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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCMinutes - 07/26/04 WS MINUTES Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room--City Hall July 26, 2004 5:30 p.m. PRESENT: Bonny Bettman, George Poling, Nancy Nathanson, Scott Meisner, David Kelly, Gary Papd, Betty Taylor. ABSENT: Jennifer Solomon. His Mayor James D. Torrey called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. A. ITEMS FROM MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER Mr. Poling announced that he had attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Oakmont Park and the event was well-attended. He said he had also attended the dedication ceremony of the Fire Department's "burn to learn" facility. He said he was unable to attend the Police Academy graduation and congratulated all those who graduated. He noted that he would be unable to attend the July 28, 2004, City Council meeting and requested that any action on an independent external auditor and authorization of expenditures to support the Police Commission's review be postponed until he could be present. Mr. Meisner congratulated the recent Police Academy graduates. He noted that he would make every effort to be on time for the July 28, 2004, council meeting but was having surgery in the morning. Mr. Pap6 reported that at a recent League of Oregon Cities meeting staff had presented a program called Hometown Voices. He distributed information about the program and explained that it was designed to educate the community and involve a greater number of citizens in local government affairs. Mr. Kelly announced that the Human Rights Commission was sponsoring a Youth Forum to gather input from young people in the community about issues that were important to them. He said the forum was scheduled for Wednesday, July 28, 2004, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Bascom/Tykeson Conference Room at the Eugene Public Library. He commended staff for the interesting recruitment advertisement for board and commissions. Ms. Taylor questioned why a facilitator was hired for the Crest Drive-Storey Boulevard meeting and asked how much it would cost. She noted that staff was encouraged to hire a facilitator and asked by whom. She expressed surprise that a Peer Review Committee, composed of representatives from multiple City departments, had replaced the Citizen Involvement Committee (CIC) and asked if that was less expensive than a CIC. Mr. Taylor responded that a facilitator was hired at the suggestion of neighbors and the neighborhood association to attempt to mediate MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 2004 Page 1 Work Session the situation and obtain information necessary to move forward with a discussion. He said the peer review process relied upon a reservoir of talent within the City to provide consultation to groups facing particular citizen involvement challenges. Ms. Taylor said she hoped the CIC would be revived. She requested clarification on the hours during which construction activities could occur, stating that she had been told both 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., including weekends. She suggested that at least one day on the weekend should be free of construction activities. She applauded "citizen academies" as a way to get people interested in and informed about government and consequently more involved. Ms. Bettman said it was her understanding that final action on a ballot measure would have to occur by August 9, 2004, in order for the measure to be on the ballot and in the Voters Pamphlet and therefore the council would have to provide that direction to staff at its July 28, 2004, meeting. She said that she planned to offer a motion to direct City staff to return with language at the August 9 meeting on the auditor issue on the amendment to the charter. Ms. Bettman said that residents of the Far West neighborhood expressed concern about the conditional use permit (CUP) for the Faith Center expansion and reported that the facility appeared to be more than a church and would include a school, convention center, and "park and ride" function. She said that neighbors hoped that a housing buffer could be preserved to provide protection from the expansion and uses that were incompatible with the neighborhood. She requested an expedited response from staff on whether it was legal to remove the houses and if the neighborhood had any recourse. She said the Faith Center had indicated it could not reconfigure how development occurred on the property because the City required placement of the gymnasium in a location that precluded maintaining a housing buffer. Ms. Bettman announced that the Police Commission was holding a public forum on August 5, 2004, to obtain feedback from the community on the police complaint process. She urged the broadest possible range of community involvement and said that additional forums would be held in September and October 2004. Mr. Kelly related that he was informed by City staff that construction activities were allowed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. Mr. Taylor thanked those who attended the ceremonies for Oakmont Park and the Fire Department facility. He announced that police forensic evidence and property control personnel had completed their move to the new facility. Mayor Torrey introduced Natalie Sonnenfeld, an incoming sophomore at Churchill High School, who won an opportunity to "shadow" the mayor for a day. He thanked staff for their swift response to concerns he had raised about overgrown grass and weeds at the Chevron gas station on Franklin Boulevard and complimented the owner for taking care of the problem. He also expressed concern about the possibility of fires in the South Hills because of hot, dry weather conditions. B. WORK SESSION: Annual Meeting with the Human Rights Commission Human Rights Commission members Sara Rich, Mo Young, Sheila Coats, Andrea Ortiz, Dwight Souers, Megan Thompson, and Hugh Massengill were present for the item MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 2004 Page 2 Work Session Mr. Taylor underscored the importance of citizen involvement in government through participation on boards and commissions. He cited the joint meeting with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) as an example of the council's parmership with citizens. He introduced Human Rights Commission Chair Sara Rich and Vice Chair Mo Young to present the commission's report and work plan. Ms. Rich thanked the council for the opportunity to meet jointly and asked the other commissioners to introduce themselves. She directed the council's attention to the "Eugene Human Rights Program: Strength in Differences" containing the commission's annual report to the council for the period September 2003 through June 2004 and the proposed work plan for Fiscal Year 2005. She highlighted some of the commission's accomplishments, particularly responding to hate issues. She said the commission's doors were open to anyone who needed assistance and support to have a safer life in the community. She noted that Eugene's Human Rights Program received a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) award as a result of efforts following September 11, 2001. She said that the commission also distributed leaflets countering the spread of hate literature in Eugene. She praised the mayor for his responsiveness to groups that were threatened and felt vulnerable and commended the council for its leadership against hate. Ms. Rich related that the commission addressed in its work plan the need to accommodate emerging issues not anticipated when the plan was established. She gave examples of emerging issues during the past year such as the exclusion of singles from the FOOD for Lane County Dining Room, housing standards, the CLEAR Act, the downtown ordinance, and the Defense of Marriage Act. Ms. Young distributed information sheets on the Youth Forum on July 28, 2004. She said the commission hoped through the forum to develop a better understanding of what issues were important to youth and said a series of study circles and dialogues would be held in the fall, followed by an action forum. HRC member Sheila Coats reported on the Gender Identity Work Group. She thanked the mayor and the council for the opportunity to educate the community about gender identity. She said two workshops per month had been held over the past year and more presentations with churches, school districts, and businesses were planned. She noted that gender identity was removed from the human anti-discrimination ordinance in 2002 in order to allow additional time for the community to become better educated on the subject. She said that much progress had been made and the commission hoped to meet its education goals by the spring of 2005. A code revision to add gender identity to the ordinance would then be requested. She also thanked the city manager for initiating some of the round table discussions that were very informative. HRC member Andrea Ortiz addressed the commission's cooperative work with the Police Department. She reported that the HRC and Police Commission formed a joint task force to establish a policy for the use of Social Security numbers. She said that the new policy was already in use by the Police Department. She said the commission was also working with the Police Commission's Racial Profiling Task Force and on the review of the police complaint process. She observed that all of those issues related to working with communities of color and the commission would be requesting funds from the council to conduct community outreach on those issues and provide a consistent message and contact. She noted that the City had adopted a policy to accept the Matricula Consular (Mexican ID card) as a valid form of identification. MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 2004 Page 3 Work Session Ms. Rich discussed commission capacity. She said there were approximately 50 volunteers who contributed almost 4,000 hours annually to the commission's programs. She commended staff's efforts to maintain capacity when the commission lost a position and recognized the significant contributions of former HRC Chair James Dean, who volunteered 40 or more hours a week on commission activities. She said that the work plan included a ;;wish list" of those issues that could not be addressed because of limited capacity. She thanked the council for the budget and staff the commission did receive and asked for their consideration of a request for additional support to increase the commission's ability to reach out to grassroots organizations in the community. HRC member Dwight Souers described the activities of the Accessibility Committee, which is composed of five HRC members and five volunteers from the community. He said the committee functions as a ;;watchdog" to ensure that residents, regardless of disabilities, have access to all facilities within the community. He said that committee members advised Lane Transit District on accessibility issues, served on the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee, and worked with the City to ensure that new structures and modifications meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. He noted the recent installation of the first traffic signal for the visually impaired at Hilyard Street and 22nd Avenue and urged the council to expand the use of those signals. He said plans for the coming year included continuing with the Barrier Awareness Award for people and organizations in the community that paid special attention to accessibility. He thanked the city manager for hosting a very successful round table discussion with representatives from the disability community. A great deal of positive feedback was received and the committee planned to continue the event. Ms. Ortiz directed the council's attention to pages 21 through 24 of the annual report and the case statistics from the Human Rights Support System. She explained that the support system was part of the City's complaint process and volunteers provided advocacy and empowerment to people who had experienced discrimination and harassment. She said the program, in its l0th year, was preparing to add support for victims of domestic violence and would be working with Eugene School District 4J on its complaint process. She said the program was also looking at ways to assist the Police Commission and Police Department in their review of police complaint procedures. She praised the efforts of volunteers, staff, and the commission to make the most efficient possible use of program funds. Referring to stretched budget dollars, Ms. Rich displayed a new brochure that combined information from four separate documents in an informative, easy-to-read, and easily updated format. She said that the commission's presentation was concluded and asked for comments. Mr. Kelly stated that he had been the council's representative on the HRC for the past year and a half and it had been a privilege and pleasure to work with the commission and be part of its valuable service to the people of Eugene. He commended the commission and volunteers for their commitment and passion. Ms. Bettman expressed her appreciation to the commission and volunteers for their work and commitment to human rights. She acknowledged the thoroughness of the commission's report and asked what the City as an organization did best with respect to human rights and where it could improve, as well as what the community did best and how could it improve. Ms. Rich responded that what the City did best was open doors and build bridges by reaching out to the community. She commented that the commission was well supported by the council, staff, and MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 2004 Page 4 Work Session leadership and communication and coordination were good. She said that more people were needed to help with the work and the CIC had played a significant role in engaging the public. Mr. Pap6 echoed Mr. Kelly's commendation of the commission and its work and offered in contrast his recent experience in Idaho where a community there had to deal with an Aryan Nation march and its aftermath. He suggested to the community that it consider establishing a Human Rights Commission. Mr. Meisner expressed his thanks and appreciation to the commission. He noted that case statistics for the support system program appeared to be lower in 2004 and asked if the commission would prefer flexibility in the use of the staff member assigned specifically to case management. Human Rights Program Director Greg Rikhoff replied that since the position was added, the commission's staff had decreased by one position and the support system was managed flexibly by staff. Referring to the "wish list" on page 27 of the report, Mr. Meisner suggested that the commission should clarify its intent by referring to the topics as a "wish list" of activities instead of items that might be discussed at commission meetings. Mayor Torrey asked if the Accessibility Committee was involved in discussions with LTD about the impact of bus rapid transit (BRT) on accessibility of the downtown streets. Mr. Souers replied that a committee representative was now on LTD's Accessibility Committee and attending meetings. Mayor Torrey urged Mr. Souers to contact Chris Henry, the City staff person who was handling issues of BRT and accessibility on Willamette Street and 10th Avenue intersections. He said decisions would be made very soon and it was imperative that the Accessibility Committee be involved. Mayor Torrey noted that the HIV Alliance was requesting additional funding for its needle exchange program and there was little public support. He asked if the commission had worked with that organization or been contacted for assistance. Ms. Rich replied that the HIV Alliance had not sought help from the commission. Mayor Torrey suggested that an HRC staff member contact the alliance. Ms. Bettman moved, seconded by Mr. Poling, to approve the Human Rights Commission goals and work plan for FY 2005. Ms. Bettman said she supported the commission wholeheartedly and commended their ambitious goals and work plan. Mr. Kelly said he enthusiastically supported the commission's goals and work plan. He offered his perspective as a commission member on what the community could do to improve its human rights efforts. He said the community has a "blinders on" smugness about being a progressive, tolerant bastion in the Northwest and while that was true in many aspects, there still existed very real issues of racism and discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, and other factors. He said the first step in addressing those problems was to acknowledge them. Mayor Torrey complimented the commission members for their hard work and participation in events throughout the community. He thanked Ms. Rich for chairing the commission. MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 2004 Page 5 Work Session Mr. Papd asked if the case statistics were lower because the community was doing better in those categories or the statistics misleading. Human Rights Program specialist Francisca Johnson responded that although the numbers were lower, many of the cases were complex and involved a number of people. She said that the program had developed a number of alliances and referred some cases to partner agencies for resolution. She expected the case numbers to increase once volunteers had completed their training and domestic violence cases were added. Mr. Papd stated his support for the HRC and its programs. Ms. Taylor said that she would support the motion. She noted that HRC programs provided assistance to people regardless of source of income and asked if that included prostitutes. Ms. Rich said that it absolutely did. Ms. Taylor asked if the commission had taken a position on a proposal to require people to have a card to access certain neighborhoods that had been established as prostitution-free zones. Mr. Rikhoff said the commission had taken a stand in opposition to that issue when it was raised several years ago. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Taylor mentioned that the council had previously discussed considering the items on the Consent Calendar when a work session was concluded earlier than anticipated, in order to save some time at the regular meeting. Mr. Meisner expressed concern with taking action at the work session without public notice. He noted that Consent Calendar Item 2C, related to eminent domain, was likely to generate public comment at the regular meeting. Mayor Torrey suggested that Item 2C be pulled and action taken on the remainder of the Consent Calendar. Ms. Bettman moved, seconded by Mr. Poling, to approve items on the Consent Calendar for July 26, 2004, with the exception of Item 2C, Adoption of Resolution 4800. Mr. Kelly noted that he had submitted minutes corrections electronically. Ms. Bettman noted that she had submitted minutes corrections electronically. Mayor Torrey stated that he had reviewed all corrections and they were approved. The motion to approve the Consent Calendar with the exception of Item 2C passed unanimously. Mr. Poling raised the question of whether the school zone at Willakenzie School was still in effect as the school was no longer in operation and scheduled for demolition. Mr. Taylor said he would check on the status of the zone. Ms. Taylor commented that the intersection of Pearl Street and 8th Avenue was very dangerous for pedestrians crossing to the west. Mr. Taylor agreed that the intersection was a problem. MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 2004 Page 6 Work Session The meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Dennis M. Taylor City Manager (Recorded by Lynn Taylor) MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 2004 Page 7 Work Session