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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/12/2015 Work SessionCity of Springfield Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY OCTOBER 12, 2015 The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday October 12, 2015 at 5:30 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 Attorney Mary Bridget Smith, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. 1. Economic Development Future Initiatives. Courtney Griesel, Senior Analyst, Economic Development, and Jeff Towery, Assistant City Manager, presented the staff report on this item. The City of Springfield Economic Development Program responds to the priorities of both the Council and private sector industry. Work serves as an engine to drive economic growth within the community and region, strategically aligning City resources with Council identified economic development priorities and community needs. Over the next 3 to 5 years, staff is striving to strategically identify key initiatives to pursue which might continue to economically position the community to grow and thrive. The Economic Development Program supports activities to develop necessary infrastructure to serve new and existing industry, improve the health of the local tourism industry, promote and support existing and emerging industry, and sustainably and responsibly leverage resources to create an active and thriving local economy. Over the last 10 years, a significant amount of this work has taken place in the two Springfield urban renewal areas. As we begin looking to the next 3 to 5 years, we are identifying important economic development initiatives and opportunities which will influence the economic health of the larger community. These initiatives are summarized below and discussed in greater detail in Attachment 1: Initiative - Advanced Timber Products (CLT) Promotion - Springfield Economic Look - Industrial Site Opportunity Look - Booth Kelly Redevelopment Strategy Project Estimated Duration Funding Need 3-5 years $35k 1 year $50-$75k 1 year $75k 2 years $50k While each of these initiatives might be accomplished independent of the others, staff feels the Springfield Economic Look and Industrial Site Opportunity Look might benefit from a, coordinated implementation so as to generate a mutually informed outcome. Based on Council level of interest, feedback and prioritization of the provided initiatives, staff will identify work plan needs and budget impacts of selected initiatives to bring back to Council for further review and approval. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 12, 2015 Page 2 Mr. Towery described the first two initiatives. The Cross Laminate Timber (CLT) initiative included work already done, and the possible parking garage to be built in Glenwood with CLT. In addition, the City is part of the Pacific Northwest Manufacturing Partnership (PNMP), a sixteen county/two state region that received federal designation as a manufacturing partnership community earlier this year. The Springfield Economic Look is an initiative to support and enhance existing and emerging industry. The City has participated with Lane County and the City of Eugene in a larger economic review of the area. A consultant was also brought in to look at some of the expansion areas the City is considering for the 2030 Plan. Staff feels the community would benefit from a more focused review of the variety and types of industries the City should pursue or be ready to receive. The City would also benefit from reviewing some long-term strategies and assessment along those lines. Ms. Griesel described the second two initiatives. The Industrial Site Opportunity Look relates closely to the larger economic look described by Mr. Towery. This initiative will likely happen in sequence with the larger look. Part of this would include staff assessing site by site to see where opportunities for the City to partner with property owners might exist to better leverage or prepare them for active development or continued active productivity. That information could then be fed into the larger economic look for Springfield. The two initiatives could be done independent of each other. The Booth Kelly Redevelopment Strategy is a redevelopment strategy that includes a full assessment of Booth Kelly revenues and expenditures of those revenues, prioritization of all capital needs, cost/benefit analysis of partial property disposition, and identification and scoping of a key catalytic property improvement intended to increase the marketability, branding and long-term viability of the site. Some of this work has been started by staff. Part of this would include looking at the visions and plans drafted when the City partnered with the University of Oregon and moving forward to make a recommendation towards a large catalytic project or improvement. Mr. Towery noted the costs listed for each initiative and how staff estimated those figures. Staff was asking Council to let them know how to proceed with any or all of the initiatives. Some of the work on the CLT has begun and a supplemental budget request will be coming to Council soon for some of the costs. Councilor Moore said doing the inventory of industrial sites made a lot of sense. She would like to see the zoning on those sites. Ms. Griesel said ultimately the characteristics of each site would include zoning. Mr. Towery said they would likely start at sites already zoned for the appropriate use. Other lands that needed rezoned or combined would come later. Ms. Griesel said the goal with the inventory would be to have a list of all the characteristics that lend to the productivity of the site, or restrain it, such as utilities, fiber, infrastructure, and zoning. Mr. Tamulonis said the City is at the crux in the Campus Industrial in Gateway close to 30% of the business park allowed. Initially, the Council had said they might want to look at a possible modification when they reached that point. Councilor Pishioneri said most (if not all) of the properties to be studied are privately owned. He felt they should be gathering and keeping that information rather than the City. Ms. Griesel said many landowners are coming to the City looking for records documenting that information. Many of those sites existed prior to Oregon Land Use law, so there weren't the same requirements. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 12, 2015 Page 3 Councilor Pishioneri suggested partnering with other agencies, or requesting use of lottery funds to get the work done. Ms. Griesel said they had talked with the County about funding for other projects, but not specifically for this project. Mr. Towery said it is a good idea to look for partners. They want to make sure the correct information is being gathered so the City is prepared when a business opportunity arises. In the past, the City has done this case by case. They are now looking for a way to systematically organize information that may already exist. Ms. Griesel said staff first wanted to bring the initiative forward before asking. It would be important for the City to remain in the leadership role. If this is of interest to Council, staff will refine that number. Councilor Pishioneri said he would support this as long as we looked for others to help fund. Councilor VanGordon said he is supportive of the ideas. He asked how we would keep the information up-to-date. Mr. Towery said keeping it up-to-date and maintained would be part of the project. Councilor VanGordon asked how those outside City Hall could access the information„ Ms. Griesel said that would be a great place to bring SWEDCO into the project with a shared database. Councilor VanGordon said the competitive advantage comes when we have all of that :information. He noted that Items 3 and 4 are both inventories and wondered if they could be combined at a reduced cost. Ms. Griesel said Booth Kelly is different since the City is the owner and property manager. Part of this initiative is to take a detailed look at how we bring in and spend revenues, and if we are doing the best job possible managing the property. It also includes a possible construction project: that could brand the site. A lot of the work is already budgeted, but would include a much more detailed study. Mr. Towery said that would also drive a conversation about the future of Booth Kelly and how the City manages the property. Ms. Griesel said staff is currently in the process of doing a maintenance inventory. They are looking at how to take that information and using it strategically. Councilor Woodrow said she liked the initiatives. Booth Kelly is now nearly full, but was filled in pieces. She would like to see the information on Booth Kelly from the ground up. This site has a history and has been a big part of Springfield for many years. She would like to see it branded as the history of Springfield and look at what could be done as a whole picture over a 5-10 year span. It could be a go -to place in Springfield. She loved the UO visioning and would like to use some of that. Ms. Griesel said they could either maintain the leasing of the facility or start to figure out how to make a better environment or brand for the site and increase the revenue. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 12, 2015 Page 4 Councilor Wylie said she served on the Governor's Task Force for high speed rail and one of the ideas was to bring the rail line down I-5 with the possibility of a terminus station near the EmX Station. Having a hotel and restaurants at Booth Kelly near a rail terminus would be ideal for people going to UO or other locations in our area. They could integrate some of the old Booth Kelly into a new hotel and it would be an interesting feature. If they did that, they could have state, federal and private partners. Mr. Towery said a couple of the UO renditions included a hotel and the hi -speed rail. Ms. Griesel said in all scenarios, they have to better understand the way we currently handle the revenues from Booth Kelly and if they should be leveraged differently. Councilor Ralston asked how much the City makes in profit from Booth Kelly each year. Finance Director Bob Duey said it varies from year to year based on tenants. Senior Management Analyst Rhonda Rice said the revenue is about $800,000, but there are costs. Councilor Ralston said we have so many other studies competing for funds. He asked how much the Booth Kelly site was worth and if it could be an option to sell it. Mr. Tamulonis said several years ago he did an analysis and found that the City would have to sell for $200,000,000, which is unattainable, in order to get back the level of revenue generated. Ms. Griesel said there may be a section of Booth Kelly that it would make sense to sell. Councilor Moore said it makes sense to do an analysis at Booth Kelly. She asked about brownfields, toxicity, ground water, etc. at the site. Ms. Griesel said they have looked at some of that and need to check into it further. Staff is at a point at this site where exploring those issues would be beneficial. They need to understand the health of the land in order to determine its worth. A lot of cleanup has been done, but it is the responsible thing to do to check into it further. Discussion was held about possibly renaming that site and the historical value of the site and the name. Councilor VanGordon asked if the revenue from the building would pay for that study. Mr. Towery said it could. That would be part of the information staff would bring back to Council. Councilor VanGordon referred to Initiative 1 and said it was a huge opportunity for our area. He noted the poplar trees that the City and MWMC had that could be used for part of the catalyst project. Mayor Lundberg said they were looking into that possibility. Mr. Towery said one of the challenges in making cross laminated timber (CLT) is that you need conventional lumber to get the adequate size of boards. That limits how much you can get from Poplar trees. They could possibly peel Poplar and make it into a veneer. They will test and analyze all trees available in our area. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 12, 2015 Page 5 Councilor Woodrow said the CLT would be her first priority of all of the initiatives. It is more immediately feasible while the others are long-range plans. Mr. Towery said the $35,000 was an estimate of the cost for the City to be an active partner at the manufacturing partnership level. It could pay for a portion of State level staffing as well as paying for Mayor and staff attendance at summits and conferences. From the upcoming summit, they hope to bring back a clearer idea of which agencies and what kinds of programs could be focused on for advanced wood products. There would be work going on across the region looking for 6-10 manufacturers who would be willing and able to get into the CLT business. A couple of those are in Lane County. Mayor Lundberg said before they prioritize, they need to identify funding. Mr. Towery said it is not critical to prioritize the initiatives at this time. Staff will bring back more detailed budget and work plans for all of the initiatives to Council. All are important and can be phased how Council wants. Mayor Lundberg said the City had to identify industrial sites for the 2030 Plan and urban growth boundary (UGB) expansion discussion. She asked if this would affect that earlier study. Mr. Towery said the 2030 exercise looked at the industrial land needed for the future. Part of that study determined that any redevelopment on sites 5 acres or less will happen inside the UGB. Those sites have not yet been inventoried so this effort would be refining all of the services and attributes available for all of the properties, starting with the land currently inside the UGB. They will rely on the inventory work already done. Mayor Lundberg said the reason CLT is our catalytic project is because of Springfield and we need to stay as lead on this initiative. Springfield needs to stay at the forefront and be at the table as much as possible to make ourselves heard and known. The parking garage was a demonstration project to show people what could be done and get people excited. We need to claim CLT as Springfield initiated because it has the potential to put us on the map and bring other economic development to the community. While in Washington DC at the summit, she will be looking for funding. The Economic Look will help us have a mechanism to figure out how to go forward. Booth Kelly is a ,great site, but it does have the constraints of the train crossing. Where it fits in the picture will depend on the Mill Race and downtown development. Urban Lumber has a beautiful site at Booth Kelly with both their mill and the showroom. We do need to know the status of the building and what can be done. They could sell part of it for some funding. Hopefully, the City will find out about the TIGER Grant soon so we will know our funding situation better. She asked staff to go forward with all of the initiatives and come back with details and funding options. She is still counting on County funds to go towards the project. Councilor Moore said the second initiative is more of an umbrella, with Booth Kelly and the other three underneath. The more we know about what we have, the better prepared we are. Mayor Lundberg said that initiative would be the Springfield version of the Big Look. Councilor Wylie would like to encourage moving forward with these initiatives. She is excited the Mayor is going back to Washington DC. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 12, 2015 Page 6 2. Springfield Police Department Long Range Planning. Tim Doney, Springfield Police Chief and Mike Harman, Springfield Police Business Manager, presented the staff report on this item. The Springfield Police Department is beginning work on a 5 -Year Strategic Plan for Police Services, and wishes to solicit input and advice from the Council. Mr. Harman said the current 20 -Year Long Range Plan for Police Services was originally adopted by the City Council in 1996, and has been updated approximately every 5 years since that time. Most of the major goals of the original plan have been implemented to some degree. That fact speaks to the dedication of those that worked on that original plan, including the Council members during that time. It also shows the value of a Plan. He highlighted some of the goals that had been achieved, including a new Police/Courts building, a new municipal jail, and increasing staff and response times. Because of these facilities and staffing, the department has improved outreach to the community, including the volunteer program and internship program. The Department believes that it is time to develop a new, 5 -Year Strategic Plan by assessing where we currently are as a Department and a Community. Times have changed and the needs for the department have changed. Mr. Harman has talked with the City Manager and Chief Doney about whether or not to draft a long-range plan, or a five-year plan. They agreed a five-year plan would be most appropriate. Chief Doney commended the staff and Council who drafted the original plan for accomplishing so many of the goals. He said a Strategic Plan sets the direction and priorities for our agency and organization, gets everyone on the same page, simplifies the decision making process, drives alignment, and communicates a message to the community and the organization. In looking at many strategic plans for departments, he feels a five-year plan provides more concrete goals. He noted the three goals he felt were appropriate for the plan: Serving our Community: This topic area will focus on the Police Department's external relationships with the community, including our response to mental health crises, our response to returning combat veterans, relationships with the school and park districts, community dynamics and transparency, and appropriate responses to homelessness. Serving our People: This topic area will focus on the internal needs of the Department, including employee recruitment and retention, workforce diversity, and training and career development needs. Resources and Technology: This topic area will focus on the short and long range financial needs of the Department, resource development opportunities, capital needs identification and tracking, and long term program sustainability. This area may also identify needs for new programs or technologies to address changing crime demographics, crime analysis needs and best practices for policing in the 21" century. Chief Doney noted some of the programs that tie into these goals. Mr. Harman said the goal is to have a five-year plan completed by the end of 2016. The current proposal is to pull together different groups of community stakeholders and focus the questions on what those groups might be most interested in and able to respond. Some of these groups include employee work groups, Springfield Police Advisory Committee members, Neighborhood Watch City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 12, 2015 Page 7 groups, businesses, and senior citizens. They would also like to invite a City Councilor to participate in each of those groups. The University of Oregon (UO) and Portland State University (PSU) both have graduate programs in public administration or planning and development, and we could possibly bring in graduate students to help pull the groups together, formulating questions, gathering information and compiling the information. Those groups will likely meet in the Spring, information would be compiled in the Summer, with goals developed and brought to Council in the Fall of 2016. Chief Doney said this is one of the most interesting times in law enforcement. We are in a pivotal time nationally in how they go about policing. The community no longer feels that Police work is legitimate by the nature of the work, so we need to work cooperatively with citizens. Transparency is also important and body cameras will help with that issue. They need to look at how they are doing things and be open to input. He has been involved in the accreditation process for many years and in public meetings soliciting input. That is the best way to learn. Councilor Ralston said he had talked with a lot of people that didn't feel they were treated right so he is glad to hear that they are talking about body cams. He feels car cams are also important because not everything is captured by body cams. He has also been a victim of cybercrime several times and it is very frustrating to not have anywhere to go. How they treat mental health issues and veterans is important. People that have a bad experience with an officer should be assigned a different officer in the future. He agrees it is good to have more women on the force, but agrees the standard should not be lowered as they need to be qualified. Diversity is fine as long as the person is qualified. He agrees with all of the categories and thinks this is a great idea. Chief Doney said he is preparing a memo for the Communication Packet that outlines the department's interactions with the mentally ill and returning combat veterans and what they are doing above and beyond the basic academy curriculum. It is not a fix -all, but should help. Councilor Ralston said he wants to be proactive and get the word out to the public about that program. Chief Doney said they would be pushing some of that information out to the public. The department is also doing work regarding returning combat veterans, including a cooperative agreement with other Police agencies and a partnership with Cahoots. He referred to the body and car cams and said he came to Council for funds for a pilot project for body cams. They are currently working, on that and need to get through some bargaining unit issues before moving forward. There is a big cost with body cameras and storage. Police has one car dash camera in one dedicated DUII vehicle. He: would like to have them in all vehicles, but the cost is about $5000 per car. As a leader of the organization, he has promised not to lower standards when hiring. He believes they are moving in the right direction, but there are a lot of qualified people that we haven't yet been able to attract to our organization. They have doubled the amount of female patrol officers, and have three bilingual employees, including one that speaks four different languages. That helps us in the long run and has been done without lowering standards. Each officer brings different skills to the table. Police has reallocated funds in the existing budget and started a cybercrime detective position in the department. Springfield will be the local agency that has a cybercrime team. Councilor Wylie said one of the things to be aware of was the attitude of how the community feels about the Police force. One thing to consider is how we demonstrate the value of our Police officers and how to get the community to appreciate what they endure and their service. She has concerns about safety and protection of our Police. The community should be involved in wanting to keep our officers safe. We need to work together on these issues to make a healthy community. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 12, 2015 Page 8 Councilor Woodrow said they now have AED's (Automated External Defibrillators) in the patrol cars and is a community service the community may not know about. It adds a different aspect and relationship with the community in a positive way. Chief Doney said they use them on a regular basis. Councilor Woodrow suggested holding the group meetings in the wards of the Council liaison. She feels good about the approach and categories. Councilor Pishioneri said he is amazed at the work done since Chief Doney arrived and he appreciates his efforts. He asked about background investigations and Chief Doney responded that they are done in house. When doing those, he would recommend budgeting enough money for the staff person to travel to the location to make those interviews. Chief Doney said they used to do backgrounds for reserve officers who then did backgrounds. They now have a full time lieutenant who does the backgrounds. They will travel to do backgrounds on hires. Councilor Pishioneri said he advocates that in order to get the most accurate information. He asked about the status of the intersection enforcement. Chief Doney said he would be drafting a memo for the Communication Packet to explain. Councilor Pishioneri said he would like to see the officers get out of their cars when driving past parks that heavily populated and introduce themselves to citizens. He would also like to see police involvement in community clubs, speaking to them and being proactive. He agrees the female officers must pass the same tests and are highly qualified. He liked the idea of having Sergeants assigned to hot spots in the neighborhoods. Councilor Moore thanked them for the thoughtful approach and timeline. She would love to attend some meetings. She agreed that anything we can do to improve the image of the Police officers is important. She asked about the ride-alongs. Chief Doney said because they were down nine officers on Patrol, with eight new recruits in the pipeline and five employees at the Academy, the ride-alongs have not been promoted. They hope to have some relief this Summer and will start encouraging ride-alongs again. Councilor Moore said she appreciates the CHETT program and feels that will help improve their image. Chief Doney said they want to reflect the community and serve the community Councilor VanGordon said the areas are great. He also liked the idea of doing meetings in the wards, and would be happy to attend. There is a strong theme of partnership which is a great area to focus. They spend a lot of time recruiting and getting the right person for the job which is very important. The Strategic Plan is looking ahead, but should also have the feeling of getting back to the basics of good policing. He is excited to see the Plan. He noted that he had a contact for cybercrime that he could provide to Chief Doney. Councilor Pishioneri suggested reminding officers not to do a Code 2 while driving. High rates of speed are scary for vehicles on Main Street and plays a lot into the image of the Police. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes October 12, 2015 Page 9 Mayor Lundberg said she is happy they are embarking on this Plan. It is a changing time for policing in the United States. It is likely we start seeing regulations that are encouraged for local police which will come with strings attached. Being proactive and ahead of that curve is important for the safety of police officers and the safety of the community. She watches for best practices and noted a funded program called the Angel Project where people are taken to treatment rather than jail. Chief Doney said that program is out of Massachusetts that gets first time offenders into opiate treatment. He can provide Council additional information on that project. He noted several police departments in Oregon that are using a similar program. Mayor Lundberg said they are trying to approach policing from a lot of different angles. Springfield needs to have a proactive approach of what we want to see so she's happy to see the department starting on this Plan. We are still on a levy, so it is important to have community support. Chief Doney said although he wishes the Police Department wasn't on a levy, the levy does make for better customer service. Councilor Moore asked about an update on the impact of legalized marijuana. Chief Doney said there had been very little criminal activity from any of the marijuana dispensaries. Some of it may be because law enforcement is taking a hands-off approach because it is a very complex law. It is not full legalization, but rather partial legalization. Council will get an update on the marijuana laws during the November 9 work session. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Minutes Recorder — Amy Sowa Christine L. Lundberg Mayor Attest: a4, Amy Sowa City Recorder