HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/13/2015 Work SessionCity of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY APRIL, 13, 2015
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Library Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street,
Springfield, Oregon, on Monday April 13, 2015 at 6:00 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg presiding.
ATTENDANCE
Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors VanGordon, Wylie, Moore, Ralston, Woodrow and
Pishioneri. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City
Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff.
1. 2015 Council Goal Setting and Priority Initiatives.
Stan Biles, facilitator, started the group with a pre -meeting exercise to name things they liked most
and least about a particular topic (each received a different topic).
Mr. Towery said over the last several years Council has gone through a goal setting exercise and last
year they focused on a couple of major projects. This year, staff was asked to come up with a list of
ongoing projects and initiatives that are broad and cover the whole city.
Mr. Biles said the Council packet is divided into two parts: the Council Mission, Goals and Value
Statement; and the list of initiatives. He asked Council to confirm the existing goals. If those are
changed, that could change the list of initiatives.
Councilor Moore said she likes their current goals. In the past they had talked about healthy living and
how it is related to economic development and a thriving community. She suggested they add
something about focusing on healthy living under the goal of "Promote and Enhance Our Hometown
Feel While Focusing on Livability and Environmental Quality". Health is one of the initiatives the
State is incorporating into many policies.
Councilor Pishioneri said his preference is not to change or add to any of their current goals. They are
already very lengthy and he would even suggest making them plain and simple such as "Make
Springfield a Great Place to Live and Work".
Mr. Biles asked if they wanted to make any changes in substance.
Councilor Pishioneri referred to the goal "Strengthen Public Safety by Leveraging Partnerships and
Resources". They do that every day so he's not sure it should be a goal.
Councilor Wylie said she liked the goals. They generally covered the span of things that are their
responsibility and things they wanted to look at in the future. She would like to look annually at how
they addressed each of those goals, and how they would be addressed in the coming year.
Councilor Woodrow said each work session has the goal noted on the agenda item summary (AIS) so
that is one way to find that information. The goals could be shortened for the Council because they
know what they do every day, but the public needs to see the full scope of the goal. She also feels that
every goal has something to do with health.
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April 13, 2015
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Councilor Ralston agreed. They wordsmith this nearly every year and he's not interested in shortening
or changing things at this time. It is important for the public to know what each one means. They can
look at the goals, determine what has been accomplished and discuss what needs to be done to
accomplish them in the future.
Councilor VanGordon said he liked the goals, and they had worked through this process to get the
goals to this point. It is important for the public. He didn't feel they needed to add health as it is
encompassed in several of their existing goals. They can still talk about a healthy community.
Mr. Biles said it sounded like they wanted to keep the goals as they were and move on to the other
discussion.
Mayor Lundberg said their goals reflect their core values, which haven't changed. As long as the core
values remain solid there is no need to change the goals. She is comfortable with the goals in place.
Mr. Biles spoke regarding the initiatives. The desire is for the Council to give an indication of whether
or not city staff are on track with moving forward on these initiatives, if something should be changed,
or something added.
• Consolidated Accounts Receivable — Finance Dept
Much like the previous accounts payable process, the City has decentralized its accounts
receivable (AR) programs to the individual departments. Reviewing this type of program across
the entire City from an efficiency of service perspective indicates that there could be gains made
by developing standards that are consistent across all departments and possibly a reduction in
overall staff effort by developing a single point of contact for most billing and receipting. The
Finance Department will be studying this topic shortly and looking for ways to enhance this
particular service.
Councilor Woodrow asked if there was anything that would keep the City from going to this
consolidated system.
Mr. Grimaldi said there is not.
Councilor VanGordon said it makes sense. He asked about the savings in terms of funds or full time
employees (FTE).
Finance Director Bob Duey said it could save one FTE.
Mr. Towery said staff feel they can manage the process more effectively if it is consolidated.
Councilor VanGordon said the staff packet was missing the outcome.
Mr. Grimaldi said it would free up staff time in other departments to focus on other tasks. There is
potential for better success in collections.
Councilor Wylie asked why it is a Council goal.
Mr. Grimaldi said many of these are to bring awareness to Council of what staff is doing. This change
allows resources to be shifted to accommodate other projects Council wants to move forward.
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Councilor Pishioneri said he is a proponent of doing as much as they can, but they shouldn't be afraid
to shrink our workforce. If we can find a system that works and we can save FTE, that position should
be eliminated through attrition.
Mr. Towery said as they go through the budget every year, they talk about all the things they want to
do as an organization and resources don't always match. In this case, they are freeing up resources that
provide a policy opportunity for the Council through the budget process to decide if they eliminate
staff positions, or utilize that resource on another high priority.
Mayor Lundberg said other things on their list that are not currently staffed or understaffed could get
staffed with these savings.
Council supported this initiative moving forward.
• Priority Based Budgeting Analysis — Finance Dept.
The Finance Department has been facilitating the second year of the priority based budgeting
(PBB) process by working to bring the available data into the decision making process. For this
program to be successful, it is important to ensure all departments city-wide have access to
analytical support skills to complete the necessary program analysis for aligning services with
Council and Community priorities. A single FTE located within the Finance Department would
be the most cost effective and efficient way to provide this service to all departments.
Mayor Lundberg said there was a question about a citizen review component. She would be curious to
know what a citizen review would do or think, and which things staff was making decisions. Council
worked on it to set the highest level, but have not seen much since. Rather than a citizen review,
maybe they could have the Council review.
Mr. Grimaldi said staff is using the system as a tool to evaluate what they are doing and to prepare the
budget. It is not being used to substitute decision making. As it evolves, it could be used differently
and would include more Council and citizen involvement.
Councilor Moore said the citizen review component is the Budget Committee. She asked if the
management analyst position listed as an addition could be a half-time position rather than full-time.
Mr. Grimaldi said there are many things they City wants to examine to determine if they could do
things more efficiently, but we are lacking staff capacity to do that analysis. The goal of this position
would be to do that work.
Councilor VanGordon said that type of position can be very cost effective.
Mr. Grimaldi said they would look at this in a year to determine if the position paid for itself.
Councilor Ralston said they should be doing this and if it takes extra staff time to get it accomplished,
that's what they need to do. He didn't see it as an ongoing analysis. He did not support citizen review
since we already have the Budget Committee and the budget process.
Councilor Woodrow agreed. She is comfortable with this position. There have been times when a
project or service has come in at a lower quartile than is expected and she would like that to be part of
the analysis.
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April 13, 2015
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Councilor Wylie said her concern with PBB is when they are surprised. They need a fail-safe system
so things don't fall off of their priority list.
Mr. Grimaldi said projects and services are put into four quartiles. When preparing the recommended
budget, he or the Executive Team don't put things in or take things out based on their quartile. The
City funds appropriately things that in quartile 4 based on Council's decision.
Councilor VanGordon said he was fine with this initiative. They need to determine the work plan so
the position is not just self -sustainable, but creates a benefit. When they find something, they need to
make a change in the organization. When hiring someone for this position, they should look for a
specific skill set. He didn't feel a citizen review was needed; just use the Budget Committee.
Mr. Biles asked if Council was comfortable moving this initiative forward without a separate citizen
review component. They would use the Budget Committee for that purpose.
Council supported this initiative moving forward.
0 DUII Court Program — Springfield Municipal Courts
The DUII (Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants) Court Program is an adjudication program
for the resolution of first-time DUII citations issued by the Springfield Police Department. It is an
intensive compliance program using the DUII diversion agreement participants that begins with a
mandatory appearance to hear a judicial presentation about the consequences of non-compliance
including punitive sanctions for non-compliance; a meeting with an Alcohol Evaluator who gives
defendants an overview of the evaluation and treatment program; and a meeting with an IID
(Ignition Interlock Device) representative who demonstrates how the device works and field
questions. The DUII Court Program requires four scheduled appearances by defendants
throughout the course of the year-long program. Appearances are waived if compliance
documents are filed prior to the appearance date and if the defendant is compliant with all
agreement directives. The objective of this program is to reduce future re -offenses and it is
anticipated this will help to reduce the high expenditures associated with the Probation Monitoring
and Enforcement Program.
Councilor Ralston said he thought every city already had this program.
Mr. Duey said the City has the Diversion Program, but his goes one step further to make additional
efforts to try to keep people from coming back into the system.
Councilor Ralston said he feels it is a waste of services.
Councilor Woodrow said she is comfortable, but wants to see the results.
Mayor Lundberg said it is way to break the cycle. Part of this is mentions mental health which is a big
topic for many issues. She is fine working with this system on a trial basis to see what can be done.
Councilor Pishioneri said he supports this at the municipal level. House Bill 3194 has funding for
communities and the City should go after those funds. He would like to see a community program
such as work crews as part of this program. He noted there are funds through the Community
Corrections Act (CCA) that should be pursued for this program.
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April 13, 2015
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Councilor Moore asked how this program tied in to reducing the high expenditures associated with the
Probation Monitoring and Enforcement Program.
Mr. Grimaldi said the Courts are good at processing people. These and other efforts are trying to break
that cycle or prevent it from happening. It is more cost effective to keep people out of the system.
Councilor Wylie said alcohol abuse is one of the more persistent and resistant problems in a
community. Anything to reduce the impacts on the Courts and are community is a benefit. She agrees
they should look at other funding.
Mr. Grimaldi suggested this is something to discuss at a future work session.
Mayor Lundberg said that would be appropriate so they can figure out where available funding is and
who is doing the different programs. That would help them understand what is already available.
• New Art to Attract Visitors — City Manager's Office
Art helps enhance and promote our Hometown Feel by highlighting the identity of our
community. This identity is reflected through the community's character or sense of place. A
community's sense of place develops over time and the City Manager's Office Art Initiative is
working to help differentiate our Springfield with original artwork that helps bring visitors to our
community so they can experience our community.
Councilor Ralston asked who pays for the art. The citizens he talks to think the art is a waste of
money. The murals are different because they have tours and make Springfield a destination.
Mayor Lundberg said she supports this because it is room tax funds. They are working on putting the
beacon in Gateway which would be a land mark for people to come and they could see it from the
freeway. There are also programs to use movable art to bring people downtown. She was with the
Visitor's Center Conference attendees from across the state recently and they loved the murals.
Dedicating some room tax funds to enhance our art in the community as a distinguishing focus to
bring people to Springfield is a good idea.
Councilor Ralston said he was fine as long as it was room tax funds.
Councilor Pishioneri said it is great. He noted the Women in Military artwork in the Mohawk District
and that it was an appropriate location since the housing in that area were war houses built specifically
for returning military. He feels they should concentrate on that theme in that area.
Council supported this initiative moving forward.
Councilor Moore said it would be nice if the Simpsons' Mural (and all murals) had lighting.
• Downtown Fagade and Business Space Readiness Investments — City Manager's Office
Downtown is an urban renewal district, benefiting from the use of tax increment financing. As
properties within the district increase in taxable value, the increased revenues may be applied to
projects within the Downtown that further increase value. Focusing limited urban renewal funds
towards building fagade improvements supports the Downtown businesses and improves the
overall appearance and value of the Downtown area.
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April 13, 2015
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Councilor Pishioneri said it is a great idea. If they had standards for facades, it would take care of
some of his concerns regarding the look of the City.
Mayor Lundberg said she recalls giving NEDCO a lump sum for the Downtown fagade improvement
program. She asked for an update on that program.
Mr. Towery said Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds were provided for that project.
Staff can provide an update on that program during the next quarterly report from NEDCO.
Mayor Lundberg said the lighting has been so positively embraced by the community that she would
like to see as much lighting as possible. When walking from the Depot to the Museum, she noticed an
empty lot next to A3 that was not maintained. She would like to have staff contact the owner and focus
on getting that area improved. They could also look for other areas that could be fixed quickly and
easily.
Council supported this initiative moving forward.
• Prepare Glenwood for Future Development — City Manager's Office
Glenwood is an urban renewal district with several key redevelopment focuses, including
riverfront mixed use and commercial and industrial employment redevelopment. Due to the
complicated nature of redevelopment, the City has had to take an active role in visioning and
incentivizing redevelopment as well as building required infrastructure.
Council supported this initiative moving forward.
• Fire Local Option Levy Renewal — Fire Dept.
The current Levy will expire in June 2016. Fire has operated with a Local Option Levy in place
since 2003. The Levy provides approximately $2,000,000 per year in tax revenue to support fire
operations.
Without the levy, and with no replacement revenues identified, a 20% reduction in fire
suppression, rescue and emergency medical first response capacity for the City and its three
contract fire protection districts could occur. At the same time, we would expect increases in calls
for service. This would result in fewer response resources being spread more thinly across the
entire service area which will adversely affect the safety of our community and firefighters.
In addition to the loss of response assets, an adverse financial impact to the City's General Fund
may occur. It is important to note the fire levy absorbs more than the costs associated with
increased staffing and equipment. The levy also funds costs driven by call volume. These costs
include approximately 20% of the City's share of the Central Lane 9-1-1 dispatching costs, and
10% of the medical supply budget. Should the decision be made to retain any associated
apparatus or personnel, there would still be associated indirect costs. The combined costs would
be approximately $150-170,000 per year.
If the City chooses to retire the Levy and not seek re -approval, and maintains the 5'' engine
company, the cost would likely fall to the General Fund.
Mr. Grimaldi said there is a question about which election to bring the levy. They need to have
community energy behind this levy.
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Councilor Ralston said the community has shown support for both fire and police in past.
Mayor Lundberg said they usually have a campaign besides just the factual information from the City.
They need to have a mechanism and the Council is the first tier to find people to support the levy. She
asked Council to think of people that could work on the campaign.
Mr. Biles said there are policy decisions that need to be made.
Mr. Grimaldi said a work session is scheduled soon.
Mayor Lundberg said they will need to know the possible election dates.
Council supported this initiative moving forward.
• Police Operating Levy Renewal in 2017 — Police Department
The Police Operating Levy has been renewed twice since the passage of the original Levy in 2002.
The current Operating Levy will generate approximately $5.3 million in FYI for Police, Jail and
Court operations, and fund a total of 20.0 FTE in the Police Department, 19.1 FTE in the Jail, 2.23
FTE in Courts and provide 25% of the funding for the City Prosecutor contract. The Jail has had
positive impacts on the quality of life in Springfield and is partially responsible for a noticeable
decline in certain property crime rates. The most recent vote, in 2012, will fund the operation
through FY 17. The City will need to prepare a renewal initiative, likely for the November 2017
election, to renew the Levy for another five years. There is a possibility that a legislative fix may
become available to make the Levy permanent. In that case, the City should study the viability of
making the operating levy a permanent part of the tax base.
Mr. Grimaldi said this would also be on a work session at a later date.
Council supported this initiative moving forward.
Councilor Moore asked about a discussion regarding people outside the city limits buying into those
services similar to the water districts.
Mr. Towery said the City contracts for service outside the boundaries to provide water service, and the
City provides fire service in return.
Councilor Moore asked if we could see if those people might contract for public safety as well.
Councilor Ralston said he gets a lot of comments from people that don't live in city limits that have no
service. There should be an opportunity to ask those people in those areas if they would be willing to
pay for services.
Mr. Grimaldi noted the survey regarding annexation that did go out to some of those people.
Councilor Ralston said this is different and just asking them to pay for a service they are not currently
getting.
Mayor Lundberg said this had been discussed at the Mayor's roundtable. They would have to have a
taxing ability to collect funds. If people can pick and choose services, there is not incentive to annex.
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It is one of the reasons the levy passed for the County to get more service. It might be a County issue
to form a police service district that encompasses the two metro areas.
Councilor Pishioneri said they would have to create a separate taxing district. People have been asked
if they would like to contract for those services and they said no. The levy was for bed space, not extra
patrols and city residents outvoted non city residents on the levy.
• Main Street Traffic Safety Improvements — Development and Public Works
Traffic and pedestrian safety along Main Street is a significant and long standing concern to our
community. Public input received through the Main Street Corridor Vision Plan land use and
transportation visioning process has confirmed the importance of, and community support for,
implementing additional measures to improve safety. Council directed Staff to pursue safety
initiatives which included increased enforcement efforts, increased education efforts, and short
and long term capital projects. Staff is collaborating with Oregon Department of Transportation
(ODOT), owner of Main Street, on the capital project initiatives.
Mr. Grimaldi said this topic was coming to the Council in a work session on April 27.
Council supported this initiative moving forward.
• Age -Friendly Community — City Manager's Office
During her 2015 State of the City Address, Mayor Lundberg stated the City of Springfield's
commitment to participate in AARP's Network of Age -Friendly Communities. The initiative is a
partnership between AARP and the World Health Organization (WHO) to help cities prepare for
rapid population aging. More than 1,000 communities are participating world-wide. In Oregon,
Springfield is joined by Portland and Multnomah County.
Mayor Lundberg said members of AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) approached the
City to become age friendly to provide for all citizens to be able to get around. About 50% of women
over 65 years old live alone. They need to make sure we are taking care of those that are getting older,
making sure they can get on the buses, and get around our community. She did not intend for the City
to do a lot of work on this because we have LCOG (Lane Council of Governments), which has Senior
and Disabled Committees, who has agreed to help with this. If they could get some additional funding,
they could look at doing things to help take care of the seniors in our community that may be isolated.
Willamalane also has programs.
Councilor Ralston said he could support this in principal, but didn't see this as the City's obligation.
They could support measures that encourage multi -modal transportation, but we don't have the
resources.
Councilor Wylie said there are a variety of services in and around Springfield and maybe we could
pull those together into a brochure for seniors. There may be things that need attention from the City
so they should look at those things and determine if there is a need for the City to be involved. The
first step is to collect information on what is available.
Councilor Woodrow said LCOG had senior and disabled services which was a filter. We could get
information from them and utilize LCOG rather than reinventing the wheel. There is, however, a long
waiting time for appointments due to their limited resources. If the City is aware of things that would
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benefit the age friendly population in Springfield, we could partner with LCOG to help the whole
situation.
Councilor Pishioneri said the initiative says the City has two years to develop an action plan. He asked
what would happen if didn't have it all put together in two years.
Mr. Laudati said the City would lose the designation. There are a lot of people engaged in AARP,
and we want those people to move here when they retire. In looking at what is asked of us, those
things are already being done with LCOG and Willamalane. We just need to pull it all together. It
could help in the future to give Council a better idea of where the senior population is, what they think
about things, and what they would like to see that could affect policy decisions. There is not a large
expense, mostly staff time pulling information together.
Councilor Pishioneri said it is worth looking into further.
Mayor Lundberg said it was recognition similar being known for taking care of children. It is in our
planning to make sure our neighborhoods have good connections. If we can get AARP to bless it, we
could become a community for people to retire and live, making us a well-rounded community. Many
of the things on the list are things the City is already doing.
Councilor Moore said she would like to see the City create a senior citizen advisory. Whenever she
has had an opportunity to meet with older citizens, she has asked them about living in Springfield.
Many people love the library and see that as a great resource for seniors.
Councilor Ralston said his main objection was allocating resources.
Mr. Laudati assured him it was only staff time to pull the information together.
Mr. Towery said staff would bring information back to the Council in a work session with options to
move forward. They could then identify the City's role.
Council supported this initiative moving forward.
7:09pm: Council took a break
7:17pm: Council resumed the work session
• Workforce Diversity, Inclusion & Competency — Human Resources
In order to meet the Council's goal regarding diversity and inclusion, the City will need to have a
more focused and comprehensive program, involving training, facility improvements, and active
recruiting for vacant positions. The Coordinated Training Program has a budget of $20,000 for all
city-wide training, which is the minimum needed to provide legally required trainings. In order to
better reflect the demographics of our community, our facilities need better signage for those who
don't speak English fluently and we need to actively recruit for qualified candidates who will
enhance our workforce's diversity. That means "taking our show on the road" and personally
recruiting applicants who are qualified for our jobs. Once hired, we need to provide a welcoming
and supportive environment, which is attained through training that helps our employees
understand the value different backgrounds, cultures, gender, ethnicity and race bring to the
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workplace. A diverse workforce brings creativity and new ideas to our organization, and helps us
be more responsive to the community. An inclusive workforce will also reduce our risk exposure
regarding harassment and hostile work environment complaints and litigation. Diversity and
Inclusion need to be a high level, all -City priority if we are serious about reflecting the community
and keeping pace with its demographic changes.
Councilor Moore said she liked the idea of recruiting regionally and combining funds.
Councilor Woodrow said she is concerned going far afield to recruit for entry level positions, but is
fine doing that for management positions. She appreciates all that has been done in this area, and
would like to keep doing what we are doing even more diligently. She has a concern using resources
to go outside our area for applicants.
Mr. Grimaldi said reaching out further will help attract candidates we are looking for. As an example,
going farther afield for positions such as police helps attract female officers, an area we are lacking.
Councilor VanGordon said if the $20,000 covers what we need to do to remain in compliance, he is
comfortable. He noted the fire department doing high school camps and suggested translating that
effort into actual recruiting. He wants to make sure they get the people we need to stay in the long run.
They could start locally and expand if needed. He is concerned about sending staff somewhere far
away in order to recruit for positions.
Mr. Towery said there is a growing change in the Hispanic population of our community and our
current workforce doesn't represent our community. An example is in our advanced technical degree
positions. We are more likely to recruit Latino engineers from the advanced technical degree programs
at Arizona State University.
Councilor VanGordon said he is fine posting jobs regionally, but is concerned with sending staff to
other states to recruit.
Mayor Lundberg said she has mixed thoughts. If half our population is women, and we have one in ten
women in the workforce, it is not reflective of the community. The same is true with ethnicity. If we
don't have that skill set in our community, the question is whether or not we go outside the area to find
them. How we go about that is different. She would like to see the workforce reflective of the
community makeup. If this is what we need to do to get there, she is supportive.
Councilor Pishioneri said it is a great goal to be inclusive, but it took many years for our population to
get to the current mix and may take as many years to get our workforce to the same mix. Very
aggressive recruiting is not the answer. Most communities north and south of Springfield are not
reflective of their population. We also need to have a population that has a desire to be in these
professions. They have recruited for women police officers over the last 30 years he has been in law
enforcement, but they still don't have the numbers. They can't force them to apply. He feels the
initiative is over the top in terms of recruitment. It is okay to try to continue to recruit people
regionally and at the different schools.
Councilor Ralston said he is opposed to affirmative action. He doesn't want to hire someone for their
gender or ethnicity, but for their qualities. We can continue to recruit, but if they don't want to be in
the position, we can't force them.
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Mr. Biles said this is a complex issue. He asked if they felt they should have a separate work session
on this topic.
Mayor Lundberg said this is not a work session item.
Councilor Wylie said they could do more recruiting locally. Some women and some ethnic groups
aren't comfortable in certain positions in public safety. We should work on changing the culture so
they feel more comfortable. There are other ways to help the situation.
Councilor Moore said this fit the Council Goal to "foster an environment of diversity and inclusion".
Once people are hired, they need to provide a welcoming and supportive environment which is
attained through training. Maybe we need to increase the minimum amount for training to provide
training for current staff. Diversity needs to be a high-level, all -city priority if they are serious about
our workforce keeping pace with our demographic population. If they are not serious, they should
remove that Goal.
Mayor Lundberg said she agrees that if we are committed to diversity and an equitable workforce, we
need to commit to that as a Council. They need to be the ones that set the bar. It's going to happen
because they say they want it to happen and are willing to work at it. She would like to see the City
work hard to make sure we are a welcoming environment. If we don't have much diversity in our
workforce, that reflects who we are as a City.
Councilor Woodrow said she has never been a quota person, but it is important because we have
diverse background of cultures and family make-up in our community. In order to create a welcoming
work environment, we need to be aware that those populations exist. She feels the Human Resources
department is doing a great job and trying to follow the Goal. They recognize there is a lot of cultural
diversity in Springfield and are working to make it a welcoming environment. She sees this initiative
as the next focus of what they are already doing. Her only concern is going to other states, or could
they put more effort regionally. The Springfield Police Advisory Committee has included positions for
a faith based member and ethnic position to help promote that welcoming atmosphere and encourage
their voice.
Five councilors were supportive of this initiative going forward while two were opposed. This
initiative will move forward.
Councilor Pishioneri said he supports the concept, but there were parts of the initiative he couldn't
support. He felt it went too far in its approach. He does believe in diversity in the workplace.
• Work with community to develop financing strategy for street system preservation and
maintenance — Development and Public Works
The City has identified a $4.5M annual revenue shortfall to perform adequate levels of
maintenance and preservation on the City's Street System. The City has also identified a backlog
of $27M for street surface improvements. The City Council has a goal that our Street Condition
Index (surface condition) will show 85% at Fair or Better condition. At this time, more than half
of our streets are in the Fair to Poor condition category. The quality of street system
infrastructure directly contributes to neighborhood quality, safety and economic development.
Councilor Ralston asked how they would work with the community.
Mayor Lundberg said they have talked about several possibilities.
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Mr. Grimaldi said they would watch the election on the County's registration fee, and then look at
other options during a work session.
Council supported this initiative moving forward.
• City-wide bicycle and pedestrian connectivity and way -finding implementation plan —
Development and Public Works
A high quality, safe, and interconnected bicycle and pedestrian network that is easy to navigate is
a tremendous community asset that can provide multiple benefits to Springfield citizens and
businesses, such as improving accessibility to businesses, schools, parks and other important
destinations; reducing the personal and community costs of transportation; and creating
opportunities to improve community health through active transportation. The 2014
Transportation System Plan includes high level policies aimed at improving biking and walking,
and also a suite of bike/ped projects mainly associated with off system path and roadway
improvements. The 1998 Springfield Bicycle Plan also includes a number of projects to improve
the bike system in Springfield, many of which have been completed. This initiative would further
refine and implement the bike/ped portions of the 2014 TSP and update the 1998 Bike Plan by
specifically focusing on priorities and implementation strategies for making improvements to non -
motorized system connectivity and way finding. It may be most cost effective to select an area of
the City to pilot the implementation strategy first, and then extend the strategy to other areas of
town, learning from and building upon success. This initiative dovetails nicely with Springfield's
participation in the national `Mayor's Challenge for Safer People and Safer Streets' to take
significant action to improve safety for bicycle riders and pedestrians of all ages and abilities over
the next year.
Councilor Ralston said they have no funding for the program. He asked if it is a priority. He supports
connectivity, but it requires a lot of money.
Mr. Grimaldi said there are other funding sources through the State and Federal government.
Councilor Moore said it is essential and relates to making a safer community for all, including senior
citizens. She was supportive and had initiated the restart of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee.
Mayor Lundberg said she wants the City to look at funding strategies available. Perhaps they could
identify things to focus on such as bike paths and wayfinding. She is supportive of continuing to take
advantage of our lobbyists that have offered to go after research grants. She will continue to ask
LCOG to find a grant writer to research grants.
Councilor Woodrow said they could also consider making sure part of that includes safety for Main
Street and overall. It would be good to have the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee participate.
Council supported this initiative moving forward.
• New Library Facility — Library
The Library has been at its present location for 34 years. The population of Springfield has grown
from 40,000 to 60,000 during that time and is projected to reach 70,000 by the year 2020. Our
library is less than half the size of a facility deemed necessary to adequately serve our current
population; much less a growing one. In addition it has become increasingly difficult to fully
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Council Work Session Minutes
April 13, 2015
Page 13
utilize the advanced technologies that have become a part of our daily lives. Finally, the role of
the library in the community has evolved beyond the conception of the current library's planners
and designers. One marked example of this change is the increased use of the library as a
community gathering place. We have gone from the individual scholar to widely diverse groups
using the library together from early literacy training to teaching seniors how to use an I -pad. Our
program attendance has been rising by double digits. More than 20,000 children, parents, and
adults experience a library program in the course of a year. It is time to build a new library facility
that can better respond to the needs and aspirations of a growing, changing, and more technology
and information dependent community.
Councilor Moore said she would like to know more about the potential of a commercial private
investment as well as private investment in something like this where they could have a business on
one level and the Library on another floor.
Councilor Ralston said he agrees the Library is a good part of the City, but he wants to know how it
would be funded. The citizens need to pay for it or they don't get it. He feels it should go to a vote of
the public.
Councilor Wylie said a few years ago, Councilor Ralston suggested charging a fee to use the Library,
a small surcharge to help pay for a new Library. Perhaps that coupled with private and public funds
could get the funds needed. Other communities have raised funds for new libraries and we could learn
fundraising strategies from them.
Councilor VanGordon said the work plan is lined out to answer questions and figure out funding.
There is a lot of work to do, and now is the time to start because it is a long process. There is nothing
that gives him concern in the work plan. It could be positive for downtown and the community and
he's ready to start.
Mayor Lundberg said the initiative includes forming a community advisory panel, which could include
a combination of the Library Board and Library Foundation. She is intrigued that a library becomes
the communication and information hub for the community. She wants to see how that looks and what
is needed to become that type of facility. It is a long road to get to the point of a new building. She is a
proponent of participation of an advisory panel to look at where we are, what needs to be done, how
the library should look, etc. She would like them to bring back private/public partnerships and other
options to see how they could get there.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if Council had made an official declaration that they want a new library.
He feels if they want to go down this path, that should be clear.
Mayor Lundberg said that would be a next step after information is gathered from a panel.
Mr. Grimaldi said a key piece is moving forward with programming to determine the needs of the
community. They could easily show that the current facility doesn't meet those needs.
Mr. Towery said when they embarked on the Sustainable City Year initiative with the University of
Oregon, one of the projects the Council approved was a design studio for a new library.
Councilor Moore said we have talked about this and it would be nice to take a definitive step.
Councilor Woodrow said what the Library does for the community has transitioned over the years, but
is still a vital part of the community. It has maintained its purpose, but has evolved. She would like to
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Council Work Session Minutes
April 13, 2015
Page 14
see a focus on participation of the advisory panel and would also like a time element added so they
could have some certainty of progress in the next year or two. They can then know if they can go
forward.
Five of the councilors were supportive of this initiative moving forward and two were opposed. This
initiative will move forward.
• Code Enforcement — Police Dept.
As part of the recent reorganization, the Police Department will make code enforcement,
especially enforcement of the Chronic Nuisance Disorderly Property ordinance, a priority. The
Department has created a Special Response Team, consisting of a Sergeant and a Community
Service Officer, who will focus on nuisance properties within the City. The Team will work
closely with the Code Enforcement staff from Development and Public Works, and will draw on
resources as necessary from Patrol and Detectives to identify and abate chronic nuisances in our
community such as noise, littering, abandoned vehicles and drug activity, as well as other
activities and conditions which degrade the quality of life for our residents.
Council supported this initiative moving forward.
Mr. Biles said this was all of the initiatives brought forward by staff, but Council could propose
additional initiatives.
Mayor Lundberg said because they are working hard on processes for development (master builder),
she would like to add Economic Development as. a goal. A lot of work has been invested in keeping
Swanson, promoting Glenwood and working on the urban growth boundary (UGB) expansion which
is also for economic development. Economic Development is a thread that connects each of the
initiatives. It is something that is needed to ensure our kids have jobs and we have a good trained
workforce. She would like to call it out in some way.
Councilor Woodrow said it falls into all their goals and goes hand in glove with each of them. She is
not sure she wanted it separate.
Councilor Ralston said it was their second goal and was in everything they did.
Mayor Lundberg said the new economic development organization is trying to get started, but the City
doesn't have a direct role other than funding. They need to define what the Council wants in terms of
economic development in Springfield. It could help give staff a better idea where to put their efforts.
Mr. Grimaldi said staff could create information that they could bring back to Council for further
discussion.
Mayor Lundberg said there are different strategies at work so they need to focus and narrow their
definition of economic development.
Councilor Moore said she had recently mentioned to the City Manager that economic development is
what would most affect them as a community. She saw it as an umbrella over all of their goals, similar
to choosing Glenwood last year.
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Council Work Session Minutes
April 13, 2015
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Councilor Wylie spoke about the trip to Hillsboro when they learned about the many things they had
done for economic development. She would love Springfield to do great things in terms of economic
development and having private development help us build our community.
Councilor VanGordon said it does tie everything together. The key to discussing strategy is to look at
our other partners in the community such as Springfield Utility Board (SUB), the School District and
Willamalane.
Councilor Woodrow agreed. Schools assist in building a skilled workforce.
Mr. Biles asked if staff had enough to prepare a document to start the conversation.
Mr. Grimaldi said they have enough information to start the conversation. He asks that they avoid
coming up with an economic development plan, but rather something precise and quick that the
Council could focus on regarding what we are doing today and what we could do in the future. They
will try to schedule something in a month or two.
Mr. Biles reviewed the outcome of the Council discussion on the initiatives.
Mayor Lundberg thanked everyone. She feels good they have accomplished a lot and set a good
direction for the community. She thanked staff for their work in putting everything together.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m.
Minutes Recorder — Amy Sowa
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Christine L. Lundberg
Mayor
Attest:
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Amy Sowa
City Recorder