HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/22/2007 Work Session
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City of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2007
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Library Meeting Room, 225 Fifth
Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, October 22,2007 at 5:34 p.m., with Mayor Leiken
presiding.
ATTENDANCE
Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Lunqberg, Ballew, Ralston, Woodrow and
Pishioneri. Also present were Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City Attorney Joe Leahy,
City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff.
Councilor Wylie was absent (excused).
1. Sanipac Update.
Assistant Public Works Director Len Goodwin presented the staff report on this item. Mark
Wall, newly appointed General Manager ofSanipac,has requested an opportunity to introduce
himself to the Council and to learn what issues related to solid waste handling are of interest to
the Council and citizens. He will make available Sanipac's annual report and be prepared to
discuss other issues.
Sanipac continues as the exclusive franchise hauler for disposal of solid waste in the City, a
relationship that has existed since'the mid-1960s. Although there remains continuing controversy
over the exclusivity of the franchise, some perceived benefits of this relationship have been a
rate advantage for residential customers, as well as a perception that exclusivity induces the
company to offer superior customer service.
Currently, the most significant issue for Springfield citizens with respect to Sanipac service is
the absence of a program for curbside collection of yard debris. As detailed in the Briefing
Memorandum, this remains the largest single source of customer service calls concerning
Sanipac. The Council has considered this issue in the past and concluded that the alternatives
offered by Sanipac are not suitable in Springfield. Mr. Wall has continued to examine
alternatives and will be available to review those and get feedback from the Council.
Mr. Wall may also wish to discuss a second issue with the Council. Sanipac has concerns about a
newly developing business practice where third parties enter commercial and multi-family
residential containers, remove recyclable material and attempt to compact the waste in the
container. This can mean apparent savings to the customer because it may make it possible for
them to use fewer or smaller containers. Since it does increase the density of the waste in the
container it skews the weight studies Sanipac relies on in setting rates and increases Sanipac's
disposal costs above the estimates relied on in rate setting. Sanipac is interested in seeking
franchise changes to eliminate this practice. No other jurisdiction in Lane County has acted on
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City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
October 22, 2007
Page 2
this issue, although cities in other parts of the State have. Staff discusses the issues involved in
greater detail in the Briefing Memorandum.
Mr. Goodwin introduced Mr. Wall to the Mayor and Council.
Mr. Wall gave a brief background of his work history and time in Springfield and Eugene since
1994. He said it was great to be a part of Sanipac. He referred to the annual report included in the
Council agenda packet. The relationship between the City and Sanipac had gone well and he had
good access to Mr. Goodwin. Comments from residents in Springfield were mostly regarding the
yard debris issue. Staff at Sanipac tried to get back to all citizens that called.
Mr. Wall discussed the yard debris issue and said there were two options for implementing a
yard debris program: a universal program or a subscription program. He discussed the costs for
each option. Implementing a yard debris program would also address the requirements from the
Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and would decrease the amount of waste deposited
in the Short Mountain landfill. He referred to other cities that had implemented a subscription
yard debris service and how that was working for them. To be cost effective, about a thirty
percent participation rate was needed. There was the issue of people subscribing only when they
needed it and cancelling and rejoining as needed. A cancellation fee for those situations could be
implemented to discourage that. A survey was sent out with the Sanipac bills and about 300
people responded. There was a lot of interest from the citizens for a yard debris program in the
survey, but the survey didn't include the costs to the citizens.
Mr. Wall referred to the Annual Report included in the agenda packet. Recycling had increased
in the Springfield area, mostly due to the commingled recycling program. By using the
commingling recycle bins, efficiencies had been found in the overall program.
Councilor Pishioneri asked Mr. Wall'what the $5+ subscription cost covered.
Mr. Wall explained the different costs covered, such asa new truck and driver and the
containers. They would be able to use some of the existing resources from the Eugene program,
but would need one additional truck and driver. He noted that a universal program would be less
of a risk for Sanipac.
Councilor Ballew said if she took the yard debris out of her trash can, she would generate less
trash.
Mr. Wall said most people did reduce their garbage can size when'they went to a yard debris
pick-up. He explained further.
Councilor Ballew asked about the reduction in the tipping fee due to less garbage.
Mr. Goodwin explained the tipping fee and other fees.
, Mr. Wall said migration covered most of the costs.
Mr. Goodwin said there continued to be a cost in picking up the trash, but in time there should be
a reduction in costs.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
October 22, 2007
Page 3
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Mayor Leiken asked if the 108 emails/calls all related to yard debris.
Mr. Wall said that was the number of calls to the City on all issues. He said a survey was
, included in the bills that went out to the customers regarding a yard debris program, and of those
surveys sent out, about 300 were returned.
Mayor Leiken said from a policy standpoint, he was wondering if that was enough to move to a
yard debris program.
Councilor Ralston said he felt the commingling program was great. He didn't have yard debris,
so was not interested in a curb side yard debris program. He felt, however, that those that had a
need should have the opportunity to sign up for that service. He was not supportive of a universal
program.
Mr. Wall said Bend and Grants Pass both had subscription plans. Thirty percent was a reasonable
participation rate.
Mayor Leiken said this could start as a subscription program and be re-evaluated regularly.
Mr. Wall said a subscription program did put a risk on Sanipac because of the up-front costs. It
could start off really well, but could then decline.
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Councilor Lundberg said she had done a lot of surveys and was comfortable with the results
Sanipac received. She agreed that perhaps starting out with a subscription service would be
appropriate. People did want the service as more environmental issues came forward. It could
mean no increase on the individual if they were able to reduce their garbage can size and cost.
She discussed the Spring Clean-up that the City provided each year that did include yard debris.
She would be supportive of a subscription service.
Councilor Woodrow said it would be interesting to see how many residents had each size of
garbage can. He was concerned that with a universal program, those residents that were low
income or on a fixed income could not afford the extra amount. He would prefer to see a
subscription program.
Mr. Wall said he could get the information on can sizes. Most customers did have a 60 gallon
can. He discussed multi-family dwellings and mobile home parks and said certain areas would be
exempted from a universal yard debris program. '
Council consensus was for Sanipac to go forward with a subscription program, but not a
universal program for yard debris.
Councilor Pishioneri said he could see the potential for Sanipac to capitalize on this as well.
Citizens would want to know that what they were paying for was fair.
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Mr. Wall said Sanipac worked to keep their pricing fair and provided the City with their annual
report each year.
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Council Work Session Minutes
. October 22, 2007
Page 4
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Mr. Wall discussed the issue of dumpster diving. He explained the service being contracted by a
private business. The cost to the customer for this service is generally about twice what Sanipac
. would charge for the same level of service. The business owner claimed they were recycling, but
the individuals could do their own recycling with the commingling program. For Sanipac, this
amounted to about $4000 a month that was basically being stolen from Sanipac. That cost was
spread across all Sanipac customers, and that was wrong in his opinion. He said Sanipac had a
full time person that now went around to multi-home facilities to monitor their trash receptacles
to make sure they had the TIght level of service. The gentleman that was running the dumpster
diving business came from California, where the city he was from banned his type of business.
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Councilor Ralston said he was opposed to dumpster diving for many reasons. The commingling
program allowed for easy recycling.
Mr. Wall said the one issue with an ordinance banning dumpster diving was that it could affect
police searches.
Discussion was held between Council, Mr. Leahy and Chief Smith about search and seizure and
how an ordinance banning dumpster diving might affect that.
Councilor Lundberg said there was agreement among Council members to have staff look into
what the City could do to prevent dumpster diving.
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Councilor Pishioneri agreed that more information was needed, not necessarily to rectify the
problem.
Mr. Leahy said he would study this further and work with Chief Smith regarding impacts on
Police investigations.
Councilor Ralston asked if Mr. Wall would like an ordinance banning dumpster diving.
Mr. Wall said that would be his preference.
2. Fire & Life Safety Financial Challenges.
Fire and Life Safety Chief Dennis Murphy presented this item. The Department of Fire &
Life Safety is facing several financial challenges including Medicare ambulance
reimbursement reductions, fire/rescue vehicle and facilities replacement. Staff recommends
implementing an interim ambulance rate increase to begin addressing the Medicare issue and
a multi-step process to address fire/rescue vehicles and facilities replacement.
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In 2002, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) initiated a series of
ambulance reimbursement reductions that have resulted in a loss of income on all Medicare
and Medicaid patients transported by ambulance. A May 2007 report of the federal General
Accountability Office (GAO) confirmed that the new reimbursement level is an average of
6% below the actual cost of providing services. The impact of the reduction on ambulance
revenues is being felt locally in Eugene and Springfield, statewide, and around the nation
(Attachment A). The financial impact ili Springfield has resulted in depletion ofthe
ambulance fund reserves and recommendation for an interim rate increase (Attachment B).
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Council Work Session Minutes
October 22, 2007
Page 5
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The interim rate increase will provide limited relief while a long term strategy is being
developed.
Facilities maintenance and construction and vehicle replacement issues have become an
increasing problem for Fire & Life Safety. A General Obligation Bond paid for construction
of a new Gateway Fire Station and several new fire vehicles in 1996. However, the ongoing
funding for facilities maintenance and vehicle replacement since then provides for less than
lO% of the actual need. In addition, no funding is available for construction of new facilities.
A consultant's report in January 2000 identified maintenance, safety, and functional space
needs for existing fire stations, however no funding was identified for these needs until
October 2007 when the Council approved replacement of the Thurston Fire Station. A
Standards of Cover report in April 2007 identified the need to relocate two other fire stations
to accommodate development in Glenwood, downtown and Jasper/Natron. An October 2005
functional and space study of the Justice Center identified the needs for Fire & Life Safety
administrative offices to be co-located. However, the Justice Center project was scaled down
for the purposes of a bond election and fire offices eliminated.
While the city routinely sets aside money for vehicle replacement, the amount budgeted for
this purpose is inadequate to fund replacements. In the last replacement cycle, one of the fire
engines was leased due to lack of funds for purchase.
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These needs were identified as part of the FY 08 budget entitled Immediate, Intermediate,
Long Term budget needs (Attachment C).Given the expense for fire facilities and vehicles a
multi-step resolution is recommended (Attachment D).
Chief Murphy said the Council had directed F&LS years ago to charge an amount to cover
costs for the ambulance service, and not to subsidize the service. Until Medicare cut their
payment for ambulance service, the ambulance service was able to cover costs and set aside
funds for new equipment. The issue with Medicare brought about unforeseen losses on sixty-
seven percent of our clients. Only tiny communities with volunteer-only firefighters have
seen an increase in their reimbursement. He noted that a statewide FireMed sponsored
symposium would be held Wednesday, October ~4 to determine the amount of money
actually being lost. He noted the details in the report included in the Council Briefing Memo
and attached documents. He discussed the recommendation from staff for the increase in
ambulance fees.
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Chief Murphy noted the advantage of the Fire Med program as a means for those in
Springfield to avoid the higher cost of the ambulance fee. The shortage could be solved short
term now with this increase in ambulance fees, but staff wanted to keep FireMed at the
current rate at this time, so the solution to the increases (FireMed) would not be raised.
FireMed was an effective and positive program that had been implemented by seventy-two
agencies in Oregon, and copied in other states. He discussed other ways to address this issue
including working with legislators to help find a solution. He did not recommend that we use
City of Springfield General Fund money to assist in this, nor charging only County residents
a large increase. County residents had carried their weight by paying a higher rate for
mileage. He wanted Medicare reform and rates to help, not use of the General Fund.
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Council Work Session Minutes
October 22, 2007
Page 6
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Mayor Leiken asked if this issue was on the United Front agenda.
Mr. Towery said it had been discussed, but the United Front had historically focused on
requesting funds, and didn't normally lobby for policy. Staff had worked with the Chiefs and
the Intergovernmental Relations Officers about what type of lobbying effort could take place.
There were Senate ad House bills out there on this issue, and a couple of key members of the
delegation had not signed on yet. Staffwas looking to craft a lobbying effort. Neither
Senators Smith or Wyden or Congressman DeFazio had signed on.
. Mayor Leiken said health care was one of Senator Wyden's issues and he felt this would be
something he would be supportive of.
Chief Murphy said there was time for them to sign on. The representatives had been
responsive to his calls and requests in the past. .
Mayor Leiken said we needed to be proactive and push things along. He asked if we could
hear from other cities around the state to see what they were doing. He also suggested
channeling the League of Oregon Cities (LOC), the National League of Cities (NLC) and the
U.S. Conference of Mayors. He appreciated knowing which legislators had not yet signed on.
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Chief Murphy said the legislators had all been responsive in the past. The changes in
Medicare were from overcorrecting what the government saw as a profit making venture. The
additional costs would come at the expense to local taxpayers, unless they intervened.
Mayor Leiken said staff needed to show that this program (FireMed) reinvested in technology
that saved lives.
Councilor Ralston said he was supportive of Fire Med. He asked what a typical insurance
policy would pay.
Chief Murphy said there were a lot of factors that determined how much insurance would
pay, but there was normally a balance due by the patient of several hundred dollars.
Councilor Ralston asked if the insurance companies still had to pay if a person had FireMed.
Chief Murphy said the insurance companies still had to pay, but the citizen didn't have to pay
any balance. Information would be going out to all citizens in Springfield and Eugene about
this issue and the opportunity to join FireMed. Keeping FireMed in a range for lower income
people that didn't qualify for the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) or Medicare was critical.
Councilor Pishioneri said increasing the ambulance rate would mean that insurance
companies would be picking up the additional cost. This increase would, in a sense, get
passed on to insurance companies and could directly affect insurance rates.
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Chief Murphy said that was correct. F&LS was a public agency, but the ambulance service
was health care. They were doing what the health care facilities were doing, raising rates to
cover costs. Unfortunately, that cost got passed on to insurance companies and the citizens.
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Council Work Session Minutes
October 22, 2007
Page 7
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The ambulance service was only a small part of that cost, but a cost nonetheless. It was not a
great system. The use of Springfield General Funds was the last resort.
Councilor Ballew asked for clarification on the figure of 19.13% on the chart on page 3 of3.
Chief Murphy said he would need to come back to that.
Councilor Ballew asked if there were ambulance charges that were not paid, such as by
people without insurance or funds.
Chief Murphy said a chart showed what was written off. Anything less than one hundred
percent payment was uncollectable. Patients covered by Medicare could not be charged for
the balance due.
Councilor Ballew asked what the percentage was of people that had no insurance.
Mr. Towery said it was less than five percent.
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Chief Murphy referred to the items noted in Attachment D. Those items would be addressed
in a routine budget document after June 30, 2008. He discussed the contemporary issues the'
Council had taken action on, such as the funding for the new construction of Fire Station #16.
Other issues would be coming up with the movement or reconstruction of the other fire
stations. Staff would continue to look at annexation agreements as a potential source of
funding for fire stations for the future. Annexations and growth would require a couple of fire
stations to be moved. The City needed to start capturing funds now JO pay for those costs in
the future. They didn't want to increase the cost for development to a level that would make it
undesirable, but didn't feel the existing taxpayers would want to pay that expense. They
wouldn't need to build new fire stations, but just relocate existing stations to service new.
areas that would be annexed. The blue ribbon committee was trying to think of innovative
ways to generate revenue to address this issue. He referred to attachment E outlining a
process for F&LS to follow to purchase vehicles. The fleet was aging without adequate
replacement funds. There had not been enough money put into fund 713 over the last few
years to purchase additional fire equipment. In 1996, a bond measure was used to help fund
equipment purchases. It was time now to determine what to do. Staff would give the Council
multiple alternatives.
Mayor Leiken asked if the fire facilities and vehicles would come through the Budget
process.
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Chief Murphy said it would. Finance Director Bob Duey would call out any significant
impact during the midyear Budget meeting.
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Mayor Leiken said he felt that all citizens should be obligated to pay the cost of relocating
fire stations. The fire stations belonged to everyone. Annexation fees were adding up and
beginning to tip the scale on costs for developers. He didn't want to see the City adding more
charges for development. Relocation costs should be shared by everyone. This was more of
an issue for Bob Duey to consider. He didn't know the answer, maybe specialized
improvement districts. He would like staff to look at as many other options as possible.
. City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
October 22, 2007
Page 8
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Chief Murphy said staff would provide as much information as possible too Council and leave
it up to Council to make the decision.
Mayor Leiken said he appreciated that F&LS staff were looking at where the community was
going and growing.
Councilor Ballew said when staff came back and identified needs, she would also like to have.
them identify a Plan B, if nothing could be done.
Chief Murphy said Council would receive all the options.
Councilor Ralston said he agreed with the Mayor and Councilor Ballew. There were two
categories of need. Development moving into new areas that required new facilities should
partly cover those costs. There was still the responsibility of the City for certain services. The
reason the City hadn't put money into the vehicle replacement fund was because the City
didn't have the money. The community needed to know the issues and he would consider
bonds as an alternative to. fund certain things.
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Chief Murphy referred back to Councilor Ballew's question about the 19.13% listed on the
chart on page 3 of 3. He said on page 2 of 3, the figures showed the amount that would
actually be received from the rate increase and it was only 19.13%. The figure on page 3 of 3
should read J 00%. He discussed the benefit of FireMed and noted that FireMed was
. submitted for an Innovations in Government Award from Harvard University. If awarded,
that would be a $lOO,OOO prize to put back into the redevelopment of the next great idea.
Improvements had been made regarding the FireMed program over the last few years.
Mayor Leiken said one advantage F&LS had over other departments, was their image in the
community as the department that saved the day. F&LS could ask the community for funds
when other departments could not.
Chief Murphy said staff would bring back options for Council consideration.
3. Residential Lands Study Progress Report.
Planning Supervisor Mark Metzger and Planner David Reesor presented the staff report on this
item. Assumptions about the city's rate of growth will affect the final estimate of how much land
is needed for future residential development. Three rates of growth are analyzed in the
memorandum from ECONorthwest: 1.3%, 1.7%, and 2.1 %. The resulting scenarios identify a
need for between 740 and 1,655 acres of residentially designated land to meet Springfield's
future needs. Each percentage rate can be supported from historic data or from past action of the
. Council (adoption ofthe 2004 Coordinated Population Allocation). At issue is the rate of growth
that will be assumed in the Residential Lands Study.
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Robert Parker of ECONorthwest, the consulting firni for the Study, will present the initial
fmdings of the housing needs analysis that his firm has prepared. The findings described in the
housing needs analysis reflect the completion of a land supply analysis that shows that the city
has about 530 acres of vacant, redevelopable and underutilized land for future development. The
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Council Work Session Minutes
October 22, 2007
Page 9
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assumptions and definitions used to define land that is vacant, redevelop able and underutilized
were approved by Council in its J~l(e~ 2006 work session.
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Attachment 1 discusses the topics listed below. Staff and Mr. Parker will be prepared to discuss
and answer questions about these issues.
· Population scenarios
· Current inventory
· Housing need
· Comparison of current inventory with future housing need
· Land use efficiency measures
Next Steps: Staff is reviewing the ECONorthwest findings with the Planning Commission on
November 6. A final draft of the Residential Lands Study Report will be presented to Council
early next year, in time to coordinate with the Commercial Industrial Buildable Lands (CIBL)
project. The findings of the Residential Lands Study will be combined with those of the CIBL to
allow staff to more accurately assess Springfield's future land needs of all types and to plan
accordingly for any necessary UGB amendments.
Mr. Reesor distributed hard copies of the power point presentation.
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Mr. Metzger referred to the power point presentation by Mr. Reesor and introduced Bob Parker
from ECONorthwest.
Mr. Parker said they had worked on this project for about a year. This process was very
complicated as noted on the chart in the power point presentation. He discussed HB3337 and
how that affected Springfield and their boundaries. He referred to the State requirements that
related to buildable lands. The population forecasts were the foundation for these reports and
Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) would continue to be involved in that aspect of this
process. He discussed the different growth scenarios. The initial issue was how much growth the
City wanted or could accommodate. He discussed development trends, which were evaluated in
this process. Housing mix and density was another factor looked at by the State. He explained
the figures in the charts and how they related to densities. Other charts in the power point
presentation showed increase rate of sales prices, comparison of rental and sales increases, and
comparison of housing value, rent and income. Mr. Parker discussed each of the 'charts. He noted
that rental rates increased based on income rates. .
Mr. Reesor went over the buildable land supply information. He discussed how the information
was compiled. He noted that net meant they had taken out the constraints on the properties. He '
referred to a map showing Springfield's residential buildable lands and said that he and Mr.
Metzger had been keeping the map updated throughout the year.
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. Mr. Metzger said there was a lot of residential potential in Jasper Natron. He noted some
property shown in the Thurston hills that could be very difficult to build upon due to slopes.
They needed to have a finding that the land was unserviceable. When staff asked Springfield
Utility Board (SUB) and Public Works if that was the case, they would not say it was
unserviceable, but just that it would cost a lot of money to provide service. Staff was following
state law, but there were some flaws.
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Council Work Session Minutes
October 22, 2007
Page 10
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Mr. Parker said that would be a significant issue in the analysis. Once the buildable lands
inventory was complete, they would need to turn that into residential capacity. He noted the
many issues involved in calculating properties that were developable. He discussed the bottom
line and how they came to their conclusions, which led to the three growth scenarios. He
discussed issues that would caution him against using the higher growth rate. He referred to a .
chart that showed the needed residential acres. He gave the figures for needed residential acres
for the three growth scenarios: l) low growth = 1202; 2) medium growth = 1633.4; and 3) high
growth = 2l16.1. The chart with the comparison of capacity and need showed the amount of
acres needed for addition to the urban growth boundary (UGB). Springfield could justify
increasing the UGB under all three scenarios. The housing need was for all types and all income
levels. The low-density residential (LDR) land base had limitations, such as sloping. The City
would need to seek a variety of sites for LDR housing.
Mr. Parker reviewed the next steps: 1) Coordinate population forecast; 2) Verify land inventory;
3) Revise analysis; 4) Assess "land efficiency measures" (including impact of measures in.place
and potential new measures); 5) Finalize land need by housing type and income range; and 6)
Proceed to alternatives analysis. Upon completion of this analysis, the City would need to look at
expanding its UGB.
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Mr. Metzger said they had talked about the three levels of growth. Each rate could be justified
based on sound methodology. The method of coordination was very important. The MWMC had
based their growth on a 1.8% average annual growth. He explained why staff had also presented.
2.1 %. He explained why the different scenarios were given. The numbers needed to fit into other
planning efforts. There were ramifications for choosing a number too high or too low.
Mr. Parker said whatever number they picked would be wrong, and that was why there was a
need to monitor. LCOG would look at the forecasts about every five years.
Councilor Ralston referred to the inconsistency regarding numbers on some of the charts for
single family dwellings. He asked ifLDR comprised 91 % of the supply. It looked like we had
too much LDR zoned land for the balance of what had happened historically.
Mr. Parker eXplained the findings. He said on page 6 in the power point presentation, there was a
table that showed there was a deficit of land in every designation. The State would scrutinize this
carefully.
Mr. Metzger noted that the number of units per acre for each density came from the Metro Plan.
Councilor Ralston said this was very thorough. He said that along with residential there would be
. infrastructure and parks. Before considering expanding the UGB, they needed to look at the
industrial and commercial lands inventory. He asked if staff knew what percentage was
residential compared with commercial and industrial.
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Mr. Metzger said the next step was to take these preliminary findings, and tie them into the
commercial and industrial lands study that Council already approved. They would then look at
the whole picture for one expansion.
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Council Work Session Minutes
October 22, 2007
Page 11
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Mr. Parker said this didn't include land needed for parks, schools, etc. The State allowed you to
make a 25% gross to net conversion as a safe harbor. They would look at the ratio of acres per
thousand for those uses.
Councilor Woodrow asked ifthe number often houses per acre for LDR was mandated by the
State or the Metro Plan.
Mr. Metzger said the Metro Plan defined LDR as accommodating up to ten dwelling units per
. acre. In reality, it was difficult to get that many homes on one acre.
Mr. Parker said in this analysis, they calculated 4.5 units per acre. The City had minimum
density standards and the State looked favorably on those standards.
Mayor Leiken said this was outstanding work and he thanked ECONorthwest and City staff for
doing what Council had asked them to do. They did need to take into account the commercial
and industrial before moving forward. This was a great tool. HB3337 was not to punish other
communities, but to allow Springfield to take our future into our own hands. This provided
Council with information on a piece of this plan. When representatives from the Oregon
Business Magazine visited Springfield and were made aware that 10,000 new jobs would be
coming into the Gateway area in the next ten years, they asked where they would live. He
discussed the new hospital and asked if there was a legal issue regarding number of miles certain
doctors could live from a hospital.
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Mr. Leahy said that could be a regulation from the hospital.
Mayor Leiken said this was very good work and would allow the City to develop a strategy.
They needed to be patient and do it right. The City grew about 2.1 % last year.
Councilor Lundberg said she agreed that the commercial and industrial analysis was an .
important piece. She said the population type would determine the type of housing needed. She
too had heard that certain people at the hospital had to live within 5 or 10 minutes from the
hospital. Council would also need to consider what they wanted in the community as far as
population and housing. Springfield had a high end growth for a number of years. She also noted
that the City had a policy of more home ownership than rentals. Council needed to determine
what they wanted in terms of home ownership and high end housing.
Mr. Metzger said the process allowed for some aspirational elements built into the projections.
The advisory committee was good with representation from homebuilders, NEDCO and the
Planning Commission. They wanted to keep projections within rational tolerance so the City
would not be before Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) and losing. He noted that
ECONorthwest had a good record for standing before appellate bodies and winning because they
had done the right work with good sound methodology.
Councilor Ballew said she liked the 1.7% growth rate because it represented the most current
history. She asked if there were some spikes and dips in population growth since 1970.
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Mr. Metzger said there were spikes and dips over the years. He explained. He discussed the
issues with growing beyond the current UGB due to constraints such as steep slopes and flood
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Council Work Session Minutes
October 22, 2007
Page 12
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plains. Those issues could cause Springfield's growth rate to be somewhat slower. They did need
to be realistic and consider the type of growth they wanted.
Mr. Parker said the projection had to be coordinated with other jurisdictions in the area. A lot of
the population growth would come from migration and who would be moving over. Part of it
related back to the City's economic development strategy. The City's policy was for more home
ownership and fairly aggressive economic development. That would be important to articulate as
they went through this process.
Mayor Leiken said all communities in Lane County were evaluating population growth.
Councilor Lundberg s~id she appreciated that they would have LCOG evaluate this in five year
segments and make adjustments as necessary.
Councilor Ralston said he was on the Housing Policy Board (HPB). When it came to policy
making and strategies, there needed to be a focus on low-income and affordable housing. He felt
that would be a powerful statement for Eugene to hear.
Mayor Leiken said this was another tool for Council and he appreciated the good work.
Mr. Towery said staff would need more guidance on the methodology to move forward. If there
was additional information Council needed, he asked that they let staff know.
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Mayor Leiken said he liked having as much coordination with MWMC as possible. They had
already been through the process with the courts, etc. That coordination made sense so services
were provided ina timely manner.
Councilor Pishioneri suggested staff also work with the School District on projections. The
School District tracked trends in ages and growth.
Mr. Metzger said he was working with Steve Barrett, Deputy Superintendent from the School
District, on locating properties for this study. He asked if Council agr~ed to proceed based on a .
l.7% growth rate. Yes.
Councilor Ballew said she would like to include a full range of housing from low-income to
higher end housing.
Mayor Leiken asked for information regarding whether or not the City could move towards a
thirty year supply when looking at the UGB, or if we needed to hold to the State minimum of
twenty years.
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Mr. Parker said the City could do that. It would be a separate process which would require the
establishment of urban reserve areas. The City could provide between ten and thirty years
additional. He noted some of the benefits of doing that related to the priority scheme. It was a
different process and required a broader look. The City of Redmond established a 5000 acre
urban reserve area last year and a number of policies to implement that which was sound
planning. . .
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
October 22, 2007
Page 13
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Councilor Lundberg said c:onsideration needed to be taken of the human factor when looking at
d~nsity. Higher density was not necessarily wanted in all cases. It could create traffic and other
issues.
Mr. Parker said the analysis identified housing needs for all types and the City would need to
plan for that spectrum of housing. He noted that the City was planning, but the City did not build
housing. The best they could do was to adopt policies that provided land and removed barriers to
allow building. The market played a large role in this and those things had been considered.
There were good and bad examples of what density could and couldn't be. The State didn't have
density standards. It would all be based on this needs assessment.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:48. pm.
Minutes Recorder - Amy Sowa
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Attest:
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Am~ .
City Recorder
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