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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/07/2013 RegularCity of Springfield Regular Meeting MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2013 The City of Springfield Council met in regular session in the Council Chambers, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, October 7, 2013 at 7:09 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors Wylie, VanGordon, Moore, Ralston 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. Councilor Woodrow was absent (excused). PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor Lundberg. SPRINGFIELD UPBEAT 1. Employee Recognition: Matt Stouder, 10 Years City Manager Gino Grimaldi introduced Matt Stouder who had worked for the City for 10 years. Mr. Stouder introduced his wife who was in the audience. Mr. Grimaldi acknowledged the accomplishments of Mr. Stouder with the City, including his growth through the department up to being appointed the new Environmental Services Division Manager. He appreciated Mr. Stouder's common sense and creative approach when presented with problems and issues. He was a great communicator and a great manager. Mr. Stouder thanked the City for the opportunity for the growth he had experienced. He thanked his wife and family for their support. He thanked the Mayor and Council for their leadership and his staff for their support. It was the great staff that kept him with the City of Springfield. CONSENT CALENDAR 1. Claims 2. Minutes a. September 9, 2013 — Work Session 3. Resolutions 4. Ordinances a. ORDINANCE NO. 6299 —AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE SPRINGFIELD MUNICIPAL CODE, CHAPTER 4, GARBAGE AND REFUSE. TO ELIMINATE DISCREPENCIES EXISTING BETWEEN ILLICIT DISCHARGE, SECTION 4.372. AND City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes October 7, 2013 Page 2 DEPOSIT OF REFUSE UPON PROPERTY OF ANOTHER OR UPON PUBLIC PROPERTY, SECTION 4.428, TO ENSURE PROPER HANDLING OF SIDEWALK DIRET AND DEBRIS AND ADOPTING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE. 5. Other Routine Matters a. Authorize City Manager to Sign a Contract with Lane County for Data Center, E -Mail, Network, and AIRS Public Safety System Operations and Support. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WYLIE WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR RALSTON TO APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 ABSENT — WOODROW). ITEMS REMOVED 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. 1. Signs in the Public Right -of -Way; Code Update. ORDINANCE NO. 2 — AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE SPRINGFIELD MUNICIPAL CODE "SIGNS" TO PROVIDE FOR CERTAIN SIGNS IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT -OF -WAY AMENDING SECTION 8.234 "EXEMPT SIGNS" (SUBSECTION 17) "PORTABLE SIGNS" AND ADOPTING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE ORDINANCE NO. 3 — AN ORDINANCE ADDING A NEW SECTION UNDER "STREET" SECTION 3.223 "PLACEMENT OF SIGNS IN THE PUBLIC WAY," TO THE SPRINGFIELD MUNICIPAL CODE AND ADOPTING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE. Senior Management Analyst Rhonda Rice presented the staff report on this item. The City had three banner sign types and one sandwich board type that could be placed in the public right of way. Each banner type and the sandwich board had unique specifications for placement and at least one had a fee for the use of the right -of -way. The goal was to create common code language for all three banner types and the sandwich board. The City had been using Springfield Municipal Code 3.224 for the placement of the Over - the - Street banner for many years. Section 3.224 was written in reference to utilities and telecommunications placement of objects in the right -of -way, not temporary signs. With the addition of the Light Pole banners and the "OPEN" banner it was prudent to provide consistent and uniform processes to regulate these signs. The proposed ordinances would provide for the temporary placement of banners and sandwich boards in the right -of -way and add clarity for which zones allowed sandwich board signs on private property. Ms. Rice explained each of the changes for each type of sign. Council reviewed the proposed ordinances in work session on September 9, 2013, and directed staff to present drafts for consideration and possible approval. Councilor Ralston asked if the light pole banners fee of $100 was for the full year. Ms. Rice said it was per use for an application. She explained the different zones for this type of sign City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes October 7. 2013 Page 3 Councilor Ralston expressed concern this could be advertising and there should be an annual fee. He would be in favor of an annual fee for those and for the sandwich boards. Ms. Rice said the light pole banner was only allowed to be up for 28 days and would need to be renewed if they wanted it longer. Councilor Ralston was pleased to hear that. Councilor Brew noted the light pole banners were only for non - profit and they had to pay for hanging these banners. He asked how the City was protected against liability for people hanging the signs. City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith said the City was protected by the requirement in the application for the group to have insurance for the installation, and that the contractor used needed to be an insured contractor. Mayor Lundberg opened the public hearing. No one appeared to speak. Mayor Lundberg closed the public hearing. Mayor Lundberg said they could perhaps look at Sandwich Boards during their regular fee discussion in the Spring. FIRST READING ONLY. NO ACTION REQUESTED. 2. Code Amendment — Homeless Overnight Parking Program. ORDINANCE NO. 6300 —AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SPRINGFIELD MUNCIPAL CODE SECTION 8.012 TO PERMIT AN INCREASE IN OVERNIGHT VEHICLE SHELTERS FROM ONE TO THREE ON CERTAIN DESIGNATED SITES, ADOPTING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY. Housing Manager Kevin Ko presented the staff report on this item. At its June 18, 2012 regular session, the City Council adopted an ordinance to amend the Municipal Code to expand the Homeless Overnight Parking Program (HOPP) by including industrial sites to the inventory of eligible sites. While the changes expanded the types of sites that were eligible for the program, the Municipal Code continued to limit the number of vehicles to one per HOPP site. Recently, the Mayor, City Manager and staff met with members of the Springfield Shelter Rights Alliance and St. Vincent de Paul to discuss the impacts of increasing the number of vehicles allowed on a HOPP site from one vehicle to three. It was determined that the expansion would have minimal financial impact, and grouping vehicles may enhance the safety of the participants. It was also acknowledged that the property owner would have full control over how many vehicles would be allowed on the site. The attached ordinance included an emergency clause to allow the increase of vehicles on new and existing HOPP sites as soon as possible. St. Vincent De Paul would continue to serve as the City's authorized agent for management of the program under existing procedures for homeless overnight parking. St. Vincent De Paul and local City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes October 7, 2013 Page 4 advocates would continue to coordinate location, compliance and funding information with Housing Program staff. The existing budget of not to exceed $7,000 was sufficient to initiate the proposed HOPP expansion; staff would provide an update on the HOPP utilization and budget as necessary, or at the request of Council. A letter from Mary Davidson was provided to the Mayor and Council in support of this ordinance. Mr. Ko said he and Mayor Lundberg would be attending a meeting on October 10 to encourage churches to sign on to this program. Councilor Moore asked how many sites were currently in the program. Mr. Ko said there were three active sites. If Council adopted this ordinance, the churches in the program would not be required to have three vehicles. Councilor VanGordon asked if there were any industrial sites Mr. Ko said they hadn't been able to recruit any industrial sites for the program. When they met with the church leaders and got more church leaders on board, that might generate more interest so they could get more industrial sites. Councilor VanGordon asked if any of the three churches currently in the program wanted to add more campers. Yes. He asked if they had heard any complaints with the program. Mr. Ko said he had not heard any. If there were complaints they had been handled through intervention with St. Vincent DePaul. Mayor Lundberg opened the public hearing L Judy Harold, 641 City View Blvd, Springfield, OR. Ms. Harold said she was representing Springfield Shelter Rights Alliance (SSRA) and had been a volunteer for this program for the last four years. They appreciated what the City had done as they had brought issues to them. She thanked them for the changes they had made incrementally, including the recent approval of the Conestoga Huts which allowed those without a vehicle a place to stay. The three sites currently in the program included two churches and Catholic Community Services, and all were interested in serving more people on their sites. The three sites (Ebbert Methodist Church, Springfield First Baptist Church and Catholic Community Services) had demonstrated that the program was successful. The sites were safe and secure and managed by St. Vincent DePaul. She had worked at the Egan Warming Centers and several churches had served as sites during the winter providing shelter for the unhoused. Her work at Egan Warming Centers and SSRA continued to enrich her life by the experiences she had of meeting people that were struggling or unhoused. She had also seen the number of people that needed those sites. She hoped they would increase the sites to three. 2. Shelley Corteville, 438 C Street, Springfield, OR. Ms. Corteville thanked Council for supporting the car camping program and the Conestoga Huts. Their help had been vital to support unhoused neighbors. She was also representing SSRA. Living in a community was deeply important for everyone and our unhoused neighbors also lived in a community. One of City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes October 7, 2013 Page 5 the important reasons to approve three vehicles and /or huts was to provide community and safety. Community was vital and by increasing the number of cars and huts to three, they were believing in the power of community. The residents in the program would encourage and support one another in taking steps to find permanent housing, jobs and perhaps college. They would be very thoughtful about placements to ensure a healthy community at each of the sites in the program. A team of people had been developed to make decisions on who would go to which site taking compatibility into consideration. She knew Council would do the right thing and vote yes to increase the number of vehicles allowed to three. Mayor Lundberg closed the public hearing. Councilor Moore shared a letter from the Housing and Community Services Agency ( HACSA) and signed by the Lane County Board of Commissioners (LCBC). The letter related that the Housing Policy Board would need to determine which 125 -150 families would lose Section 8 vouchers as of January 2014. The letter noted that the HACSA reserves were being used this year in order to maximize the number of vouchers that had been allocated. That also ensured they would receive the most favorable Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding possible next year because 2014 funding levels would be based on the number of vouchers released and the subsidies. Unfortunately, unless Congress decided to adequately fund the program, they estimated that between 125 -150 families would lose their vouchers, increasing the homeless population which was already at record levels. This was an added emphasis that the need was great. She also noted that October was Housing America Month. Councilor Wylie said these were hard times for many citizens and she felt it was Council's job to do whatever they could to help people find a place to stay warm and dry in the winter. We all needed to be working on more solutions. Councilor Brew asked if Booth Kelly would be an eligible site for this program. Mr. Ko said if it was industrial, it may qualify. He would look into that and get back to Council. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WYLIE WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR RALSTON TO ADOPT ORDINANCE NO. 6300. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 ABSENT — WOODROW). Mayor Lundberg noted that staff would be meeting this week to discuss the homeless issue further and she would be attending the event with Mr. Ko on October 10. Part of the issue was that there were not many churches currently in the program, and no industrial sites. BUSINESS FROM THE AUDIENCE John Brown, 101 East Broadway, Suite 101, Eugene, OR Mr. Brown said his comments were not representative of any board or commission, but were his own. He spoke regarding river quality. He had been cleaning up the Willamette in Springfield for decades and had again cleaned up last Saturday. He distributed photos to the Mayor and Council of the cleanup and the amount of debris located near the boat landing at Island Park. He picked up 160 hypodermic needles within 100 yards of that boat landing. It was as bad as it had ever been and they were only able to get one side of the river. They filled six trucks with debris. Wilsonville, Sherwood, Corvallis, Adair Village and many other communities drank the water downstream on the Willamette. The City of Eugene had the same problem, but if they were City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes October 7, 2013 Page 6 going to be good stewards of the water they needed to do something about this issue. He could get the funds to oversee a work crew for those that might need to do community service, but it was too much for the volunteers to do alone. It took dump trucks and boats and real care in making sure people weren't hurt. This was a good community and they needed to do something to take care of this problem. Mr. Brown also noted that Booth Kelly was zoned BKMU (Booth Kelly Mixed -Use). COUNCIL RESPONSE Councilor Ralston said cleaning it up was one issue, but keeping this from happening was the real issue. Councilor Moore said she was over in Eugene in the wetlands area off West 11''. They had.cleared out all of the undergrowth in that area making it look much nicer and they no longer had people staying there. That could be one answer to the problem. Mr. Grimaldi said some of the property was a mix of private ownership and public. Mr. Brown said some was privately owned. This was a Class One stream and there were vegetation removal standards to keep it shady and cool for the habitat. It was difficult to get stewardship from the property owners, but the public property was worse. It may be helpful to put some pressure on those that owned the property to clean it up. Councilor Wylie said it looked like methamphetamine use because of the needles. She asked if the City was arresting people in possession of methamphetamines. Chief Lewis said they were. Occasionally the City Prosecutor's office addressed the sentencing differently. They were arrested if they had methamphetamine and the equipment on them. Mayor Lundberg said this was an ongoing issue and should be discussed further. Mr. Brown had come to the Council every year. He had volunteered his time to clean up the river. It was also part of a bigger issue and involved unhoused people. She asked to put this on an upcoming agenda to see what could be done and what could not be done, and ways to make progress. Mr. Grimaldi said with the full schedule ahead, staff could bring this to Council after the winter break. In the meantime, staff could begin some discussions with property owners. CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS I. Correspondence from Springfield Utility Board (SUB) Regarding City of Springfield Proposed UGB Expansion. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WYLIE WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR RALSTON TO ACCEPT THE CORRESPONDENCE FOR FILING. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 ABSENT — WOODROW) BIDS ORDINANCES City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes October 7, 2013 Page 7 BUSINESS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL 1. Committee Appointments 2. Business from the City Council a. Committee Reports Councilor Moore reported on the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) Conference which she attended last week in Portland. She was able to attend some very informative workshops and found the keynote speaker very interesting. Next year the conference would be in Eugene. Councilor Moore reported that she had been invited to attend the 2013 Oregon Main Street Conference in Astoria. She had a great time touring Astoria and listening to Fred Kent of Project for Public Spaces discuss place making. Councilor Moore said the Council was invited to a National Walk to School Day Breakfast on Wednesday, October 9 from 7:00- 9:00am on the EWEB Path near Debra Street. This event was being put on by Point to Point SmartTrips. Mayor Lundberg said the City just got a grant for our Point to Point SmartTrips to help promote kids walking or biking to school safely. , Councilor Wylie said she also went to the LOC Conference and enjoyed it very much. There were many good hearted volunteers in other communities. She took the tour and listened to some great speakers on upgrading our city, becoming more self - sufficient, and other various topics. She suggested that with the LOC Conference in Eugene, they should do an educational session on TEAM Springfield. Many in other communities found it very fascinating how well TEAM Springfield was working. She thought they could also include discussion about some of the joint elected officials meetings they had held as well. Mr. Grimaldi said he would contact the LOC. 3. Councilor VanGordon spoke about his recent trip to Italy. The Italians knew how to do plazas very well! They had a fantastic trip. i BUSINESS FROM THE CITY MANAGER 1. McKenzie Oxbow. TRANSACTION. City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes October 7, 2013 Page 8 Assistant Development and Public Works Director Anette Spickard presented the staff report on this item. In 1993, the Weyerhaeuser Company donated a parcel of land immediately north of the Eugene Springfield Highway and east of 42 °d Street, to the City, with the intent that it be preserved as an open and natural area. In 2001, the City conducted a master planning process for this site and on June 18, 2001 directed that the plan be recognized as the management plan for the site, and that City staff comply with the policies when making management decisions concerning the property. The plan, in summary, concluded that in addition to the existing uses for productiornof potable water for City residents and as a utility corridor, many of the functions were educational or recreational in nature. In furtherance of the plan objectives, a portion of the property was transferred to the McKenzie River Trust. Conceptually, many of the remaining functions were believed to fall within the customary activities of the Willamalane Park and Recreation District. The principal alternative City use for the property was to support stormwater management functions. City staff have examined the needs in that area in depth and concluded that those needs could be met by reserving an appropriate easement with respect to the existing stormwater facilities. As a result, staff recommended that the entire balance of the property be conveyed to Willamalane, reserving to the City sufficient rights with respect to existing stormwater facilities. When staff reviewed the proposed action on October 22, 2012 Council directed that certain modifications be considered, including, among other things, clarity with respect to responsibility for the Levee Path which occupied Lot 2500, adjacent to 42nd Street. After further discussions with Willamalane, staff from the two agencies had agreed upon a mix of responsibilities for certain aspects of the path and the land on which it was located. Staff recommended approval by the Council. Willamalane staff were also available to respond to questions. Mayor Lundberg said during a recent discussion with Bob Keefer from Willamalane regarding the EWEB Path, she learned that Willamalane took care of the path and the County took care of the grass. She wanted to know if the users of the path could have one point of contact. Ms. Spickard said her understanding was that the City routinely partnered with Willamalane on the mowing of properties across the City. The customer service call number for concerns went to the City's Public Works Operations division. Staff in that division were very responsive or contacted the appropriate agency to address the concerns. The agencies worked very closely together and tried not to duplicate services as a cost savings. Mr. Grimaldi said typically the arrangements such as that with Willamalane were dependent on the type of equipment being used. He explained. Staff would get back to the Mayor with information. Mayor Lundberg wanted to make sure that a citizen only had to call one agency to get their concern addressed. She knew the City was good about taking care of those concerns by contacting our partner agencies if needed. Mr. Grimaldi said that was our typical approach. Ms. Spickard said staff would communicate that to Willamalane to make sure they treated calls in the same way. City of Springfield Council Regular Meeting Minutes October 7, 2013 Page 9 IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WYLIE WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR RALSTON TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 2013 -14. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 ABSENT — WOODROW). 2. Ratification of Agreement Between the City and Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Management Analyst for Human Resources, Peter Fehrs, presented the staff report on this item. The bargaining teams met on September 18th, 2013 in mediation to settle the contract. During that meeting the teams reached agreement on several outstanding items and agreed on a total contract. SEW ratified the agreement with their membership. Mr. Fehrs reviewed the contract and the market study used for this negotiation. He explained the market study further and noted that this was a huge shift for the union and was very much appreciated. The $1500 payout to employees next year provided some assurance during the transitional period of going to the market study approach. He explained the language changes made to line up with current practice in regard to temporary employees and health insurance. A lot of work was done to clarify language and separating out hourly employees and salary employees. Councilor Ralston had a question about the figures and received clarification. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WYLIE WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR RALSTON TO APPROVE THE SEIU COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT FOR FY2014 - FY2016. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 ABSENT — WOODROW). BUSINESS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned 8:02 p.m. Minutes Recorder Amy Sowa Christine L. Lundberg Mayor Attest: Can �rA City Reco ' er