Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/24/2005 Work Session City of Springfield Work Session Meeting . MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, JANUARY 24,2005. The City of Springfield council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, January 24,2005 at 5:30 p.m., with Mayor Leiken presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Fitch, Ralston, Lundberg, Woodrow and Pishioneri. Also present were City Manager Mike Kelly, Assistant City Manager Cynthia Pappas, City Attorney Joe Leahy, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. Councilor Ballew was absent (excused). 1. Joint Meeting with Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Board. . Economic Development Manager John Tamulonis presented the staff report on this item. The immediate past Chamber Board President, Sue Slaughter-Nichols and several members ofthe Chamber's Executive Committee met with the Mayor and Council March 8, 2004 to share information and discuss the contract for tourism services, the Chamber's work plan, and common goals and issues. On June 14,2004, the Chamber and City Council followed-up with discussion of major proposed projects: possible urban renewal districts for Downtown and G1enwood and development of a new civic center and how it could enhance tourism. The new Board President Corky Gourley and Executive Director Dan Egan would like to provide the follow up to the June 2004 meeting with updates on the local need for improving the infrastructure for tourism and for conference and convention facilities. Mr. Tamu10nis introduced Kari Westlund, President of the Convention and Visitor Association of Lane County (CV ALCO). Ms. Westlund would be giving council an update on the Tourism Infrastructure in Lane County Report, which was included in the agenda packet. Mr. Tamu10nis and Councilor Pishioneri attended a conference in Tempe, Arizona last week with Ms. Westlund regarding conference centers. The Work Session discussion would be around that conference. Ms. Westlund gave a power point presentation on the Tourism Infrastructure in Lane County Report. Paper copies of the power point presentation were distributed to the Mayor, council and staff. Following her presentation, Ms. Westlund was available for questions. Mayor Leiken discussed the planetarium that was planned several years ago, but which fell through. He said the city needs a hook to build a conference center. People are not just coming . here for the landscape, but need something bigger. The RiverBend facility could be one such hook. Whatever the hook is, it needs to be in the right place in the region. He said he was interested to see what would be involved in the new University of Oregon Basketball Arena and what else it may include. Springfield will still need to look for some type of civic space, regardless of where a regional convention center was built. The city is relying on the experts to help the communities fmd that hook. . Ms. Westlund said the Eugene/Springfield area is the second largest metropolitan area in the state. There is a vibrant fabric of activities and attractions, such as museums, athletic events and arts and cultural events. There are people traveling in and out of the community now. We are in a good location for investing in this type of facility, but the community has underinvested in . City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 2 tourism infrastructure. She feels we are missing an opportunity to make a lot of money for the local economy by investing in the right kind of things. Mayor Leiken discussed the number of golf courses in Bend compared to our area. Ms. Westlund noted the number of golf courses in this area, but said we do not have resorts because we do not have a resort development designation in Lane County. There is a resort development designation in central Oregon and a couple of other places in the state. Councilor Ralston said recommendation number two in the power point presentation outlined the need for a permanent organization. Ms. Westlund said that was correct. With multiple revenue streams from different jurisdictions, it is important to have one organization who can lead that. Councilor Ralston asked about CV ALCO's function. Ms. Westlund said CV ALCO markets the destination. Councilor Ralston asked why CV ALCO couldn't be the logical organization to take on that role. Ms. Westlund said they may be, but at this point they do not own and operate facilities. . Councilor Ralston said he agreed that a conference center is needed, but that can't be blamed on not having jurisdictional boundaries. This needs to come from the private sector and private funding. In no way, should a public agency collect taxes or other citizen money to pay for a convention center. He supports promoting the idea to private investors. Ms. Westlund referred to the model of the Metropolitan Exposition and Recreation Commission (MERC) in Portland which does not have the authority to levy taxes onto the citizens. Councilor Ralston said that in the report included in the agenda packet, it stated that a public agency capacity was needed to raise funds and service districts. He is opposed to service districts because it seems to be another way to tax citizens for something else. He agreed with the Mayor that we need something in the area that will attract visitors. Mr. Egan said we are the second largest attractor of this business in the state, but that is slipping because of lack of conference space. Our location is excellent. He discussed groups that formerly had their conferences in our area, but now meet in Portland because of lack of space in this area. We have gone from no large employers to severa11arge employers. These employers have outgrown our facilities and would like meeting space. He agreed that this area does not have a major attraction, nor does the whole state. He said we aren't looking at a huge place, but a place to suit for the next twenty years. He discussed the last time a large meeting space was ' built in Springfield. Ms. Westlund discussed the Hu1t Center and Hilton Hotel which was built twenty-five years ago as a public development with a private partnership. A private center will not come in and build a convention center without the public partnership. The city could assist in a way to make sure the city is covered so the citizens would not have to pay for any of it. . Councilor Woodrow said we are in a catch twenty-two because we have an excellent location and airport, but we do not have enough hotel rooms and meeting spaces. If we had more hotel . City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 3 rooms, the room tax would help offset the cost ofa convention center. We can't increase the room tax until we build the hotels, we can't build the hotels until we get a convention center and we can't get a convention center until we have a partnership ready to work with a developer. Ms. Westlund said the area will get additional hotel rooms, but just adding limited service hotel rooms will not be a demand generator for the community. There needs to be a business plan put together for the community that will be effective. Councilor Pishioneri said there is no way a single entity can do this alone. It is all in partnership in various degrees with private and public. When there is an anchor hotel and it is filled, there is a higher return per room. When a developer buys in, they have something at stake. There could be other revenue generating businesses around it, such as cafes, restaurants and other businesses. Logically, if it is designed right, it will be an investment. Councilor Fitch said the city has participated in the cost of several ofthese studies, but there has not been a developer who has stepped up to join as a partner. She discussed the reduction in the city's budget and the fact that there is no public money available to get such a center started. Ms. Westlund said there are operating revenues and incremental revenues associated with these centers. Some cities use Business Improvement District fees or other mechanisms to generate revenue off the incremental business activities associated with these facilities. That is often a' portion of those incremental revenues that fills the gap. . Councilor Fitch discussed the improvements to the track at Hayward Field funded by room tax dollars by Springfield and Eugene. Mr. Tamu10nis said the City of Springfield put in a twenty year investment into Hayward Field by increasing the room t;ax by one-half percent. The Hilton Conference Center was funded by the City of Eugene room tax and other sources. He described how the Hilton has balanced loss and revenue at the Hilton Hotel. Ms. Westlund discussed the City of Salem conference center and hotel and how partnerships can be set up for each project. Councilor Fitch said she agreed with Councilor Ralston that the city is not in a position to put funding into this type of project. We are in a position to look for partnerships. She said it is not the job ofthe city to seek the private partner. Ms. Westlund discussed the issue of lack of support from council in the past. Mr. Egan said they need the support of the council. Tax payers should not have to pay for the conference center. Developers want to hear that the council is supportive. Once the city is supportive, details can be worked out to make it a deal that the city wants. He discussed the conference center in Eugene and the money it brought in to the city. He gave another example in Kansas. Councilor Fitch said she is supportive of a conference center, but is concerned how it would affect the city. . Councilor Ralston said an Urban Renewal District has been started in Glenwood, which is a way to encourage development. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 4 . Councilor Lundberg asked about the formula used for visitor spending. Ms. Westlund said it would include overnight spending; food and beverage; retail, activities; such as river rafting; localized transportation; concerts and other direct spending. Councilor Lundberg asked for a defmition of micro issues as stated in the Characteristics of Convention Industry Development, page 9 of Attachment 3 in the agenda packet. Ms. Westlund said micro issues would be local economic issues as opposed to looking at something from a national level. She gave an example. Councilor Lundberg said she was supportive of a convention center/conference center/hotel. She asked why we couldn't have a resort in this area. Ms. Westlund said Oregon has land use laws that prohibit resorts in certain areas. When the jurisdictions come together for their Comprehensive Plan review, that would be the time to consider resort designations. Last time around, the jurisdictions chose not to look at that type of designation. Ballot Measure 37 may change that situation. Councilor Lundberg said there is space at the Lane Community College (LCC) site that might be a good spot for some sort of convention center. She said we need to look regionally for the best location. . Ms. Westlund said a conference center will not happen unless council moves forward. Even if council agreed today it could take six or seven years to get it completed. Councilor Lundberg asked about the different models. Ms. Westlund said they were on a matrix. Mr. Tamu10nis said with the Clarion no longer in Springfield there is an interest in Springfield to have a community meeting place. Businesses have also expressed an interest in a place they can meet with their employees and families. He discussed a possible conference center for the region compared to a center in Springfield. He discussed a county in Utah that had similar issues as our area. They began the process to build a conference center in 1997 and the facility just opened last fall. The largest attractor was a local hotelier who is running the center. Fourteen partner agreements were included in the process. He discussed the importance of having the whole package of a hotel, convention center and supporting businesses. Mr. Kelly said when he served on the Chamber Executive Board, the topic of a conference center was an important issue to the board. He attended a conference last year in Florida regarding convention centers. He discussed some of the projects around the country that have been built. Many of the projects had some interest and then suddenly something came together and they gelled. He gave some examples in several communities. With the RiverBend project, the Glenwood Urban Renewal District and the Clarion closing down, it seemed like it might be our opportune time. Some cities provide zoning, infrastructure or tax exempt fmancing as a way to work as a partner in these projects. It often takes a few years for these facilities to become known, so some cities offer incentives for three years. From his perspective he understands both sides. The private sector is looking to see if council is serious enough for them to move forward. . Councilor Fitch said she is supportive of the city working as a partner as long as it is an outcome that leads to the next step. If this task force could generate something that would go forward, she City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 5 . would be supportive. Springfield fmds ways to form partnerships and get things done. It's got to be one that has an outcome that will lead us somewhere. Mr. Egan said he agreed and was encouraged by this support. The Chamber had nine conversations with developers with any type of project on the board and they are still in conversations with two or three of them. They can now go to those developers and let them know that council has interest in this type of facility. Councilor Pishioneri said he completely supports the idea because it is something our community needs. He would like to see some outcomes, such as quarterly reports showing progress from the task force. Councilor Ralston asked how much it would cost to build a convention center and hotel. Mr. Egan said approximately $32M. Councilor Ralston said he was in favor of going forward with it as soon as possible. Councilor Lundberg said it would take six to eight months for the task force to look at a variety of things and make a recommendation. Ms. Westlund said there could be dual tracts. . Mr. Kelly said ifthere was going to be a conference center, there would be questions about who would run it, own it, etc. Councilor Lundberg said is it is important that the city makes money. There are models with a lot of debt involved. However we structure this, the city needs to make money rather than being in a supportive mode, having to support it for years to come. Ms. Westlund said identification of council's goals is important to discuss. It is about a number of issues. The council may have primary mechanisms they want, such as net out or better, and secondary mechanisms. Councilor Fitch asked Mr. Kelly how the city would fund the staff time needed for this task force. Mr. Kelly said the city has a couple of reserve accounts, such as the opportunity fund. Another area is the reserves for economic development. Those two funds are separate from the General Fund. It would not be a recommendation to make expenditures from the General Fund now or in the next year. Mr. Egan said the Chamber was happy to fund the conference trip for Mr. Tamulonis and Councilor Pishioneri. Other private partners are funding studies without approaching the cities. The results of the study are the important issues. Staff time at that point will be critical. There is enough private interest that studies will continue. The Chamber will continue to use their resources because it is important to their members in the private sector. . Councilor Fitch discussed moving staff from our General Fund duties to support a project of this type, leaving our General Fund positions short. We need to look at another source. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 6 . Mayor Leiken said this needs to be broken up into short term and long term. He discussed the county selling the fairgrounds and moving to a location near the freeway that would provide an opportunity to create an Expo Center as in Jackson County. Regionally it could be a challenge. Leveraging the University of Oregon is a great starting point regionally. Short term, we need to look at civic space opportunities in our community, but continue to work with our regional partners as well. Mr. Egan asked if a couple of councilors might be assigned to attend the task force meetings during this six to eight month period. Mayor Leiken said that would be useful. Mr. Gourley said the business community needs to hear from the councilors that they want a conference center in Springfield. The business community needs to hear that the city is willing to be a partner, not knowing what that partnership will look like. He said he does not want to see a taxation situation and there are other models. Councilor Woodrow said the council agreed that they would like a conference center and that they would be a partner. Mr. Gourley said they need a strong statement. Councilor Woodrow said all councilors are supportive. . Mr. Gourley said he is excited to see what the community can do to bring about such a project. Mayor Leiken called for a five minute break at 6:48 p.m. Mayor Leiken resumed the work session at 7:00 p.m. 2. Council Goals Update. City Manager Mike Kelly presented the staff report on this item. The Long Range Financial Plan is presented to give the council context for their strategic planning around goals and targets for 2005. Due to the heavy workload and ongoing nature of many of the 2004 Targets, only two new 2005 Targets have been included in your packet. In years past, we were better able to assess how the year might unfold. However, if this past year is a harbinger of days to come, we no longer have as clear of a view a year in advance. For example, Royal Caribbean, the Gray/Jaqua Open Space Project and two ballot measures were added to our work plan mid-year. The proposed agenda is as follows: . 1. Long Range Financial Plan Update 2. Update of Five Year Goals 3. Update/Revision of One Year Targets 4. 2005 Proposed Staff and Mayor/Council Targets 5. Brainstorm Key Issues to be Discussed during TEAM Springfield Meeting on 2/5/05 (20 Minutes) (10 Minutes) (30 Minutes) (20 Minutes) (1 0 Minutes) City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 7 . Finance Director Bob Duey gave a brief update on the Long-Range projections primarily focusing on the General Fund. He discussed the General Fund and where that fund receives its revenues. Most of the figures have not changed from last year. He discussed the increase in personal services due to cost of living increase. One union has a contact that expires this spring and will be going through negotiations. Retirement costs, personal costs and health insurance are increasing. Health insurance cost increases have slowed down some due to the implementation of the new Health Incentive Program (HIP). Mr. Duey discussed the assessed valuation increase, with the majority coming from the move of Triad from a non-profit to a for profit organization. He referred to Attachment 1, page 5 included in the agenda packet, which had additional information on Assessed Valuation. Every percent increase in the Assessed Value raises about $150,000 for the General Fund. The Utility Tax was passed by council on December 6, 2004 with a $200,000 estimate. Although, that projection is now much higher, he left the amount at $200,000 because of the referendum going forward. It was left in as a place holder, but can be changed according to the outcome of the election. Mayor Leiken asked how the assessed valuation was put into place. Mr. Duey said it was set by Measure 50 and adjusted through physical inspections around the area. There are three ways that value would increase: 1) through new construction value; 2) through annexations; and 3) annual adjustments made based on the value of the property limited to three percent by Measure 50. . Mayor Leiken asked where the original number came from. Mr. Duey discussed real market value and assessed value. Physical inspections were to be done on a regular basis to determine the real market value. The physical inspections were to occur every three years, although it was generally every seven to ten years. When Measure 50 passed, the real market value from two years prior less ten percent became the new assessed value. Mayor Leiken said the property in Springfield is under valued anywhere from ten to thirty percent. Developers are using appraisers outside Springfield because, in their opinion, local appraisers have a bias. He asked if there was a way that we could get it up to the right level or if these values would remain. Mr. Duey said under current rules, real market values could be influenced by certain actions, but nothing can be done regarding assessed value. Mayor Leiken said that if we could get our values up to where they should be, it would be a tremendous benefit to the city's General Fund. Councilor Ralston said the valuation on his home has gone up tremendously. Mr. Kelly said there is market value and assessed value. He eXplained the difference. Assessed value and taxes should not increase more than three percent unless other bonds are sold. Mayor Leiken said it is a disservice to the community because it does not take into account the goals ofa community. . Mr. Duey said there was a rotation on the schedule of physical inspections and Springfield was the last city on the circuit in Lane County prior to Measure 50 passing. When they went back to City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 8 . the values from two years prior to the passage of Measure 50, Springfield lost the latest update because it was in that two year period. That prevented Springfield from keeping the assessed value up as high as it should have been. Councilor Fitch asked why Springfield doesn't automatically get the three percent increase each year we are entitled to since we lost the last appraisal before everything got rolled back. Mr. Duey said it is based on an annual change in the real market value, rather than other circumstances. He discussed revaluation when a home sells and the fact that Measure 50 does not allow that. He explained real market value and how it is assessed. Mr. Kelly said staff has looked at other communities and their ability to support PERS and General Fund items. Many of the other communities receive more money per capita than Springfield because of our lower assessed value. Springfield was lowest or next to the lowest in terms of dollars received per capita. The Executive Team compared tax receipts with Eugene a year ago and the difference was amazing. Mayor Leiken said it may cost us certain developers because they have no basis to charge more for their properties. Councilor Pishioneri said under certain circumstances, the lower assessed value may draw in more businesses because of the lower cost of leasing or buying buildings. . Mr. Kelly said the benefit of Measure 50 is that the better the city manages the value of the city, the more it makes a difference in tax receipts. However, it can also put the city's economic goals in conflict with social goals. He explained. Councilor Fitch asked if past councils ever looked at a possible suit against the assessor for making Springfield last for inspections which did not give us a fair evaluation. Mr. Duey said staff checked with the state several years ago to see if there was a way to capture that loss and they were not able to make a change. Councilor Fitch said the Tax Assessor has an obligation, which he failed to meet. She asked if the city was limited by torte limitations to go back and do anything or if the city had any other recourse. Mr. Duey said he would check into that and report back to council. Councilor Fitch said if it was deemed and shown that the Assessor's Office put Springfield in a negative aspect to where we are still suffering years later and allowed other communities to be in a better state, there should be a way to have some recourse. A ten to thirty percent loss is significant. Mr. Duey discussed Attachment 1, page 7 in the agenda packet, which was the chart for General Fund Long Range Projections. He explained the figures in that chart. Councilor Woodrow discussed the amounts for the public safety facility. . Mr. Duey explained how he came to the figure regarding maintenance. . City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 9 Councilor Ralston asked about the difference between Ending Cash on Hand and the Year End Non-Dedicated Resources Available. Mr. Duey said the Ending Cash of Hand is how much the fund would have in its entirety. Some of the some money has another purpose. He explained each figure and what they were set aside to pay. Councilor Ralston asked which figure was more of an indicator of the city's position. Mr. Duey said the bottom line (Year End Non-Dedicated Resources Available) is the better number. Councilor Ralston said the figure in that row grows exponentially over the next several years. He asked why the large increase. Mr. Duey said the differences between FY05-06 and FY06-07 is about $1.5M. This increase is due to the increase in personal services, insurance, etc. In FY08 and FY09, the justice center and jail is shown without a revenue source. He listed it that way until the funding for the jail was determined. Mayor Leiken confIrmed that the city lost approximately $1.5M from the enactment of Measure 50. That revenue shortage has carried through every year since that time. Councilor Pishioneri asked if there was a chart that did not include the jail. . Mr. Duey said he did not have a chart without the jail, but could create one. Councilor Fitch said if council determined that the increase in the Utility Tax would be a line item for the jail operations when it opens in FY09, these projections listed on the chart would be significantly different. Mr. Kelly said costs are shown in the chart for jail operations without identified revenue, but the city will not incur those costs until funding is identified. Council could determine how to use Utility Tax funds, either to lease additional beds from Lane County until our own jail is built, or for General Fund operations until the municipal jail was built. Councilor Fitch said that could be one topic of discussion as council reviews their goals. Mr. Duey said this was just an update to assist council in their goal setting. Councilor Woodrow asked where the interest income goes. Mr. Duey said all funds get interest allocated based on their cash balances. Mayor Leiken said we are running out of accounts to borrow money from to pay another. . Mr. Kelly referred to page 1 of Attachment II included in the agenda packet which listed the Gold Stars from 2004. The Gold Stars are a list of accomplishments of the city during the previous year and are a reminder of the good things the city has done on behalf of the public under the leadership of the council. Staff does not see the pace letting up in the near future. He referred to Attachment III included in the agenda packet which lists the Five Year Goals. He asked council to review those nine goals to see if they want to continue with those goals or adjust . City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 10 some of them. The One Year Targets follow and are the things that lead up to the Five Year Goals. Discussion was held regarding the Five Year Goals and the following changes were suggested: · Provide fmancially sound, stable city government. · Utilize resources efficiently and effectively to meet citizen needs for core services. · Expand the Springfield economy through commercial and industrial development which creates by creating family wage jobs. · Increase the City's Assessed ..../ alua-tion. · Continae to make Springfield a safe community. Enhance Springfield's safetv by constructing the Justice Center (may change this further to show that Springfield is taking a leadership role in this). . Pro'/idc affordable quality services. . Participate in a renaissance for Springfield. · Partner with citizens and other public agencies. · Preserve our hometown feel as we grow. There was council consensus on the above changes. Mayor Leiken said it is important to ask what the city government should be doing and what it is required to do. We need to focus on the core basic services we are to provide. . Mr. Kelly said staff could define core services for council. During the Springfield Tomorrow update process, the community could be asked what they feel are our core services. Discussion was held regarding if and when to include Glenwood in the 5 Year Goals. Consensus was to consider it next year because of some sensitivity in that area. Ms. Pappas discussed the One Year Targets. She asked if the four top priority targets were still council's highest priorities. Mayor Leiken asked Technical Services Manager Len Goodwin about the status on the Mill Race and Federal funding for that project. Mr. Goodwin said there is a cash flow issue with the Corps of Engineers because they over expended their appropriations with this type of project; however, the Corps remains committed to the project. Staff has been working with staff in the delegation in an attempt to persuade the Corps headquarters to move ahead and they remain hopeful that will happen in the near future. The city is at the point of completing a major property transaction with McKenzie Forest Products which has a lot of strong economic development potential for downtown Springfield. There is always the risk that Corps funding will deteriorate in the next budget, although Mr. Goodwin recently heard that Corps funding for this type of project could increase. If that happens, the current phase of the project could be constructed quickly. Ifnot, it would still be constructed. Councilor Fitch asked if there was a way to have a signed memorandum of understanding (MOD) that we have met our participation requirement. If the Corps waits two or three years, all costs will escalate and our match may not be sufficient. . Mr. Goodwin said we are not closing on the property negotiations until the Corps signs the agreement. That may be an issue that may require further discussion, but staff is fairly secure. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 11 . Councilor Lundberg suggested moving the Mill Race Project from the Top Priority list to the High Priority list. Councilor Fitch suggested moving it into the Downtown Redevelopment as a subsection. That would keep it in the Top Priority, but would group it with Downtown Redevelopment. Mayor Leiken asked if McKenzie Forest Products was still interested in selling these properties for the Mill Race to the city. Mr. Goodwin said they are still very interested. He discussed conversations he held with Steve Kilgore, Chief Executive Officer of McKenzie Forest Products early last week. Councilor Woodrow asked ifthe Jasper Natron Development should be moved from High Priority to Top Priority. Councilor Fitch said she would not want to move it until there was a commitment from the county regarding completion of Phase II of the extension and the wetlands issue was resolved. Mayor Leiken agreed. There could be an opportunity for funding through the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (OECDD) if the city moved it to Top Priority once the Phase II of the Jasper Natron was completed. . Mr. Kelly discussed the impact it could have if council listed Jasper Natron as a Top Priority which could put pressure on the Oregon Department of Transportation to get Phase II done more quickly. Councilor Ralston said he agreed with Mike Kelly. It should be a higher priority to show everyone we are ready, but are waiting on others. Councilor Fitch said in moving it up to a higher priority, it would add work for the city staff. Councilor Ralston said he understands, but feels the city should indicate this project is very important. Once Phase II of the Jasper Extension is built, the whole area will change. Mayor Leiken addressed Development Services Director Bill Gri1e and asked if moving this to a Top Priority would add to his staffs work load. He discussed Glenwood, PeaceHealth and other large projects currently underway. Mr. Gri1e said making progress on the wetlands work which Planner Mark Metzger is working on with the Corps is one of the most important things staff can do in the next twelve months, but not much more could get accomplished. Staff is spread thin already. He said staff is concerned about making progress on the long-range goals. He discussed permit processing. Councilor Fitch discussed fees and accelerated fees when developers want a faster turnaround. If Jasper Natron is moved to a higher priority, we may need to look at charging accelerated fees. . Councilor Lundberg said she would not advocate moving the Jasper Natron to a higher priority at this time. There is still so much unknown regarding urban renewal. Once we have more of an idea of how the urban renewal in Glenwood will proceed, we could move Jasper Natron to a higher priority. She agreed that people will pay for accelerated service. The city can advocate to City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 12 . ODOT to move forward on Jasper Natron without putting it higher on the target list. These are just one year targets so she would prefer to wait another year. Councilor Pishioneri suggested moving "*W ork with TEAM Springfield to assess the feasibility of establishing new public buildings or a Civic Center as a component of downtown revitalization." to a separate heading under the One Year Targets - Others, without the designation of being part of the downtown revitalization. Discussion was held regarding the Booth Kelly redevelopment. Mayor Leiken agreed with waiting another year before moving the Jasper Natron project to a higher priority. Councilor Fitch asked if all plan updates were completed on the Comprehensive Plan (#5 of the One- Year Targets). Ms. Pappas said the Natural Resources Study, the Wetland Conversation Plan and the Nodal Plan are still to be completed. Councilor Fitch said that planning is important, but she suggested that these don't become all consuming. If other entities need to process longer, we would not need to be involved in all of their meetings. She suggested moving the Comprehensive Plan from Top Priority to High Priority (Note: It was already in High, so no move was necessary). From council's perspective, staff has shown they can do ajob well without over processing. . Ms. Pappas said that staff would clean up any remaining items that need to be removed or added from the One Year Target list. Mayor Leiken discussed the city's webpage and the amount of information available on that site. He encouraged council members to visit the site. Mr. Lathrop said they are in the process of upgrading the web site and it should be even better. Ms. Pappas said discussion would be held regarding updating of the Springfield Tomorrow document. She said that a bullet could be added under the TEAM Springfield One Year Target that specifies updating Springfield Tomorrow. Mr. Kelly said he would discuss with council shortly whether or not council would like the Springfield Tomorrow update pushed at the February 5 TEAM Springfield meeting. Councilor Fitch said TEAM Springfield would be the appropriate place to discuss updating Springfield Tomorrow. The community does not separate the different public entities; they view them all as one and want them to function cohesively. Mr. Kelly said staff would take most of the work plan forward and reorganize based on the comments by council. Staff has only proposed two new activities for the Proposed One Year Targets as listed on Attachment IV. Council could add other activities if they would like. . Councilor Pishioneri discussed the potential cost for staffmg on the technical part of the civic center proposal. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 13 . Councilor Fitch said there needs to be something identifying the funding source for the operations for the jail, whether it is the Utility Tax or something else. Mayor Leiken asked about the Library District. Ms. Pappas said this was last discussed in November 2003 during council goal setting. Discussion was held regarding a Library levy and a Library District. There was interest in looking at a levy that might bridge to a district. Staff came back later with a presentation and council said we would focus on Glenwood Urban Renewal and the downtown Justice Center. Library Director Bob Russell said his recollection was that the Fire District was being considered and council did not want to consider both at the same time. Mr. Kelly explained the two situations. The Fire District was an annexation, and could have been done more quickly. If the annexation went through, it would have freed up some General Fund money to help with some Library improvements. A Library District could take up to a couple of years, depending on how long it would take to make a Metro Plan amendment. A Library District could free up General Fund money for other city services. Councilor Ralston said that goes back to what are considered core services and allowing the citizens to decide if a Library District should be formed. He doesn't like districts, but if that is a service the citizens are willing to pay for, it could make sense. . Mayor Leiken said there was some conceptual agreement on a Library District. The county's attitude regarding special districts seems to have changed since the Fire District was denied and this is something council may need to revisit. There is a split council regarding a Fire District, but if there is a possibility of a special district that could be supported it may be the time to move forward. Councilor Fitch said she has concerns about legislation during this current session regarding Police and Fire services taking precedence over all other services. Those departments would get their increases, while other services may be cut. She said an option should be available to allow citizens to make a special district because it may be out of the city's hands. Councilor Ralston said it is important to ask the citizens if they want to keep a Library. Councilor Pishioneri said creating a Library District may put the Library more at risk. Mr. Kelly said a district would have some degree of funding under its own tax base. If it stays part of the city budget, it would compete with other General Fund services. If it goes on a four year levy, it would free up General Fund money that could be used for other services, such as the jail operations. If the levy is not renewed in four years, the Library would discontinue. Councilor Ralston said he does not like the levy idea. Councilor Lundberg asked if there was a Library District on the recent ballot. Mr. Russell said Creswell had a Library District on the ballot which passed. Fern Ridge had a three-year Library levy which also passed after being placed on the ballot three times. . Councilor Lundberg said she is not a big supporter of districts because it adds to the tax bill of the citizens. She noted, however, that we have a unique situation with our school boundaries City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 14 . compared to our city boundaries. She would be interested in letting citizens vote on something that would increase the district. She is not opposed to levies either. People will renew levies if they feel their money has been well spent. Mr. Russell said he did some work for the Executive Team regarding levies and districts and he plans to schedule a Work Session in the Spring to discuss this further with council. Councilor Woodrow asked Mr. Duey how much it would take in a levy to raise $2M. Mr. Duey said it would cost citizens about seventy-five or eighty cents per thousand. Councilor Fitch said she has no problem with the citizens voting on a district, but there fIrst needs to be the change in the Metro Plan to allow a special district. Until that change is made, there is a possibility of needing two elections, which is costly and timely. Lane County is going through the Metro Plan Amendment process right now. Mayor Leiken said it would be good to work with the county to make the change to the Metro Plan for a Library District. He recommended following up by contacting Phil Barnhart regarding the possible elimination of the Lane County Boundary Commission. Mr. Russell said a Library District could not be formed without a vote. Mayor Leiken said there still needs to be a change in the Metro Plan to allow the city to create a new district. . Ms. Pappas asked council for confirmation to add a One Year Target to explore a Metro Plan amendment to pursue formation of a Library District. Mayor Leiken said we should have further discussions and begin to investigate. Councilor Ralston asked about the update of the Springfield Tomorrow document. That would be an opportune time to ask citizens if they would pay for a Library District. Mr. Kelly discussed the TEAM Springfield meeting on February 5 which would include a work plan for the next six months. He has been advocating for the agency to sponsor the SpringfIeld Tomorrow update. It could be very limited and stakeholder driven. The process could begin in March with the selection of the group, which could be made up of five or six people from each agency. The group could meet three or four times between April and June, reviewing the 1991 document and develop a ten year plan. Springfield Tomorrow is a value based document. There are a number of things that have been accomplished in the community based on the Springfield Tomorrow document. The group could bring the findings and opportunities back to TEAM Springfield during their July meeting. TEAM Springfield members could review the document and adopt it independently. Mr. Kelly said they would request an internal facilitator to lead the group. Mr. Kelly will be meeting with the Chief Administrative Officers (CAO) of the TEAM Springfield agencies on Wednesday and will discuss whether or not they should discuss community celebrations. Some of these activities could be combined and coordinated. These discussions could be held by TEAM Springfield or the Springfield Tomorrow group. Council consensus was to go forward. . Councilor Fitch said this gave it a different approach. Councilor Ralston noted that it was more focused. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 15 . Councilor Woodrow referred to the suggestion earlier in the evening about appointing a couple of councilors as liaisons to the work sessions on the Convention Center. He asked if any councilors were interested in that role. Councilors Pishioneri and Ralston volunteered to serve. Mr. Kelly discussed ex parte contact regarding this issue and reminded councilors there may be some meetings they would need to be excluded from. Staff will guide them on that issue. Mayor Leiken said he, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Goodwin and Mr. Amis met with Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) officials today. ODOT is looking at new policies. When they asked Randy Pape, who serves on the Oregon Transportation Commission, if this policy of more community participation would apply only to Springfield, Mr. Pape said it would apply to all state systems. Mayor Leiken noted other local projects that this may affect. He asked to have Mr. Arnis put together some bullet points regarding ODOT's proposals for community match and what this may mean in the future. Mayor Leiken feels this policy is being considered to make up for the lack of leadership over the last fourteen years in not getting a gas tax increase statewide. With a gas tax increase over the years, this would not be an issue. Councilor Fitch questioned whether or not this truly was statewide and how much it may have to do with the West Eugene Parkway (WEP). Mayor Leiken said he spoke with Mr. Goodwin about investigating this further. . Mr. Kelly said these are not OTC policy requirements yet, but the issues are things that Mr. Pape and Stuart Foster believe in, and they feel the OTC believes in as well. Mr. Pape thinks OTC will develop policy in the near future for match requirements. Mr. Pape thinks this is good public policy to require more public participation in projects because the local jurisdiction allows growth that impacts the state highways. There is no OTC policy regarding local match at this time. Mayor Leiken said he would like to include an elected or senior staff member on that committee. Councilor Lundberg asked who appoints the members on the OTC. Mayor Leiken said the governor appoints the members. Councilor Fitch said it might be beneficial to send a recommendation to the Governor regarding the upcoming reappointment. Mayor Leiken said this is a trust factor. He discussed the I-5/Be1tline interchange citizen committee. There is a lot of maneuvering. Mayor Leiken asked council if they felt tonight's work session was staff driven or a good discussion among council. Council consensus was that this was a good discussion among council and not staff driven. . Mayor Leiken said council appreciates staff s hard work. ADJOURNMENT City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes January 24, 2005 Page 16 . The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 pm. Minutes Recorder - Amy Sowa ,", Attest: ~Jrn;~ Amy Sowa City Recorder . .