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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/03/1999 Work Session . MINUTES OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING HELD MONDAY, MAY 3, 1999 The Springfield City Council met in Work Session at Springfield City Hall, Jesse Maine Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, May 3 at 6:00 p.rn. with Mayor Maine presiding. Present were Mayor Maine and Councilors Ballew, Fitch, Hatfield, Leiken and Simmons. Councilor Lundberg was absent (excused). Also present were City Manager Mike Kelly,' Assistant City Manager Mike Kelly, City Attorney Tim Harold, City Attorney Joe Trudeau, Senior Management Analyst Rosie Pryor, Administrative Aide Shari Higgins, Building Official Dave Puent, Police Chief Bill DeForrest, Management Analyst Mike Harmon, Public Works Director Dan Brown, Senior Management Analyst Len Goodwin, Deputy Fire Chief Dennis Shew, members of the Year 2000 Committee, and members of staff. 1. Liquor License Endorsements for the Renewal Period of 1999-2000. Building Official Dave Puent presented 109 Liquor License Renewals for City Council discussion. He said a public hearing would be held during the regular meeting following the work session, where the council could provide one of the following recommendations to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCe): 1) Grant; 2) No Recommendation; 3) Do Not Grant Unless (application demonstrated commitment to overcome listed concerns): or 4) Deny. . Mr. Puent provided information on Club 1444, which had a high level of activity listed on Attachment 20fthe agenda item summary. Mr. Puent said the Mill Camp: would not be renewing their license as of April 30, 1999, and that the McKenzie Theatre is still under investigation by OLCC and the city would not know results of the inquiry until late June. Councilor Ballew asked how close in proximity arrests can occur that were included in the activity summary provided by Captain Jerry Smith. Police Management Analyst Mike Harmon stated within one block. Mayor Maine asked Police Chief Bill DeForrest if he had any suggestions in minimizing the calls. for police service at Club 1444. Council stated they previously asked for this type of information on the Mill Camp. Chief DeForrest clarified criminal trespass are calls where the club calls the Police, not when the Police get calls about the club. He felt it was positive that the establishment shows concern, Council further discussed the activity at Club 1444, reviewing the actuals on the hand-out titled, Summary of Arrest Charges. Mr. Harmon explained why the report looked different this year and spoke of future enhancements which could be made to the reporting process. Councilor Leiken asked ifthe city could charge an establishment for having many police calls. City Attorney Tim Harold said the department would have to charge all businesses, not just ones with higher levels to make a charge system viable. . Chief DeForrest said many local businesses use a lot of services, including Sears, Target, etc. and explained that he did not want to deter liquor establishments from calling the police for fear of being charged. City of Springfield Work Session - 5/3/99 Page 2 . Councilor Ballew asked if the businesses with a higher levels of calls could have their hours limited. Mr. Harold responded by saying the city could not limit hours when businesses are licensed by the state to be able to sell liquor until 2:00 a.m. Mayor Maine added the city should continue to work with liquor establishment proprietors to seek mutual cooperation. 2. Year 2000 Preparedness Status Report. Senior Management Analyst Len Goodwin and Deputy Fire Chief Dennis Shew presented the status report. Mr. Goodwin introduced the city's Year 2000 (Y2K) Committee members: Cynthia Pappas (DSD), Ed Black (PW), Bob Duey (FIN), Brian Barnett (PW), Joe Trudeau (CAO), Mike Harmon (POL), Craig Gibons (HR), and Dixie Huffman (FIRE - not present). Mr. Goodwin referred to the council briefing memorandum, an attachment to the agenda item summary. He specifically detailed Table 1 and spoke about the city's telephone system which is a leap year not a Y2K issue, and what items would need to be resolved prior to January 1, 2000. Councilor Fitch asked about the date of September 9, 1999 - which is 9999, as it is a programmer's error message and could cause computer issues also. Mr. Goodwin said some devices may fail and that the city can never be 100 percent sure, but there are no current indications that any problems will occur on September 9. . Mr. Goodwin said staff is now relatively comfortable that a major failure will not occur on January 1,2000, but the one uncertain the city can not prepare for would be a failure ofthe national electrical system. He explained the preparations staff is working on now in the event that there is a failure in electrical power, including plans to be without power for a timeframe of up to seven days. If the city prepares for a disaster at that level, then it would be prepared to deal with a disaster of any type. Mr. Goodwin reported the city is working with intergovernmental partner agencies, as well as local banks, businesses, etc. He said the fear is not that there will be a major disaster, but the fear that citizens may feel that something will go wrong. As people panic other things could happen. One element of the city's efforts includes the revision of the Emergency Preparedness Plan. Deputy Fire Chief Dennis Shew gave an overview of the Emergency Preparedness Plan, which is divided into several components and is not Year 2000 specific. Mr. Shew said the first phase includes updating the plan, the second phase includes preparedness and training, the third phase includes response information, and the fourth component is a recovery phase after a disaster. The city is working on the preparedness component now. Mr. Shew referred to the calendar of events included in the agenda item summary. Mr. Shew said the city needs to update the plan, distribute the final product, and provide training to staff and City Council members who will fill roles. Staff will provide council with familiarization with their roles in plan, as policy makers and ones who would enact emergency ordinances, in September and October of this year. . Mr. Shew detailed other elements of the plan and community action and readiness also. He said Senior Management Analyst Rosie Pryor is currently working on a community education program with other agency Public Information Officers. This education will occur during the summer and fall months, as staff is trying to reduce fears by providing information. City of Springfield Work Session - 5/3/99 Page 3 . Mr. Goodwin spoke about Table 2, the Service Matrix Options. He said items one through six would occur and reviewed each item. There was discussion on minimal traffic control and services for fire suppression and emergency police services. Councilor Simmons suggested using a ground level building for the Emergency Operations Center, not City Hall. He felt council may be able to provide input on resources not included on the matrix. Mr. Goodwin said the city would provide citizens with a list of resources, but would not provide shelter or food during an emergency situation or disaster. He said it is a proven fact that citizens call City Hall when there is an emergency, so staff would be trained to provide referrals and general information. The matrix was given consensus approval by the Mayor and City Council. Councilor Fitch questioned the city's observance of the New Year Holiday being moved from December 3l to January 3. Mr. Goodwin explained why the switch should occur, as it would be easier to have staff at City Hall and prepared to work on the 31. Others needed on January 3 could be called in. Councilor Simmons suggested appointing a council alternate in each city ward. This would assist in the event that a disaster occurs and a councilors can not attend an emergency meeting, or could not be located in a timely manner. . . Councilor Leiken.spoke of inclement weatherpreparedness. He asked if the city solicits information from those communities who have suffered natural disasters., MLShew replied yes, referring to a recent report from the State of Maine who suffered an ice storm that lasted over one week. Mr. Shew said the Emergency Preparedness Plan is based on all hazards, not addressing one specific situation such as the Year 2000. Councilor Fitch asked if the purchases included in the agenda item summary would be needed for any type of emergency. Mr. Goodwin replied yes and said the city would be ordering the generators soon. There was a discussion of the use of generators for the metro wastewater site. By consensus, the City Council directed staff to observethe New Year Holiday on January 3, 2000, and to proceed with the proposed level of service in Table 2. ADJOURNMENT. The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Minutes Recorder - Shari Higgins \ ~Nl.~ Maureen Maine, Mayor ATTEST: .