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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/20/2013 RegularCity of Springfield Regular Meeting MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL FIELD MONDAY, MAY 20, 2013 The City of Springfield Council met in regular session in the Council Chambers, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, May 20, 2013 at 7:00 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors VanGordon, Wylie, Moore, Ralston, Woodrow and Brew. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor Lundberg. SPRINGFIELD UPBEAT Recognition of Police Volunteers Councilor Woodrow acknowledged the volunteers who assisted the Police Department in a variety of areas including: upkeep of Police fleet vehicles; assistance in the Animal Control department; assistance with Crime Prevention; Lock -out Crime program; and the Historian who updated and maintained the Department scrapbook. The volunteers in attendance at the meeting stood to be recognized. Councilor Woodrow said all of the activities had enhanced our Police Department and the community. Mayor Lundberg thanked the volunteers for making our community a better place to live. She presented a letter of thanks for all volunteers to the Historian, Jim Wilson. 2. Recognition of Participating Agencies in Overnight Camping Program. Mayor Lundberg said the City had a homeless camping program that included churches and now industrial sites that could accept homeless campers. She recognized the sites that were currently participating in the program. Those included: First Baptist Church (Pastor Jeff Savage), Ebbert Memorial Church (Counsel Chair Judy Brown and head of the Stewardship Committee Bob Beck accepted for Pastor June Fothergill), and Catholic Community Services (Executive Director Thomas Mulhem was unable to attend). She also acknowledged William Wise from St. Vincent DePaul who administered the program. Mr. Wise said he appreciated being able to participate in this program as it made a difference in a lot of people's lives. Mayor Lundberg said the Council appreciated all of their work and understood it (homelessness) was an ongoing issue and there was more work to do. City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 20, 2013 Page 2 3. Springfield Education Day Proclamation. Mayor Lundberg read from the proclamation and proclaimed May 30 as Springfield Education Day. The keynote event of Springfield Education Day was the Gift of Literacy, a program made possible through partnerships. The partners of TEAM Springfield - City of Springfield, Springfield Public Schools, Springfield Utility Board and Willamalane Park and Recreation District - had played an integral role in funding and encouraging this event. CONSENT CALENDAR 1. Claims a. Approval of April 2013, Disbursements for Approval 2. Minutes a. May 6, 2013 —Work Session b. May 6, 2013 —Regular Meeting 3. Resolutions 4. Ordinances a. ORDINANCE NO. 6293 — AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE ANNEXATION OF CERTAIN TERRITORY TO THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD, AND WILLAMALANE PARK AND RECREATION DISTRICT; AND WITHDRAWING THE SAME TERRITORY FROM THE GLENWOOD WATER DISTRICT 5. Other Routine Matters IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WYLIE WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR, WOODROW TO APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR WITH CHECK #121350 OF THE APRIL 2013 DISBURSEMENTS REMOVED. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 6 FOR AND 0 AGAINST. ITEMS REMOVED l.a Check 4121350 from the April 2013 Disbursements Councilor VanGordon recused himself as the check was made out to his employer United Parcel Service (UPS) and he had a conflict of interest. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WYLIE WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR WOODROW TO ACCEPT CHECK #121350 FROM THE APRIL 2013 DISBURSEMENTS. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (I ABSTENTION — VANGORDON). City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 20, 2013 Page 3 PUBLIC HEARINGS_- Please limit comments to 3 minutes. Request to speak cards are available at both entrances. Please present cards to City Recorder. Speakers may not yield their time to others. BUSINESS FROM THE AUDIENCE Justin Boe, 1212 M Street, Springfield. OR. Mr. Boe said he had lived at his current address for a little over two and a half years and was here to speak on the right -of -way. He listened to the work session and had also attended the meeting in January and had heard many of the comments and concerns from others in attendance. Before he came to tonight's meeting, he looked at the two right -of -ways which were big brown, empty, dry, hot eyesores. He agreed with Councilors Ralston and Brew that it was a liability in its current condition because it was neglected. If it was purchased by the abutting homeowners, that would be better, but he also agreed that a path and minimal landscaping would make it better. Doing nothing made it worse. He felt that the area was ignored. There were some who were concerned about crime and bringing more negative energy into the neighborhood. He asked when the best time to improve the area would be. It seemed that the best time to improve an empty lot was when it was being dug up for work that was being done anyway. 2. Carol James, 1428 Olympic Street, Springfield, OR. Ms. James said she had lived or owned property in this neighborhood for the past 38 years. The right -of way area had been a weed patch and it was her sense that it had been totally ignored by the City for those 38 years. The first question she heard when there was discussion about putting in a park was who would maintain a park. She would much rather see a park than the eyesore that was there now, but if it would only remain a grass pile that the City couldn't bother to mow, she would prefer they sold it to the neighbors. She asked that they do something about the area. 3. James Yarnall, 632 West D Street, Springfield, OR. Mr. Yarnall said he was here to speak on the topic of how the City could ensure public support for the things they would like to accomplish. The passing of time was uncontrollable and we did not have control over our independent lives. Demographics of Springfield indicated a substantial segment of senior citizens. Some faced many physical challenges that could limit their ability to speak, such as himself. He asked the Council to recognize that to express oneself in front of everyone was stressful; therefore, he believed the 3 minute rule was counterproductive and limited collaboration. He asked that they consider during a work session other options that could effectively deal with repetitive dialogue that often required excessive time. This Council and the City of Springfield had much to consider as our downtown recovered. Managed parking was a key strategy to attract developers and investments. Traffic flow was also a high priority. Demographics indicated that Main and South A had a combined traffic flow of 26,000 daily trips. These required serious planning and collaboration with the voters. These voters must be brought along with the process to decide the necessary changes to traffic flow. These decisions affected everyone and must deal effectively with this critical mass of traffic to provide solutions for continued traffic growth. The approach he spoke of provided support and well informed voters and additional trust in the Council. Bobbie Adams, 1306 N Street, Springfield, OR. Ms. Adams said she was one of the property owners near the right -of -way. She was against anything being added. There were no problems there now so there was no need to add something. City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 20, 2013 Page 4 COUNCIL RESPONSE CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS 1. Correspondence from Curtis Greer, Springfield, OR Regarding Animal Control Code Language. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WYLIE WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR WOODROW TO ACCEPT THE CORRESPONDENCE FOR FILING. Councilor Ralston said Mr. Greer had talked to him several times about his suggestion (as noted in the letter). He was trying to simplify our Code by removing section 1 and changing the language to encompass all animals running at large. Our code related to other animal but not to cats. This change could give the City the opportunity to give teeth to helping manage cats in the future. Currently, there was nothing in the code addressing cats. Councilor Woodrow said once they got the low -cost spay and neuter program running, they would check in after a couple of months. That might be a good time to address this issue. This was something worth discussing. Councilor Ralston said he agreed. He would like to let Mr. Greer know it was being considered. Councilor Brew asked about horses being ridden along public roads and if that would be prohibited with the new language. Mayor Lundberg asked if they could bring it back during a work session to take a broader look at this Councilor Wylie said she hoped they would be sensible as they approached this subject. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 6 FOR AND 0 AGAINST. BIDS ORDINANCES BUSINESS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL 1. Committee Appointments 2. Business from Council a. Committee Reports 1. Councilor Moore thanked the Operation and Maintenance staff for the Spring Cleanup event held Saturday, May 18. It was her first opportunity to participate and it was a great event and great fun. Everyone that came through was very pleased. Mayor Lundberg and Councilor Brew also helped at the event, as well as a number of staff. Mayor Lundberg it was great fun. They decided that they needed dog biscuits next year for the Spring Cleanup and the Christmas parade. The Cleanup was a very popular event. City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes May 20, 2013 Page 5 2. Councilor Ralston asked Councilor Woodrow about a flyer for the Christmas Parade that he had seen in the window. Councilor Woodrow said she had been asked by Willamalane Lecture Series to come and talk about the 60 years of the Christmas Parade at the Senior Center. On June 13 at 1:30pm she would be presenting information about 60 years worth of Springfield and the Christmas Parade. It was a free event and everyone was invited. b. Other Business. BUSINESS FROM THE CITY MANAGER BUSINESS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned 7:26 p.m. Minutes Recorder Amy Sowa Christine L. Lundberg Mayor Attest: a- City RecUrder