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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/08/2000 Work Session . I MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSiON MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD iCITY COUNCIL, HELD SA TURIpA Y, JANUARY 8, 2000 , , The Springfield City Council met in a Goal-Setting Work Session at Springfield 9ty Hall, Jesse Maine Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, on Saturday, January 8, 2000, at 8:07 a.m. with Mayor Weathers presiding. ATTENDANCE , Present were Mayor Weathers and Councilors Ballew, Fitch, Hatfield (9: 15 a.m.)I, Leiken, Lundberg, and Simmons. Also present were City Manager Mike Kelly, Assistant City Manager 9ino Grimaldi, Senior Management Analyst Rosie Pryor, Library Director Bob Russell, AIC Development Services Director John Tamulonis, Fire Chief Dennis Murphy, Police Chief Jerry Smith, Finance Directot Bob Duey, Public Works Director Dan Brown, and members of staff. Guest: Chris Pryor, Willamalane Park and Recreation District, facilitated the meeting. ! 1. ORGANIZATIONAL HOT SPOTS . I City Manager Mike Kelly described three mid-year budget adjustment proposals for council consideration: a) Permit Technician, b) Water Resources Management, and c) Development Review. Mayor Weathers asked if the city is already in process of evaluating the permit process? Mr. KellYjsaid a performance audit proposal would be submitted during the budget process. Councilor Simmons saiq if plans are incomplete when they come in, developers should expect to pay for the additional services re'quired. Councilor Fitch said "hot spot" funding should include money to pay for the needs analysis to determine how to change the I permitting process so that it ultimately meets the need. Analysis should include considerations of automating portions of the function, e.g., putting some things on the internet, etc.! Councilor Lundberg said the issue seems to be that what we're getting is not adequate. Mayor Weathers said the city should "put , out the fire first then do the analysis." But don't use "kicking back because its incomplete" as a strategy to I buy more time. She said the city can't afford that public perception. I , I Councilor Leiken said large out-of-state developers should not be given more consideration than local developers. He said the city needs to stay consistent. He asked where the complaints are coming from? Mr. Kelly said from local developers who have been here for 10-15 years, Springfield is much slower. He said the city is not hearing complaints from new folks coming into the market. It's the larger, familiar developers. Mr. Kelly said the longer-term developers want things to be like it uJed to be, but staff has been reduced in recent years. Councilor Simmons said funding should come fro~ a source that's related to use. Councilor Ballew said it sounds like everyone agrees with need. How to [mance is the question. I I 2. REVIEW OF LONG-TERM GOALS , Facilitator Chris Pryor introduced the results of the TEAM Springfield gOal-setti~g session held January 7, 2000. Mayor Weathers and members of the Council then reviewed existing longl-term goals for the city organization and clarified what is meant by the goal for the benefit of staff: I Provide financially sound, stable city government. I Keep as high priority. ! Meet the needs of citizens (as measured by surveys). Fund five-year long range financial plan. Identify holes a year or two years ahead, and alter plans as necessary. Shift to two year b,\1dget process, achieve . . Springfield City Council Work Session - 1/8/00 Page 2 , I stability. Decrease amount oftime spent on budget process. Be vigilant about protecting revenue sources. The City Manager asked if clean audits should be included as a benchmark and C6uncil said yes. Councilor Hatfield arrived at 9: 15 a.m. I I i Expand the Springfield economy. Keep as high priority. Councilor Fitch said the Council needs to capture "raise median income" as an expectation. She said the community doesn't need more low-end jobs. Councilor Ballew said raising median income doesn't help the city which derives its revenue from property tax income. Mayor Weathers said the community needs to provide higher end housing that will attract people with higher incomes. Councilor Simmons said the problem is also sustainability of the economy. He said this should be one of the ~dicators, also. Councilor Lundberg said starter families will get to the higher income one day. They need affordable starter homes. Councilor Ballew said the city needs to look at the constellation of incomes, e.g., retirement means less income but also less demand for service. Councilor Fitch asked if there was interest in looking at the issue of people living beyond the city limits. Should we talk about annexation? Councilor Leiken said he wants , to focus on mixed use zoning. How does this apply to expanding the economy? fire Chief Murphy said the community is on the threshold of a new Springfield, a restructuring of Springfield. He talked about the I importance of image restructuring. . Continue to make Springfield a safe community. I Keep as a high priority. I Mayor Weathers said the city needs to ensure public perception is accurate, that it matches reality. Councilor Fitch said the city should focus on community policing and code enforbement. Councilor I Hatfield asked ifthere is the possibility of building student neighborhood watches in each school community? He said the community needs to influence public attitude via neighborhood watch and schools to make petty crime not acceptable, e.g., don't litter. Councilor Fitch sai~ the city should examine nuisance ordinances, make them more effective. Councilor Lundberg said the city should encourage citizen responsibility for community safety, things like keeping your house up, Watching out for our neighbors, etc. Councilor Hatfield observed that citizens can pay us to do it, or chn assume the responsibility. The city should facilitate helping neighborhoods help themselve~. Several said they want the city to communicate about the fact the Springfield has good policing and citiZens need to take up some responsibility, as well. Councilor Fitch said the city needs to enhance sanctions. I She said if Lane County can't provide the jail space, Springfield needs to look at it. i I . Deliver quality services. Keep as high priority. Mr. Pryor asked Councilors how they would describe "quality services?" Councpor comments included the following: When we survey, we get positive ratings. There is a positive perception of value for what I city does provide; not a perception that the city is able to do everything. Councilor Ballew said it is easy to start a service; difficult to stop it. Councilor Hatfield said the city should use quJntitative measure, the I benchmarking process already begun, to define "quality" services. Councilor Ballew said the city should see how it ranks with cities of similar size. The city could also look at whether it has improved over previous years. In defining "responsive to citizens" Councilor comments includJd the following: the city changes when it needs to change, not just in response to the latest fad. We use d6mographics and trend information to adjust services. Services should be "right." I I Participate in the renaissance for downtown. Keep as high priority. Change "downtown" to "Springfield." , Councilors comments: It is important to ensure the community knows we're loo~ing at the entire . Springfield City Council Work Session - 1/8/00 Page 3 I community. We should focus on private/public partnerships; the city should wan:t to participate as a partner. Identify a project and focus on it. Partner with citizens and other public agencies. Keep as a high priority. Councilors said an example of this is TEAM Springfield - which lets the agencies look for better, more I efficient ways of doing things. Matching up services; where it makes sense. Additional Councilor comments included the following: lobby in Salem; do more joint projects with pr:ivate industry; be more of a coordinator and facilitator, rather than doer; partner with Springfield Together; support partnerships I between business and education, e.g., Sony; turn some positive image things over: to private sector and wean them from public funding. Mayor Weathers complimented the Council on its participation on other boards and commissions as representatives of Springfield and said she sees this a~ important. . Preserve our small town character. Keep as a high priority. Councilor Hatfield said small town is a focus on neighborhoods. He said it shoula be acceptable for there to be Glenwood, Thurston, Hayden Bridge, etc, to have areas of the community that people identify with. Other councilors said this works as long as the community keeps the connectivity:. Councilor Lundberg said "small town" for her means feeling connected in a geographical setting that ~ou identify with. Councilor Leiken said even a large city can have small town character if citizens )vant it. Councilor Fitch said it is preserving Springfield's positive, can do, common sense, feet-on-the-gr6und approach to life. Other comments: Focus on local schools - build on existing neighborhood-basedifacilities. Involved citizenry: get better at recognition when people do volunteer. Festivals - small tqwns generally have festivals. More one-day festivals, e.g., children's festival. Councilor Simmons said the city should focus on putting utilities underground, plant trees, etc. ! 3. REVIEW SHORT-TERM TARGETS Glenwood Direction Keep. Gateway Development Keep. . Millrace - inlet to outlet i Keep; expand description to incorporate TEAM Springfield approach, e.g., increase asset value. r I Re-focus on the 3i p.m.-7 p.m. after-school I Community Policing I Councilor Hatfield suggested the Council keep community policing as a top priority, but hold a discussion with the community. He said it's important to ask: "Are you satisfied? Do you ~ant more service? Will you help us? Financing options? Councilor Fitch said the city should also hold high priority discussions regarding public safety facilities; she expressed her opinion that the Council shoJld take a bond proposal to voters in 2002. The Council agreed that Fire and Life Safety facilities and staffing should be included in the conversation. Councilor Simmons suggested developing a street crime task force to deal with property crimes. Mayor Weathers said the city must also deal with the jail contract/space :issue. Community Conversation Move out of top priority; becomes a subset of something else. program needs, per TEAM Springfield goals. . Springfield City Council Work Session - 1/8/00 Page 4 Downtown Renaissance The Council agreed to move downtown from "high" to "top" priority. In very brief comments, Councilors agreed many issues including funding for the :downtown station, BRT, the Millrace project, and the potential for a federal building in Springfield make tnis a top priority in 2000. ! I . Citizen Involvement Retain as high priority. , Mr. Kelly said that an analysis of Springfield's current activities to encourage citi~en involvement would be carried over to 2000. Mayor Weathers said Springfield's growing Hispanic cojnmunity makes this even more important as a council target. She said it would be valuable to reach out to TEAM Springfield and work on citizen involvement together. Councilor Hatfield said he is interested in a Council work session , on the feasibility of a neighborhood livability program, as proposed by city staff. :He said the city should learn what it does well; what it should do more of, less of. He asked if this is a TEAM Springfield project? He questioned whether this is a role of neighborhood watch? The council agreedito expand its definition of citizen involvement to include a discussion about a neighborhood livability program ! Comprehensive Plan i Councilors discussed whether this is an on-going work program item and should not be included in Council goals; or whether Council should select an aspect of the comprehensive plan on Which to focus and identify that focus as its goal. The Council identified implementation of mixed use zoning as its 2000 Comprehensive Plan target. Councilor Simmons commented that TransPlan approval should also be a Council target. i : Public Buildings/Civic Center , Remove this item from the Council Targets list and make it a bullet under downt6wn renaissance. I Jasper Extension I Keep. I Change the heading from "Jasper Extension" to "Jasper Natron Development," and add Council direction to complete the road extension. i Springfield Tomorrow ! Council directed that "Springfield Tomorrow" be deleted, and a new target be adaed to the list, reflecting direction from TEAM Springfield that an update on goals be presented in six mohths. The Council also I directed that the TEAM Springfield goals be reported to the community. I Gateway Congestion Move as a bullet to the "Gateway Development" target. Teen Court Remove. Funding for Outside Agencies Mr. Kelly said this is a carry-over item for 2000. Council directed staff to keep it on the list of targets. . . .1 . Springfield City Council Work Session - 1/8/00 Page 5 Financial Strategies on Electoral Issues Keep. Museum Oral History Project I Councilor Hatfield proposed an additional Council target for 2000; council members agreed. Staff is to determine if the project can be expanded. r 4. DISCUSSION OF COUNCIL GOALS, TARGETS, RESOURCES Mr. Kelly reviewed on-going and new proposals for 2000 as part of the above dis~ussion. In addition, Councilor Hatfield asked if the city can get state or federal grants for implementation of the Comprehensive Plan and 4(d) rules? John Tamulonis said this is unlikely. Coun~ilor Hatfield also asked if adding a fire engine at the Centennial fire station would improve the city's insuraJ~ce rates? Fire Chief Murphy said if there was a fire engine at Station 3 that would most likely upgraM Springfield's rating from current status of IS03 to IS02. There was acknowledgement that both the facility and personnel issues are a priority and need to be addressed. : I Councilor Simmons asked for clarification of a proposed Blue Ribbon Panel. Mr i Kelly described the panel as a group of people who examine the need for, and whether or not it is an ~ppropriate time for the Council to present Springfield voters with a proposal for additional operating levy or capital bond funds. He said the approach was used successfully when the city considered whether to present a bond proposal in 1995. He said such a panel is usually comprised of citizens, councilors, mayor arid/or a couple councilors, a representative of the Chamber of Commerce and the Planning Commission, etd. Mr. Kelly said there is usually good debate between those on the inside and those on the outside of the organization. ! , Councilor Ballew said she would want the Blue Ribbon Panel to sift through the Issues and then take it public. Councilor Fitch expressed her opinion that the Council needs to do the panel -- sooner rather than later. She said the city should go out this year, that 2000 is the best shot. ! Mayor Weathers expressed support for the approach and ask which Councilors wlUld be interested in participating? Councilors Leiken and Simmons volunteered. Mayor Weathers eiliphasized that any councilor should feel welcome to attend the meetings. 5. ORGANIZATIONAL "HOT SPOTS" - COUNCIL DIRECTION r I The Council returned to the subject of service "hot spots," and agreed to schedule a mid-year budget review meeting on February 1 st. I i 6. OTHER INFORMATIONAL ITEMS I Councilor Fitch described a proposal for funding contained in a letter from the Springfield Renaissance Development Corporation. Councilors agreed they would like to review the request as an issue paper during the normal budget process. : Mayor Weathers made a series of announcements. . Springfield City Council Work Session - 1/8/00 Page 6 ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 12:00 p.m. Minutes Recorder - Rosie Pryor . . ~,UO~ Maureen Weathers, Ma)[or I