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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/26/2001 Work Session . MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD ON MONDAY, MARCH 26,2001. The Springfield City Council met in Work Session at Springfield City Hall, Library Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, at 5:32 p.m., with Mayor Leiken presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Leiken, Councilors Fitch, Hatfield, Lundberg, Ralston, and Simmons. Also present were City Manager Mike Kelly, Assistant City Manager Gino Grimaldi, City Attorney Tim Harold, City Recorder Kim Krebs, and members of staff. Absent: Councilor Ballew (excused) GUESTS: Lane County Human Rights Advisory Committee Members - June Harris, Chair, Linda Wagner, Vice-Chair, Nadia Sindi, Serfina Clarke, Autumn De Poe, Dennis Shine, Greta Utecht, Leslie Scott, David Suchart, Advisor, James Dean, Liaison, Capt. John Clague, Sheriff's Office Liaison, Becky Couch-Goodling. 1. Joint Meeting with the Lane County Human Rights Advisory Committee (LCHRAC). Assistant City Manager Gino Grimaldi was present for the staff report on this issue. He began by stating he had provided an agenda for the joint meeting tonight, and said since introductions were already done he turned the meeting over to Linda Wagner. . Ms. Wagner began by thanking the council for allowing the LCHRAC to join in the work session discussion. She said she would provide an overview of the committee's accomplishments and scope of their work. She said they are an Advisory Committee to the Board of County Commissioners. She said they are a 14-member committee of which 11 are lay citizens and 3 are Lane County employees. She said they realize a lot of their meetings are held in Eugene, and it is their goal to meet with various cities around the county and be more mobile and visible. She said the purpose of the meetings would be for sharing of information. . Ms. Wagner provided a brief historical over and said in the late 1980's they were the Lane County AffIrmative Action Advisory Committee, and the focus of the committee was very much on the Lane County Affrrmative Action Plan, and looking at tracking statistics around recruitment, hiring, and promotions. In the early 1990's based on some feedback from the board liaison at that time, the scope of their work was expanded to include human rights aspects, starting with a countywide forum on human rights issues with the Board of County Commissioners. After that time the committee began receiving many complaints around harassment and discrimination and in order to address some ofthose complaints a sub-committee was developed. She said at that time they began working with the Sheriff's office and developed a relationship with John Clague to help the committee address issues of compiaints that were related to the Lane County Jail. She said Mr. Clague has been a tremendous asset to the committee; it gives the committee a direct link to deal with the jail issues as they have come up. She said they also began to do community outreach and education, and in the mid-1990's the committee worked on the Lane County Diversity Implementation Plan. She said the group worked with community members that ad9ress issues related to the county as a funder, as a service provider, and as an employer. She said they actually developed approximately 22 action items for the county to implement concerning human rights issues. l'hey then charged the Springfield City Council Work Session - March 26,2001 Page - 2 . LCHRAC with monitoring the extent to which the county was implementing that. She said each year they do a report to the Board of the Lane County Commissioners that includes some of the scope and work of what they have accomplished over the year, and also gives them an update on the implementation ofthe Diversity Implementation Plan. She said building in the reporting component really helped to enhance the accountability piece. Ms. Wagner said through all of this work that she has described the county has probably accomplished more in the last five years surrounding human rights issues than the previous 20 years. Ms. Wagner said the current activities include the ongoing monitoring ofthe Diversity Implementation Plan, the community outreach and education; they continue to work with ~. community groups and table events, and are a very active committee with a lot of energy and ideas, as well as having energy to accomplish the work. She said they are also involved and continue to track county data around hiring, recruitment, and now doing some work on racial profiling. Ms. Wagner said because of the size of their group they do not have a large infrastructure to deal and mediate on every complaint that is filed. She said Laura Yergan the Diversity Coordinator fields the complaints, and either refers to the appropriate member, provides information and referral, and helps to link them to other mediation services. . Ms. Wagner welcomed comments from the other LCHRAC members before moving to the next item on the agenda. Dennis Shine said Laura Yergan has copies of the form that is used for filing complaints and said "Attachment YO' in council's packet is a copy of that complaint. Mr. Shine also said that in May 1997, a decision was made by the Springfield City Council to abolish the Human Rights Commission that did exist to handle these types of complaints. He said his memory of the situation was that the committee was abolished because of fiscal constraints and asked the council if they would like to address that. Mayor Leiken said the cities budget constraints are actually worse now than they were in 1997, as the city is now looking at an approximate one million dollar short fall. He said because of this he feels a joint effort with Lane County is more effective. He views this as a great start and having an interaction with the LCHRAC. He said when the financial picture is improved he hopes that Springfield would then look at developing it's own Human Rights Commission. He said this issue has not been discussed as a council, but that would be something they would hopefully look at in the future. Councilor Hatfield said the committee was abolished because of budgetary reasons, and that has not changed in that respect. He said there are some federally statutory issues that have to be handled by the Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC), and he said anything else could be brought before the council. He said Mr. Grimaldi would be addressing the process for filing a complaint with the city later in the work session discussion. . Councilor Lundberg said this topic was addressed in the agenda preparation meeting. She said she hoped by the end of this meeting, they all would have a better understanding of how each agency could work more cooperatively in terms of what they do and where they want to go. Springfield City Council Work Session - March 26,2001 Page - 3 . Mayor Leiken said Mr. Shine has visited with him quite a bit, and feels they have developed a very positive relationship and said he has been helpful to him on a personal level and thanked ~n ' Assistant City Manager Gino Grimaldi said he would like to go back to May of 1997 when there was a change in the Human Rights Commission. He said the change not only abolishing the Human Rights Commission, but it moved the responsibility to theCDAC. He said the Springfield Municipal Code section 5.550 "Attachment VII", regarding unlawful discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, has not changed. He said what was lost when the change was made was some issues which include outreach efforts. He said some of those efforts are happening through the Library, and Mayor Maine was also fairly active in doing some outreach work. He said it was important to note not everything was lost when the commission was abolished. . Mr. Grimaldi said the complaint process for the City of Springfield is similar to that at Lane County. He said a person could file a complaint on an issue that relates to religion, race, color, sex, marital status, age, disability or national origin. He said the CDAC or in our case the City Manager's Office can receive that complaint and based on that complaint then an investigation is launched. That investigation begins with the City Manager's Office. He said the City Attorney's Office is better equipped to conduct a more formal investigation, and therefore we turn that investigation over to their office. Once that investigation is completed it is then turned over to the Springfield Municipal Court. He said at that point it becomes a complaint in the Municipal Court and the ultimate fine is $500. fme which is limited by the Springfield Charter. Mr. Grimaldi said the actual remedies to the person who has filed the complaint are rather limited. Because ofthis the city's staff has tried to find a better solution in order to assist people to resolve their dispute, either through mediation, or assisting or referring them to the correct agency. He said many of the complaints that have been filed fall into the jurisdiction ofthe Bureau of Labor, and they are very well equipped to handle those complaints, and therefore refer the complainant to them for assistance. Other types of complaints are landlord/tenant disputes, disputes between neighbors, complaints and or concerns regarding the Police Department, and general requests for assistance. He said none of the complaints that have been filed have resulted in filing with the Municipal Court for various reasons, either they did not fall under the statute of the Bureau of Labor, or we have been able to resolve the dispute that was ongoing. Councilor Hatfield said in terms of outreach, Springfield does have community groups that perform some of that already. For example, the Springfield Unity Network has done a very good job of reaching out to the Hispanic community. He said we have a very active Ukranian Community, and other groups. He spoke about the process with the Police Department in which employees are able to take advantage of incentive programs if they are bi-lingual in Spanish. He said once our community becomes more diverse it would be determined by management to identify additional languages for that type of incentive. He said this may not be typical of outreach, but he sees this as an outreach for this community that is very effective. . Mr. Shine said a man from Springfield last month his complaint was unprofessional conduct regarding the Police Department he was hearing impaired. The problem in this case is that the citizen was not aware of any other procedures. He said the citizen found himself filing a complaint regarding the Police Department with the Police Department. He said in this case it Springfield City Council Work Session - March 26, 2001 Page - 4 . was unfortunate that the complainant did not know there was an alternative procedure for filing his complaint. Ms. Harris advised Mr. Shine there are more specifics about this particular case that he may be unaware of. She said when she met with some others to discuss the agenda for tonight's meeting, they had determined at that time that no individual case would be discussed, that this meeting would focus on how to accomplish positive steps in bringing unity among the two agencies, and move forward from where we are today. She said within the agenda they hope to identify staff liaisons to allow a good flow of communication between those liaisons to address an issue such as what Mr. Shine is referring to. Councilor Simmons said the Police Planning Task Force would also be an avenue for a citizen to take when addressing concerns regarding the Police Department. Mr. Grimaldi said the staff liaison that has been assigned to handling human rights complaints is Kevin Ko, who works in the Development Services Division. Ms. Harris said the Lane County Human Rights Commission is appointed by the Lane County Commissioners, and their charge is to help community members for all of Lane County. She said one of the steps they would like to take as volunteers, is to support Springfield residents in addressing human rights. She wants to make sure information is shared with citizens that the LCHRAC is available to assist Springfield residents also. . There was discussion regarding the steps that could be taken in which both agencies could work together. Some suggestions were advertising, bumper stickers, and brochures. Ms. Wagner said this is a learning curve, and a continuum oflearning, and building relationships and assisting each other. She said these ideas that are being discussed are a springboard, to give and learn from each other. She said there might be some confusion with the LCHRAC members in how complaints are processed in Springfield, however, she said the information sharing is very beneficial, and appreciates the dialogue and education that is being provided. Councilor Hatfield said in looking at the membership of the LCHRAC, only two of the members reside in Springfield, most reside in Eugene. He said he was a councilor when the Human Rights Commission was abolished, and he did not receive a single complaint from citizens regarding that. He said Springfield recognizes it needs to be sensitive on this issue, and does not want to deny anyone his or her basic human rights, but said this council must be cautious before moving forward. Councilor Lundberg said she is very sensitive to human rights issues. She is a long standing resident of this community, and said it is important that the citizens work and live in a cooperative sense. She said she would like to see Springfield be more responsive to the changes that are happening in this community. She said it is important to have a better sense of communication and dialogue. With this new line of communication she hopes to open the door for more tolerance of diversity. She said she feels there is still a stigma, and a perception in Springfield that diversity is not tolerated.e . ,I .. . . . Springfield City Council Work Session - March 26,2001 Page - 5 Councilor Simmons said the diversity and demographics in Springfield have shifted substantially, and this community has started to take small steps. He said citizens are encouraging to serve on Boards and Commissions. He said he would suggest a communicative brochure advising citizens what the process is would be beneficial. He said there is a substantial amount of diversity in this community. He thinks through this process, he hopes to accomplish some successes that each group would all be proud of. Councilor Fitch asked ifthere was a Spanish version of the brochure (Attachment VI) available. Ms. Harris said yes. Councilor Fitch said the library provides a great outreach program with the Hispanic community with parents as well as children. She said there might be other activities such as this that brochures and additional information could be available or distributed. She said the city also has a program available for fIrst time homebuyers called the SHOP program that may be another place that the brochures could be made available. She said this would be a good example of outreach in this community. Leslie Scott said one of the reasons the LCHRAC wanted to meet with council was to let them know they aren't here to presume to do this job for Springfield. She said it is helpful to know there is a process and said this information will be a valuable tool in the future in assisting citizens with complaints. Ms. Harris said what they as a committee can provide is a diversity and implementation tool to use however Springfield chooses to use it. It was agreed that the LCHRAC would provide minutes of their meetings to Kevin Ko as staff liaison. . There was discussion related to the TEAM Springfield approach, and possible participation by the LCHRAC. Mayor Leiken suggested coordinating that with the City Manager's Office. Mayor Leiken thanked the members of the LCHRAC and said he appreciated their participation. He said he welcomed the dialogue, and hoped to continue it in the future. 2. Proposed Bicycle Plan Amendment. Transportation Manager Nick Amis and Traffic Technician IV Dean Bishop were present for the staff report. Mr. Amis said the purpose of this work session to obtain approval from council to initiate the process to amend the Springfield Bicycle Plan (SBP) to include a multi use path. Mr. Amis said during the council work session on February 2,2001, council requested more information about a possible amendment to the SBP. He said Councilor Simmons presented the idea for a bike path along the west area of 420d Street to the council. Mr. Amis said staff analyzed three options for a possible multi-use path along the western side of the Kaiser Slough, and included an option on the west side of 420d Street. He said a preliminary design concept analysis was conducted which includes planning level estimates and impacts; cost and ROW needs were calculated. He highlighted each of the options and provided the advantages . . . . . Springfield City Council Work Session - March 26,2001 Page - 6 and disadvantages assessment of each and provided cost information. Mr. Amis said staff prefers Option 1. Mayor Leiken asked if dialogue with property owners had already occurred. Mr. Amis said staff was waiting for council approval prior to conducted any discussion with the property owners. Mayor Leiken said he does not oppose the amendment, but encourage staff to begin discussions with the property owners soon. Councilor Simmons said it is obvious that option 1 or 2 would create a favorable process for future development. He said to follow the staff's recommendation would make the planning process far more advantageous. He said this is a great opportunity, with sound planning combined with economic benefit and an end result of a multi use path for the bicycle community to use. After discussion, council consensus was to initiate the process to amend the SBP to include a multi-use path, and favored Option 1, but encouraged staff to proceed quickly with discussion with the property owners. 3. Animal Shelter Services. Mayor Leiken said this item was being removed from the agenda. Police Chief Jerry Smith provided an update on the issue and said he would coordinate a date to bring this item back to council in the future once information was fmalized. Councilor Fitch reminded council the City Attorney's performance evaluation was due to the Human Resources Department. Councilor Fitch said the Springfield Youth Day of Caring was scheduled for April 26th. She encouraged anyone interested to return his or her applications into Chief Smith as he was assisting in the coordination. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m. Minutes Recorder - Kim Krebs ~ Kim Kr<bs,~ity ReCorder