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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 11/18/09 Work SessionMINUTES Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room — City Hall 777 Pearl Street Eugene, Oregon November 18, 2009 12:00 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Chris Pryor, Mike Clark, George Brown, Andrea Ortiz, Alan Zelenka, Betty Taylor, Jennifer Solomon COUNCILORS ABSENT: George Poling Mr. Zelenka called the work session meeting to order at 12:00 p.m. and noted that Mayor Ditty Piercy and City Manager Jon Ruiz had conflicts and would not be in attendance. Assistant City Manager Sarah Medary noted that the Building our Next Economy. A Regional Prosperity Summit event would take place on November 19, 2009, at 7:30 a.m, at the Eugene Hilton and would include a keynote address by University of Oregon President Richard Lariviere. She encouraged the council members to attend and believed the event would be very successful. Ms. Medary briefly commented on the agenda items for the meeting and hoped that the discussion would be grounded according to the council goals that had been established at the council's goal- setting workshop in February. She further noted that the council goals had been used to help launch the recent Eugene Counts initiative to help gauge and analyze community priorities with respect to local economic development. Ms. Medary also noted that staff would be presenting the initial information on the Eugene Counts initiative to the council on December 14, and that potential strategies related to the initiative would be rolled out in January after the council break. Ms. Medary commented that the Eugene Counts report would be presented to the council in a format different than the regular quarterly reports that had been presented regarding community priorities. Mr. Zelenka asked for further details regarding the new format. Ms. Medary responded that the specific parameters of the format were still being formed but that it was likely to be a combination of a City publication and various online resources. A. WORK SESSION: Equity and Human Rights Update Equity and Human Rights Manager Raquel Wells acknowledged the presence of several of her colleagues who had attended the meeting to show their support, including Ken Neubeck, Holly LeMasurier, Shawna Adams, Ibrahim Hamide, Linda Hamilton, Angela Soyazono, Doug Mozan and several others. Ms. Wells further noted that Councilor George Brown also served on the Human Rights Commission (HRC) as Council Liaison. Mr. Brown noted that he had attended the HRC meeting the previous evening and they had welcomed the new members to the commission. Ms. wells presented an update on the City's equity and human rights efforts including information on the HRC and its Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan. MINUTES Eugene City Council November 18, 2049 Page 1 Work Session Ms. wells related a brief parable to the council which she maintained provided "a depiction of the impacts of crisis and the limits of reactive approaches, as well as to the relative inattention that is paid to the broad causes of social inequity." She further expressed the fundamental need of cities to address the various root causes of social inequity within communities. Ms. wells directed the council members to their copies of a fact sheet she had distributed regarding the various goals and program areas of the Equity and Human Rights Center and the HRC. She proceeded to briefly elaborate upon the information contained therein for the benefit of the council. Ms. Wells reported that the current HRC structure had been in place for more than 20 years and had been a strong asset to the City organization and the community at large. She cited the recent passage of the City's mental health resolution as an example and directed the council members to their copies of a Human Rights Timeline which further outlined the HRC's accomplishments. Additionally, Ms. Wells briefly noted the HRC's more recent events and activities. Ms. Wells briefly highlighted elements of the HRC work plan and the Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan for the benefit of the council and provided a detailed breakdown of both the work plan and the six goals of the Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan. Ms. wells noted the HRC was committed to providing the City with a strong community advisory system that could review and advise the City's various boards and commissions. Ms. wells reported that one of the key priorities of the commission was to provide a successful orientation and development process for the ten new HRC members that had recently been appointed. She added that other key HRC priorities had addressed the commission's input on the City's accessibility levels. Ms. wells commented on other key priorities of the HRC and noted the commission hoped to have a successful human rights summit event on April 10, 2010, at Lane Community College. Ms. wells concluded her presentation and generally expressed her belief that basic human rights and dignities were essential to the creation of a healthy and thriving community. Ms. Solomon arrived to the meeting at 12:23 p.m. Ms. wells referenced the council's "Vision and Values" statement approved in May of 2009 with respect to the DESP and directed the council members to their copies of the statement and outcomes included as Attachment C in the agenda item summary materials. Ms. Wells continued that the HRC's questions to council in that regard addressed: 1 ) the levels of support the council would need for its continued work on its priority goal regarding race issues; 2) the council's vision for the HRC and equity and human right staff in supporting its Visions and Values statement; and 3) the levels of support the council would need to help ensure diversity among the City's boards and commissions. Mr. ,Zelenka thanked Ms. wells and her colleagues on the commission and expressed that any decisions made by the council with respect to the HRC and its DESP should incorporate the triple- bottom line assessment components of environmental sustainability, economic development, and social equity. He appreciated the HRC's efforts to address social equity issues and commended their efforts to coordinate with the City's Sustainability Commission as part of their work. Ms. Wells, responding to a question from Mr. Zelenka, restated that the Human Rights Summit was scheduled for April 10, 2010, at Lane Community College. MINUTES Eugene City Council November 18, 2009 Page 2 Work Session Ms. Ortiz thanked Ms. wells for her presentation and agreed with her statements regarding the proactive nature of the HRC's goals and strategies. Ms. Ortiz asked if, with respect to the social equity concerns of the City's own employees, any internal surveys at any level had been conducted to assess how adequately such concerns had been addressed. Ms. wells answered that the HRC had conducted a climate survey several years ago, the results of which had been used to inform various elements of the DESP. Ms. wells further noted that additional internal surveys would most likely be conducted in the future. Mr. Pryor appreciated the work of Ms. wells and her colleagues from the HRC and hoped that the various external and internal human factors affecting social equity concerns in the community could be successfully addressed by the HRC in ways that would lead to measurable, constructive progress for the community. Mr. Pryor suggested that the HRC and its support staff figure out ways to get its work plan and strategies out to the community rather than to just the City Council. Mr. Clark expressed that his tenure as a member of the HRC continued to inform his work as a member of the Eugene City Council. He further noted his appreciation for Ms. wells' ability to translate community and staff conversations regarding social equity issues into meaningful actions. He agreed with Ms. Ortiz's earlier comments regarding internal surveys and noted that some sort of formalized HRC process or analysis tool for determining the effectiveness of the City's various boards and commissions would be helpful to the council. Mr. Zelenka expressed that the HRC might assist with the recruiting efforts for the City's various boards and commissions in a manner that would ensure that those groups maintained a high level of diversity with respect to social equity concerns. He further expressed that the HRC should work to keep the council well informed of opportunities to further the various diversity and human rights goals of the commission. Mr. Zelenka noted that the social equity component of the triple - bottom line assessment tool in various areas of the organization was often difficult to maintain compared to the environmental sustainability and economic development components since there was less quantifiable data available with respect to social equity issues. Ms. Taylor asked how the HRC planned to help protect and maintain the rights of ex- offenders in the community. Ms. Wells replied that the commission had indeed worked with the City's Human Resources and City Manager's offices to incorporate changes to the City's employment application process which would address Ms. Taylor's concerns. Ms. Taylor hoped that the commission would continue to address the needs of homeless and potentially homeless citizens in the community. Ms. Ortiz agreed with Mr. Zelenka's earlier comments regarding the inherent difficulty in adequately addressing the social equity component of the triple- bottom -line assessment tool. Ms. Wells, responding to a question from Ms. Ortiz, noted that the HRC had discussed the DREAM Act (S. 729 and H.R. 175 1) during their meeting on November 17. She noted that further HRC discussions regarding the DREAM Act were expected to continue at their December meeting. Ms. Wells briefly noted the basic components of the DREAM Act for the benefit of the council. Ms. LeMasurier, responding to a request from Mr. Zelenka, thanked the council for the recent passage of the City's Mental Health Resolution and noted that the resolution had been the result of many years of work to provide more thoughtful and comprehensive mental health care to the community. Ms. wells added that the Mental Health Resolution had been designed to empower community members to make better, more proactive decisions regarding their mental health. MINUTES Eugene City Council November 18, 2009 Page 3 Work Session Ms. LeMasurier, responding to a question from Mr. Zelenka, noted that the City of Eugene was one of the first municipalities in the region to formally adopt a mental health resolution. She believed that other communities would soon look to Eugene as a model for how various mental health issues would be addressed. Ms. LeMasurier briefed the council on the history and development of the Mental Health Resolution. Ms. Medary thanked Ms. LeMasurier and Ms. wells for their presentation and commended the HRC members and staff for their continued work on various social equity matters. B. WORD SESSION: Neighborhood Services Update Mr. Kinnison noted it had been some time since the council had been updated regarding Neighborhood Services and the Neighborhood Empowerment Initiative (NEI) and proceeded to update the council regarding the same. Mr. Kinnison briefly described the "Mission of Neighborhood Associations" that had been adopted by the council in May of 1999, as well as the various reasons neighborhood associations continued to be a viable strategy for positive community development in the area. Additionally, Mr. Kinnison recognized the immeasurable contribu- tion provided by neighborhood volunteers throughout the community, and cited volunteer contributions to the Infill Compatibility Standards Task Team as one such example. Mr. Kinnison noted the most recent developments to the Neighborhood Services division and reported that, most significantly, it had been placed under the City Manager's office in response to a recommendation developed through the Neighborhood Services Assessment process. Ms. Kinnison added that the Neighborhood Services program continued to maintain a strong connection to the City's Planning Division. Mr. Kinnison noted Neighborhood Services was currently comprised of three permanent staff members, Rene Kane, Cindy Clarke and him, and briefly described the various functions of each of them. Mr. Kinnison reported on various elements of the NEI that had developed since its inception in 2005, and further noted that a cross - departmental NEI Committee had been meeting regularly for more than two years to discuss and develop various neighborhood action items related to the NEI Action Plan. Mr. Kinnison further noted that a detailed breakdown of the NEI Action Plan progress had been included as part of the agenda item summary materials provided to the council. Mr. Kinnison briefly reported on various communications and public relations strategies currently employed as part of the NEI and noted that the NEI's online resources had been significantly enhanced as part of those outreach efforts. Mr. Kinnison noted that the Neighborhood Services division had worked with local neighborhood groups to find processes that might help incorporate the elements of the NEI more directly. He reported on the recent Neighbor- hood Services program assessment and noted that the collaborative implementation team reviewing the assessment results had provided several specific recommendations. He further noted that detailed information regarding the implementation team's recommendations had been provided in the agenda item summary materials as Attachment C. Mr. Kinnison briefly described the recurring themes he had identified that affected several areas of the Neighbor- hood Services program. He noted that he was seeking feedback from the council regarding their concerns and interests regarding the specific direction of the Neighborhood Services program, their suggestions as to how the Neighborhood Services program might improve effective communication within the organization, and their preferences as to how the council might receive future Neighborhood Services updates. MINUTES Eugene City Council November 18, 2009 Page 4 Work Session Mr. Zelenka appreciated the revitalized leadership that Mr. Kinnison had brought to the Neighborhood Services program and further believed that the sense of community provided by the program and the various neighborhood associations had a variety of significant social and community benefits. He suggested that the Neighborhood Services program might be used to help the council understand the complicated processes involved in local land use practices. Mr. zelenka asked Mr. Kinnison to provide more detailed information regarding the status of the various items listed in the Neighborhood Empowerment Action Plan. Mr. Kinnison replied that Neighborhood Services staff, in conjunction with other staff from the City's Planning Division, had been working over the last year to review the items in the action plan and research strategies from other communities that might be applied to the plan. He commented that staff was currently putting the finishing touches on a draft guide for the action plan processes and that after workshop meetings in December, one pilot strategy for one of the action plan items would be imple- mented in at least one local neighborhood after the first of the year. Mr. zelenka asked how program staff would choose which pilot strategy would be implemented and in which neighborhood. Mr. Kinnison answered that the criteria used to determine such factors was still being established by Planning Division program staff Carolyn Weiss and Lorna Flormoe. Mr. zelenka asked how the Neighborhood Services program might utilize additional funding beyond current levels. Mr. Kinnison replied that the while the program was adequately funded in the current budget cycle, it was likely that more funding would be needed later to help continue the'Neighborhood Services' matching grant program. Mr. Kinnison, responding to a question from Mr. zelenka, noted that the number of outreach publications published by the neighborhood association depended on each group, but that the council's output goal of four public information pieces had been generally met by most of the neighborhood association groups. Mr. Clark thanked Mr. Kinnison and his colleagues and appreciated how the Neighborhood Services program had helped improve the livability of the community. Mr. Clark believed that some elements of local land use practices and neighborhood development created various conflicts in the community and suggested that the Neighborhood Services program might help the City be more prescriptive with "the rules of the game" in order to minimize such conflicts. Mr. Clark asked if neighborhood organizations were a specific legal entity under the direction of the City of Eugene or if they operated independently of the City organization. City Attorney Glenn Klein noted that while neighbor- hood organizations were not officially part of the City of Eugene, they were recognized in the City's charter as separate entities not subject to certain public laws. Mr. Pryor said that while the neighborhood organizations were not officially part of the City of Eugene their recognition under the City's charter carried a certain amount of value with respect to the responsibilities and advisory duties assumed by those groups. He hoped that the City would provide assistance and training to the neighborhood groups to ensure that the groups adequately represented the people living in their respective neighborhood areas. He further maintained that people satisfied with the state of their neighborhoods did not generally become active in their neighborhood organizations and that that it was often a challenge to motivate community members to become actively involved in local neighborhood groups. Mr. Kinnison responded to Mr. Pryor's comment and noted he knew of no neighborhood organizations that did not want to get more people involved. MINUTES Eugene City Council November 18, 2009 Page 5 Work Session Mr. Pryor asked for a status update regarding the neighborhood leaders group and asked if that group would be an official part of the City. Mr. Kinnison responded that the neighborhood leaders' council was not formally recognized by the City, but that the NEI Action Plan and the Neighborhood Services assessment had helped to clarify the role of that group. He noted that further determinations regarding the neighborhood leaders' council and its organizational structure still needed to be made. Ms. Taylor agreed with Mr. Zelenka that the neighborhood groups could provide invaluable input regarding local land use issues. She believed that the neighborhood groups needed to increase the size and frequency of their newsletter publications. Ms. Taylor noted that Planning & Development staff member Steve Norris had at one time attended nearly every neighborhood association meeting and further believed that the City similarly needed to maintain an official presence at the meetings. She further suggested that the City might impose a requirement that neighborhood meetings last between 60 and 75 minutes with refreshments to be provided afterwards. She noted that such a strategy would encourage more thorough discussions and engagement between the neighborhood meeting participants. Ms. Taylor hoped that reports from the 2009 Neighborhood Summit events would be provided to the council and to the individual neighborhood associations. Mr. Kinnison, responding to a question from Ms. Solomon, noted that the Neighborhood Services program workshop on December 2, was intended to educate community members about the NEI Action Plan process. Ms. Solomon noted she had concerns regarding the accountability of those persons overseeing the publication of neighborhood newsletters. Mr. Kinnison responded that the Neighborhood Services program staff had spent a considerable amount of time reviewing and revising the guidelines for newsletters circulated by the various neighborhood associations and further hoped that such efforts would generate the most fair and obj ective materials possible. He further noted that Ms. Clarke would routinely fact -check the newsletters circulated by the neighbor- hood groups. Ms. Ortiz, seconded by Mr. Clark, moved to extend the work session meeting by an additional ten minutes. The motion passed, 6:1. (Ms. Taylor voting in opposition). Ms.. Ortiz thanked Mr. Kinnison for his presentation and agreed with earlier comments reflecting the potential benefits of the Neighborhood Services program on local land use matters. Mr. Kinnison, responding to a question from Ms. Ortiz regarding the funding available for the River Road and Santa Clara neighborhood newsletters, noted that such funding was based on the number of postal addresses within the neighborhood boundaries rather than by the number of people living in each neighborhood. Mr. Kinnison briefly discussed the manner in which the River Road and Santa Clara neighborhoods had been funded. Ms. Ortiz, referencing Mr. Kinnison's earlier request for input as to the best manner for the Neighborhood Services staff to communicate with the council, noted that she appreciated the email links to the neighborhood newsletters and materials that staff had provided. Ms. Ortiz believed that although it might be beneficial to standardize the process by which neighborhood information was collected and distributed, it was important that the unique qualities of each individual neighbor- hood not be negatively impacted by such efforts. MINUTES Eugene City Council November 18, 2009 Page 6 Work Session Ms. Ortiz was pleased that the Trainsong neighborhood association, with the assistance of grant funding from Health Policy Research Northwest, had been reactivated. Mr. Kinnison, responding to a request from Mr. Brown, briefly noted the primary differences between the NEI Action Plan and the Strategic Neighborhood Action Plans (SNAPs) and suggested that Mr. Brown attend the December 2 Neighborhood Services workshop in the Bascom- Tykeson Room of the Eugene Public Library for more detailed information in that regard. Mr. Clark was concerned that certain neighborhoods had a tendency to print opinions and sometimes even blatant falsehoods as facts and asked how the Neighborhood Services program planned to address the conflicts created by such misrepresentations. He further noted that such matters might present serious liability issues for the City and asked which entities were most likely to be named in any lawsuits involving the neighborhood associations. Mr. Klein noted that, while it was generally unclear as to what legal interpretations might be used, courts would most likely hold the newsletter authors or publishers most responsible for any instances of slander, libel or misrepresen- tation. Mr. Zelenka asked why the Fairmount Neighbors association had been prohibited by the City from putting up a welcome sign for the University of Oregon's arena project in that area. Mr. Kinnison replied that he would investigate the matter and get back to the council with more information. Mr. Zelenka hoped that a shorter council work session format would allow the Neighborhood Services program representatives to provide more frequent information and updates on the program. Mr. Zelenka noted from his travels that Eugene's neighborhood associations had served as a good example to many other communities across the country. Ms. Medary thanked Mr. Kinnison, Ms. Kane, Ms. Clarke and their associates. Ms. Medary also introduced Park Operations Manager Kevin Finney and noted that he would be filling in as Interim Sustainability Manager for the City. Mr. Kinnison noted several neighborhood organization participants in attendance at the meeting including Jan Wostmann, Steven Adair, Majeska Seese -Green and Coleen Riley and noted that they had all made significant contributions to various neighborhood efforts. Mr. Zelenka adjourned the meeting at 1:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jon Ruiz City Manager (Recorded by Wade Hicks) MINUTES Eugene City Council November 18, 2409 Page 7 Work Session