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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/25/2016 Work Session City of Springfield Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY JANUARY 25,2016 The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room,225 Fifth Street, Springfield,Oregon, on Monday January 25,2016 at 5:30 p.m.,with Mayor Lundberg presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors VanGordon, Wylie,Moore, Woodrow and Pishioneri. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi,Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery,City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith,Administrative Specialist Amy Jo Ripka and members of the staff. Councilor Ralston was absent(excused). 1. Arts Commission Applicant Interviews. Library Director Rob Everett presented the staff report on this item. The Arts Commission has three vacancies on its board of nine commissioners. Three position openings were advertised. One vacancy was due to a resignation with one year remaining in the term, and two vacancies were for the term expirations of commissioners,which equate to two full four-year positions.The terms of commissioners Donald Durland and Kim Lyddane expired and both of these commissioners were eligible to reapply. The Arts Commission received four applications.All applicants attended the Arts Commission meeting on December 8,2015 for an interview. Commissioner Donald Durland withdrew his application at the meeting. The Arts Commission interviewed three applicants during its December 8,2015 meeting. Commissioner Donald Durland withdrew his application at the meeting. Council Operating Policies state in Section IX, Subsection 1.3) Springfield's boards,commissions, committees,and task forces bring together citizen viewpoints which might not otherwise be heard. Persons of wide-ranging interests who want to participate in public service but not compete for public office may choose to be involved in advisory boards,commissions,committees and task forces instead. They also help fulfill the goals of the City's adopted Citizen Involvement Program to have an informed and involved citizenry. The Arts Commission requests that all candidates be interviewed by the City Council. The Arts Commission recommends that Summer Young-Jelinek be appointed to the Arts Commission to fill one of the vacancies left by term expirations for a full term that expires December 31, 2019;that Kim Lyddane be re-appointed for a full term that expires December 31,2019;that Zach Golik be appointed to the Arts Commission to complete the one year vacancy left by a resignation for a partial term that expires December 31,2016. The Mayor and Council introduced themselves to the applicants and asked the following questions: Interview Questions for Summer Young Jelinek and Zach Golik 1. Why are you interested in serving on the Arts Commission?(Mayor Lundberg) City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 25,2016 Page 2 2. Please name one way you would help inform our community about the Springfield Arts Commission and/or the Arts Commission's projects. (Councilor Moore) 3. Describe your familiarity with the Springfield Arts Commission's past or current community arts initiatives.What do you see as the Arts Commission's role in the community?(Councilor VanGordon) 4. Which initiatives are you interested in working on if you are appointed as a Commissioner? (Councilor Woodrow) 5. Describe your professional and personal experience as it relates to your desire to become an Arts Commissioner. (Councilor Pishioneri) 6. Outside of the monthly Arts Commission meetings,what amount of volunteer time do you have to offer for work involving the Arts Commission?(Councilor Wylie) Interview Questions for Kim Lyddane 1. Why are you interested in continuing to serve on the Arts Commission?(Mayor Lundberg) 2. Please name one way you would help inform our community about the Springfield Arts Commission and/or the Arts Commission's projects. (Councilor Moore) 3. What do you see as the Arts Commission's role in the community?How have you contributed to the success of the Arts Commission during your tenure?(Councilor VanGordon) 4. Which initiatives are you interested in working on or continuing to work on if you are appointed as a Commissioner?What is your vision for the future of the Arts Commission? (Councilor Woodrow) 5. Describe your professional and personal experience as it relates to your desire to continue to be an Arts Commissioner. (Councilor Pishioneri) 6. Outside of the monthly Arts Commission meetings,what amount of volunteer time do you have to offer for work involving the Arts Commission?(Councilor Wylie) Mr. Golik asked the Council for their thoughts on the Arts Commission. Council responded to his question. The Council discussed the applicants and agreed to formally appoint all three at the February 1, 2016 regular meeting based on the Commission's recommendations. 2. Springfield Representative to the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission(MWMC). Matt Stouder,Environmental Services Manager,presented the staff report on this item. The term of Springfield's current citizen representative,Doug Keeler,on the MWMC expires February 1,2016. Council needs to appoint a representative to serve the next term,which extends through February 1,2019. The City advertised for the position and received one application,which has been forwarded to the Council for consideration. The MWMC was formed under an intergovernmental agreement between Springfield,Eugene and Lane County,and is composed of seven members. Springfield is represented by one City Councilor, Joe Pishioneri,and one citizen member,Doug Keeler. Mr.Keeler has represented Springfield on the Commission since 1997. A media advisory was sent out announcing the vacancy and applications were accepted from December 17, 2015 through January 11, 2016. One application was submitted. The application provides background information and the stated interest of the applicant. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 25,2016 Page 3 Council Operating Policies state in Section IX, Subsection 1.3) Springfield's boards,commissions, committees,and task forces bring together citizen viewpoints which might not otherwise be heard. Persons of wide-ranging interests who want to participate in public service but not compete for public office may choose to be involved in advisory boards,commissions,committees and task forces instead. They also help fulfill the goals of the City's adopted Citizen Involvement Program to have an informed and involved citizenry. Mr. Stouder said Mr.Keeler has been an asset to the commission. The Mayor and Council introduced themselves to Mr.Keeler and asked the following questions: 1. Why are you interested in serving on the MWMC?(Mayor Lundberg) 2. Please describe your professional and personal experience as it relates to your desire to serve as a MWMC Commissioner. (Councilor Moore) 3. Describe your understanding of the MWMC's role and responsibility in managing wastewater services for the metropolitan area and please include your level of familiarity with the governmental budgeting process. (Councilor Woodrow) 4. The Commission meets the second Friday of each month at 7:30AM and sometimes more often when necessary. There are also materials to be reviewed in advance of these meetings that may take a couple of hours to read. Given your work and/or your personal life demands, can you fully participate as a Commission member?(Councilor Wylie) 5. In terms of water quality,what do you see as the current challenges facing today's wastewater utilities? (Councilor VanGordon) 6. What specific initiatives are you interested in working on if you are appointed as a Commissioner?(Councilor Pishioneri) Council discussed Mr. Keeler's qualifications and will appoint him during the February 1, 2016 regular meeting. 3. Street System Condition Update. Anette Spickard,Development and Public Works Director,presented the staff report on this item.Ms. Spickard introduced Brian Conlon(Operations Manager),Tom Boyatt(Community Development Division Manager),Jeff Paschall(City Engineer), and Loralyn Spiro(Public Information and Education Specialist). At Council's goal setting session on April 13,2015 Council identified the development of financing strategies for the street system's preservation and maintenance needs as a priority project. Springfield relies primarily on gas tax revenues and Right-of-Way fees for street system operations which have not kept pace with the demand for services resulting in a drawdown of reserves and elimination of maintenance positions to keep the budget balanced. While the City no longer has a pavement preservation program the City has been successful in leveraging federal and state dollars to maintain our most critical arterial and collector streets.Even with these investments 42%of arterials and more than 50%of the collectors and local streets are now rated in poor condition.The estimated cost of the repair backlog is $30 million. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 25,2016 Page 4 The City can address the repair backlog in a number of ways through the issuance of General Obligation Bonds and/or seeking voter approval for a fuel tax increase. Staff seeks Council's input on your preferred strategy so that staff can prepare and implement the strategy as part of the City's Capital Improvement Program. Ms. Spickard presented a power point. Every other year, staff does a Street Condition Survey. This year they used technology from the asset management system pictures for their survey. Our street conditions are deteriorating,with most of the residential streets falling into the `poor' category. Mr.Paschall referred to the priorities based on classification of streets. The City is doing better on the arterial streets,but has fallen behind on residential, in part by leveraging federal dollars that can be used on those arterials.The City has also been able to leverage partnerships with the Oregon Department of Transportation(ODOT)and Lane County on some overlay projects by taking over jurisdiction of those streets.Pedestrian crossings have been completed with the use of ODOT funds. He described other projects completed with the limited funds.Many streets have reached the point of thin-lift overlays or reconstruction. Ms. Spickard referred to the different types of funding that can be used for streets. The types of use for these funds include operating and maintaining the system,preservation,and building or reconstructing roads. She referred to a picture showing recent erosion and maintenance issues with Marcola Road that had to be addressed as an emergency situation. Franklin Boulevard is an example of planning for the future and improving the system to create economic development opportunities. Ms. Spickard said the current street conditions have reached a critical point. She referred to the estimated costs involved in preservation backlog and current preservation, noting the additional cost in reconstruction if the streets get beyond repair.Reliance on federal and state grants only allows the City to address one major preservation project on an arterial every three years. The STP-U dollars are the most flexible federal funds and could be used for street infrastructure to support economic development projects instead of repairs. Ms. Spickard said strategies were outlined in the agenda materials,but Council may have other ideas. Councilor Woodrow asked how they balanced where preservation dollars were spent and where funding went for major repairs. Ms. Spickard said it is a difficult balancing act.Mr. Paschall worked with other staff in the department getting input on how to structure work in the Capital Improvement Plan. The Asset Management System keeps track of every road site which is used to analyze key priorities. They continue to work to keep the good streets in good condition,and extending their life as long as possible.Unfortunately, that means some of our worse streets become even worse. Mr. Conlon said he has the same concerns as Councilor Woodrow. They are fortunate to have staff that have worked hard to get Federal funds for some substantial projects. The cost is three to five times more to make major repairs rather than preservation.He referred to the preservation of Gateway Street.They started to see deterioration on many arterial roads due to weather and other factors. They are trying to stay as efficient as possible with the resources available. Councilor Woodrow said it was getting worse,but she understands why Gateway was repaired. Mr.Boyatt said the money spent on Gateway was our entire 3-year allocation of street funds. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 25,2016 Page 5 Councilor Pishioneri referred to Option 3b and asked if the rate of.21/$1000 was half the rate of what it would be for a$30M bond. He asked how much the City had in STP-U funds. Ms. Spickard said our recent allocation was about$1.3M. Mr.Boyatt said the average three-year figure has been about$1.9M. Councilor Pishioneri said they need to look at how they prioritize the STP-U funds.He likes Option 3a because it is shorter term, but he also likes Option 3b because of the lower rate, although it takes longer to pay off He would like to see a combination or hybrid of these two options,and also how STP-U funds can be used to address the issue. Councilor Moore asked if the lower cost of oil affects the costs of slurry and asphalt. She asked if they may not need quite as much if the cost is lower. Mr. Paschall said that is correct.Asphalt buyers will be stocking up for the summer construction season, so it could mean a lower cost. Labor continues to go up, so there may not actually be a reduction, or it would be smaller than it seems. Councilor Moore said she had read that Eugene's bond measure was successful because they named streets they would work on with the funds. She would like to see Springfield do something like that to show the citizens the funds will be used effectively. It would be nice if there was a way to pave some of the unpaved streets. Mr.Paschall said there are six miles of gravel streets in the City. Councilor Moore asked if it was because the owners had not chosen to pay to have it paved. Mr. Conlon said that was correct. Some are transitioned from County to City. The City does provide grading on those streets. Often there are low income homes on those streets and it is expensive to improve the street. Councilor Moore asked if the City had anything on the 2016 ballot. Mr. Grimaldi said not at this time. Councilor Moore asked if Willamalane or the School District had plans for a measure.No. She said she would like to see an option between .23/$1000 and.50/$1000. The lower amount will not resolve the issue. She wants a long term fix. Councilor VanGordon clarified the backlog figure.He asked about the cost of steady preservation from this date forward. Mr.Paschall said it was estimated they would need about$500,000 annually. Ms. Spickard said in the past,the City was on a preservation cycle moving through 1/7 of the City every year. They haven't been able to do that since 2007. They are hoping to catch up with that and get back on some type of similar cycle to keep everything in good condition. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 25,2016 Page 6 Councilor VanGordon said even if we were able to get caught up tomorrow,we still wouldn't have enough to maintain ongoing maintenance. Mr. Grimaldi said that was correct. A capital bond was one-time money only. Ms. Spickard said a General Obligation bond had to go to capital construction projects and not ongoing maintenance. Councilor VanGordon said he might be interested in information about a revenue bond and gas tax. This issue is statewide and he hopes to see a good transportation bill come out of the State at some point. He is also interested in seeing Options 3a and 3b. We need to show the voters specifically what the bonds would pay for with a reasonable amount. He is also interested in seeing Option 5 or some combination of 5 with Option 3.There is a timing question since both(revenue bond and gas tax) would need to be listed as separate items on the ballot.His hesitancy in going out for a bond is that we are relying on going out to the property owners,while the gas tax is tied to the users of the system. Councilor Woodrow said she would also like to see details on Option 5 and Option 3. She thinks they need to look beyond the property owners because it is more than property owners using the streets. In that respect,the gas tax has a sense of fairness. Councilor Pishioneri said if the gas prices sustain at the current rate for some time,the usage may be higher and have a positive impact. He likes the idea of a shorter term bond,but would be interested in looking at a higher rate—somewhere around .30/$1000—that would allow them to do something more impactful which would help with future requests. They need to win over the public by showing them results.His concern is not being able to maintain the streets once fixed. Councilor Wylie said she is opposed to going to the voters for more money. We already have our Fire and Police levies, and they have no other alternative. We can look at a gas tax as an alternative for the street fund.Many seniors she talks to have to go to their principal of their revenue in order to pay their property taxes because there have been no increases in Social Security over the last two years. We have to be sensitive to household budgets for senior and low-income families.The last time they went out for a gas tax, it was defeated, but the cost of gas was much higher.Now might be a better time to go out for a gas tax. They may need to do a combination of things. She wants to protect our voters for our Fire and Police levies. She understands how important the streets are and the financial situation of the City in terms of its street fund. She would like to see what the cost of gas was the last time we went out for an increase. She also wants to know what our TEAM Springfield partners may have planned for upcoming bonds or measures. She does like the idea of being specific about the projects that would be done with the funds raised. Councilor Moore said she agreed they needed to be cautious,but the streets were in dire need. She asked what the gas tax was in Eugene. It is .05 per gallon. Ms. Spickard said the gas tax is not the major driver in gas prices. Councilor Moore said she agreed they may need to look at both options. Councilor Pishioneri said City taxes dropped .24/$1000 last year,but other agencies have bonds which have increased the overall tax bill. The streets are much more important than park structures. They have to ask the citizens what they want. It is up to the citizens whether or not they approve through their vote. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 25,2016 Page 7 Councilor VanGordon asked if staff could also bring information about long-term sustainability of the streets.That is where we need to get in order to keep from getting back in this situation. Mayor Lundberg said we are responding to the situation of the loss of Secure Rural Schools funds due to a decrease in logging. The County used to provide funds from those logging receipt funds for our roads. We had a different system in place at that time. That's one reason she wants to work on Advanced Wood Products so they can find a way to take care of this in the long run. We have a resource we are not using and we need to look at whether or not we can use is in an environmentally sound, safe, carbon reduction model that allows us to log enough to help pay for City services that we have lost. Hopefully in about 10 or 15 years we will have that sustainable income,plus employing people in building things that are good for our community. She referred to a bond measure that was passed about 20 years ago for this purpose.The Council now needs to make some decisions. She reviewed Council comments and the information requested for their next discussion. She noted that she liked the gas tax proposal as it taxed everybody,not just those living in Springfield,but she was willing to look at the revenue bond as well with specific projects. This discussion has occurred at the State level in hopes of having the State raise the gas tax.05,but they did not move forward with that idea. She will continue to work on the Advanced Wood Products. Mr. Grimaldi said staff would come back with some options and additional information to assist Council with making a decision. Ms. Spickard said they will want to have time to speak with the citizens before an election. Councilor Pishioneri said the citizens need to know the Council is looking out for the investments of the citizens. Mayor Lundberg said bad roads are also wear and tear on vehicles. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:57 p.m. Minutes Recorder—Amy Sowa Christine L. Lundberg Mayor Attest: , Arui Amy So a City Recorder