other matters as may come to the council from the committee. COUNCIL OPTIONS The council may ratify or decline to ratify the IGR Committee’s actions as set forth in the minutes of the committee's meeting. CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION The City Manager recommends ratification of the IGR Committee's actions as set forth in the minutes of the committee's meeting. SUGGESTED MOTION Move to ratify the IGR Committee's actions as set forth in the minutes of the December 16, 2009 IGR meeting. ATTACHMENTS A. IGR Committee Minutes of December 16, 2009 Z:\CMO\2010 Council Agendas\M100208\S1002082D.doc FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Brenda Wilson Telephone: 682-8441 Staff E-Mail: brenda.s.wilson@ci.eugene.or.us Z:\CMO\2010 Council Agendas\M100208\S1002082D.doc ATTACHMENT A M I N U T E S Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations McNutt Room—Eugene City Hall 777 Pearl Street, Eugene, Oregon December 16, 2009 1:40 p.m. PRESENT: Betty Taylor, Chair; George Poling, Andrea Ortiz, members; Mayor Kitty Piercy; Brenda Wilson, Jessica Mumme, City Manager's Office. Call to Order and Review Agenda Ms. Taylor called the meeting of the Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations (CCIGR) to order and reviewed the agenda. Ms. Wilson asked that requests for approval of two grant applications be added to the agenda. There were no objections. Approval of Minutes Ms. Ortiz, seconded by Mr. Poling, moved to approve the October 31, 2009, mi- nutes. The motion passed unanimously, 3:0. Request for Support of Federal Legislation Ms. Wilson briefly reviewed U.S. Senate Bill 1619 – Livable Communities Act and U.S. Senate Bill 1733 – Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. She said Senator Jeff Merkley was a cosponsor of SB 1619 and requested authorization for staff to send letters to Senator Ron Wyden and Congressman Peter DeFazio asking for their support of both bills. Mr. Poling, seconded by Ms. Ortiz, moved to direct the Intergovernmental Rela- tions Manager to request that the federal delegation support the passage of SB 1619 and SB 1733. The motion passed unanimously, 3:0. Request for Approval of Grant Applications to Oregon State Weed Board and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Ms. Wilson said the application to Oregon Parks and Recreation Department requested $50,000 to continue the maintenance and enhancement of the Ridgeline Trail. The grant did not require a 40 percent match, but staff would provide a $20,000 match from capital project renovation funds (A6) to give the application a higher place in the rankings. She said the application was due January 15, 2010. MINUTES—Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations December 16, 2009 Page 1 Mr. Poling asked that staff provide the committee with information on the amount of A6 funds available and what percentage of that the proposed commitment of $20,000 represented. He said that would be useful information to include on future requests for approval of grant applications when match funds were involved. Ms. Ortiz, seconded by Mr. Poling, moved to approval submission of the applica- tion to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department for a Recreational Trails Program grant. The motion passed unanimously, 3:0. Ms. Wilson said staff apologized that the grant application to the Oregon State Weed Board had already been submitted. She said the application was due December 8, 2009, and staff found out about the opportunity two days earlier. She said the City was requesting $31,072, of which $28,432 would be dedicated to noxious weed survey and control efforts on the Ridgeline park system; the remaining $2,640 would be used for mowing services. She said no match was required, but $18,088 of in-kind match already allocated for Ridgeline projects was being proposed. Mr. Poling, seconded by Ms. Ortiz, moved to approval submission of the applica- tion to the Oregon State Weed Board for the Ridgeline park system. The motion passed unanimously, 3:0. Proposed Federal Priorities for United Front Ms. Wilson reviewed the United Front 2010 Proposed Projects List. She recommended removing the Public Safety Communications & Technology Emergency Services Simulator Lab project, which was a combined request with Lane County, because funds for the City and County portions had recently been awarded. She said it might be possible to request additional funds in the future for a later phase of the project. She said the Forest Legacy project was not likely to be funded under the current methodology unless more funds were available and recommended asking for an increase in the total programmatic funding level instead of making an individual project request. Ms. Piercy asked why Eugene’s Forest Legacy project had not been funded. Ms. Wilson explained that projects from across the State were ranked and submitted to the regional level; projects from the region were ranked and submitted to the federal level. Eugene’s project was #32 out of 45 projects on the federal list, possibly because its cost per acre was very high compared to other projects. She said requesting a programmatic funding increase instead of an individual project request meant there would not be a Forest Legacy project page in the United Front book. Ms. Wilson said the Bio-Energy Facility and Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC) Electrical Generator Upgrade projects were competing for the same funds, which was contrary to United Front procedures. The City’s federal lobbyists had advised keeping both projects on the list because of the large amount of funding being made available for energy efficiency projects. Ms. Wilson suggested removing Eugene’s request for an air monitoring station from the Bio-Energy Facility project as the practice of grass seed burning had been banned; that would make the facility a Lane County project only. She said upgrading the MWMC electrical generators would allow the practice of flaming off methane to be discontinued and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She recommended adding the MWMC Electrical Generator Upgrade project as a Eugene project on the United Front list. MINUTES—Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations December 16, 2009 Page 2 Mr. Poling agreed that it was important to support projects that benefited air and water quality. Ms. Ortiz said an air monitoring station was still planned for West Eugene and was concerned about making the Bio-Energy Facility a Lane County project unless she was assured there was LRAPA funding available and a monitoring system would be installed. Ms. Wilson suggested that if there was no funding and Eugene wished to retain the request for an air monitoring station on its United Front list, the language should be modified to remove references to grass seed burning. Ms. Ortiz and Mr. Poling concurred with Ms. Wilson’s recommendations on the two energy efficiency projects. Ms. Wilson explained that the City was requesting $250,000 for the Fire Hydrant Replacements project as its contribution to upgrading the fire hydrant system, which was a project that the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) had agreed to take on at an estimated cost of $10 million. Mr. Poling recommended adding the Police Special Operations Facility project to the list. He asked if funding for the project could still be used if the City acquired the Country Club Road property and moved special operations to that site. Ms. Wilson said there was no intent to move special operations to a new facility, but the request could be written to allow for that in the event plans changed. Ms. Wilson commented that the Support for Medicare Ambulance Relief project was on the list to emphasize how the funding gap impacted the community; it was not a specific request for funding. Ms. Piercy added that the issue had received support as a United Front priority during a recent joint elected officials meeting. Ms. Piercy stated that the transit system was important to the region and felt that regional partners needed to support increased funding for transit. Ms. Ortiz noted that funds were available for transit system capacity building, but not to sustain current operations. Ms. Wilson said that increased transit funding was a part of several pieces of federal legislation. She noted that the United Front requests were for earmarks, but said the need for transit operations funding could be identified as a priority at the beginning of the United Front book. She said an update on the Delta Ponds project, which was moving forward and no longer on the list, would also be included at the beginning of the book. She also recommended removing the Metro Waterways General Investigation project from the list of funding requests and including it in the United Front book as an update until the project moved to the next phase. Ms. Ortiz asked if there were other items in the Bio-Energy Facility project besides the facility and air monitoring station. Ms. Wilson said the funds were only being requested for facility construction and Lane County was seeking other funds to complete the project. Ms. Taylor asked if protecting the Amazon headwaters through additional acquisition could be included in the Metro Waterways General Investigation project. Ms. Wilson said the project was a general investiga- tion to determine how to protect and treat the entire system and requests for acquisition funding could not be made until the study was completed. She said the study was being delayed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. MINUTES—Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations December 16, 2009 Page 3 Ms. Wilson summarized the discussion as agreeing to the list as submitted, with the exception that the Bio- Energy Facility project would be changed to request funding for an air monitoring station in West Eugene if funds were not already available and removal of the request for a command training and simulation center because the City had received $150,000. Mr. Poling asked that presentation of the proposed United Front list to the City Council include an explanation of the United Front trip purpose and cost and the Eugene delegates who would attend. Ms. Ortiz, seconded by Mr. Poling, moved to present the United Front 2010 project list as discussed during the meeting to the City Council. The motion passed unanimously, 3:0. Items from Members and Staff Ms. Wilson announced that the legislature would convene in special session from February 1 to February 28 to address primarily budget issues. She said the CCIGR would need to begin meeting in January and continue into February as bills would move quickly through the legislative process. Ms. Ortiz asked that staff flag any bills that are proposed by Lane County legislators and provide that information to the council. The meeting adjourned at 2:30 p.m. (Recorded by Lynn Taylor) MINUTES—Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations December 16, 2009 Page 4