HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/13/2014 Work SessionCity of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2014
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Library Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street,
Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, January 13, 2014 at 5:30 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg presiding.
ATTENDANCE
Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors Wylie, VanGordon, Moore, Ralston, Woodrow and
Brew. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City
Attorney Lauren King, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff.
I
1. Joint Meeting with Library Advisory Board.
Mayor Lundberg welcomed the Library Advisory Board to the meeting
Library Director Rob Everett thanked the Council for meeting with the Board. They had been looking
forward to this opportunity. He turned the presentation over to Library Board Chair Barbara Stramler.
Board Chair Barbara Stramler introduced the rest of the Library Advisory Board: Jocelyn Harley,
Janice Friend, Robyn Sattler and Laura Madsen. Board Member Gary Ross was not able to attend. Ms.
Stramler said since the Library Board had last met with the Council they had been very busy., They
had reviewed and vetted library policy and procedure changes; reviewed FYI 2/13 and FY 13/14
library budget presentations; proposed personnel changes including the reclassification of Latino
liaison to Librarian status and reclassification of Youth and Adult Services Manager to Associate
Manager were reviewed; and the number of board members was increased from five to seven to better
reflect and represent the entire Springfield community. Also, board member Carol Phillips decided not
to renew her term and was replaced by Gary Ross. The establishment of a reciprocal lending
agreement among the seven libraries in Lane County, except Eugene, was reviewed and vetted. Board
member Laura Madsen had become a member of the Oregon Library Association Executive Board,
and board members Laura Madsen and Robyn Sattler attended the Oregon/Washington Library
Association annual conference in 2013. In August 2012, an inaugural board retreat was held at which
time a vision and draft text list work plan was vetted to better inform the community about the value
of the library to the Springfield community and the need to improve its capacity to serve the
community. The Library participated in the University of Oregon Sustainable Cities project with
focus groups for library marketing study by journalism classes. They responded to Council queries
about how new technologies were affecting the provision of library service and about how other
Oregon communities had funded new library buildings in the past eight years. They set about defining
the library as a core community service. In regards to a new library initiative, research was done about
how other Oregon communities had improved library services during the current recession. A
community presentation was developed.
Board member Janice Friend said the Board would like to take the presentation to the larger
community and talk to them about the library services and help them become aware that this was their
library. There were misconceptions about libraries such as: "Libraries should be obsolete since I can
buy e -books from Amazon ". The truth was that books were no more threatened by Kindle than stairs
by elevators. The library prepared tens of thousands of our children to be successful in school by
introducing them to the joy of reading. Libraries informed people about topics and events that
affected their lives, such as the new health care plan. The library created a place where everyone,
regardless of age, economic status, race or gender could seek to improve themselves. Many
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Council Work Session Minutes
January 13, 2014
Page 2
Springfield residents didn't have access to computers or high -speed internet at home, or could afford
books. They came to the library to look for work, study, stay in touch with their families, etc. The
library built, expanded and improved the City's cultural life. The library provided a $1.32 return for
every tax dollar spent supporting library service.
Ms. Friend noted that there were 20,000 library card holders in Springfield, 180,000 visits per year,
354,000 checked -out books. CD's, DVD's and eBooks, 55,000 visits to the library website, and
17,000 attendances to story time and children, teen and adult programs. Last year, 1800 children
received a free book and incentives to read all summer long resulting in 12,000 books being read. The
library partnered with the Springfield School District and Rotary International to provide every
Springfield first grader with a free book and a library card through the Gift of Literacy program.
Ms. Friend described some of the programs for children. The library had recently received a math and
science grant for no- school Fridays. The Library Bookmark Contest had grown and now included
high school entries. In 2013, they received 2000 entries for this contest. She noted that programs for
teens were growing and had won the Youth Volunteer Services of the Year award from the Register
Guard and United Way. She discussed the programs available for adults and the Arts and Culture
Programs. The library won a national award for Dia de los Ninos y los Libros /Day of Children &
Books. The population of Springfield when the Library was built in 1981 was 41,621. The current
population was 59,840 and was projected to go to 71,000 by 2020. The library was below every
standard for a library with our current population. She shared a personal story about the importance of
the library in her life as a safe haven.
Ms. Sattler reviewed information about standards for Oregon public libraries. Springfield barely met
the minimal threshold for staff and size. The library was doing well in the category of collection
thanks to the Friends of the Library, the Library Foundation and grants received. It was time for the
Springfield community to start thinking about a new library. For our population, our library's physical
space was too small, our collection should be larger, and we needed more library hours, computers,
eReaders and eBooks. Some people may say we couldn't afford to build a new library, but the truth
was we couldn't afford not to. The library helped families and individuals most during times when
resources were scarce. From reading readiness to on -line job searches, from planting a garden to
planting a career, our library was here for every citizen of our community. Many Oregon communities
in the same circumstances as Springfield's had chosen to grow their library and enrich their
community. to the last eight years there had been eleven new libraries built in Oregon. She noted those
cities that had built a new library since 2006. Some libraries had partnered with residential
developers, school districts, and others and some had land that was donated for the purpose of a new
library. Partnering with other agencies, these libraries were able to provide other uses. The current
school budget trend was to eliminate school librarians. By partnering with the School District, they
could dedicate school librarians at the library to help with research homework for Springfield students.
Currently, the City owned property between the Justice Center and City Hall in which a new library
could be built, although this was not a pre - determined site. If a new library were built, they could find
out where in Springfield the community wanted a new library. The University of Oregon and the City
worked together in the Sustainable City Year (SCY) project during the 2011/12 school year. The
architect department was assigned to design a new library. She referred to some of their designs. This
was a great way for library staff and patrons to visualize the reality of a new library for Springfield.
The library received more than $100,000 from the Friends of the Library, the Library Foundation,
grants and awards. This funding allowed the library to increase hours, purchase more books and
provide more children, teen and adult programs. She noted that this presentation was what the Board
wanted to take out to the community. She reviewed some points on how people could help from
getting a library card, to attending a library program, rejoining their focus group.
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Council Work Session Minutes
January 13, 2014
Page 3
Ms. Harley said they were excited about the Library services Springfield had been able to provide.
They had a vision for the future and hoped to discuss that with the Council. They were seeking
feedback from the Council about what parts of the presentation they were most comfortable with
regarding tone, content and perspective. The Board had been working hard to articulate the vision.
They also wanted to understand the Council's perception about moving forward, if there were things
from the community presentation that Council wanted to hear more about, and if any of the councilors
would like to join the Board for a conversation or when they take the presentation out to the public.
Councilor Woodrow asked about the math and science grants.
Mr. Everett said the State of Oregon and the Springfield School District used STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math). The Library added Arts to change the acronym to STEAM. The
grant was from the Springfield Library Foundation to reconfigure the library's youth non - fiction
collection based on the STEAM curriculum. They secured youth programming funding from the
Friends of the Library which they had been earmarking for science and math programs for no school
days.
Councilor Woodrow said STEM (and STEAM) might be a relevant point to make in the presentation
and something the community could relate to since they were familiar with it in connection with the
schools. She asked about the time frame and what people could do now.
Ms. Harley said now people could do things as simple as get a library card, talk to people about the
library, and engage in the library services. They could also talk to their elected representatives.
Councilor Brew said he was fascinated with idea of partnerships. He provided examples of working
with Willamalane or the School District to share use of a building with the library. Lane Community
College was another possibility and it would be good to get their presence in Springfield. Partnerships
would get more people downtown, reduce the cost, show the Team Springfield spirit and make joint
use of spaces, such as classrooms by day and meeting rooms by night. Going forward, it would be a
benefit to show there was a capital campaign to raise funds for a campaign. Eugene talked about a
library for a long time, but reached a point where they needed to get the word out more.
Mr. Everett said they were looking at partnerships and relationships. The meeting room at City Hall
was a good example of that type of partnership since during the day it was an A3 classroom and also
served for community meetings. Currently, it was done more on a case by case basis rather than being
planned out, but they were trying to plan for those types of partnerships on a larger scale. The Youth
Services Manager was working very hard with the Springfield Public Schools to try to get an
understanding of their needs and how the two could work together to meet each other's needs. He
hadn't thought of LCC or the University of Oregon. He referred to Councilor Woodrow's comment
about what people could do now and felt it was important to answer that question to the community.
The first step was becoming part of the library family, and making it easier for them to access the
library remotely. There was still a place for facilities, but building multiple physical buildings was
difficult so reaching more citizens through the website was important. There were things that could be
done to improve library service in the short-term for less money. In every survey they had done,
respondents felt that the library should be open more hours. They were willing to work hard and work
smarter through technology.
Councilor Woodrow said this could generate a lot of excitement and interest, and they wanted to keep
that going. She suggested having a handful of cards with the library's website and hours listed that
people could hand out to friends or during a presentation.
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Council Work Session Minutes
January 13, 2014
Page 4
Councilor Moore thanked them for the life and vitality the library brought to downtown. She would
like to see that continue and grow. She asked how many classrooms had field trips to the library. It
would be nice to have more visits as it increased the interest for kids and their families.
Ms. Madsen said that was important for all teachers in the district to know. She said the Gift of
Literacy event was very important and provided every Is` grader with a library card whether they lived
within city limits or not.
Councilor VanGordon thanked the Board for their work. He served as the Council liaison to this Board
and was very comfortable with the presentation. It may be beneficial to add some type of timeline in
the presentation. This was the start of the conversation and they needed to get a sense of what the
community wanted and if they were on the right track. It was important to talk about what could be
done now because this was a long -tern expensive vision. He felt they could work towards the
minimum standards for open hours over a couple of years.
Ms. Harley asked if they were prepared to provide a response when people asked how they could help
with the new library.
Ms. Sattler said they could take their name and ask them to join the focus group.
Councilor Brew said the library was a major draw for downtown, but he was not sure if that was what
the citizens wanted. When poling, he would like them to ask people where they wanted the new
library.
Ms. Sattler said the Vancouver Library allowed use of the meeting rooms for free, but charged for
wedding receptions and parties, generating revenue. She noted that there were brown paper bags in
front of the Council. One of the adult programs at the library was to have a "Blind Date with a Book ".
It was a way to introduce people to a new genre or something they may not have originally read. These
were the Council's "Blind Date" books.
Mayor Lundberg said she had been a long time library supporter. They were on the right track talking
about it now and they should repeat the message a lot. It was good to talk about all the possibilities for
a new library, such as housing on one floor and the library on another floor. Once you got people to
think outside the box, you built enthusiasm, She suggested they get a calendar of all of the events that
happen downtown and start talking to people during those events. She also suggested providing an
opportunity for people to purchase library cards for those outside the city limits that couldn't afford a
card. That would be a way that people could help now. It was important to promote all of their
programming and that the library was a good place to get the kids out of the house and experience
different things. They did need to hear from the community and what they wanted. She looked
forward to all of the great work the Board was doing.
Councilor Moore said she would be happy to attend meetings and presentations.
Mr. Everett said they would provide a calendar of presentations to the Council.
2. 2013 Annual Financial Report.
Accounting Manager Nathan Bell presented the staff report on this item. In accordance with Oregon
Statues and the City's charter, the City was required to complete an annual audit and financial
statement. The report would be presented to the City Council at the February 3, 2014 regular meeting
on the consent calendar.
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Council Work Session Minutes
January 13, 2014
Page 5
Grove, Mueller & Swank, the City's independent auditors, had completed their audit of the City's
2012/2013 CAFR and had issued their opinion thereon. Mr. Swank, of Grove, Mueller & Swank, was
present to review the audit process, the Independent Auditor's Report, and the City's CAFR.
As a preliminary summary for the Council's information, it was noted that the auditor's found no
material weaknesses in the City's internal financial controls and they issued an "unqualified opinion"
on the City's financial statements. This meant that the City was properly accounting for its resources
and using adequate financial controls to help prevent the improper use of those resources.
Mr. Bell acknowledged staff members Meg Allocco, Sally McKay, Finance Director Bob Duey,
Community Development Manager John Tamulonis and Civil Engineer Jeff Paschall. This was Mr.
Bell's 9ht CAFR and one of his favorite parts, especially this year, was getting the significant
development events in the City over the past year from Mr. Tamulonis. It had been decreasing, but this
year there was an increase in events which was good news.
Mr. Swank said they placed an opinion on the CAFR, but staff did the actual work on the document.
They did a great job and the auditors were pleased with the work staff had done. It was a
commendable feat, not only because it was a lot of work, but because reporting rules kept changing.
Staff kept up on that. The City had submitted their CAFR to be graded nationally and had come back
with the award for the past 31 years because they met all of the requirements.
Mr. Swank said because the City was the recipient of federal dollars, two reports were required
showing how transactions were recorded and how federal dollars were handled. There were no
deficiencies in either of those reports. The last document was the report as it related to State of
Oregon requirements. The auditors provided a couple of recommendations related to budgeting in that
report. A Governance Letter was for the independent auditor to communicate to the governing body
any disagreements, unresolved issues, or other communications. No difficulties were presented and
only minor adjustments were recommended. Staff did furnish all information and it was true and
accurate. The last document was the Controlled Efficiency Letter. Auditors were charged to report
back any time they had issues in internal control or recommendations. If the City had significant
deficiencies or material weaknesses, the auditors would be required to report those to the Council and
they would be part of the Federal audit. There were no findings in this document so there were no
deficiencies. The auditors communicated good recommendations and housekeeping items to the
Finance Director. if those recommendations had been ignored by staff, the auditor would likely report
directly to the Council. To date, staff had been very good about following through on the
recommendations.
Councilor Woodrow asked what would be considered a deficiency.
Mr. Swank said if the City was not reconciling bank accounts. He gave other examples. It was
important for a city the size of Springfield to keep timely financial reports.
Councilor Moore asked how elected officials would know if there was an issue with the actual budget.
She asked what the auditor reviewed.
Mr. Swank said they looked at everything that happened from last year to this year.
Councilor Moore asked if the auditors would be aware if there was a large increase or decrease in a
particular area, or if that was something the Council should notice.
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Council Work Session Minutes
January 13, 2014
Page 6
Mr. Swank said the auditors wouldn't find it, but the finance staff would. The city budget was
budgeted by fund and was very detailed. One of the auditor's tools, as well as city staff s tools, was to
look at the relationship between the revenues and expenditures related to the budget. They made sure
there were good systems in place, and also looked carefully at the budget to actual figures. Municipal
auditing was enhanced by the ability to use those budgeting comparisons.
Councilor Moore said if there were discrepancies between the budget and what was spent, the auditor
would find that. As they went through the budget, Council was aware of what was being spent. She
asked if the auditor gave Council assurance the city's finances were in good shape.
Mr. Grimaldi said there was a difference between tracking the budget and the audit. He explained.
The most important thing about the audit was to look at the internal controls. Having good internal
controls allowed the city to catch things that weren't supposed to happen.
Mr. Swank said the auditors relied on the city's good controls. If they did not have good systems, the
City would get written up.
Mr. Bell said staff also compared last year's result with this year's result. If there was an unusual
amount, it must be justified and explained.
Mr. Grimaldi said the City should always look at the qualifications and track record of the auditor.
Councilor VanGordon said the audit showed the controls, yet there were always some suggestions and
he appreciated that. Staff addressed those things and always tried to get better. That made him feel
comfortable.
Councilor Wylie said organizations got in trouble when people didn't understand the budget or had
people in the department that didn't understand accounting. The audit was the final piece to determine
if they were doing everything right. We had a good department and good controls.
Councilor Brew said the thing he appreciated was that the Finance Department had to go through this
review each year so were improving every year. He was proud to have been associated with this
Finance Department.
Mr. Swank said the City had a long term of professionalism in Finance.
Mayor Lundberg said she appreciated the auditor and staff and was pleased with the good report
Mr. Swank thanked the city for the opportunity to work for the city.
3. Solid Waste Hauling.
Senior Management Analyst Rhonda Rice presented the staff report on this item. In 1969, Council
adopted Municipal Code 4.404 which created an exclusive franchise for solid waste hauling within the
city limits. An exclusive franchise was and continued to be seen as a benefit to the citizen and the city
as a whole. Sanipac was chosen as the solid waste hauler and a franchise agreement was put in place.
In 1969, to create an easy transition to a solid waste exclusive franchise the code allowed existing
competing haulers to continue operations, allowing them to compete until Sanipac won over the
customers. At that time the City had a history of large scale annexations, until approximately 1985.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
January 13, 2014
Page 7
Since that time the typical annexation had been much smaller, a single property or just a few infill
properties, or of undeveloped property. For some time, Sanipac had routinely approached owners of
occupied properties as they annexed and added them as customers. This practice had continued
without objection either from the City or from affected property owners. Given the lack of
dissatisfaction with the current practice, and the Council's policy with respect to annexation, it seemed
prudent to continue the practice and conform the Municipal Code to that practice. Proceeding in the
fashion contemplated by the Code provisions would probably lead to greater confusion and would
benefit neither the citizen nor the efficient provision of service.
A draft ordinance prepared by the City Attorney was attached for Council's review. If Council
concurred, staff would present the ordinance for a public hearing and first reading at a future meeting.
Councilor Brew said he supported this, but would like to propose looking at whether or not a franchise
was a benefit to the citizens and the city. He would like to revisit that during a work session.
Mayor Lundberg said this had discussed in the past.
Mr. Grimaldi said he would prefer to discuss this topic comprehensively during a work session. One
reason for the franchise was for control to set the rates. A thorough discussion should occur to give it a
thorough evaluation.
Mayor Lundberg said there were several layers to this conversation and it had been discussed several
times.
Councilor Moore asked if they were scheduled to meet with Sanipac
Ms. Rice said each fall the City received an annual report from Sanipac. If Council wanted to look at
changing the agreement in any way, they needed to give Sanipac a five -year transition period per the
contract. Staff could schedule a work session next fall when the report came out.
Mayor Lundberg said this ordinance was a housekeeping item.
Ms. Rice said the first reading would be held on January 21, 2014.
4. World Junior Championships Welcoming Event in Springfield.
City Manager Gino Grimaldi presented the staff report on this item. The use of discretionary Room
Tax Funds was typically done with the approval of the Mayor and City Council either through a
formal allocation process or adoption of the annual budget. Due to the timing of the proposed event,
staff was seeking City Council approval prior to a formal allocation process or adoption of the annual
budget. A comprehensive discussion of the allocation of room tax funds was scheduled for February
24, 2014.
An estimated 1,800 junior athletes, representing as many as 212 countries from around the world,
would arrive at Hayward Field for six days of competition from July 22 -27. The athletes that
participated in this event were under the age of 20 and it was the first time that event would be held in
the U.S. The 2012 event was held in Barcelona, Spain. In the world of track and field, the World
Junior Championships was known as a coming out party for athletes who became the sport's biggest
stars.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
January 13, 2014
Page 8
The proposed event was intended to show athletes, coaches and fans from around the world what our
community had to offer as well as provide an opportunity for our community to meet people from
other countries. Hosting international events such as this helped build momentum for future track and
field events that brought additional visitors and tourists to the area improving the economy and
increasing room tax revenue in the future.
Many details regarding the event would need to be developed. Attachment 1 of the agenda packet was
a draft proposed budget. For this budget, they were asking for $7500 in room tax funds from the City
and the same from Willamalane, to put on a concert and event in Island Park just before the World
Championships started. The event would be open to the public and event participants.
Annual discretionary room tax revenue could vary dramatically, but now was approximately
$200,000. At this time, the room tax fund had $333,431 in reserves.
Consensus from the Council was to allocate the funds for this event
Councilor Woodrow asked if there were other things the City could do.
Mr. Grimaldi said there would be an opportunity for local athletes to get involved. Willamalane would
bring all of their Summer day care groups to Hayward Field to enjoy the events.
Councilor Moore asked if they could involve Lane Transit District (LTD) and get EmX passes for
participants.
Mr. Grimaldi said that was a possibility. Hopefully, they could then continue on the bus to other areas
of Springfield to enjoy what we had to offer.
Mayor Lundberg said there had been several discussions about the different opportunities. This event
was for the athletes prior to the competition.
Mr. Grimaldi said Vin Lahanna would like to bring more track and field events to this region and to
Oregon. This was one way to show the world that Oregon could put on world class event.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 6:55 p.m.
Minutes Recorder — Amy Sowa
Christine L. Lundberg
Mayor
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