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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/28/2013 Work SessionCity of Springfield Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2013 The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, October 28, 2013 at 5:30 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 Attorneys Mary Bridget Smith and Lauren King, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. 1. Police Planning Task Force Interviews. Mike Harman, Senior Management Analyst for the Police Department presented this item. The Police Planning Task Force had one At -Large position available from the resignation of Pat Mahoney. One other At -Large had recently come open due to the resignation of Fred Simmons, who verbally advised Chief Lewis of his resignation effective Monday, October 21st. There were two available candidates for the two open positions. Pat Mahoney resigned from her At -Large position due to moving away from the area. At a work session in September, Council asked to interview the two applicants recommended for the position by a subcommittee of the Police Planning Task Force, Carol Ford and Isa Aviad. Since that time, Fred Simmons had verbally resigned from his At -Large position, leaving two applicants and two open positions. i . Mayor Lundberg said since there were now two openings, they could perhaps just meet with the two applicants and ask them why they would like to serve on the PPTF. I Mayor Lundberg welcomed Carol Ford. The councilors introduced themselves to Ms. Ford Mayor Lundberg asked Ms. Ford why she wanted to serve on the PPTFI Ms. Ford noted she was a recent graduate from the Springfield Citizen Police Academy and found it very enlightening. She was retired and was interested in serving the Springfield Police Department. She was very proud of the Springfield Police Department. She would like to bridge the gap between citizens and the Police Department. She also volunteered at Guy Lee Elementary School and saw a need to bridge the gap between that community and the Police Department. Councilor Wylie referred to a note on Ms. Ford's application about her concern regarding the homeless. Ms. Ford said she was impressed with the Egan Warming Center and hoped to volunteer this winter. Council thanked Ms. Ford for applying and her willingness to serve. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 28, 2013 Page 2 Mayor Lundberg welcomed Isa Aviad. The councilors introduced themselves to Ms. Aviad. Mayor Lundberg asked Ms. Aviad why she wanted to serve on the Ms. Aviad said she used to work in 9 -1 -1 in Lane County and special c time, she worked with the Police and detectives and served as a Spanis Municipal Courts for three years. She had seen how District Attorneys very impressed and pleased with the Springfield Police Department, fr very skilled and polite to the command staff. She commended the K9 I Springfield Police Department, and said she wanted to serve. Councilor Woodrow asked if she saw any issues connected with Ms. Aviad said she would like to see more written outreach and follo language who find themselves in situations involving the Police. She situation when a non - English speakingjanitor accidentally tripped an him. It would have been helpful to have someone follow -up and expl; Councilor Moore asked when she went through the Citizen Police Ms. Aviad said she had gone through the Springfield Citizen Academy Disaster Preparedness Trainer through CERTs (Community Emergenc, Springfield's Emergency Management staff, Ken Vogeney, had asked. trainers to go back east for a training in order to be FEMA (Federal Err certified to help the City of Springfield get ready. She would like to bri for the CERTs training and extend the training to the Hispanic populati Mayor Lundberg thanked Ms. Aviad for applying. She said Mr, candidates about their appointments. The Council was pleased with the two candidates. 2. Street System Communication Update and Revenue Options. Brian Conlon, DPW Operations Manager and Rhonda Rice, Senior Ma Development and Public Works Department presented this item. For s( Council had struggled with the problem that the City's Street Operating sufficient revenue to support desired levels of street system operations estimated a $3.5M to $4.5M annual unfunded need to effectively satisf system operations and preservation objectives, in addition to a backlog rehabilitation that approached $22 million. At the May 13, 2013 Counc recommended that staff continue doing public outreach to educate citiz the street system played in their daily lives. The Council also directed the Fall to provide a public feedback update and discuss revenue optiot The City's street system decline continued to steepen considerably yea unfunded backlog exceeding $22M. Without adequate funding the city preserving it at less than optimal levels. In essence, the consequence of vmunications. During that interpreter for Junction City's td officers worked, and was i the dispatchers who were )gram and every aspect of the and the Police Department. ip for those speaking another wided an ekample of a irm and the distress it caused things to him. ast year. She was also a Response Team). 1s. Aviad and other CERT rgency Management Agency) g more focus on Springfield would be contacting both agement Analyst with the eral years City staff and the Fund was not generating nd preservation. Staff now the City's transportation if important preservation and Work Session, the Council ns of the important role that iff to bring this issue back in to year and had reached an vas resigned to operating and leferring preservation City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 28, 2013 Page 3 furthered the downward spiral and huge rehabilitation costs in the near ter could be expected. Recognizing the importance to communicate this issue more effectively to our citizens, in 2012 the Council directed staff to develop a Street System Communication Plan Ito deliver a three tiered message; the street system was a valuable asset for the entire community, actively preserving the system was more cost effective than rehabilitating at a later date, and revenues were no longer keeping pace with preservation needs. The plan outlined consistent and simple 'messaging and encouraged oper dialogue with community members. i The Street System Communication Plan, which included a video made Community Relations Manager Niel Laudati, had been successful in in citizens about the street system operations and preservation requiremer had been effective in engaging citizens in the problem. Now that some community were actively engaged it was important to maintain that lin consider an exploration of the ideas that the citizens had suggested to a through debt financing or a pay -as- you -go approach, as well as other o or staff might consider reasonable solutions. Mr. Conlon noted that City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith and Public Ir Analyst Rachael Chilton had also provided assistance in this outreach I Attachment 5 of the agenda packet, the document from the Association the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) which showed that all cities were f regarding the difference between preservation and maintenance. With t staff was not addressing the street maintenance and preservation the w� and bringing sidewalks to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Stan issues the City was not able to address. He referred to additional charts information outlined in Attachment 6 of the agenda packet. Mr. Conlon reviewed the outreach that had been done to date. The big the community events was connecting with people. Staff was encoura, with understood the difference between maintaining the streets and rel current shortfall in the street fund and the need for reserves to address and street lighting. Mr. Conlon said if the City started rehabilitation, there were new considered. They were all good, but more costly. Ms. Rice said the Streets Condition report (Attachment 6 of the agenda City in 2012, but was built on data from 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012. T analyzed all of the street segments and provided a conditions rating. St, the charts with 2012 information: Attachment 6, page 1 showed the Sti categories: locals; collectors; and minor arterials. They had combined category types and rated them. Those falling into the level of poor had the last six years. Staff was trying to stay ahead of that downward trenc could turn things around. Local streets were suffering the most as far w wonderful job with the resources available to keep the streets from decl Mr. Conlon said most streets had a design life of about 25 years, but w( about 50 years or more. Some of the streets downtown were starting to traffic so other options were considered for those types of streets. Idea; preservation when the street was in good condition, not poor. the assistance of astng awareness among Moreover, the presentations >mbers of the Springfield It was also timely to •ess the funding problem )rtunities that either Council Formation and Education rogram. Mr. Conlon referred to of Oregon Cities (AOC) and king the same issues. He spoke to current revenue shortfall, y they would like. Streetlights lards were just a couple of from Attachment 5 and the value from the outreach at that the citizens they talked ing them. He discussed the work needed on the bridges that needed to be packet) was published by the e street crew went out and IT was working on updating ;et Conditions by all lose into lane miles and 'own in all categories over as much as possible until they their condition. Staff did a nine more. had extended the wear life to ail. The local streets had less the City would do City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 28, 2013 Page 4 Councilor Brew said it sounded like there were two problems: the ongoIing issue which was about a $3.5M or $4.5M'annual gap; and a backlog of about $20M - $25M. There could be two separate solutions to address the problems. Mr. Conlon said staff was looking at ways to generate the revenue at $3.5M or $4.5M per year and then chip away at the backlog. An example was 21' Street which they had managed to make minor repairs to over the years. There had been discussion several years ago about a combination of funding that would bring in enough for the backlog as well. Councilor Moore said there was a huge difference between 2008 and 2010. She asked if it was normal for it to take a dramatic drop like that after a certain amount of time. Ms. Rice said when they were not able to preserve the streets, they did ;quickly deteriorate. Mr. Conlon said the streets did decline at a fast rate to a point where the street was in need of rehabilitation. Councilor Woodrow asked if the change in petroleum costs had been a factor in the funding gap. Mr. Conlon said the increase in petroleum costs caused people to drive iless, which meant less revenue. Also, employee costs had risen and materials costs had risen significantly. Ms. Rice said the majority of the street fund revenue was gas tax reven e, which had dropped as people drove less. Councilor Ralston said he didn't see the two as separate issues. It was a huge problem and he wasn't sure how the City could come up with $3.5M a year to take care of things along the way. A bond could address the larger amount, but it wouldn't solve the annual deficit. Mr. Conlon said bonding was very popular now because it provided immediate funds, but there was a debt service on those funds. The City was just about to pay off the 1995/96 General Obligation Bond. Councilor Ralston said he was on a fixed income and was shocked when he received his taxes this year. He wasn't sure how successful they would be in getting a measure passed. Councilor Brew said even if they had $3.5M per year to put towards keeping up the streets, that wouldn't be enough to take care of the backlog. Mr. Conlon said it would take about seven to ten years of chipping away at the backlog. They would need to prioritize their needs and it would be challenging. He referenced the chart from the LOC and noted there hadn't been too many local fuel tax increases over the last few years. If they were to consider increasing the local fuel tax, they would likely get a challenge from the petroleum companies. A Transportation Utility Fee was a `pay -as- you -go' type of fee. Councilor Moore asked about a utility fee that had been passed in another city and how much it generated. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 28, 2013 Page 5 Councilor VanGordon asked how soon a transportation utility fee start on preservation. Mr. Conlon said it would depend on how much was charged and how With the fuel tax in 2003, projects were started within about six mont Development and Public Works Director Len Goodwin said when they Transportation Fee in 2008, a $1.75 residential fee and a scaled fee for generated about $1.8M a year. If they were looking to generate $3.5M be looking at a residential fee of about $3.50 a month with an appropri; generate enough funds to begin getting out on the street about three me Councilor VanGordon asked what kind of fee would be charged for generate enough revenue to the reserve could be built. last looked at the usinesses would have year, they would most likely e commercial fee. That would the after implementation. Mr. Goodwin said in 2008, they capped the business fee at $1100 a month for something large like a Wa1Mart or Jerry's. Most businesses in Springfield were relatively small, and would pay about $25- $30 month. In order to generate about $3.5M annually, the business feel would range between $40 and $2000 a month. Councilor VanGordon said if we went with a local gas tax, how soon discussion. Mr. Goodwin said as of July 1, 2014, the City could adopt another gas penny of a local gas tax would generate about $350,000 for local purpc tax .05 for a total of .08 per gallon, that would generate about $1.8M a collected by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) within projects started within three to six months. With new techniques, them less expensively. As an example, the cost of concrete was now almost maintenance cost of concrete was significantly less. Councilor VanGordon said these figures were based on the assumption with Springfield Utility Board (SUB) to collect the fee. Mr. Conlon said the Transportation Utility Fee could be on residents been challenged by businesses, they had charged the fee only to resit household. Councilor Van Gordon said he would like to see what the Transportai cities. He would also like to know more about a hybrid for a revenue Mr. Conlon said before polling the citizens, they could package some at a future work session. Mayor Lundberg said that would be a good idea. Councilor Moore asked how much money Springfield generated from towards street preservation. we were back having this ax. At the current rate, each ;es. If they increased the gas nually. Those funds would be wo months of adoption, with could be a way to do things to same as asphalt and the an arrangement was made Because some entities had increasing the cost per Utility Fee was for other id and a fee. to present to the Council trucking industry fees City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 28, 2013 Page 6 Mr. Goodwin said the trucking industry paid a substantial amount in wei ghtlmile fees to the State. Part of the fuel tax distribution the City received included our share of those iweight/mile fees. Councilor Moore said there were a lot of trucks traveling along 28" S-6 'et and it was deteriorating rapidly. She asked how much damage studded tires did to 'street surfaces and asked if there was a way to get funding from the sale of studded tires. Mr. Conlon said it was easier to quantify that on a freeway or highway system versus our local system. The City was preparing to do a project on 19 "i Street soon and it appeared that part of the damage was due to aggressive turning and approach to Marcola Road, perhaps by studded tires. It was very difficult to quantify. Councilor Brew said when the gas tax was implemented in 2003, they t problem, but it only helped for a few years. If they did a Transportation made it adequate to get things done so they didn't have to come back it they look at dedicating the funds to contract labor only for construction asked Mr. Goodwin if there had been further discussion about impleme fee in Lane County. Mr. Goodwin said he had talked with the County. The last report he n that individual conversations with Commission members suggested it bring the proposal forward at this time. Councilor Brew asked if that could be a solution. sought it would solve the Utility Fee, he hoped they a few years. He proposed that projects for certain streets. He ding a higher car registration from Lane County was be prudent for them to Mr. Goodwin said under the statute, the cities would be entitled to at least 40% of the revenue collected from the vehicle registration fee. If the County imposed a registration fee that equaled that of the State, which was the maximum allowed, Springfield's share would be about $2.2M per year. He also noted that under the law, Springfield was prohibited from using force labor for anything over $50,000 and were required to use outside contractors. Councilor Woodrow said the community response had been positive and they recognized they were part of the solution. She asked what they would be asking if they polled the citizens. Mr. Conlon said they would likely ask if they would support a `pay -as- you -go' fee or a bond or a combination. People understood the Transportation Fee and bonding, but that didn't mean they were willing to pay. Polling the citizens would be valuable. Councilor Woodrow asked if non - residents were a consideration for Mr. Conlon said they would pay through a fuel tax if they fueled up in Councilor Woodrow said people in our community were accepting of a proactive approach. When they went out with the poll, they could also ask for ideas from the citizens. The idea of approaching them with positive results and where we could be was more productive. It helped when people could visualize. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 28, 2013 Page 7 i Mr. Conlon said they had been trying to present it in that way for the last seven years. He had talked with the Public Works Director in Eugene about how they had gotten their message out to the public. Staff would try to put some packages together in a positive way. Councilor Woodrow said she also felt they should use a two- pronged approach of working on the immediate needs and chipping away at the backlog. Councilor VanGordon asked if they had taken their message to the Hawks Business Group and the Springfield Chamber. Yes. He asked how much the current gas tax generated. I Ms. Rice said about $IM annually. The State generated a little over $2.5M for a total of $3.5M. Mr. Conlon said staff did a great job of maintaining facilities and balancing their priorities. I Councilor VanGordon said that was extremely important. Councilor Wylie said she liked the idea of the increase in Lane County of the car registration. Voters were feeling the pinch so they needed to be thoughtful in how they moved forward. She said she would suggest the car registration be based on the value of the vehicle. She also thought it would be fun to couple the registration increase with the UO Duck vanity license plate cover. Councilor Brew said the reason Springfield residents would pay for this was because they used the streets every day, but those in the unincorporated areas also benefited aind used the streets. He asked if they could have the Transportation System User Fee apply to them as well. Mr. Goodwin said they couldn't impose a fee inside the urban growth boundary (UGB) and he wasn't sure the County could impose a fee for just those within Springfield's UGB. Mayor Lundberg said when they first passed a gas tax, they did not go out to the voters because it was not required to go to the voters. Anything that was done could be challenged as there were special interest groups for everything. The question tonight was whether or not they wanted to have a poll. She would prefer to have some Council preferences before there was a poll. She had never supported a Transportation User Fee because SUB had never agreed to collect it so the City would need to come up with a way to collect. They needed to see the options clearly and what each would mean. She was supportive of the increased registration fee, but would prefer it if the State did that so it was statewide. She would like to see a studded tire fee at the State level. Those were options that were related to use of vehicles on the road. Priority Based Budgeting would be coming to Council soon to help the Council determine how to prioritize. The State was still a leader in thelper mile charge, but technology could change how that was collected. She was looking out ten years in the future and how to look at what could be done before fuel systems changed. She asked who got the revenue from the charging stations and felt the City should be charging people to use those. Many groups would have a vested interest in the City not collecting more money at their expense. She would like to see more concrete numbers before polling. Councilor Woodrow said they also needed to know what each option would generate. Mr. Conlon said staff could come back with those numbers and how to present to the citizens. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 28, 2013 Page 8 Mayor Lundberg said how things were worded was important and they needed to be careful in how they polled. Councilor Moore said she would like information on Washington and California's state registration fee and how it was ranked. I /_\ "Mill 301lu1ONI The meeting was adjourned at 6:41 p.m. Minutes Recorder — Amy Sown, Christine L. Lundberg Mayor Attest: Amy Sow City Recorder