HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/13/2014 Work SessionCity of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY OCTOBER 13, 2014
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth
Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday October 13, 2014 at 5:30 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg
presiding.
ATTENDANCE
Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors VanGordon, Wylie, Moore, Ralston, and Woodrow.
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.
1. Historic Commission Interviews
There are two vacancies on the seven -member Historic Commission; one is the result of a resignation
and the other a term expiration. The recruitment for these vacancies opened on August 18, 2014 and
closed on September 15, 2014. Three applications were received: Kip Amend, Emily Scherrer, and
Bruce Berg.
The two vacancies on the Historic Commission are a result of term expiration (Kip Amend, October
17, 2014), and resignation (Paula Guthrie, whose term expires on May 1, 2015). Qualifications for
membership on the Historic Commission include expertise in the fields of architecture, history,
architectural history, planning, or archeology; residency within the Metro Plan boundaries; or as
residents, electors, or property owners within Springfield. In addition, the Council shall solicit
recommendations for appointment from Willamalane and School District #19 (Municipal Code
Section 2.502) The School District and Willamalane declined to recommend appointees to fill these
vacancies.
State and Federal funding of the City's historic preservation activities stipulate that a majority of the
Commissioners have professional qualifications in a field related to historic preservation. Five current
members and two of the applicants possess these qualifications and also meet the qualifications and
standards set forth by the National Park Service regarding commissions.
Springfield Municipal Code Section 2.506 states that any vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired
portion of the term of the member creating the vacancy, and Section 2.504 states that appointed
members shall hold office for four years with the terms staggered to provide overlapping and
continuity. The candidate appointed to fill Commissioner Guthrie's vacancy will serve unexpired
portion of her term, which expires on May 1, 2015. The candidate appointed to fill Commissioner
Amend's vacancy will serve a four-year term beginning on the date of appointment by City Council,
currently scheduled for October 20, 2014.
The Mayor and Council reviewed the questions and chose which each would ask of the applicants.
The Mayor and Council introduced themselves to the candidates and interviewed Kip Amend with the
following questions:
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1. Why are you interested in continuing to serve on the Commission? (Mayor Lundberg)
2. What vision do you have for the future of the Commission? (Councilor Moore)
3. What specialty or skill do you possess that has especially benefitted the Commission?
(Councilor Ralston)
4. What do you think the role of the Commission is? What do you think can be done to educate
the public more? (Councilor Wylie)
5. What contributions have you made to the Commission during your tenure? (Councilor
Woodrow)
6. What are some examples of Historic Commission success that have occurred during your
tenure as a Commissioner? (Councilor VanGordon)
Mr. Amend said he would like to see Council support for adequate staffing for the Historic
Commission to allow them to carry out their goals.
The Mayor and Council interviewed Bruce Berg and Emily Scherrer with the following questions:
1. Why are you interested in serving on the Historic Commission? (Mayor Lundberg)
2. Have you attended a Historic Commission meeting? If so, what were your impressions?
(Councilor Moore)
3. Describe your familiarity with the City's historic resources. (Councilor Ralston)
4. What is it about Springfield's history that interests you most? (Councilor Wylie)
5. What initiatives are you interested in working on if you are appointed as a Commissioner?
(Councilor Woodrow)
6. Describe your professional and personal experience as it relates to your desire to become a
Historic Commissioner. (Councilor VanGordon)
Ms. Scherrer asked if this was a two-year term. Ms. Markarian said that partial vacancy would run
through May 2015 to complete Commissioner Guthrie's term. She could then apply for a full four-year
term.
Ms. Scherrer asked what Council had as a number one project for the Historic Commission.
Some of the focus included the Glenwood area, Mill Race area, reflecting our history through art, and
maintaining relationships.
The Mayor and Council held a lengthy discussion about the qualifications of each candidate and the
attributes that each candidate would bring to the Historic Commission.
The Mayor and Council came to consensus to appoint Ms. Scherrer to the four-year position, and Mr.
Berg to the position expiring in May 2015.
2. Scenario Planning Update
Development and Public Works Director Len Goodwin said they are going to continue to process of
updating the Council on Scenario Planning. This was last before Council in March 2014. Since that, at
a staff level, they have come up with a number of new ideas for Council to provide feedback. The next
check in on this topic will be in January or February of 2015 incorporating Council's comments.
Kristin Hull, project manager for CH2M Hill, was present to go through tonight's presentation.
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Ms. Hull acknowledged Josh Roll from Lane Council of Governments (LCOG), who had the technical
knowledge to respond to questions. She also acknowledged Community Development Manager Tom
Boyatt and Senior Planner Molly Markarian who also served on the Technical Advisory Committee.
Scenario Planning is about considering alternate, plausible futures. In the Central Lane region, they are
doing this to determine if current policies achieve regional goals, alternative policies or strategies that
could be considered to achieve goals, and likely outcomes of policy changes. Some of the goals for
Scenario Planning include economic vitality, health, equity, greenhouse gas reduction, and flexibility
for jurisdictions in the region.
They have gone through the first two steps of this process and are now working to refine the scenario
based on Council input. Council's job as assigned by legislature is to choose a preferred scenario,
consider public input, report back. Lane Transit District (LTD) is not part, but has been consulted in
this process. Jurisdictions are not required to implement, but to agree on scenario. Ms. Hull referred to
a chart showing steps and a timeline. We are currently in Step 3 to refine and select: refine scenarios;
tailor individual choices for each jurisdiction; and cooperatively select a preferred scenario.
Ms. Hull said the state legislature assigned the job to local governing bodies to cooperatively select a
preferred scenario for the region. That means Coburg, Eugene, Springfield and Lane County agreeing
on a preferred scenario. They are asked to consider public input and report back to the legislature
during their 2015 session. Lane Transit District (LTD) is not called out in the legislation, but their
Board of Directors will be consulted before asking the partnering jurisdictions to adopt the preferred
scenario. The jurisdictions are not required by legislation to implement the preferred scenario, but to
agree on one.
Ms. Hull reviewed the greenhouse gas reduction targets which were identified for each metro area in
the state. The targets support an overall greenhouse gas reduction goal for the state that goes beyond
just transportation. The region is not required to meet the target, but to consider it. For the Eugene -
Springfield area, the adopted 2035 target is 20% from light vehicles. They take into effect that current
and emerging plans (Springfield 2030 Plan and Envision Eugene) will be in place when determining
the base. If they are able to implement existing policies with the expected revenue, major reductions
in greenhouse gas emissions are expected in the transportation sector. Much of that comes through
changes to the state vehicle fleet. Also, local policies are a benefit.
Councilor Ralston asked about the percentages in the goal.
Ms. Hull explained and noted that most were not things the cities could do on their own. The state has
already taken credit for a large reduction, but is asking cities to do even more.
Councilor VanGordon asked if each mile reduced on the road is progressively giving us less
greenhouse gas because the efficiencies are already counted.
Discussion was held regarding his question. Mr. Goodwin said each mile saved twenty years from
now would actually produce less of a reduction than the miles saved today.
Ms. Hull said if existing policies are implemented, the following will occur: fuel consumption
decreases by more than 45%; local gas tax revenues decrease; people drive less, drive more efficient
vehicles, and delays increases; vehicle operation costs decrease, but ownership and maintenance costs
increase; biking increases significantly, and air quality improves. They can do more by investing
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resources consistent with existing policies or implement new policies. Benefits include more:
household transportation cost savings; reduction in travel delay and associated costs; funding for
infrastructure preservation; cleaner air and reduced water consumption; and positive changes in public
health and reduced healthcare costs.
Ms. Hull said the group developed two new policies. The first (Scenario B) enhances existing policies,
and the second (Scenario C) explores new policies. With Scenario B, the region could meet the
greenhouse gas reduction target of 20%, and with Scenario C they could surpass the goal. They can do
a mix of things to get there in many ways.
Ms. Hull referred to the other goals of public health, transportation, biking and fueling consumption,
and household costs and how they fared in all three scenarios. In terms of public health, they learned
that as bigger investments are made in the areas stated above, greater public health benefits followed.
In terms of transportation, hours of congestion decrease as well as vehicle miles traveled. Bicycle
travel increases a lot and per capital fuel consumption decreases. In terms of household costs, they
found that the percentage of household income for driving costs stayed about the same.
Councilor VanGordon asked about the magnitude of strategies in Scenario C.
Ms. Hull said cost estimates have not been done. She referred to a chart showing examples of new
policies.
Councilor VanGordon said they are all very general, yet the outcomes are specific.
Ms. Hull explained how the model worked by entering general things. It's not a demand model, but is
a sketch planning tool. They have learned that the region continues to benefit from existing policies
and a relatively compact urban form. The region diverts more trips to biking and transit and provides
more choices, and is also making improvements to make our road system work more efficiently. Some
of the areas that are still unclear are how benefits and impacts are distributed across the population
because of the lack of specificity. They are also not sure how much we should invest in the different
areas like biking, walking, transit and pricing.
Councilor Woodrow said there is a certain amount of the population that won't be able to take part in
some of the solutions such as biking and walking unless they have close access to transit. Parking and
gas prices will increase and often the segment of the population affected are those on a fixed income.
Ms. Hull said the project management team has gotten together with some initial thoughts about what
might become part of the first scenario. Current policies such as roadway optimization, such as use of
roundabouts and signal timing, are pretty aggressive. The team thought the scenario should also
include broader support of education and marketing programs, such as SmartTrips; and also support
statewide implementation of pay -as -you -drive insurance. That insurance is currently available through
some providers in Oregon and is based on miles driven. Some other suggestions from the project
management team include looking at how much investment can be made for bicycle and transit
transportation, how we change taxes and fees related to driving, and how to manage parking.
Adopting those recommendations brings us almost to the target. Going forward, they need to develop
refined scenarios, combine the strategies in different ways, test those and consider the implications of
different `levels' of intervention, and consider high-level costs and benefits of implementation actions.
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Councilor Ralston said he would never support pay -as -you drive insurance. To adopt Scenario C, they
would be investing in more things to exceed the goals. That means spending more money to do things
which makes it more expensive to do thing, increasing the cost of everything which is bad for
businesses and individuals. If this is just for discussion, he saw no need to exceed the goals. It may be
true they don't have to implement anything at this time, but as policy makers saying this is our
strategy could lead to an expectation. They are not going to change people's driving behaviors.
Education is a smart option and is low cost. It is built into our planning process to build more bike
paths so there is no need to add more, and the public or developer pays for that. The greenhouse gas
issue was a total farce.
Mayor Lundberg clarified that the City was mandated to do this for our area, but didn't have to
implement it at this point. If they chose one scenario for the region, each jurisdiction could choose the
things they want to do in their community from the scenario.
Ms. Hull said the team is not asking the jurisdictions to choose from one scenario presented this
evening, but would combine some things into one hybrid scenario. There is flexibility for each
jurisdiction to do what they can from the chosen scenario.
Mayor Lundberg said each community would pick those things they are comfortable with doing.
Ms. Hull said the region doesn't have to reach the 20% greenhouse gas reduction goal, but have to
consider it. Legislation required them to look at least two scenarios that meet the goal, which they
have done. They now have flexibility to do what is right for each jurisdiction.
Mayor Lundberg asked if a community could add a different way to achieve the goal at a later time or
if they agreed to the scenario but then did something completely different.
Ms. Hull said they would ask Council to support the ideas from the chosen scenario, but not provide
specifics.
Mr. Goodwin said they could include things not on the list.
Councilor Moore asked for clarification of pay -as -you drive insurance.
Ms. Hull said it means people pay on a per mile basis for their insurance. It is for your own car and
would involve coordinating with the insurance agent to determine how much they drive.
Councilor Moore said it could be affordable for those that rarely drive. She asked if it would be
imposed.
Mr. Goodwin said the city can't do that; only the state could do that.
Councilor Moore said driving behaviors have been changed over the years and younger people are
driving less.
Councilor VanGordon said the way some of the policies in Scenario C are written including higher
costs for gas and parking, which may not be right for our community. He would also like to see more
discussion about how to make the system we have more efficient such as reducing stop times, and wait
time. There are a lot of smart people in the transportation group that can come up with some good
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ideas. Discussions can be held with businesses about telecommuting and how that can save on vehicle
trips, reducing emissions. Although they say the city doesn't have to implement it at this time, there
may come a time when it needs to be implemented. Whatever is adopted he wants it to make sense in
case it does become mandatory. Paid parking is another policy that drives behavior through negative
means. He would prefer to see more positive incentives. He liked the SmartTrips program and
marketing. He didn't want a scenario that negatively affected those that need to drive. He would like
to see more about how to make the current system better for all transportation pieces.
Ms. Hull said telecommuting is included in the marketing and education category, but they can make it
more explicit as they continue to talk about it. She noted that Mr. Goodwin would get back to
Councilor VanGordon on his question about managing the current transportation system.
Councilor Wylie said things did change as technology changed. She asked if the scenarios considered
the increase in hydrogen cars as that would continue to change the data. She suggested adding a
policy to encourage the legislature to invest in hydrogen fuel stations.
Ms. Hull said the portion of the reductions effected by the State accounted for those types of changes
in transportation. Encouraging the state to invest in those types of stations could be something the
Springfield City Council could choose to support.
Councilor Wylie said climate change is not ours to solve. The legislature has required the scenario
planning which is something the city needs to respond to whether they believe in climate change or
not.
Councilor Ralston said the reference to pay -as -you -drive insurance said `universal' which would apply
to everyone and that is why he is concerned. He feels the gas tax benefits us in a number of ways and
is the fairest way to pay for roads and increases the cost for gas which may modify some people's
behavior. He noted that the taxpayers paid for fueling stations and they only benefited a few people.
He doesn't want to encourage the state to pay for more since they are all paid for with tax payers'
money.
Councilor Moore said toll roads are another way to pay for transportation.
Ms. Hull said she will work with Mr. Roll about how to capture that in the model.
Mayor Lundberg said tonight they are getting information and providing some feedback so they can
choose something. All of the discussions regarding which policies are used are for the cities to choose
after the scenario is selected. Having more options in the scenario gave cities more options to choose
from later. They will have plenty of time to discuss which policy decision each jurisdiction wants to
make. They can also add things, such as level of service which affects idle time for vehicles, after the
scenario is selected.
3. City of Springfield Strategic Plan Update
Senior Management Analyst Courtney Griesel presented this item. The City of Springfield's Strategic
Plan lists and monitors specific measurements with the goal of successfully implementing the adopted
Council Goals. Each department tracks multiple measures, reporting back on the status of their target
attainment. With the recent drafting and implementation of the Priority Based Budget, we have begun
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to reexamine the Strategic Plan in order to better align measurements with Priority Based Budget
Programs and City Council Goals.
The City of Springfield Strategic Plan is a constantly evolving document aimed at aligning the goals
and tasks of the City with the City Council Goals. The task of identifying and refining measures and
targets has been a continuous process of learning how to most effectively categorize and measure our
daily and long-range projects.
During 2012 and 2013, the City of Springfield began the transition to a Priority Based Budget. It is
important to tie this work to the Strategic Plan as the programs identified in the budget are the ultimate
vehicles for working towards strategic plan targets and achievement of Council Goals.
Included in Attachment 1 of the agenda packet are examples of existing Strategic Plan Measures
which have been aligned with their Priority Based Budget Program. These measures are highlighted
as they reflect tasks that are cleanly tied to outcomes and can be easily monitored and communicated
about. Over the next several months, staff will work to update and align the full Strategic Plan,
Council Goals, and Priority Based Budget (PBB) Programs. During this process, all current strategic
plan measures will be reviewed, refined, or removed and new strategic plan measures are likely to be
identified.
This rewrite is aimed at creating a logical system of aligning simplified measures to budget programs,
all with the goal of achieving and illustrating achievement of Council Goal success. This system is
also intended to help inform decisions and strategies about goals and program resourcing.
Councilor Moore asked about preservation projects on the schedule which was designated with red,
meaning we are not reaching that goal. She asked how they handle those types of issues when they
don't have the budgeting but have the goal.
Ms. Griesel said it was a way to look at how the priority of resource allocation has a negative impact
on a particular program. That goal will remain red as long as other projects are requiring a higher
priority for resources. It doesn't mean staff is doing a poor job, but showing the direct relationship
between resources and the outcome of measures. It helps to keep those projects and measures in the
front of their minds.
Councilor Woodrow asked how often the Strategic Plan would be evaluated with PBB.
Ms. Griesel said some measures get evaluated quarterly, and some annually. Some of the measures are
good long-term constant measures. Others are hot topics at the time and may only be watched for a
couple of years. They need a static set of measurements that is consistent and important to the City
that can be measured over time. Staff checks in with the Executive Team regularly.
Mayor Lundberg said the purpose of PBB is to highlight what we are doing and showing where
resources are being spent. She hopes they can identify areas that aren't as important or could be done
another way to save resources. They would have the opportunity to bring those measures currently in
red back to a place where they would receive resources.
Mr. Grimaldi said this year staff is focusing more on asking the questions to see if there is another way
of doing things.
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Ms. Griesel said this is a good time to get the Strategic Plan streamlined and cleaned up.
Mr. Grimaldi said eventually they would get to the point of sorting things in a priority order.
Mayor Lundberg said Council was fine moving forward.
4. Marijuana Tax
Mr. Grimaldi noted that following this work session, a public hearing would be held on this topic in
the Council Chambers, providing a time for comment.
Finance Director Bob Duey and City Attorney Lauren King presented this item. At a previous work
session Council directed staff to prepare a proposed ordinance that would enact a gross sales receipt
tax on the sale of marijuana by those that are licensed by the State of Oregon and conducting business
with the boundaries of Springfield.
If passed by the voters, Ballot Measure 91 will allow adults 21 or older to recreationally use or grow
marijuana. While Ballot Measure 91 is intended to only regulate recreational marijuana, the Measure
presents language that may impact local governments' ability to charge taxes or fees on recreational
and medical marijuana. The proposed ordinance is being considered at this time in response to the
State Measure's intent that it would prohibit certain future regulatory and taxing authority on local
jurisdictions upon the passage of the measure.
Mr. Duey said it was hard to know if the measure would pass on November 4. The purpose of this
work session and regular session public hearing is to discuss a proposed ordinance by the City being
considered as a response to State Ballot Measure 91, primarily because of Sections 42 and 58 in the
State measure which put extreme restrictions on local agencies' ability to tax and regulate sale of
recreational marijuana. The proposed ordinance was prepared based on comments from the Council
during their September 22 work session.
Mr. Duey said staff tried to find a way to bring the ordinance forward with an emergency clause and
adopt it prior to the November 4 election. Through research by the City Attorney's office, they
learned that a new tax measure cannot be passed with an emergency clause. Instead staff is bringing
the first reading to Council this evening, with the second reading scheduled for October 20. The
ordinance will then go into effect 30 days after adoption. The effective date of the State measure will
be 30 days following the election. Although Council had asked not to include medical marijuana in
this ordinance, it was added because of the uncertainty of the State measure and its restrictions. If the
Council removed that section now, they would not have an opportunity to add it at a later date. On the
other hand, if they add it now, they could remove it later.
Ms. King said the rate would also be set at a later time. If Council chose, they could decide to charge
"0" for medical marijuana. Keeping it in the ordinance gave them the authority.
Ms. Duey said was the tax is a business license tax based on gross sales.
Ms. King said they looked at what other cities are doing as examples and then fit them to fit
Springfield.
ADJOURNMENT
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October 13, 2014
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The meeting was adjourned at 7:10 p.m.
Minutes Recorder — Amy Sowa
i
Christine L. Lundberg
Mayor
Attest:
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Amy So
City Recorder