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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/09/2015 Work SessionCity of Springfield Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2015 The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Library Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday February 9, 2015 at 5:30 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Councilor President Woodrow and Councilors VanGordon, Wylie, Moore, Ralston, and Pishioneri. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City Attorney Lauren King, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. Mayor Lundberg was absent (excused). 1. Joint Work Session with the Police Planning Task Force (PPTF). Tim Doney, Chief of Police, presented the staff report on this item. Members of the Police Planning Task Force introduced themselves and told a little about themselves. They were Chris Stole (Vice Chair), Jack Martin, Quentin Hogan, Michael Bean, and Michelle Khanthanhot. The Police Planning Task Force (PPTF) would like to propose amending the bylaws and charge of the group to more accurately reflect the community and the group's mission; to propose initiating a new Long Range Plan for Police Services; and to discuss with the Council the ongoing desire to reduce future dependence on the Public Safety Operating Levy. The Police Planning Task Force was originally established in 1994 and charged with developing a long range strategic plan for police services. The group was made permanent in 1996 and has produced three updates to the original 20 year Plan. Quentin Hogan said the group recommends changing the name to the Springfield Police Advisory Committee (SPAC) to reflect the permanent nature and expanded scope of the group. He also noted that they would like to change the composition of the group to better reflect our community's diversity and the work of the committee. Currently, there are six at -large positions, two business representatives, a representative from the School District and one representative from Willamalane. They would like to change it to four at -large positions, one representative from the faith community and one representative from the cultural minority community. Councilor Wylie asked how the Police department felt about the name change. Chief Doney said they had been involved through the process and recommended the change in the name. Staff is in favor of the name and the change in the membership. There was a benefit in having a minority member and someone from the faith based community to better reflect our community. The name change fits the role of the committee. Councilor Pishioneri confirmed the number of members would remain at 10. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes February 9, 2015 Page 2 Mr. Bean commended Mr. Harman on his support of the committee and for providing information to the members. The Municipal Jail has been in operation for five years and continues to show the benefit the community anticipated when first constructed. Property crimes are down, bail posting and fine collection is up, and revenue is coming in for bed rentals to other jurisdictions. There will always be challenges, but the jail continues to operate on a budget of $2.8M per year. They have been fortunate to have the support of the Council and the voters have passed each operating levy. The Police Department relies on this levy more each year as the General Fund struggles through the economy. One of the goals of the PPTF is to reduce future dependency on the levy. They would like to hear any ideas from the Council on ways they can set goals and action plans that might move them away from needing to pass a ballot measure every four or five years. Councilor Pishioneri asked what other jurisdictions are renting beds and what they are paying for rent. Chief Doney said Junction City, Coburg, Oakridge and City of Eugene. When they occupy a bed, they pay $75 per night, although they are considering a raise in that rate. Eugene has a set amount of funding for bed rentals, so if the rates increase, they will just cut down on the times they rent a bed. Staff is currently talking with another city about jail bed rental. The average number of beds used by Eugene is about 8-9 beds per month, with a budget of approximately $300,000 per year. Councilor Pishioneri asked if the Chief had talked with Lane County Jail regarding female prisoners. Chief Doney said they currently have an agreement with Lane County that if they will hold five female prisoners, the Municipal Jail will hold five of their male prisoners. The Municipal Jail is only set up for male prisoners for long term stays, although they can keep female prisoners short term in holding cells before sending them to Lane County. They approached Lane County last winter and were asked to come back the end of 2014. Captain Lewis has a call into Lane County and is waiting to hear back from them. The Municipal Jail has plenty of room for male prisoners, but finding appropriate room for female prisoners has been a problem. Some of the female prisoners, when lodged at the County jail, get matrixed out before they appear in Court, and that is a concern for everyone. Councilor Pishioneri said he is concerned that Lane County may no longer do the trade. Chief Doney said the Municipal Jail could take female prisoners with some minor adjustments to the jail, but staffing will be the issue. It would be a problem if they had to accommodate female prisoners today. Councilor Pishioneri said it could take about 4.65 FTE twenty-four hours every day to handle female prisoners. Chief Doney said they currently have 3 female FTE. They will continue to watch that carefully. Councilor Pishioneri said they may want to look at other options besides a one-for-one trade. Councilor Wylie asked about the capacity of the Municipal Jail. Chief Doney said they have 100 beds, and currently have an average of 65 beds filled. They do have enough staff to handle fully capacity, which is good. There is a request through the budget process to add one detention officer to alleviate the long shifts. It takes three detention officers to run the facility. The jail was designed very well. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes February 9, 2015 Page 3 Mr. Grimaldi said the legislature may consider a bill during this session that will put to the voters a change to the Oregon Constitution that will allow voters of each jurisdiction to decide if they want to make any levy permanent. There could be an opportunity for elected officials to testify regarding that bill. It is a priority with the League of Oregon Cities (LOC). Chief Doney said there is a lot of stress on those officers that are funded through a levy. The upcoming levy is coming up soon. Mr. Grimaldi said some other opportunities could involve bringing in or creating new revenue to help offset the levy, or they could cut other departments in the General Fund to contribute to police. Councilor Wylie asked about providing information about the levies out to the citizens. She strongly urged starting that planning as soon as possible. Mr. Grimaldi noted that a group of citizens could form a political action committee (PAC) and promote the levy. Councilor Wylie said information is very important for the voters. Councilor Moore asked if people in the urban growth boundary (UGB) paid for the levy. Mr. Grimaldi said only those in city limits pay for the levy. Councilor Moore said there are fire districts that provide fire protection in those areas. There are sometimes complaints that Lane County doesn't have enough patrol officers to cover those areas. She asked if they could look into doing some type of policing district that would cover those areas, such as in Glenwood. They could ask those people to pay for a police/safety district. Mr. Grimaldi said the first thing would be to look at the Metro Plan which may prohibit that action. If that is not an obstacle, an option would be to have the Rainbow Water District put that out to their voters. Councilor Moore said fire protection is required for house insurance. If people in those areas could see a benefit of having a policing district, it might help. Mr. Grimaldi said recent surveys of those living outside city limits indicated that was not an issue. PPTF member Missy Cole arrived at 5:45pm. Ms. Stole said she appreciated the changes that had come about with Chief Tim Doney. They have good participation with the schools and have a well-rounded committee. She noted how clean downtown was as noticed by some out of state guests. When she first started serving on the PPTF, they were going through the latest update to the Long -Range Plan. The Plan has been updated three times, the last in 2010. The original Plan included building of anew police facility, building a jail, increasing staffing, and improving technology. Those things had been accomplished during the span of the Plan. They have started moving forward on the new Long -Range Plan. Mr. Harman said many goals had been accomplished over the last twenty years. They are hearing conversations at the local and national level about how Police are interacting with an increasingly City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes February 9, 2015 Page 4 diverse community. There are changes in the socio-economic look and feel of Springfield. The PPTF has expressed an interest in partnering with staff and other key community stakeholders to figure out the next 20 -year Plan. They are asking for Council support to move forward with that process. Chief Doney said in drafting their Plan they will look at Council goals, city goals, and get input from the Police Department and others in the public to see what they want from the Police Department. There are a lot of exciting things on the horizon. The Police Department is a very integral part of the growth, safety, security and economic vitality of the city. People need to feel safe in the community to see growth. Many in the Police Department live in Springfield and have families in Springfield and it's important that citizens feel safe. They look forward to having citizens involved in the strategic plan. Councilor Ralston said he liked changing the name. He asked why they were changing the two positions. Chief Doney said there is value in having leaders in the faith based community as they often speak for their congregation and neighbors and he feels it is important to listen to them. In their outreach to the Latino community, often it is the religious leaders that bring people together. There is value in the minority community, with 14% coming from the Latino community. It is important to identify some good candidates that can speak for that community. Councilor Ralston said there may be value, but he didn't feel it should be a requirement. There may be times when there is no one in that category that is qualified. They could note that they have a preference for someone from those two categories, but not a requirement. He wants to make sure the best candidate is appointed. Chief Doney said ultimately this would be a Council decision. In his past experience, they have never had a problem getting good applicants for those positions. Councilor Ralston said he liked the police/public safety district idea for people in the UGB. That could be a good selling point. He is supportive of them moving forward with the Long-range Plan. Councilor VanGordon asked if they felt they would have enough applicants from the faith based community as it may be a narrower field to draw from. Chief Doney said his experience is that they always get plenty of applicants. He felt they could have three or four applicants for the Council to select from. When the Police Department hosted an outreach to the Latino community, there were a number of Caucasian clergy in attendance that were very interested in getting involved. Councilor VanGordon asked if during outreach there had been a hesitancy by those in the faith based community to apply which warrants the need to create a specific position. Chief Doney said he had not noticed any hesitancy. They currently had a representative from the business community and this would be similar in that the person in that position would be the representative for all religions and denominations. Councilor VanGordon said it was worth trying and is an important voice in the community. He wants to make sure they have a good cross section to choose from. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes February 9, 2015 Page 5 Chief Doney said he already knows about 5 people that are interested. Councilor VanGordon said he is good going forward with the long range plan. Chief Doney said the 1996 Plan was done very well and the goals had been completed. The community has been extremely supportive of the Police Department and he hopes they can continue to be a value and finish the next Plan on time. Councilor Pishioneri said he appreciated the designation of faith -based organization. Someone that is placed in a position to represent a large group is valuable, similar to a business representative. If it didn't work out, they could change the representation on the committee if needed. Chief Doney said if Council approved this position, he would work hard to get good applicants. Councilor Pishioneri said would like a report at some point to see how the new make-up of the committee was working. Councilor Ralston said having those designations waters down the pool of applicants. People from those categories could have applied as a citizen at -large. He noted the number of people from other cultures in the City. Chief Doney clarified that the minority position is not only for Latino, but for any minority in the City. Councilor Wylie said the faith based community sees themselves as the keepers of the community in many ways for their congregation. They bring their resources and energy to solve problems, and are a good resource for our Police Department. The inclusion of a minority is very important. The Hispanic population is growing in our community and we need communication with all minorities regarding the issues of the community. Councilor Moore said one of the Council goals includes diversity. Setting aside a position for the minority is very important. Faith based member are also a good fit. People involved in service to those less fortunate often come from the faith based community. She is in favor of both positions and appreciates the good job they have done on the long-range planning. Councilor Woodrow said a lot of thought and time was put into what was brought to the Council tonight. She commended the group for their work, ideas and thoughts. Membership make up was important, and they already have a representative from the school and park district. Adding these positions gives a blended perspective. Springfield has many different nationalities, and the representative will represent all of the minorities. They will still have two at -large positions, but this allows them to reach out to those that may not have applied before. She is excited to see what they come up with for the long-term plan. She asked if a public safety district would be part of the compression issue. Staff responded that it would. Council supported the new make-up of the committee and moving forward with the long-range plan. Councilor Moore asked Chief Doney to talk about the Polar Plunge event. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes February 9, 2015 Page 6 Chief Doney said there were about 300-400 who took the plunge for Special Olympics on Saturday, February 7. There were people from the Springfield Police Department, City of Eugene, and Sheriff's Office. 2. Discuss Updates to Springfield Municipal Code (SMC) Grading Section 8.300. Matthew Ruettgers, Building and Land Development Manager, and Todd Singleton, Engineering Technician, presented the staff report on this item. As part of the City's Stormwater Permit (MS4) Implementation Plan through the Department of Environmental Quality, staff is tasked with reviewing existing codes for gaps and developing new codes to help fill these gaps. Staff has identified the need to further define and codify the requirements of the existing Land Drainage Alteration Program and its permit process. The goal of the Land and Drainage Alteration Program (LDAP) is the protection of. public and private property; the City's infrastructure; and all Goal 5 Natural Resources inventory of significant sites from potential adverse effects of construction activities. The exact provisions or conditions of a Land and Drainage Alteration Permit are based on the circumstances present at the development site; as a result, the program allows the applicant and the City the flexibility to design and apply the most effective erosion prevention measures on a case-by-case basis. This flexibility extends to modifications of these conditions after the permit has been issued if the City determines the measures are not achieving the intended results. The proposed additional code language is designed to enhance the existing SMC section 8.300 (Grading) with code specific to the LDAP program by defining the program, its outcomes, the permit process, and Construction Site Control Measures and Design Standards. The proposed language is modeled after code language utilized by the City of Eugene, which provides for regional consistency, making it easier for Contractors who do work in multiple jurisdictions, by having standards that they are familiar with. As this additional code language is refined, there will be other areas of the Municipal Code, Development Code, and Engineering Design Standards and Procedures Manual (EDSPM) that will need to be updated to reference the correct code citation. These edits will be submitted for final review at the first reading during Regular Session. The goal of this proposed additional code language is to codify the existing Land Drainage Alteration Program that the City's Development and Public Works department currently administers, however is not currently defined in the Municipal Code. Councilor VanGordon confirmed they are not creating a new permit. Mr. Ruettgers said that is correct. The permit currently exists, but has not been codified. The program strives for voluntary compliance and in working with contractors on-site for best practices. By codifying this permit, it defines it more clearly for contractors so they know what to expect. Council consensus was to bring this forward to a regular meeting. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes February 9, 2015 Page 7 3. Master Fees and Charges Schedule — Spring 2015 Update. Bob Duey, Finance Director, presented the staff report on this item. Each year, Council and staff review existing fees and charges for appropriateness of rates for meeting cost recovery targets as well as reviewing for areas where new or additional fees should be considered. The spring of 2015 review will focus on updates for annual impacts of inflation, new fees and omissions as directed by Council. Mr. Duey discussed fees and charges and the purpose of using them to try to offset costs of services. Proposed increases for most of those fees and charges are at the current Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 2%. Four fees and charges are not part of the schedule and will be brought to Council at a later date: planning fees; building fees; utility fees; and system development charges. Fees and charges proposed to increase more than 2% are explained in Attachment 1 of the agenda packet. He reviewed each of the proposed increases and explained each as outlined in Attachment 1. Councilor VanGordon asked about Chapter 1, page 3 and if the Merchant Fee is new. Mr. Duey said that is a new fee and is based on a law change that allows a merchant to charge a user fee for use of credit cards. If this fee is added, they may want to make it city-wide. It is important to hear feedback from Council on this fee. Councilor VanGordon said he is skeptical about it as it is not part of a standard business practice. Mr. Grimaldi asked if he would like to include a certain dollar amount. He gave an example of businesses in the private sector that charge a percentage for higher priced items. Discussion was held regarding setting a dollar amount that would trigger the fee. It was suggested that trigger be an amount of $1000 or more. The difference between credit and debit cards was discussed. Mr. Duey said the City does not have the capability to have the customer enter a personal identification number (PIN) so they all are run as credit cards. Councilor Pishioneri referred to Chapter 1, page 7 regarding meeting room rates. He asked if the charge covered the cost of service. Mr. Duey said the instructions were for cost recovery. Councilor Moore asked if this was for meetings outside normal hours for outside groups only. Mr. Duey said that was correct. Councilor Moore asked about the library fees and said she hates to see it increase for those outside City limits. Mr. Duey said the increase is an estimate to cover the activity level and cost of service for school age children that use the Library. Councilor Woodrow asked about the revenue the City receives from non-residents. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes February 9, 2015 Page 8 Mr. Duey said they didn't have it broken out, but the revenue from both cards and fines comes to about $45,000-$48,000. He will check with the Library to get that figure for the next work session. Councilor Woodrow said she would love to get to a point where they didn't have to charge. Mr. Duey said they could find a way to do that, but need to be fair to those living in the City. Councilor Moore asked if the cost is per individual or per family. Mr. Duey said he would check. Councilor Pishioneri said they also need to consider how many families might get a card if there is no fee and how that would impact Library staff and resources. He referred to Section 4, page 18 where it states, "Fee will apply on any DUII Diversion or Deferred Prosecution Diversion cases. Fee may be waived at the discretion of the Judge". He would like that sentence stricken. He doesn't feel the Judge should have the ability to change the fee, which is set to recover costs. There are other fees that the Judge has no discretion over, and he felt this is the same situation. If the Judge wants to adjust the charge so the fee matches the fine, that is his call. Councilor Wylie said she didn't want to pull this without more discussion. Councilor Pishioneri makes a good point, but she wants to understand why it was included. Councilor Duey said one of the things it is used for is a new program for chronic drunk drivers. They had the first dedicated session in Court just to handle those kinds of cases. They are looking for flexibility to keep people in the program and finish. Some people need extra help to stay in the program. The Court is working with the prosecutors to make the program successful. He will ask Judge Strickland to come to the next work session or write a memo of explanation. Mr. Duey explained changes in Sections 6, 7, 8 and 9. Councilor Pishioneri asked about Section 9, page 74, "Compensation Fee for Use of Public Ways", and when that fee was set. Management Analyst Rhonda Rice said the fee was inadvertently left out of the schedule during the last update. The fee had been in place for about ten years and generally was tied to an ORS. Councilor Pishioneri asked if they could get information on how it was determined and if it needs to be updated. Ms. Rice said most cities charge between $3.75 and $3.85. The cost covers administration of the fee. Councilor Pishioneri said he wants to make sure we have cost recovery. Mr. Grimaldi discussed the purpose of the fee, which is similar to rent. Rent is generally based on the current market. Councilor Moore asked if this cost affects our citizens. Mr. Duey said it was charged to customers, but not City residents. He noted that the Council will review Section 10, System Development Charges, at a later work session City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes February 9, 2015 Page 9 Councilor VanGordon asked about overall cost recovery from the fees. Mr. Duey said it varied and depended on the service. He explained several of the fees and the cost recovery for those. Councilor VanGordon in looking at the cost of living adjustment (COLA) model, there is no sense in how that affects cost recovery. Mr. Duey said with the increases, they are not getting ahead on cost recovery, but are just treading water. Many of the services in the General Fund are covered by a combination of General Fund dollars, subsidies and partial fees. He will come back to Council for a second work session with follow-up information on Council's questions. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:59 p.m. Minutes Recorder — Amy Sowa Christine L. Lundberg Mayor Attest: Qy� Amy So a City Recorder