HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 07 Council Minutes AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 7/7/2014
Meeting Type: Regular Meeting
Staff Contact/Dept.: Amy Sowa Staff Phone No: 541-726-3700
Estimated Time: Consent Calendar
S P R I N G F I E L D C I T Y C O U N C I L Council Goals: Mandate
ITEM TITLE:
COUNCIL MINUTES
ACTION REQUESTED: By motion, approval of the attached minutes.
ISSUE STATEMENT:
The attached minutes are submitted for Council approval.
ATTACHMENTS:
Minutes: a) May 19, 2014 – Regular Meeting b) May 27, 2014 – Work Session
c) June 2, 2014 – Regular Meeting
DISCUSSION/ FINANCIAL IMPACT:
None.
City of Springfield
Regular Meeting
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY MAY 19, 2014
The City of Springfield Council met in regular session in the Council Chambers, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday May 19, 2014 at 7:04 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg presiding.
ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors VanGordon, Moore, Ralston, Woodrow and Brew. Also
present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith, Administrative Assistant Amy Jo Ripka and members of the staff.
Councilor Wylie was absent (excused).
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor Lundberg.
SPRINGFIELD UPBEAT
1. Mayor’s Recognition
a. Recognition of Kevin Ko, Housing Programs Analyst.
City Manager Gino Grimaldi said Kevin Ko has taken a position at Clackamas County and will be moving to Portland. Although Mr. Ko was just a couple of weeks shy of his 20 years with the
City, the time he has put in with the city equals more than 20 years. Mr. Grimaldi presented Mr. Ko with his 20-year plaque. He noted the service Mr. Ko has provided to the City and the citizens
of Springfield, making their lives much better with compassion and a sense of purpose. He has
been a quiet and effective leader, and will be greatly missed.
Mr. Ko introduced his wife, Val Ko, who was in the audience. He has been honored to have served
the Mayor and Council over the years and has always felt supported. Taking this new position was a very tough decision. He and his wife love the Eugene/Springfield area, but the opportunity
presented itself at the right time. He appreciates the City of Springfield and John Tamulonis for hiring him.
Mayor Lundberg presented Mr. Ko with a plaque from the Mayor and Council. She said she
served on the Human Services Commission before she started as a councilor and has worked with Mr. Ko since that time. She had always found him to be someone she could look to and ask his
opinion. He had also written a letter as a citizen to the Mayor and she appreciated his opinion. The plaque is in appreciation of his leadership, integrity and service to the citizens of Springfield. She wished him the best in his new job.
CONSENT CALENDAR
1. Claims
a. Approval of April 2014, Disbursements for Approval
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Council Regular Meeting Minutes
May 19, 2014 Page 2
2. Minutes
a. April 21, 2014 – Regular Session
b. April 28, 2014 – Work Session c. May 5, 2014 – Work Session d. May 5, 2014 – Regular Session
3. Resolutions
4. Ordinances
a. ORDINANCE NO. 6319 – 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 WILLAKENZIE RURAL FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT AND THE
RAINBOW WATER DISTRICT.
5. Other Routine Matters IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW 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 – WYLIE).
ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR 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
1. Reverend June Fothergill, Ebbert Memorial United Methodist Church and Springfield Shelter Rights Alliance (SSRA), Springfield, OR. Reverend Fothergill said her church has been involved
in the St. Vincent DePaul parking program for several years. She thanked the Council for recently improving that program by including the Conestoga Huts. These huts allow people without vehicles or housing, to have a safe and legal place to be. There are currently five huts in
Springfield, two at the First Baptist Church on G Street, two at Northwood Christian Church on
Hayden Bridge Road, and one at St. John’s Episcopal Church on Game Farm Road. These huts have been a great help to our neighbors without housing. She is very proud to report that one of
the women who was recently in a hut, has now moved into her own apartment. Having a safe place off the street allowed her to move her life forward. Reverend Fothergill is currently on the team that selects the possible Hut residents. They have a waiting list and are working to get five more
huts in Springfield, and doing fundraising to help with that. She thanked the Council for their willingness to allow these vital programs that help some of our most vulnerable neighbors.
2. Pastor Peter Fones, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Springfield, OR Pastor Fones said their parish has been in partnership with Springfield Shelter Rights Alliance (SSRA) since February 22, 2014
and are hosting a Conestoga Hut on their property. One single adult male, Frank, has lived there
since that time. Pastor Fones said he is honored to have the opportunity to provide Frank with that
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Council Regular Meeting Minutes
May 19, 2014 Page 3
chance. Frank is either working, looking for work or helping the church on their property. He
works through a temp agency and takes the bus, but was recently able to purchase a new bicycle to get where he needs. He is a hard worker. It is important to be able to provide this opportunity.
Frank takes care of his work and bills, and also volunteers at the parish twice a month helping set up and distribute meals at their food pantry. The parish is able to give, and Frank is able to give as well. Their parish is considering a second hut. They have not had any complaints from neighbors
and the property is being well cared for. He thanked the Council and City for allowing this to occur.
3. Leonard Tarantola, Eugene, OR. Mr. Tarantola said he has two business developments in the Springfield area. He builds small business workshops. He has discovered that some of his tenants
are leaving to rent at the Booth Kelly development because the rents are so much lower. It is a
very unequal playing field from that point of view. He suggests the City should get out of the business of competing with the private sector because of that advantage. He suggests the City sell
Booth Kelly at fair market value, and let a private party compete in the private world. This has
happened to him more than once and he has mentioned it before. It seems very unfair. Their consideration is appreciated.
4. Jeff Harms, Springfield, OR Mr. Harms said he is here as a member of the Pacific NW Regional Council of Carpenters. The Glenwood Refinement Plan is an exciting proposition for our
community, bringing life to the corridor between two of Oregon’s greatest communities. His concern lies in the subsidies the City and County are giving to a development group in order to fund the proposed Riverfront Hotel and Conference Center. The need to subsidize private projects
with public money should be debated, however, with the City’s commitment of $2.5M and the County’s proposed commitment of $6M, the public benefits and contractor requirements should be assigned a contract. The City of Eugene has recently chosen to give $8.5M in tax exemptions to
the Capstone Collegiate Communities for projects in downtown Eugene. This project has resulted in over 20 OSHA violations, most of which are serious in nature. Contractors performing the work
were not licensed in the State of Oregon and multiple wait complaints of withholding pay, no
overtime, unsanitary and unsafe working conditions have resulted. He hopes the City of Springfield can create a policy that holds developers and contractors accountable to labor laws and
protects the community that is funding nearly half of the construction costs. Such subsidies should
be denied or rescinded based on the project requirements and performance pending the City’s discretion. He asked them to consider installing clawback language which gives the City the
ability to rescind tax money for serious safety and/or labor violations. Such violations typically have monetary penalties that do not carry enough of a financial impact to stop unscrupulous business practices. The City Council has the authority and obligation to the City of Springfield and
its citizens to adopt policies that protect the community from these irresponsible contractors and developers. As a representative of the Carpenters’ Union, it is his duty to uphold wage, safety and community standards. He is appalled at the obvious exploitation of our local labor force in the
Capstone Project. It is disgusting how this project and many others like it have such a lack of respect for humanity and our community. Please don’t let this happen in Springfield. We need accountability for the actions that hurt our community, not rewards of public money. He is asking
the City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners to have the courage and foresight to proactively govern this process so they can continue to offer incentives for development projects
which encourage responsible job creation and economic growth. He asked the City Council and
Board of Commissioners to explore options to adopt criteria that will hold all parties responsible.
5. Leonard Tarantola, Eugene, OR Mr. Tarantola said on projects such as the Capstone Project
where they are asking for a tax break, they show their bottom line of a 3% return on investment at
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Council Regular Meeting Minutes
May 19, 2014 Page 4
a cost of $89M. Based on the minimal return on investment, the developer said they needed a tax
break to make it worthwhile. He felt that at the end of the project, it would be appropriate to see if the developer’s costs are actually $89M. If their costs are considerably less and their return on
investment much higher, they should not get the tax break. That check at the end of the project to see if those calculations are valid would be appropriate.
COUNCIL RESPONSE
Councilor Brew said Capstone was unique because it was a tax credit. He asked the City Attorney if
the Davis/Bacon prevailing wage laws applied if the City gave the developer cash for the Glenwood conference center.
Ms. Smith said it would depend on who is doing the construction. It would apply if the public entity was doing the construction, but may not if it was being done by the private developer.
CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS BIDS ORDINANCES
1. Springfield Fire Code, 2014 Edition.
ORDINANCE NO. 2 – AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING A FIRE CODE FOR THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD BY ADOPTING, AMENDING, ADDING AND DELETING SECTIONS TO THE STATE OF OREGON 2014 FIRE CODE AMENDMENTS REGULATING AND
GOVERNING THE SAFEGUARDING OF LIFE AND PROPERTY FROM FIRE AND EXPLOSION HAZARDS ARISING FROM THE STORAGE, HANDLING AND USE OF
HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES, MATERIAL AND DEVICES, AND FROM CONDITIONS
HAZARDOUS TO LIFE OR PROPERTY IN THE OCCUPANCY OF BUILDINGS AND PREMISES AS HEREIN PROVIDED; PROVIDING FOR THE ISSUANCE OF PERMITS AND
COLLECTION OF FEES THEREFORE; AND REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 6257
ADOPTED JUNE 21ST OF 2010 BY THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD.
Springfield Fire Marshal, Al Gerard, presented the staff report on this item. The Fire Code adopted by the city must be consistent with State Fire Protection Statutes, and equal to
or more stringent than the Fire Code promulgated by the State Fire Marshal. The State Fire Marshal
has adopted the 2014 Edition of the International Fire Code with an effective date of July 1, 2014. The Department of Fire & Life Safety is currently enforcing the 2010 Edition of the International Fire
Code with Oregon and Springfield Amendments. Adoption of the 2014 Edition of the International Fire Code with Amendments will enable the
Department of Fire & Life Safety to provide a high level of fire safety protection within the City. This Ordinance shall take effect July 1, 2014 upon its adoption by the Council and approval by the
Mayor so that the City of Springfield Fire Code is compliant with the State of Oregon 2014 Fire Code
Amendments which become effective July 1, 2014.
Replacement of International Fire Code books have totaled approximately $1800 spent out of the
FY13-14 budget.
City of Springfield
Council Regular Meeting Minutes
May 19, 2014 Page 5
Items to Note: • The 2014 Oregon Fire Code has been completely reorganized to make it easier for its users.
• Traffic calming devices are prohibited unless approved by the Fire Code Official • Emergency responder radio coverage requirements have become further clarified • Emergency lighting testing and maintenance requirements are now in the fire code.
No action requested. First reading only.
BUSINESS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL
1. Committee Appointments 2. Business from Council
a. Councilor Moore said she had a great time on Saturday at the Spring Cleanup Event. It is nice to greet people that are so happy about an event put on by the City.
Mayor Lundberg agreed. She said they would add dog treats to hand out next year. BUSINESS FROM THE CITY MANAGER
1. Approve a Contract Amendment for Pre-Scheduled and Inter-facility Non-Emergent Basic Life Support Ambulance Transports in ASA #5 with Rural Metro of Oregon, Inc.
Deputy Fire Chief, Joe Zaludek, presented the staff report on this item.
Springfield Fire & Life Safety is requesting to modify the current contract for pre-scheduled inter-
facility non-emergent basic life support ambulance transports with Rural Metro of Oregon, Inc. to align Springfield’s contract with City of Eugene’s.
Fire & Life Safety selected Rural Metro of Oregon, Inc. through an RFP process in 2011 to provide ongoing services for non-emergency, basic life support ground ambulance transports within ASA
#5. The current contract extension expires on January 31, 2015.
Rural Metro of Oregon, Inc. (RMA) provides pre-scheduled and inter-facility non-emergent basic
life support ambulance transport services within the Ambulance Service Area assigned to Springfield (ASA #5) as part of a tiered response plan. The City of Eugene Fire & EMS also contracts with Rural Metro for similar services. This amendment will align Springfield’s contract
with Eugene’s. With the IAFF workforce integration slated for July 1, 2014, it is imperative our operating strategies are identical across the metro area. This amendment allows RMA to respond to
certain low-level scene calls in ASA #5, a minor change in the work RMA currently performs for
Springfield. This change is part of the larger vision for our tiered ambulance system, as discussed with Council in past presentations.
SFLS will continue to provide emergency ambulance responses at the advanced life support (ALS) level, while providing appropriate resources to handle certain calls requiring a lower level of care.
This tiered response system provides the best use of limited resources, and ensures quality
emergency medical care throughout the community.
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Council Regular Meeting Minutes
May 19, 2014 Page 6
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR
RALSTON TO AUTHORIZE CITY MANAGER TO SIGN A CONTRACT AMENDMENT WITH RURAL METRO OF OREGON, INC. FOR PRE-SCHEDULED AND INTER-
FACILITY NON-EMERGENT BASIC LIFE SUPPORT AMBULANCE TRANSPORTS IN ASA #5. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 ABSENT – WYLIE).
2. Municipal Court Appointed Attorney Services to the City of Springfield.
Finance Director, Bob Duey, presented the staff report on this item.
The City of Springfield currently contracts with numerous individual attorneys on a rotating basis for court appointed services. Substantial increased activity in the Court has resulted in this system becoming administratively inefficient for the Court and requires additional coordination for the City’s
Prosecutor. Re-appointments of a second attorney for a single defendant for show causes and failures to appear results in additional cost and time. Court Administration is looking to improve the current system and control future costs by contracting with single firm for all appointments.
In a Financial Judiciary review February 24, 2014 Council work session it was recommended the staff
embark on a sourcing exercise for the City court appointed services. In March 2014 a Request for
Proposals (RFP) was publically issued in accordance with City purchasing administrative regulations. The City received two responses – Rosta & Connelly, P.C. and McKenzie Defense Consortium, LCC.
The RFP proposals submitted were evaluated by the City Manager’s Office, Police Department, the
Prosecutor’s office, three sitting Judges, the Court Supervisor and the Director of Finance, who is also the Court Administrator.
The RFP was issued for an estimated case load of over 2,100 new case appointments per year with an existing backlog of show causes. Criteria for evaluation included cost, qualifications, service delivery,
workload management and proposal completeness. The McKenzie Defense Consortium, LCC has been selected as the most responsible respondent. The
value of the contract is estimated to be $236,500. Expenses for indigent representation in FY12 were $220,000 and in FY13 were $238,500. FY14 is
projected to be similar to FY13. The contract value is not anticipated to reduce the line item budget for indigent defense, but a single consortium providing the services will have a significant effect on
soft cost savings which include court staff time and city prosecutor’s discovery efforts.
Mr. Duey said the Court is looking at other things that can be done in their processes to help reduce
the costs in the future.
Councilor VanGordon asked if $95/per case is our current rate.
Mr. Duey said the current rate is $75/per case.
Councilor VanGordon asked about the language in the contract stating that the City would only get reimbursed $80 if the defense attorneys didn’t meet the case threshold in the contract. He asked for clarification on that section.
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Council Regular Meeting Minutes
May 19, 2014 Page 7
Mr. Duey said the administrative costs are built into the number of cases they are handling. Until they
get to a more clear number of cases, they didn’t want them to be assigned work and not get paid for the case. Their overhead is based on a certain number of cases. The number of cases is difficult to
determine. Previously, the attorneys were paid per charge, which could mean multiple charges per case. This contract would pay them per case, and would actually reduce overall costs.
Mr. Towery said another factor was that every time there was a failure to appear, the case was pulled from the initial attorney and given to the next attorney. Both attorneys would get paid. In this case, the
consortium gets all the cases, but there is only one payment for each case.
Councilor VanGordon asked if there was a conflict of interest with the consortium being made up of
attorneys from different offices.
Mr. Duey said they had required the consortium to get a letter from the Oregon State Bar that states
that as long as they are not co-mingling and their funds and records are kept a certain way, there will
be no conflict of interest if they move from one attorney to another. The consortium has agreed to those terms.
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WOODROW WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR RALSTON TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE AND SIGN AN
AGREEMENT WITH MCKENZIE DEFENSE CONSORTIUM, LLC FOR COURT APPOINTED ATTORNEY SERVICES FOR THE PERIOD FROM JULY 1, 2014 TO JUNE 30, 2015 WITH THREE (3) ONE (1) YEAR RENEWALS. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A
VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 ABSENT – WYLIE).
BUSINESS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned 7:35 p.m.
Minutes Recorder Amy Sowa
______________________
Christine L. Lundberg Mayor
Attest:
____________________
City Recorder
City of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
TUESDAY MAY 27, 2014
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Tuesday May 27, 2014 at 5:30 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors VanGordon, Moore, Ralston, Woodrow and Brew. Also
present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith and Lauren King, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff.
Councilor Wylie absent (excused).
1. Overview of the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC)
Environmental Services Manager, Matt Stouder, presented the staff report on this item.
Mr. Stouder introduced Michele Cahill, Eugene Wastewater Division Director. He also acknowledged Councilor Marilee Woodrow who served as the Springfield council representative on the MWMC.
The Council has expressed an interest in learning more about the MWMC, its operations and assets, and factors and regulations driving MWMC’s capital program and regional wastewater budget.
Mr. Stouder presented a power point for this discussion. The Clean Water Act was passed in 1972. The MWMC was formed in 1977 by an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between Eugene,
Springfield and Lane County, to provide wastewater collection and treatment services for the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area. That was done at that time, in part, to take advantage of Federal funding available to construct wastewater treatment plants. A groundbreaking for the treatment plant
was held in 1979, and it came online in 1984. In 1989, the bioswales management facility came online. The MWMC manages regional assets with a net worth of approximately $300 million,
including the Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF), the Biosolids Management Facility and
Biocycle Farm, the Beneficial Reuse Site, and regional pump stations and pipelines.
Under the terms of the IGA, Springfield provides for the construction of regional facilities, permit
compliance and administration, financial planning and budgeting, facilities planning, property management, and other duties. The City of Eugene is responsible for operation and maintenance of all
regional facilities, as well as managing MWMC’s laboratory and associated testing requirements. The MWMC holds a National Discharge Permit Elimination System (NPDES) permit, issued in 2002
by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). This permit expired in 2006 and has been placed on administrative extension by DEQ, with a permit renewal likely in the next few years. Provisions contained within the NPDES permit are the primary drivers that affect the MWMC’s
capital program, budget and rates. In 2004, the MWMC Facilities Plan (FP) was approved by MWMC and the governing bodies, and laid the framework for approximately $200 million to be invested in capital improvement projects to meet water quality requirements contained within the permit. Meeting
the covenants associated with over $115 million in revenue bonds issued in 2006 and 2008 and Clean
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May 27, 2014 Page 2
Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) loans to invest in projects within the 20-year FP is a key factor
affecting the regional budget and rates, as is establishing revenue adequacy to fully fund reserves and adequately operate and maintain the regional facilities.
MWMC is positioning itself for a future NPDES permit renewal and foresees a number of new and/or revised water quality regulatory issues on the horizon. These new issues, including requirements
related to temperature, toxic pollutants and a host of other water quality parameters, will continue to require planning, capital investments, and an increased focus on source control through pretreatment
programs and will drive future MWMC budget and rates.
The MWMC representatives include 3 elected officials and 4 citizen representatives. The key
outcomes for MWMC are:
• High environmental standards
• Fiscal management that is effective and efficient
• A successful IGA partnership
• Maximize reliability.
Ms. Cahill pointed out the locations of the regional facilities and pump stations. Regional staff
operates all 53 pump stations for both local communities. The regional wastewater treatment plant has a capacity to treat 277 million gallons a day, so there is capacity for growth in future years. On an
average day, they treat 30 million gallons. They are open 24/7, 365 days a year. The main purpose of
the plant is to take dirty water and make it clean as most of it gets discharged to the Willamette River. A bioproduct of cleaning the water are the biosolids which are then transformed to soil amendments.
In that process, gas is created which is then used for heat and electricity in their processes and operations. The biosolids are pumped about six miles to Autumn Lane to the biosolids management facility. At that site, there are four lagoons where they further stabilize the biosolids, and thirteen
drying beds. The biosolids then go through presses and other processes that turns the biosolid into soil amendments. They create about 4500 dry tons of soil amendment a year and apply it at the poplar fields and nearby farmer’s fields of non-food products. They had 600 acres of agricultural land, 400 of
which is planted in poplar trees. The trees are watered in part with recycled water. Mr. Stouder reviewed and described the revenues and expenses for MWMC. A large portion of the
expenses went towards operations to keep the facilities running. Approximately 33% of expenditures are used to pay back revenue bonds to cover loans for capital projects. Roughly 16% of the funding
went to capital programs. The Commission strives to use system development charge (SDC) revenues
for debt service, maximize capital transfers and stay in a position to make only the lowest responsible rate increases. The main drivers for their financing are to meet the existing bond conveyance, maintain
a favorable credit rating and also to avoid rate spikes, and positioning for future capital investments.
He referred to the 2004 Facilities Plan that was a phased ‘build as needed’ approach. It was a $195 M (2006 dollars) project funded in part with bonds. The Plan focused on wet weather flows and sanitary
sewer overflow reduction that related to a bacteria rule put into place. An update on this Plan will be done in the next few years.
Ms. Cahill referred to a slide showing how things went from pretreat to final clean water to the river. The facility plan touched every process at the plant. She acknowledged the good work by Springfield staff as the administrative partner of MWMC. They did a great job working with the operational
people to minimize disruption, and kept things moving forward while keeping operations going. She noted some of the work done including improved aeration basins and relined lagoons. They strived to be a good neighbor to those residences nearby in regards to odor control and landscaping.
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Mr. Stouder said this year MWMC did their first trial harvest of some of the poplars at the poplar farm. They have 400 acres divided into three management units and they harvested 52 acres of the
oldest poplars. The remaining harvest would occur in 2014/2015. The harvest included 100% of the tree. The materials were processed and chipped onsite and were shipped to western Oregon and Washington markets. They worked with Lane Forest Products in this process.
Councilor Ralston asked what the wood was used for.
Mr. Stouder said it was mostly chips.
Ms. Cahill said it could also be made into cardboard boxes and charcoal.
Mr. Stouder said due to the twelve year cycle, it was difficult to get it large enough for saw logs and it
was a soft wood. They did find a good chip market. There are a number of challenges faced by
MWMC in the future including permit renewal, temperature standards, toxic pollutants, and facilities plan update. Appeals had been filed on some of those standards, making it difficult for MWMC to
plan, budget and construct projects. Oregon has some of most stringent toxic standards in the nation and those will be incorporated into the permit in the future. Some of the toxics, such as certain metals and pesticides, can’t be treated at the plant so would need a separate facility. He provided a slide
showing national trends and cost of treating water compared to the average Consumer Prices Index (CPI). Different environmental requirements are put into permits depending on the region. Regardless of location, the projected trend is for user fees to continue to increase due to aging infrastructure and
more stringent standards. They tried to offset costs to ratepayers through resource recovery. Sixty percent of the plant is powered through methane gas from the sites. They continue to provide
education, offer facility tours, and provide the Clean Water University program for 5th grade students.
The Commission is considering a survey of the community to gauge their level of understanding and interest in MWMC and use that as a baseline in moving forward. They also have an eNewsletter.
Councilor Moore spoke regarding the capacity and asked why it was so high compared to the average.
Mr. Stouder said they had gotten close to capacity during wet weather periods.
Councilor Moore said it didn’t look like there was that much capacity throughout the system.
Mr. Stouder said it was the overall capacity for anything coming into the plant.
Ms. Cahill said it is a hydrolic capacity for wet weather. There are more improvements scheduled in
the Facilities Plan to capitalize on meeting 277 gallons full treatment. They are able to meet the permit and treat 277 gallons now.
Councilor Moore asked about the issue during the ice and snow storms, and the power outage.
Mr. Stouder that was taken into account, but there was no credit for the storm.
Councilor Moore said she understood for other damage throughout the City, we are able to get some
assistance.
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Council Work Session Minutes
May 27, 2014 Page 4
Mr. Stouder said they also submitted to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the
labor and materials costs.
A video regarding MWMC was shown. Mayor Lundberg said there are two pieces: the treatment and the capacity. Since we have more
stringent requirements than other states, we will need to continue to pay to meet those requirements. She asked what as being done at the metro level for overflow, how much is on the City of Springfield,
and how does it get fixed. She didn’t want to build more capacity until they met the requirements for
the water going back into the river. She asked how they can address capacity in terms of getting rid of leaky pipes.
Mr. Stouder said there are capacity and wet-weather issues, as well as toxics issues that will need to be addressed. Regarding the volume, they are looking to extend a contract with the consultant on scoping
a private lateral program. Private laterals are the portion of the private system that comes from the
house to the main line. The public portion of the system had been invested in significantly. They will look at both communities and talking about next steps. With any program they put in place, they will
need to decide how and when and the appropriate vehicle. They are also looking at a program called Capacity Management Operations and Maintenance (CMOM) program which addresses private laterals and management practices of the entire sanitary sewer system. The MWMC will adopt a
framework for that piece next month. The local agencies had done a gap analysis of their programs for maintenance practices.
Mayor Lundberg said in terms of a lateral program, the laterals are the property owner’s direct expense. She asked if they had a timeline for that type of program.
Mr. Stouder said part of the study was to determine what a program would look like and how it could be funded. Several options including starting with some seed money, having property owners pay
immediately when a problem is identified, or having the property owner pay upon sale of the house or
property transfer.
Mayor Lundberg said it is a looming issue and would be costly, so people needed to be prepared and they needed to find ways to address it.
Mr. Stouder said staff would be reporting back on that topic. Councilor Moore asked if the flow meter is a prohibitive cost from a residence to the public system.
Mr. Stouder said there are flow meters spread out throughout the public side of the system. If people are interested in installing their own meter, they can look into it further. Significant rehabilitation has
been done in certain public sections of pipe. They had full monitoring data previous to that rehab and would compare it to data post-rehab to see if there has been an affect. If there is not a large affect, they
can assume there is a large contribution from private lines.
Councilor Moore said there is a flow meter for water coming into her house and wondered how
difficult it would be to put a flow meter where the private system goes into the public system, from the
house.
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Mr. Stouder said he is not aware of any residents having that and it could be costly to retrofit the lines
to install that. There are a number of other ways to get to the same data. Considering the age of our wastewater infrastructure, anything they could do to keep to the 277M gallons would eliminate the
need to expand. Councilor Brew said if water could get in during wet weather, then sewage could get out.
Mr. Stouder said water coming in was pressurized, but that didn’t mean there aren’t cracks in the pipe
which could allow some seepage.
Mayor Lundberg said the lateral issue was something that needed addressed.
2. Flat Monthly Wastewater Rates.
Environmental Services Manager, Matt Stouder, presented the staff report on this item.
Council has expressed an interest in investigating the merits of billing residential customers for local
wastewater services based upon a flat monthly rate. Currently, the City bills local wastewater services to customers based upon the volume of wastewater used per account.
Generally, utilities are billed based on demand placed on the system which is determined by a meter. This allowed flexibility and choices for the user to affect their bill directly. It also allowed the utility to measure changes in demand on the system over time and allowed charges to be distributed based on
actual usage, which was generally more equitable. There are three methods for billing: volume meter (currently in use by the City); bill on a base charge plus a flow component (currently used by
MWMC); or bill using a flat fee. Of the 15 Oregon utility agencies that Springfield includes in its
annual rate comparison, most apply wastewater charges based on the volume of services provided. Two cities, Gresham and Bend, bill using a flat rate. Staff contacted both communities and found that
they are engaged in a public process to move to a volume based charge. Springfield has about 16,750
residential accounts with average revenue of $4.2M generated in wastewater user fees. The average home in Springfield uses 4500 gallons of wastewater per month which equates to a $19.07 per month
charge (local charge only). The table on page 2 of Attachment 1 of the agenda packet shows billing units and gallons of wastewater consumed versus charges. He discussed the current billing method and the cost per billing unit, and an estimated flat monthly charge. Currently the average user uses
about six billing units (4500 gallons) per month and pay $19.07. In a scenario of a flat rate, the cost would be approximately $20.50. He described how they determined the flat rate. With a flat rate, the more wastewater used, the more the user would benefit, and those using less than the average amount
would pay more than they do currently. Currently, the City contracts with Springfield Utility Board (SUB) through an intergovernmental agreement for utility billing for stormwater and wastewater. For stormwater and wastewater, the charge is about $162,000 per year. If they implemented a flat rate,
they could continue to have SUB do the billing or could look at what it would take to bill internally. Staff estimates it would take two full-time staff to administer a billing program, which would include
program oversight, supervision, and appropriate software/hardware. If Council was interested in
exploring these options further, the next steps would be to do a more detailed analysis of residential customer usage to determine the impact on accounts; talk with SUB about the utility billing services to
identify cost adjustments; develop and evaluate costs associated with the City taking on the billing
services; discuss with partnering agencies of MWMC to identify concerns and/or unintended consequences; and provide outreach to Springfield’s customers regarding any changes or impacts.
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Councilor Ralston said charging a flat rate would cause people to use more water, and would mean
those that don’t use much would be subsidizing those that use a lot.
Mayor Lundberg said this was brought up because SUB is charging the City $162,000 to monitor the meters.
Councilor Ralston said if we had to hire two people, it would cost more.
Councilor Brew said he asked this to come to Council. If they divided the total revenue by the total
number of residential billings, they came up with an average which is lower than what the average user actually uses. He asked if they are talking about a median in one instance and a mean in another
case.
Mr. Stouder said it could be the median and mean. They didn’t have information on the individual
accounts, but only the number of accounts and the average usage.
Councilor Brew said SUB has to check all their meters, but the City is paying half of their cost and
passing that off on our sewer bills. He felt that was unreasonable. He wasn’t advocating the City take on the billing, but questioning why we are paying the meter charge to SUB if they would have to check meters anyway. Out of the 15 cities, he wondered how many of them were in control of who
checked the meters. It is not common that the City and utility would be separate. He referred to the chart and asked how much of the $19.07 average cost is a fixed cost and how much is variable.
Mr. Stouder said he would need further analysis to determine those costs separately.
Councilor Brew said if $10 was the fixed cost and the rest was variable, it could vary less than the $2.
His main question is the amount being charged by SUB. If we could save our ratepayers and citizens money by going to a flat rate, he would support that. He agreed having a cost component for usage
encouraged people to use less.
Councilor Woodrow said she is not a proponent of a flat rate. She uses as little water as possible to
keep her costs down and a flat rate will increase her bill by $8 or $9. She understood the concern about the extra money for SUB, but didn’t feel the flat rate was the answer. They should look further into the fee paid to SUB and see if there is a way to address that.
Mr. Grimaldi said they could talk to SUB about renegotiating the contract. Another approach would be to look at alternatives such as doing our own billing. The second option would involve asking SUB
what they would charge for the City to access their data. Mr. Stouder said the amount charged by SUB had not increased for many years, and they were not
expecting that to increase. There would be costs in running our own program.
Mr. Grimaldi said there was an economy of scale and staff could look for partners where possible. He
noted that Eugene paid EWEB for their billing services. Doing it on our own would not likely produce savings, but working with partners could be a lower cost.
Councilor Moore asked how Lane County was involved in MWMC and if there are Lane County users.
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Mr. Stouder said there are some county residents on the regional side. Lane County was in charge of
doing a lot of the fund management initially when the plant was built. There have been conversations of further regionalization by adding other nearby cities.
Councilor Moore said there are people living just outside the city limits whose water runs off into City streets. She asked if they paid.
Mr. Goodwin said they don’t pay a stormwater user fee.
Mr. Stouder said they were not likely connected to the system.
Discussion was held regarding those outside the city limits not paying into the system, and others in
the city limits who are not connected to the system yet are paying.
Councilor VanGordon said he was ready to walk away from the discussion of flat rates. He wanted to
keep an incentive for people to conserve water and save money. The $162,000 fee to SUB seemed reasonable and he wasn’t ready to have the City take on our own billing as it would mean another bill
for residents to receive. He would like to see an itemized contract so they know exactly what services they are paying to SUB.
Mayor Lundberg asked if the billing rate from SUB had increased on a regular basis. Mr. Stouder said it has gone up, but not in the last few years.
It was noted that costs would go up with an increase in users, postage and other costs.
Councilor Brew asked if the $162,000 was the total the City paid to SUB.
Mr. Stouder said that was what Springfield paid locally to SUB.
Council asked staff to bring back details of what the City paid to SUB.
Councilor Moore said she would also like to see a comparison of what Eugene paid to EWEB. Mayor Lundberg said they would not pursue the flat rate, but would look closer at the amount paid to SUB for their billing services.
3. Springfield 2030 Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) Study: Council Discussion (Metro Plan Amendment File No. LRP 2009-00014)
Principal Planner, Linda Pauly, presented the staff report on this item.
The Council is in the process of reviewing new information and identifying additional information to
be provided by staff to inform the City’s UGB expansion and 2030 plan policy proposals.
• At the April 28th work session the Council received information to compare the probable
costs of providing urban levels of service to the five study areas and directed staff to provide more information to inform Council’s discussion, including but not limited to: Commercial
Industrial Buildable Land/Employment Opportunities Analysis (CIBL/EOA) policy choices;
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location and size of redevelopment areas in the existing UGB; feasibility and cost of phasing
service extensions to expansion areas or portions thereof; and economic development considerations.
• At the May 5th work session the Council reviewed the Results of Stakeholder Outreach and directed staff to provide more information about flood plain development and agricultural uses.
• At the May 12th work session, Council received information about cost to serve smaller portions of the study areas and infrastructure financing mechanisms. Council directed staff to
bring back information on redevelopable parcels inside the UGB, parcels that could be
redesignated, and look at the potential for a smaller expansion.
Staff is conducting additional analysis as requested and will provide that information to Council as it
becomes available. As Council seeks to reach consensus on which lands to be included in Springfield’s UGB expansion proposal, Council may also discuss other actions the City may take to
plan and zone sites for economic development and job creation.
Ms. Pauly referred to several maps of the different areas under consideration. The packet in front of
the Council was input that had been received by staff over the last couple of weeks. She noted that Council had asked about the working farms in the Seavey Loop area. She referred to a map showing the area and working farms in that area. Council also asked to have the map marked showing which
landowners supported expansion in their area and those opposed, and about information on the Rice property off 56th Street. Ms. Pauly contacted the owner last week who told her that their most productive area of their orchard was the piece marked as suitable for employment. They have about
192 acres of filbert orchards which are marketed by Hazelnut Growers of Oregon, a grow-your-own co-op. They sell to domestic and international markets, and are moving more towards a niche market and value added products. She noted the variety of trees grown on this property. They have an Oregon
State University (OSU) research control area testing on their property right now for non-spray technologies to combat filbert blight. Their orchards are revitalized and are in various stages of
rehabilitation. The soils are deep floodplain soils that required no irrigation. Council also asked for
information and maps showing floodplain and floodway areas.
Ken Vogeney, City Engineer referred to maps showing floodplain and floodway and identified each.
Jim Donovan, Planning Supervisor spoke regarding comments from Earle Wicklund regarding
development in Tualatin Commons. He distributed a map and documents related to this development site which was built around a lake. He also referred to the flood insurance rate map which showed three different waterways where the office portion of this development was built in the 1990’s. All
were located in areas zoned low-depth (one to three feet of flooding) per the FEMA flood maps. At that time, that zoning was developed under Tualatin’s floodplain ordinance which is similar to Springfield’s. Looking at this area today under the constraints of the Environmental Species Act
(ESA) law suit in Washington, it would be very difficult and expensive to develop during this time of interim liability. The City’s tact would be to require the applicant to go to FEMA and National Incident Management System (NIMS) to do their own assessment of potential impact with regards to
protected species and their critical habitat. He felt that same development could very easily or effectively be built at that same location in Tualatin at this time. The second example noted by Mr.
Wicklund in his comments was the Creek Side Business Center in Beaverton. He displayed the site
map and FEMA map of that area. The area of development is in a floodplain off of Fanno Creek. The plat that created that office complex and those buildings would have a difficult time getting approved
today. This development was built in the 1980’s.
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Mr. Vogeney said another question from Council was whether or not development could occur in a floodplain under Springfield’s current ordinances. Development can occur under our Floodplain
Development Overlay. It allows for fill and building within the regulatory floodplain and is very restrictive in terms of building within the floodway. The floodplain is where the water would go in a 1% chance of flood in any given year. The floodway is not necessarily something identified on the
ground, but is built from a mathematical model. It assumed one-foot fill on both sides of the floodplain until the level of the floodwater rises one foot. At that boundary is the floodway. Those are the current
FEMA regulations. Floodplains can be filled, but fill and development is not allowed in floodways
unless they can prove they are not changing the water elevation at all during development. When the Riverbend PeaceHealth campus was built in Gateway, there were specific issues they had to address
regarding flood plain analysis. They were required as part of their development to do a detailed
analysis of three river miles along the McKenzie River. The City asked them to evaluate, with the fill they wanted to do on their site, the effect it would have on the floodplain and floodway determination.
In addition, as they did their fill in incremental phases, they needed to identify where the water would
go in the interim to make sure water wasn’t going to pushed to someone else’s property and causing damage.
Mr. Donovan distributed documentation that guided some of the discussion during the Commercial Industrial Buildable Land (CIBL) study which included some short definitions of floodplain and
floodway. He also distributed the City’s floodplain ordinance. Floodplain was often referred to as the area of special flood hazard for the100-year flood. The floodway is the area necessary to convey the flood without increasing the height one foot if everything were filled. Development in the floodway
was virtually impossible for commercial and industrial development because it requires an analysis that would demonstrate that any increase in the level of the flood during the occurrence of the base
flood discharge was prohibited. Springfield’s Code says commercial and industrial development can
occur in a floodplain as long as they elevate, flood proof, or both. All development in a floodplain has to comply with standard construction materials and techniques and methodology for flood proofing
and elevating a structure. He referred to the non-residential construction standards which are based on
insurance rates. The City carries the FEMA program forward as necessary to remain in the flood insurance program, and don’t allow any encroachment that would affect the floodway.
Mr. Vogeney said last May, he and Mr. Donovan discussed with Council changes that are occurring in the National Flood Insurance Program at the national level. They still don’t know what the rules will
be. Last May, the expectation was that the National Marine Fishery Service (NMFS) would be issuing their decision on how to change the program in July 2013. At that time, Washington DC took the package back to review and nothing has been heard since. He spoke with the State floodplain
coordinator a month ago to see if she had heard anything new, but she had not. Floodplain development will get more restricted, but they are not sure how or when.
Mayor Lundberg said the Council could be overwhelmed in information, or they could narrow it down. They will have to make some choices. As far as they knew, the hospital is sitting beautifully
and is prepared for flood. There will likely be more restrictions in the future, but she would assume
that those areas in North Gateway and College View still had potential for development. They need to look at what they want and make some decisions.
Councilor Ralston said they knew things can be done in the floodplain and none of the areas being considered are serious in terms of flooding. He felt they should go forward with making decisions
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based on what they knew now. If the City does something to raise red flags for FEMA, that might get
their attention so they set the rules which gives certainty.
Mayor Lundberg said the North Gateway areas had property owners that are interested and some that are not. She suggested they look at the interested properties in Gateway and remove the floodway, but keep the floodplain. In College View, they should also look at interested properties staying away from
the farms that don’t want to be included in the UGB. She noted the areas on the map.
Councilor Brew said he was fine with the Mayor’s suggestions for the North Gateway area. A lot of
the College View industrial is not in the floodplain at all and didn’t include farm land. He asked for clarification of the study area. Mr. Vogeney indicated it on the map. It is a long way from the farms.
Councilor Brew said he would lean towards picking up all of the College View study area.
Councilor Woodrow said she agreed with both the North Gateway and College View areas. She asked
what happens once they determine the acreage of the selected areas.
City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith said if the Council gave direction to select acreage less than the
amount recommended in the CIBL, they would go back to the CIBL to see if there were some policy choices for the Council to reconsider to reduce the need, find efficiency measures or other measures. Staff would bring it all back to Council for consideration. She distributed an overview of the CIBL
with numbers of acres. She discussed the information provided including acreages, targeted industries, and larger sites needed that were included in that study.
Councilor Brew said he would like to see the gap once they chose the sites. He pointed out on the map land owned by Weyerhaeuser in the North Highway 126 study area.
Mayor Lundberg said they could pick two sites and see how many acres more might be needed.
Councilor Ralston said the property owned by Weyerhaeuser in the North Highway 126 area seemed
like a good location because it had good freeway access. They need to look at part of Mahogany Lane by the Bob Straub Parkway and Jasper Road because it also had good access to the highway. It was a
clear choice to take part of the South Mill Race for park land or Springfield Utility Board. He asked where the 50 acre lots were located. They need to look at those specifically. He felt looking at parts of each study area would be needed to get the right mix that is needed.
Ms. Pauly said the draft analysis said about 600 acres was needed, but they could take less if they had policies to support that.
Councilor Ralston said because of the time involved in this process, he felt they should take all they could now so they wouldn’t have to do it again.
Councilor Moore said in looking at the target industries, the North Gateway area already had medical
services and a call center. She would like to go up the river because of the beauty of the river. The
areas noted by the Mayor in the College View area made sense since they had a manufacturer that wanted to expand. She would like to look at the acreages of the other areas.
Ms. Pauly said they still had not received input from Weyerhaeuser. She would try to get an updated contact and reach out to them again.
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Councilor Moore said she agreed they needed to narrow it down and set people’s minds at ease. They
do need to preserve as much farmland as possible because we depended on those areas for food production.
Councilor VanGordon said in the North Gateway area, there was a clear line of those interested and those not. He would like to see what the total acreage is for the North Gateway area and the College
View Industrial area to see what might be left over. He also wanted to keep the farmland rural. Once they determine the acreage of those two areas, they should look at the 50-acre lots and the South Mill
Race as the third option. He would favor looking at properties of those that were interested rather than
those that were not. He asked about the question on job density.
Lauren King from the City Attorney’s Office said 1000 Friends suggested the City look at
Springfield’s historic employment patterns and population, divide those figures and assume all things remained equal. That is not how ECONorthwest projected it and not what the law required in terms of
projecting employment. Rather than doing a density equation, a number of factors can be considered,
including the population projected forecast. It was not based on looking at how many jobs per acre, but what type of jobs will be here and how many acres do those jobs need.
Councilor VanGordon said he would like more details about how ECONorthwest came up with their figures.
Ms. King said they could provide a more detailed analysis from ECONorthwest for the Council.
Properties in favor and opposed in the Seavey Loop area were pointed out and discussed. There was a good buffer between industrial properties and farmland.
Ms. Pauly said when they drew the study area, they followed the slough.
Mayor Lundberg said they had identified the industries they wanted such as medical facilities, but
needed to know what the needs and acreages are for those industries such as what is currently in place and what else they need to help grow. It would be helpful to have examples of the size of sites that
would make sense in each area.
Ms. Pauly said they also need to consider soil types as well as meeting industry needs.
Councilor Ralston said North Gateway had large sites, and there were some in the South Mahogany area along Jasper Road.
Mayor Lundberg said properties could also be put together.
Councilor Ralston said the lower section of the Mahogany area by Bob Straub and Jasper Road was logical.
Mayor Lundberg said need to think about where industry would want to locate. She said Council was interested in focusing on the North Gateway and College View Industrial areas for the industrial needs
(drawing the line between those property owners that supported the expansion and those that did not),
and the South Mill Race area for open space needs. They would also like to have more information on the Weyerhaeuser property along Highway 126 once staff is able to make contact with them. The
Mahogany area was still a possibility.
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Mr. Grimaldi said Council could use that as a starting point, and then review the information on industries and acreage in relation to those areas.
The Council agreed.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
Minutes Recorder – Amy Sowa
______________________ Christine L. Lundberg
Mayor Attest:
____________________ Amy Sowa
City Recorder
City of Springfield
Regular Meeting
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY JUNE 2, 2014
The City of Springfield Council met in regular session in the Council Chambers, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday June 2, 2014 at 7:00 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg presiding.
ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors 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.
Councilor VanGordon was absent (excused).
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor Lundberg.
SPRINGFIELD UPBEAT
CONSENT CALENDAR
1. Claims
2. Minutes
3. Resolutions
4. Ordinances
5. Other Routine Matters
a. Approval of Liquor License Endorsement for Eirinn’s Bistro located at 639 West Centennial Blvd, Springfield, OR.
b. Approval of Liquor License Endorsement for Wholesale Market, Located at 651 W.
Centennial Blvd, Springfield, OR. c. Approve the Subject Contact with Oregon Office of Emergency Management and Authorize
the City Manager to Execute the Contract on Behalf of the City of Springfield.
d. Approve the IGA with LCOG for the Comcast Review Contract and Authorize the City Manager to Execute the IGA on Behalf of the City of Springfield.
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WYLIE WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR WOODROW TO APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR. THE MOTION PASSED WITH
A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 ABSENT – VANGORDON). ITEMS REMOVED
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June 2, 2014 Page 2
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. Supplemental Budget Resolution.
RESOLUTION NO. 2014-15 – A RESOLUTION ADJUSTING RESOURCES AND REQUIREMENTS IN THE FOLLOWING FUNDS: GENERAL, STREET, SPECIAL REVENUE, TRANSIENT ROOM TAX,
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, FIRE LOCAL OPTION LEVY, SANITARY SEWER CAPITAL, DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT CAPITAL, DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, STORM DRAINAGE
CAPITAL, STREET CAPITAL, STORM DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENT SDC, STORM DRAINAGE REIMBURSEMENT SDC, SANITARY SEWER REIMBURSEMENT SDC, SANITARY SEWER
IMPROVEMENT SDC, SDC TRANSPORTATION REIMBURSEMENT, SDC TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT, AMBULANCE, BOOTH-KELLY, INSURANCE, AND VEHICLE & EQUIPMENT
FUNDS. Finance Director Bob Duey presented the staff report on this item.
At various times during the fiscal year the Council is requested to adjustments the annual budget to
reflect needed changes in planned activities, to recognize new revenues, or to make other required changes. These adjustments to resources and requirements change the current budget and are processed through supplemental budget requests scheduled by the Finance Department on an annual
basis.
This is the final of four scheduled FY14 supplemental budget requests to come before Council. The
supplemental budget being presented includes adjusting resources and requirements in: General, Street, Special Revenue, Transient Room Tax, Community Development, Fire Local Option Levy,
Sanitary Sewer Capital, Development Assessment Capital, Development Projects, Storm Drainage
Capital, Street Capital, Storm Drainage Improvement SDC, Storm Drainage Reimbursement SDC, Sanitary Sewer Reimbursement SDC, Sanitary Sewer Improvement SDC, SDC Transportation
Reimbursement, SDC Transportation Improvement, Ambulance, Booth-Kelly, Insurance, and Vehicle
& Equipment Funds.
The City Council is asked to approve the attached Supplemental Budget Resolution.
The overall financial impact of the Supplemental Budget Resolution is to increase Operating
Expenditures of $602,858, increase in Capital Projects $891,822, increase in Debt Services $16,690 and increase in inter-fund transfers of $113,172. These are offset by decrease in reserves $860,807, and changes in resources $763,735.
Mr. Duey covered the highlights of the changes.
Mayor Lundberg opened the public hearing.
No one appeared to speak.
Mayor Lundberg closed the public hearing.
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WYLIE WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR WOODROW TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION NO. 2014-15. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 ABSENT – VANGORDON).
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BUSINESS FROM THE AUDIENCE
1. Erin Smith, Springfield, OR Ms. Smith had requested prior to the meeting to have five minutes to speak. She said when they purchased their home in 2001, it became obvious from the high level of traffic that there was a drug house across the street. Things began to get a lot
worse in the Spring of 2013 with domestic fights between the residents. The first week of May, the Police were called twice because of loud fights and on May 8, one of the residents
crashed her vehicle through the closed door of the garage, hit another neighbor’s car, and
drove away. She was later arrested for misdemeanor hit-and-run with property damage and reckless driving. She spent 13 days in jail and apologized to Ms. Smith’s husband. The
neighbor, whose car was damaged, had to pay a $300 deductible for repairs to his vehicle. She
and the neighbor later spoke with Tana Steer in Police who explained the type of offenses that had to occur and the timeline for the abatement ordinance. They didn’t hear back from her
until they visited her office on May 22 of this year. There were several other instances that
occurred over the last year on the property. Over the past year, Police have responded to calls to the house more than 20 times. The residents have been arrested for burglary, disorderly
conduct, assault, possession of methamphetamines, delivery of methamphetamines, and possession of a restricted weapon in the last twelve months. In most of the cases, they were out of jail in less than 24 hours. There were countless times when officers came to the
residence, but the residents would not answer the door. If there would have been an arrest for disorderly conduct or criminal mischief at that time, they could have possible had the numbers needed for the abatement last summer instead of starting the whole process now. Two weeks
ago, the amount of bicycle traffic at the residence was at an all-time high. On the morning of Friday, May 16, she and her son were heading to the school when they witnessed an argument
between several subjects in the street and on the lawn at the residence. Her son asked if “they
were doing bad stuff over there again?”. She reassured him everything would be o.k. and that he was safe, but she didn’t know that for certain. On Monday, May 19, they heard shouting
outside around 11:00 p.m. and witnessed through the window and security cameras a brawl in
the neighbor’s yard and in the street involving four to five individuals. By the time Police arrived, everyone had disbursed. At that time, they felt they no longer had any options but to
remove their son from this dangerous situation. On Thursday, May 22 while volunteering at
the Maple Elementary School library, her husband called to tell her there had been a major drug raid across the street. He spoke with a Springfield police officer who assured him they
had a solid case this time. A State officer told her husband that he had checked and there was no record of them contacting the abatement office in the past. They hoped that the residences would be incarcerated at least until the following Tuesday for an arraignment, followed by a
longer jail sentence, but that was not the case. While the resident was at the Lane County Jail, people continued to come to his house and pound on the door, even at 2:30 a.m. There was a man going in and out of the back yard, taunting neighbors from across the street, and another
man sitting in the garage with the door open looking like he was there to stay. That was when her husband decided to put up signs in the yard saying there was a meth house across the street
and they needed help. Several other neighbors had placed signs in their yards, too. Since then,
neighbors had all talked and they all supported what they were doing. They received cards and gifts from complete strangers and a young woman drove from Junction City to tell them she
supported what they were doing and asked how she could help. She wanted the city to know
this had taken a huge toll on their family. The number of arrests on the record was only part of the story. During these arrests their family witnessed police storming the resident’s house.
They asked the City and Police to do what was in their power to support safe neighborhoods.
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2. Rick Gregg, Springfield, OR. Mr. Gregg said he lives on 18th Street. His home was behind the
residence being discussed so he didn’t see a lot of what went on, but now has security cameras because his neighbors are afraid. There had been people that showed guns on their street. The
City needs to back up the neighbors and strengthen public safety by leveraging partnerships and resources. They are calling the Police like they are supposed to, but they are expecting the City to do something. This is not just happening in his neighborhood and they will need some
tool from the City to help this situation. They don’t want a situation where the citizens take over because that’s not healthy for the rest of the City. He has grandchildren that should be
able to play in his yard so they need to figure out with the City Attorney what can be done.
3. Don Smith, Springfield, OR. Mr. Smith said he lives on 18th Street across from the problem
house. He has lived in that neighborhood for nearly 40 years. It had always been a good
neighborhood until the last few years when the tenants moved in across the street. His grandson won’t play outside if the neighbors are there. It’s not right that one house and one
person can hold the community hostage. The neighbors are trying to do what they can, but
they have to have the City help. The Springfield Police Department is great and does what they can. They had been to the house 50 times since 2010, but there had been twice as many
instances that hadn’t been called to the Police. He discussed the fighting and yelling from the neighbors. He had read over the information on what can be done to get rid of people like that, and he hoped the Council could use their persuasive powers to bring this to an end.
4. Riley Smith, Springfield, OR. Mr. Smith said these were his neighbors who were upset and angry and at the end of the process. He had looked over the abatement law and although it was
fine, there was room for changes. He didn’t think there should be a start or end date for justice, and felt the City Attorney should look into making this a retroactive process. It was frustrating that the neighbors had been asking for help for years, and now had to go through the process
starting now. It is too late for many of the neighbors. The kids in the neighborhood don’t have a year to wait for more arrests per the policy. The law was a little short-coming of what was
needed to serve the community. It would serve the community well if they could amend it to
make it retroactive 3 months, 6 months or a year. There were many other neighborhoods in Springfield and surrounding communities facing the same issues. Springfield had a standard
of looking out for its citizens and now is the time to make sure that happens.
5. Ronald England, Springfield, OR. Mr. England said he lives on 18th Street directly behind the
house being discussed. He had a view from the back of the house that others didn’t have. There was a lot of activity that went on at this house He has a 13-year old son that he was concerned about walking to his grandmother’s house just 6 houses away. The neighbors (in
the house being discussed) intimidated them, as well as the customers who visit the house.
The neighborhood has suffered through this for a long time and they are discouraged about the inability of the Springfield Police to act on anything that is a felony and can only hold people
on misdemeanors. He had called the Police many times, yet the neighbor from the subject house always shows back up. The Police are doing everything they can, but this person knows how to use the system. He felt the City needed to look at the abatement process, and look
back to all other arrests and calls made by the neighbors.
6. Jim Walls, Springfield, OR. Mr. Walls said he lived on Tyson Lane and has a different
circumstance. He moved here from California in 1996, and is currently a business owner in this community. He had seen this happen before where property values drop due to this type of
situation. He is interested to see what Springfield will do for these neighbors. He felt they
didn’t want to let things go rampant like it did in California. Springfield is a great city. He has
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invested here with his business. He said an employee of his said this type of thing happened
and they needed to deal with it. He has done some research and these are good honest people (testifying). He asked the Council to please do something or he would pull his business from
the City. 7. Paul Varella, Quarry in Eugene, OR. He said many of these neighbors are his friends. He
installs security cameras and these are the only residential installs he has ever done. They are very expensive and he feels homeowners should not need to install security systems in their
homes. Their home values are going down, Police costs are going up for calls made, and the
City has the ability to remove the problem neighbor from the house. Other homes that are empty due to foreclosure are also being used and those details will be provided to the City.
Another tool at the City’s disposal is eminent domain, or the threat of eminent domain under
certain conditions. He asked the City to send those letters to the banks to clean them up. The individual who lives at the house is a cancer in the community and needs to be removed.
Mayor Lundberg said she had one more speaker from Business from the Audience, but she asked that they wait to give Council time to address this topic. Mayor Lundberg said she used to live in that
neighborhood many years ago. The nuisance ordinance was first developed in the early 1990’s because of a house in that neighborhood. The Springfield Community Development Corporation was created and went into neighborhoods, cleaned them up and even bought a drug house and resold it. The house
that was the biggest concern was very scary and they started the nuisance ordinance for this very situation. She knows the frustration those testifying have. The best thing they can do is to call their councilors and Mayor right away. Police and City staff can only do as much as they can, but it is
pressure from the elected officials that sometimes can move things along. Because this situation is a homeowner, it has to be addressed in a specific manner in order to be effective and may take some time. She helped to get the nuisance ordinance written before she was on the Council. It will take all
of us working together, which is how it is supposed to work with people coming to Council so they can figure out a community solution. She appreciated everyone coming to the Council. She asked
Chief Doney to come forward to address some of the responses currently in place.
Chief Doney said he understand that this neighborhood is in turmoil. He had lived in similar
neighborhoods in his life. The Police Department recognizes that for every phone call to the Police
Department requesting assistance, there are two or three incidents that occur when no one calls. He was encouraged by the group of people that were taking charge of the neighborhood. That was one of
the reasons he chose to move to Springfield. There is a lot of good that can come out of this and the law abiding citizen will come out on top. There is a process in place – the Chronic Disorderly Property ordinance – which is similar to ordinances in other cities. The Police Department had looked at
ordinances from at least eight like-sized or larger cities in Oregon and they were all very similar. Some cities had different predicate offenses that Springfield might be able to add to our City ordinance that would make it better. There are also some cities that are not as strict as the City of Springfield. He felt
they could look at the ordinance, in consultation with the public, City Attorney’s office and City Council. He is sorry this situation had gotten to the point where the neighbors had to come to a City Council meeting to express their concerns. He is proud to be working with this group of citizens that
care, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Chief Doney said the Police Department has responded to this neighborhood at least twenty-four times
in the last twelve months. Most of those involved cases that disrupted the neighborhood, but did not involve a predicate offense that would count towards this particular ordinance. Police response in that
neighborhood should not be disregarded. There were a number of predicate offenses that did rise to the
level, but didn’t fall within the 30 or 60-day timeline outlined in the City ordinance. The incident at
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hand happened last week and included a number of offenses that were alleged and would give the
Police the ability to consider this a chronic disorderly property. They were, however, all from one incident. In consultation with the City Attorney’s Office, Police sent a first-step letter to the
homeowner on Friday, May 30 and received on Saturday, May 31. Chief Doney has also spoken with at least one family member of the resident, but not the resident. The resident has ten days to contact the Chief’s office. Chief Doney has talked with several of the neighbors and discussed the possibility
of forming a Neighborhood Watch Program, and fifteen families had signed up so far. The Police Department made another arrest associated with that home last week. In addition, they had officers
doing extra patrols in that neighborhood.
Chief Doney said next steps include a stronger presence of the Springfield Police Department in their
neighborhood, working with the neighbors in the Neighborhood Watch Program, and comparing
ordinances with those in other cities to try to tighten them up to be more effective. The Police Department is also transitioning to a new computer system that will allow them to write a computer
program to help flag certain addresses that Police respond to, coming right to the attention of
appropriate staff.
Councilor Moore asked if there was anything Police could do about the drug traffic in and around the house.
Chief Doney said there was a search warrant served last week and two arrests were made. He noted that the Springfield Police could arrest people on misdemeanors or felonies, but the Springfield Jail held only misdemeanor inmates. Due to space limitations at the Lane County Jail, those arrested with
felonies were back out on the street in a short period of time.
Councilor Moore asked what other neighbors or the Police could do in other neighborhoods if they
suspect drug traffic going on in a house.
Chief Doney said people do report those instances to the Police Department often. Patrol officers are
then notified so they can pay attention to the activity at those homes, as well as the traffic going to and from the house. They can go to the home and ask to search the house, but if not permitted can
sometimes develop probable cause to get a search warrant. Good police work went into this case on 18th Street to get search warrant.
Councilor Brew thanked everyone for coming and testifying. He hoped we could raise the bar in Springfield. It’s great to know what other cities do, but he would like to do better. He would like to see how they could address this type of situation and find a way to initiate the process once they
determine a certain number of calls have been made on a particular residence. He is a strong believer
in property rights and that people can live their life in their own home, but twenty Police visits is an indicator of wrong-doing. When they discussed building the jail, it was noted that although they
couldn’t house people charged for a felony, often times the same arrest included a misdemeanor charge allowing Springfield to keep them in jail. He asked if they were able to do that.
Chief Doney said Springfield worked cooperatively with the prosecutor, both at the City level and the State level to keep the citizens of Springfield safe. Sometimes that involved being creative in how they
handled cases, while still taking into account the rights of all individuals including those that are
alleged to have committed a crime.
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Councilor Woodrow thanked everyone for coming. One thing that makes Springfield a community is
the ability for the citizens to express themselves to the Council. She asked about the time frame regarding action being taken in this neighborhood.
Chief Doney said the property owner has 10 days to respond to the letter that was just sent. At that point, they are afforded the opportunity to offer some mitigating circumstances and/or plans in how to
abate the nuisance. Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn’t. The neighborhood could expect to see a lot of Springfield Police Department activity in their neighborhood. He has kids and grandkids
himself, and doesn’t like to hear there are people afraid to let their kids play outside. There will be
plenty of police activity and pressure on the neighbor.
Councilor Woodrow said she would like to see ideas of how to tighten our ordinance and allow a
longer time frame.
Chief Doney said there will be other neighborhoods with this problem, and he didn’t want to see them
endure it for 14 years.
Councilor Wylie thanked Chief Doney and the speakers. She congratulated them for standing together. She is surprised because the Council hadn’t heard anything about this until now, but is hearing them now. It is going to take some time to get the pieces together. They didn’t want to have a neighborhood
where kids can’t walk down the street and feel comfortable. Council will work with staff, the City Attorney’s Office and the Police Department to determine what can be done. She urged them to contact the County about the jail that was supposed to keep felons in the jail. There is a fine line
between protecting people’s rights and protecting people.
Mayor Lundberg said they did the best thing in creating a Neighborhood Watch group. She had also
served as the community outreach person for Willamalane and went out with the Police Department to try to help people keep their neighborhoods safe. An effective neighborhood group helped the Police
to better do their job by providing evidence. She thanked Chief Doney for having the Police
Department work on this situation.
Councilor Ralston said he knew how frustrating this is for the neighbors. If it was him, he would take pictures of the neighbor’s clients, although it could push them somewhere else. The neighbors need to gather the evidence and provide identification and license plate numbers to the police.
Mayor Lundberg said they would look at the City’s current ordinance to see if there were other things they could do, and get any changes on the agenda before summer break with an emergency clause so it
would go into effect immediately. Once those changes are made to tighten up the ordinance, she wants to publicize it so other neighborhoods knew about the tools available to them. It does take some time to get this back and get approval, but they will try to get through this as soon as possible. She
asked Chief Doney to come back to Council with a report before July 21 when summer break starts on how things are going in the neighborhood.
8. Steve Moe, Glenwood, OR. Mr. Moe said he lives in Glenwood and they have had a similar situation with a neighbor, but it took time to make progress because the neighbor also has
rights. Mr. Moe served on the committee to improve downtown. When he was in Australia,
he took pictures of the crosswalk treatments. He would like to see some intersections in Springfield consider this type of treatment in downtown. It would bring the crossings to
everyone’s attention.
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Mayor noted that Council had seen other artistic treatments for intersection crossings.
COUNCIL RESPONSE
CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS
BIDS
ORDINANCES
1. Code Amendments – Elections.
ORDINANCE NO. 1 – AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SPRINGFIELD MUNICIPAL CODE SECTIONS 2.205 “DEFINITIONS”, 2.215 “NOMINATIONS FOR ELECTIVE OFFICE”, 2.235
“TIME FOR FILING PETITIONS”, AND 2.270 “DISTRIBUTION OF VOTERS PAMPHLETS”
City Recorder, Amy Sowa, presented the staff report on this item.
Updates to the Springfield Municipal Code are needed to update definitions, add language clarifying the requirements for gathering of signatures, address ORS 250.265(7) regarding time allowed for
gathering signatures for an Initiative Petition in the City, and allow the City to provide an online Voters’ Guide.
The City Attorney’s office suggests adding language that makes clear the requirements for gathering signatures for nomination for elective office. That additional language is being proposed under SMC Section 2.215(2) “Nominations for Elective Office”.
In 2009, ORS 250.265(7) was amended to limit the amount of time a petitioner could have to gather
signatures for an Initiative Petition to two years. The amendment to bring SMC in compliance with
State Statute is proposed under SMC Section 2.235(2) “Time for Filing Petitions”.
One of Council’s Goals is to provide an online Voters’ Guide for local elections including City of
Springfield, Springfield Utility Board, Springfield Public Schools, and Willamalane Parks and Recreation District candidates and measures. Amendments to SMC Section 2.270 “Distribution of
Voters’ Pamphlet” are being proposed to allow the City to create that type of guide. To address language in the above amendments and elsewhere in Chapter 2, appropriate definitions
have been added to SMC Section 2.205 “Definitions”. Ms. Sowa pointed out a spelling error under Section 2(4) which would be changed before the final
ordinance was adopted. She described clarifications that would be made regarding definitions for Elective Officers and Candidate.
No action is requested as this is a first reading.
2. Springfield Fire Code, 2014 Edition.
ORDINANCE NO. 2 – AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING A FIRE CODE FOR THE CITY OF
SPRINGFIELD BY ADOPTING, AMENDING, ADDING AND DELETING SECTIONS TO
THE STATE OF OREGON 2014 FIRE CODE AMENDMENTS REGULATING AND
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GOVERNING THE SAFEGUARDING OF LIFE AND PROPERTY FROM FIRE AND
EXPLOSION HAZARDS ARISING FROM THE STORAGE, HANDLING AND USE OF HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES, MATERIAL AND DEVICES, AND FROM CONDITIONS
HAZARDOUS TO LIFE OR PROPERTY IN THE OCCUPANCY OF BUILDINGS AND PREMISES AS HEREIN PROVIDED; PROVIDING FOR THE ISSUANCE OF PERMITS AND COLLECTION OF FEES THEREFORE; AND REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 6257
ADOPTED JUNE 21ST OF 2010 BY THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD.
Fire Marshal, Al Gerard, presented the staff report on this item.
The Fire Code adopted by the city must be consistent with State Fire Protection Statutes, and equal to
or more stringent than the Fire Code promulgated by the State Fire Marshal. The State Fire Marshal
has adopted the 2014 Edition of the International Fire Code with an effective date of July 1, 2014. The Department of Fire & Life Safety is currently enforcing the 2010 Edition of the International Fire
Code with Oregon and Springfield Amendments.
Adoption of the 2014 Edition of the International Fire Code with Amendments will enable the
Department of Fire & Life Safety to provide a high level of fire safety protection within the City. This Ordinance shall take effect July 1, 2014 upon its adoption by the Council and approval by the
Mayor so that the City of Springfield Fire Code is compliant with the State of Oregon 2014 Fire Code Amendments which become effective July 1, 2014. Replacement of International Fire Code books have totaled approximately $1800 spent out of the
FY13-14 budget.
Items to Note:
• The 2014 Oregon Fire Code has been completely reorganized to make it easier for its users.
• Traffic calming devices are prohibited unless approved by the Fire Code Official
• Emergency responder radio coverage requirements have become further clarified
• Emergency lighting testing and maintenance requirements are now in the fire code.
No action is requested as a third reading will be held on June 16, 2014.
3. Springfield Municipal Code Amendment Removing ‘Uniform’ in Reference to the Fire Code.
ORDINANCE NO. 3. – AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SPRINGFIELD MUNICIPAL CODE
SECTIONS 2.568(2)(c), 4.418(4), 5.604(1)(e), AND 7.352(7)(c) TO ALIGN WITH THE CURRENT FIRE CODE LANGUAGE ADOPTED BY THE CITY. (FIRST READING).
Fire Marshal, Al Gerard, presented the staff report on this item.
This is an administrative change to delete the word ‘uniform’ from the City of Springfield Municipal Code Sections 2.568(2)(c), 4.418(4), 5.604(1)(e), and 7.352(7)(c) to align with the current fire code language adopted by the city.
This is the first reading of this proposed ordinance. The word ‘uniform’ has been eliminated from the
State of Oregon Fire Code and the City of Springfield Fire Code as adopted. This is an administrative
change to align the City of Springfield Municipal Code with current Fire Code language.
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The International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) changed the name of its organization to the
International Code Council (ICC). The ICC is the group that promulgates model ordinances for building and regulatory industry. The Fire Code is no longer referenced as the “Uniform Fire Code.”
This ordinance will remove the word “uniform” from the applicable sections of the Municipal Code. No action is requested as this is a first reading.
BUSINESS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL
1. Councilor Woodrow said the pedestrian crossings at Main and 35th and Main and 41st had gotten their final sign-off. They would be going out to bid on June 6, with construction anticipated the
beginning of August. Both of these projects involved a lot of hard work with the business owners
and it is exciting to know there will be two more crossings on Main Street by the end of the summer. Little by little they are creating better safety on Main Street. The more crossings in place,
the more alert both drivers and pedestrians become. The crossings would be as uniform as possible
to be recognizable to everyone driving and crossing Main Street. It had taken a lot of work and staff time, and it was exciting to see the two additional crossings.
Mayor Lundberg asked when the public safety announcement (PSA) would be going out about what the crossing lights mean.
City Manager Gino Grimaldi said Public Works staff was working on some new videos that would be produced in-house and would be distributed as soon as they are done.
Mayor Lundberg said she wanted to take the guesswork out of how vehicles and pedestrians
should use the crossings, and make them more effective. PSA’s can be put on TV at no cost.
2. Mayor Lundberg said letters were at their places from the Oregon Transportation Commission
(OTC) and asked if the Council would be supportive of sending a letter for T4 America
(Transportation for America). The OTC is lobbying for funding our trust fund for transportation at the National level which is due to run out of money in October. The State is in dire straits of how
to fund anything, particularly maintenance and repairs, as well as enhancements. The lists are
started years in advance to get the highway projects onto them, knowing they would eventually be funded. That may not be the case, however, so is becoming critical. They are going to look at
different ways to come up with funding. 3. Councilor Moore said she and Councilor Woodrow attended the grand opening of the new Native
American Educational Facility at the end of Dos Rios/Two Rivers Elementary. It is a great facility and program.
Councilor Woodrow said she had a friend who is a member of the Grand Ronde who has a grandson who attends school in Pleasant Hill. This Native American Educational Facility is not
restricted to Springfield schools, but is open to her grandson as well. There are many resources for
students to take advantage of.
4. Mayor Lundberg said she attend the Huerta de la Familia event at SPROUT and judged the salsa
tasting contest. Although she does not do well with spicy foods, she got through all fifteen salsas and had a great time.
BUSINESS FROM THE CITY MANAGER
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June 2, 2014 Page 11
1. Electronic-Commerce Zone Preparedness.
RESOLUTION NO. 2014-16 – A RESOLUTION OF SPRINGFIELD REQUESTING THAT THE SPRINGFIELD COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE ZONE BE DESIGNATED FOR ELECTRONIC COMMERCE AND AUTHORIZING THE SPRINGFIELD CITY MANAGER
TO SUBMIT THIS RESOLUTION TO THE STATE OF OREGON FOR APPROVAL UPON A FIRM’S INTEREST IN LOCATING SUITABLE FACILITIES IN SPRINGFIELD
Community Development Manager, John Tamulonis, presented the staff report on this item.
When Springfield extended the Enterprise Zone in 2011 Springfield was considering other
permutations to sponsorship and development areas to include in the application sent to the State of Oregon for consideration. Not requested, at that low point of the recession, was adding an electronic
zone for those firms primarily using the internet for commercial activities that might consider locating
in Springfield. With the economy improving Springfield should consider passing a resolution indicating Springfield’s interest in having an E-Zone added to the local incentive package available to
firms and allowing the City Manager to present the Council’s request for designation to the State of Oregon upon a suitable firm’s expressing interest in locating here. Oregon has five e-commerce zones to designate and Springfield could be a prime location for a variety of call centers given the range of
such facilities now in our community. The ‘e-commerce’ zone has only a small, if any, local effect (related to the minimum value of exempt
property for Enterprise-Zone eligible firms) and provides for eligible firms making capital investments and doing transactions on the internet or internet-based computer a credit equal to 25% of the capital
investment made in a year against the business’s annual state income or corporate excise tax liability
(maximum $2 million credit in a year and unused credits may be carried forward over the next five years).
Mr. Tamulonis said there were several companies interested in coming into our area.
Mayor Lundberg asked if it was an extra component to the Enterprise Zone.
Mr. Tamulonis said that was correct. An Enterprise Zone had to be in place first and the firm would
have to be within the designated area, and could be eligible for Enterprise Zone benefits. He further explained the advantages to businesses.
IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR WYLIE WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR WOODROW TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 2014-16. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 5 FOR AND 0 AGAINST (1 ABSENT – VANGORDON).
BUSINESS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY
City Attorney Mary Bridget said she would look at the nuisance abatement ordinance, see what other cities are doing, and what might work for the City. She did consult with Chief Doney about the
warning letter sent to the property on 18th Street and provided conservative advice to make sure we
were effective if they needed to abate and go to Circuit Court to shut the property down.
Councilor Ralston asked if there was a way to retroactively go back.
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June 2, 2014 Page 12
Ms. Smith said she was not sure if they could do that for this particular property, but they may be able
to look at those time frames and make a change in the ordinance. They will also look at the types of offenses that would be problematic. She will reach out to other City Attorneys as well.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned 8:12 p.m.
Minutes Recorder Amy Sowa
______________________
Christine L. Lundberg
Mayor
Attest:
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City Recorder