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Home My WebLink AboutCC Minutes - 06/28/10 Work SessionMINUTES City Council Council Chamber — Eugene City Hall 777 Pearl Street — Eugene, Oregon June 28, 2010 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Mike Clark, Betty Taylor, Jennifer Solomon, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling, Chris Pryor, Alan Zelenka, George Brown, members. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the regular meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. 1. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Piercy reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. Amy Reid, 1993 Onyx Street, University of Oregon American English Institute, introduced several students sponsored by the United States State Department who were attending a professional development program at the institute. She reported most of the students were from developing countries or countries in transition and they would continue their studies at other universities across the United States after they left Eugene. The students present represented the countries of Chad, Tunisia, Columbia, Morocco, South Korea, Turkmenistan, Costa Rica, and Algeria. Mayor Piercy welcomed the students and expressed pleasure that they were studying in Eugene. Pauline Hutson, 1025 Taylor Street, submitted written testimony regarding her concerns about the proposed routing for the west Eugene extension of the EmX system. Ms. Hutson called for more emphasis on alternatives that employed West 6 th /7 th avenues and West 7 th Place. They would provide easy connections to fast growing parts of the community. She believed West 11 and 13 avenues were less desirable due to the many obstacles that currently existed to their use and anticipated that the route would have a lower ridership base. She offered her preferred route, which would avoid West l l and 13 avenues and instead send the EmX vehicle east down Oak Street and north on 6 Avenue, returning on 7 th Avenue and travel down Pearl Street to 10"' Avenue, where it would turn north to access the Lane Transit District (LTD) Station. That routing would serve downtown and would pass near the train station. Zachary Vishanoff, Ward 3, alerted the public to a hearing regarding a zone change for a City -owned parcel near the Riverfront Research Park and University of Oregon urban farm on July 28 at the Sloat Room in The Atrium Building. He wanted the mayor to announce the hearing, its location, and the fact the eventual decision could be appealed. He asked to be informed about any change in the hearing location. Tom Kamis, 94 West Broadway, thanked the council for the improvemerrts downtown. He commended the work of Officer Terry Fitzpatrick, saying it was having an effect. He believed the boxes near the LTD Station had been effective and they did not affect anyone's constitutional rights. The small fences on the planters were successful in eliminating the large crowds that had congregated on the corners. Downtown was cleaner. Mr. Kamis continued to be concerned about Josh Kiem's property at 55 West Broadway. He MINUTES— Eugene City Council June 28, 2010 Page 1 Regular Meeting believed Mr. Kiem's heart was in the right place and that he was trying to work things out so he could provide a meaningful service. Mr. Kamis advocated that the City follow Springfield's example and dedicate meter revenue to help the youth downtown or those such as Mr. Kiem, who hoped to create an outreach center. He believed that in general, people were feeling more comfortable visiting downtown and the food carts were bringing new life into the area. Erin Ellis, 901 South 37 Street, Springfield, continued to review Ms. Hutson's written testimony, which offered further reasons as to why LTD should avoid West 11 and West 13 avenues in favor of other alternatives, including the greater potential for ridership growth and economic development along 6 th and 7 th avenues and an enhanced entrance to the community from the airport. Mayor Piercy closed the Public Forum. Speaking to Mr. Vishanoff's comments, Mayor Piercy asked City Manager Ruiz to clarify the notice process. City Manager Ruiz said that the City would follow the law as it regarded public notice and he would ask staff to follow up with Mr. Vishanoff. Mayor Piercy thanked Mr. Kamis for his remarks. She continued to see problems downtown and had asked City Manager for more planning on how to address those problems, because she was not convinced they could all be taken care of by the misdemeanor cleanup crew and a more comprehensive strategy was needed. Mayor Piercy assured Ms. Hutson that Lane Transit District was still considering 6 th and 7 th avenues as an option for the West Eugene EmX route. Councilor Clark thanked the students at the American English Institute for attending the meeting. He introduced his wife Kim and son Bryson and daughter Elizabeth, who were also present. Councilor Clark thanked all those who offered testimony and said he had not given up on the idea of eliminating the meters downtown. Councilor Ortiz also thanked those who offered testimony. She said it was nice to see young people from other countries present to view a representative governmental forum. She was happy to hear Mr. Kamis' positive remarks. Councilor Taylor welcomed the students and hoped they enjoyed their summer in Eugene and that they had time to have fun as well as time to study. She thanked Mr. Kamis for raising the issue of parking. She recalled her long -time interest in eliminating meters downtown. She had recently viewed a series of empty metered parking spaces on Oak Street and spoke of the difficulty of walking back and forth to feed the meters when one was visiting downtown. Councilor Taylor said she continued to believe the West Eugene EmX extension should go down Highway 99. Councilor Taylor supported informing the public of hearing locations well ahead of the event. MINUTES — Eugene City Council June 28, 2010 Page 2 Regular Meeting 2. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approval of City Council Minutes - April 26, 2010, Council Meeting - May 10, 2010, Work Session B. Approval of Tentative Working Agenda Councilor Clark, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to approve the Consent Calendar as presented. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0. 3. ACTION: Resolution 5008 Electing to Receive State Revenue Sharing Funds Pursuant to Section 221.770 of Oregon Revised Statutes; Resolution 5009 Certifying that the City of Eugene Provides the Municipal Services Re- quired by Oregon Revised Statutes Section 221.760 in Order to Receive State Shared Reve- nues; and Resolution 5010 Adopting the Budget, Making Appropriations, Determining, Le- vying, and Categorizing the Annual Ad Valorem Property Tax Levy for the City of Eugene for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2010, and ending June 30, 2011 City Manager Ruiz said adoption of the proposed budget would move the City toward a sustainable future and allow it to provide services while living within its means. He said the Urban Renewal Agency (URA) budget addressed community priorities by moving forward on projects that improved downtown and helped the economy. He commended the council, Mayor Piercy, and the Budget Committee for their hard work on the budget in the face of many challenges. He also recognized the work of the executive team, Sue Cutsogeorge and the budget team, and Alana Holmes and the personnel team. He further acknowl- edged the work of Budget Chair John Barofsky and Vice Chair Claire Syrett. Mayor Piercy thanked the manager for his leadership on the budget. Councilor Clark, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to adopt Resolution 5008 electing to receive State revenue sharing funds pursuant to Section 221.770 of Oregon Revised Statutes. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0. Councilor Clark, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to adopt Resolution 5009 certify- ing that the City of Eugene provides the municipal services required by Oregon Revised Statute Section 221.760 in order to receive State revenue revenues. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0. Councilor Clark, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to include the City Manager's recommended changes to the budget for the Downtown Urban Renewal Plan amendment. Roll call vote; the motion passed, 6:2; councilors Taylor and Brown voting no. Councilor Clark, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to adopt Resolution 5010 adopt- ing the budget, making appropriations, determining, levying, and categorizing the annual ad valorem property tax levy for the City of Eugene for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010, and ending June 30, 2011. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0. Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting of the Eugene City Council and convened the meeting of the Eugene Urban Renewal Agency (URA). MINUTES— Eugene City Council June 28, 2010 Page 3 Regular Meeting 4. ACTION: Resolution 1055 of the Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Eugene Adopting the Budget, Making Appropriations, and Declaring the Amount of Tax to be Received for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2010, and ending June 30, 2011 Councilor Clark, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to adopt Resolution 1055 of the Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Eugene adopting the budget; making appropria- tions; and declaring the amount of tax to be received for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010, and ending June 30, 2011. Roll call vote; the motion passed 6:2; councilors Taylor and Brown voting no. Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting of the URA and reconvened the Eugene City Council. 5. ACTION: Resolution 5011 Adopting a Supplemental Budget; Making Appropriations for the City of Eugene for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2009, and ending June 30, 2010 Councilor Clark, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to adopt Resolution 5011 adopt- ing a Supplemental Budget; making appropriations for the City of Eugene for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009, and ending June 30, 2010. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0. Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting of the Eugene City Council and reconvened the URA. 6. ACTION: Resolution 1056 Adopting a Supplemental Budget; Making Appropriations for the Urban Renewal Agency for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2009, and ending June 30, 2010 Councilor Clark, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to adopt Resolution 1056 adopt- ing the FYI June Supplemental Budget; making appropriations for the Urban Renewal Agency for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009, and ending June 30, 2010. Roll call vote; the motion passed, 6:2; councilors Taylor and Brown voting no. Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting of the Eugene City Council and Urban Renewal Agency at 7:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ' 8 'th A'� Beth Forrest, City Recorder (Recorded by Kimberly Young) MINUTES— Eugene City Council June 28, 2010 Page 4 Regular Meeting