HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/27/2017 Work Session City of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY FEBRUARY 27,2017
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room,225 Fifth
Street, Springfield, Oregon,on Monday February 27, 2017 at 5:30 p.m.,with Mayor Lundberg
presiding.
ATTENDANCE
Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors VanGordon, Stoehr,Woodrow and Pishioneri.Also
present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi,City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith, City Recorder Amy
Sowa and members of the staff.
Councilors Wylie and Moore were absent(excused).
1. Historic Commission Interview.
Greg Mott,Planning Manager,presented the staff report on this item.
There are two vacancies on the seven-member Historic Commission as a result of two resignations.
After a three week recruitment period that closed on December 9`h, 2016,the department received one
application from Steve Morgan.
The vacancies on the Historic Commission are a result of the resignation of Commissioners Kerry
Barbero and Terra Wheeler.
Springfield Municipal Code Section 2.506 states that any vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired
portion of the term of the member creating the vacancy,and Section 2.504 states that appointed
members shall hold office for four years with the terms staggered to provide overlapping and
continuity. Candidates appointed for a first term are eligible to serve for four years beginning on the
date of appointment by City Council. At the discretion of Council,Mr. Morgan's appointment to a
four year term on the Historic Commission can be scheduled for the March 6,2017 Regular Meeting.
A new recruitment period to fill the unexpired portion of Commissioner Wheeler's term will begin in
late March.
Council chose the questions they would ask of the applicant.
1. Why are you interested in serving on the Historic Commission?(Mayor Lundberg)
2. What initiatives are you interested in working on if you are appointed as a Commissioner?
(Councilor Woodrow)
3. What is it about Springfield's history that interests you most? (Councilor VanGordon)
4. Describe your familiarity with the City's historic resources. (Councilor Pishioneri)
5. Describe your professional and personal experience as it relates to your desire to become a
Historic Commissioner. (Councilor Stoehr)
Mr.Morgan referred to a manuscript he had written about the discovery of the lost section of the 1852
Mill Race.Mayor Lundberg asked if his manuscript is available for the Council to review.
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Mr.Morgan said he had provided a copy to Mr.Mott.
Following the interview,Council discussed their options and decided they would wait until they
received applications for the other two vacancies on the Historic Commission and make all
appointments at once.
2. Library Needs Assessment/Programmatic Facility Design Project(Continued).
Rob Everett,Library Director,presented the staff report on this item.
On January 23,2017 Council received a draft copy of the Library Needs Assessment/Programmatic
Facility Design-Phase I report. Tonight we return with the final copy of that report.Also at the
January work session, Council approved moving forward on Phase II of the needs assessment/facility
design project. This evening the Council will complete their discussion and decide which of the two
identified options they prefer for developing a"programmatic facility design". Those options are 1)
the site of the current"Carter"building across from City Hall and the parking area directly north of
that building; or 2)the parking lot located between the Springfield Museum and the Emerald Art
Center facing Main Street. Using one of these sites,City staff and FFA Architecture and Interiors will
develop a facility design that will give Council a clearer picture of a potential library building and the
services offered therein as well as further refine the cost estimates associated with such a project.
Mr. Everett said a memo had been submitted addressing the questions posed by Council at the last
work session. He displayed a map showing the two preferred sites.
Councilor Woodrow thanked Mr. Everett for the information. She started out in favor of Site B due to
the proximity of City Hall and Main Street;however, she now favored Site E as it could give more
natural day light and part of the block could be used for other complimentary uses.Choosing Site B
would mean needing to figure out how to display the mural which is currently located on the side of
the Emerald Art Center. She likes everything that has been outlined in a new library. The core of the
Library has been access to the reading of the books, and the hub of the community for resources and
information. She loves the programs that have been done, and doesn't want to lose the core of reading
and access to the community. She asked if there was a possibility of partnerships or funding resources
to help with the ongoing technology budget.
Mr.Everett said that is a true challenge. One time money can be one thing,but ongoing funding can be
another. They will look for those partners.
Councilor VanGordon said he also supports Site E. Site B was going to be too hard with the mural and
parking issues. He liked Councilor Woodrow's comment having more natural light at Site E.There is
a lot of information in the report, and the next step will help get us to what we need. Funding strategies
will come later with cost estimates. He would like to know what the public will support in terms of
cost.
Mr. Grimaldi said it is up to the Council when we go out for a poll. He would recommend waiting
until we have a good description of the facility.
Councilor Stoehr said Site B would displace the parking lot. He asked where people would park to go
to the Library at that location.
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Mr. Everett said they would need to use on-street parking. In looking at the parking plan,there was
always the idea that with infill,other parking needs would be found, such as parking garages,
reallocating parking,etc.That would need to be addressed as we started to infill downtown with either
private or public projects. When they did the parking study and inventory of available parking, it
showed that in the short-term there was parking available and that a good management plan would
help mitigate any issues. Eventually,there would need to be some changes in parking.
Councilor Stoehr asked if they could take part of the permit parking lot and opening it up for public
parking.
Mr. Grimaldi said there are 40+permit parking spaces that would be displaced using Site B. The goals
would be to try to find spots for those permit spaces without displacing any public parking.
Councilor Stoehr said he likes the fact that Site E would be more spread out. He preferred Site E.
Ms.Griesel said several of the parking spaces are designated as part of the lease for tenants at the
Carter Building. The surface lots are great ways to bank assets.As we become more intentional about
building up and infilling,we include constructing parking assets at the same time.
Councilor Pishioneri said Site B is not the favored location for him.Looking into the future,he does
not want to use up land along Main Street for publicly owned properties when it could be used for
private properties. He agrees about the light exposure in Site E,but he likes the smaller footprint of
Site B. We need to treat all property downtown as precious. The study doesn't have the public's view
and doesn't list any options for a Library smaller than 56,000 square feet.He would like to think about
that and consider that when polling the citizens to see if they are willing to build something smaller.
He would like the B structure on the E site.
Mr.Everett said the plaza section accounts for part of the cost on Site E.
Councilor Pishioneri said he wants to look at whether or not a plaza is needed in front of the Library
when we have other open space areas. On this larger site, and building a three-story building,there is
flexibility to move the building north or south to provide some parking instead of a plaza.He doesn't
want to get locked into a two story building on that site.
Mr.Everett said this is all theoretical at this point. They based the 56,000 square feet on the best we
know about libraries in communities our size.
Councilor Pishioneri said he doesn't want to get locked into that size footprint.
Councilor VanGordon said one of his concerns was taking foot traffic out of City Hall.That is one of
the interesting characteristics of our current Library/City Hall. He would still like to see how to drive
people into City Hall because it adds something to the community.He said they should keep in mind a
place to put a mural.
Councilor Woodrow said when this first came up during the Sustainable Cities Year project,the plaza
allowed for other community attractions so it would be more than just an open plaza.
Mr.Everett said that was correct. They were talking about food carts, farmers market, etc. Having the
contiguous open space between this site and the current City Hall Plaza would be a benefit for larger
events.
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Mayor Lundberg said she also agreed with Site E. She wants to make sure there is a drive-through for
the book drop, and also that there is convenient public transportation. She likes the open space idea,
but also likes to look at the idea of looking at a three-story building on Site E. She wants to look at
how they could use the combined open space between this site and City Hall Plaza for food carts and
activities. It could be a place for people to gather and watch entertainment, especially in the summer.
They need to consider the whole space between the City Hall Plaza, Carter Building Plaza, and
SPROUT. She would also like to figure out how to make City Hall a vital part of this project. We
currently have free WiFi which brings people to City Hall. She just read about a City that built a senior
center and school on the same site. She would like to look at ways to partner with the schools,which
may garner more support from the public. She liked having the space on Site E available for a possible
expansion.
Councilor Pishioneri said if more space is needed, it may be worth the expense of having engineering
done to allow adding another story in the future. It may be less expensive in the long term.
Council consensus was to look into a three-story building on Site E.
Mayor Lundberg said Council will also want to discuss holding a poll.
Mr. Grimaldi said it can be difficult to get reliable information from a poll,but there is value in trying
to determine what the public wants.
Mr. Everett said staff would bring more speeific information to the Council.
Mr. Grimaldi said additional work will be done and brought to the Council. We could then move
forward with how best to engage the interest of the public.
3. Master Fees and Charges Schedule—Spring 2017 Update.
Bob Duey,Finance Director,presented the staff report on this item.
Each year, Council and staff review existing fees and charges for appropriateness of rates for meeting
cost recovery targets as well as reviewing for areas where new or additional fees should be considered.
This spring of 2017 review will focus on updates for annual impacts of inflation,new fees, and
omissions as directed by Council.
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s Mr.Duey described how the fee schedule was set up and what was considered regarding fees. They
were proposing an across the board increase of 5%applied to most fees.He explained why the
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increase.
Mr. Duey discussed the proposal to charge for meeting room space due to upkeep and maintenance of
the rooms. Police asked to have the Emergency Operations Center added to the fee schedule for
meeting room use.He will confirm with the Police the amount they would like to charge. Council
meetings and other City functions would continue to get priority use of the rooms.
Mr.Duey explained the change to the Fire Protection and Life Safety System Construction Permit Fee,
moving it to the appropriate activity section.He spoke regarding the building fees,which have been
sent up to the State Building Division and also vetted through the HomeBuilder's Association. He
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reviewed the first responder fee,which was a new fee. The rules for this fee are being drafted with the
input from our Fire Department. He explained when this fee is charged.
Fire Chief Zaludek said his staff is on the rules writing committee and the rules should be completed
in the Fall,rolling back to July 2017.The Federal government pays annually so the department will
not see any revenue until January 2018.The State of Washington has renewed their rules writing, and
our department hopes to learn from them.
Councilor Pishioneri asked about the new computer use fee for Library Services.
Mr.Duey said that was for the physical computers in the Library.
Councilor Pishioneri referred to the Building and Safety Fees,Fire& Safety Plan Review When
Required and said the figures didn't add up.
David Bowlsby,Building Official,explained the different fees and how the figures were calculated.
Councilor Pishioneri asked about expanding the meeting use to the Emergency Operations Center
(EOC)in the Justice Center to the public, and said it should be noted that rental and use of the rooms
could be cancelled at any time if needed for City business.He asked if that was in the paperwork.
Amy Sowa, City Recorder,noted that in the application form the priority of use is listed and that the
City can bump a meeting if needed. The applicant signs that document. The application is currently
being updated.
Councilor Pishioneri asked about security in terms of online access by outside groups.
Chief Lewis said they are all protected.
Councilor Woodrow said she likes the idea of charging that fee. She asked about security measures if
it is open to the general public.
Chief Lewis said the access to that room is limited.
Councilor Woodrow asked if the group would be vetted before using the EOC.
Chief Lewis said if it is after hours they would need to go through security.
Councilor Woodrow said the First Responder Fee of$325 seems to be payment for assessment or
treatment of the department deciding what to do for the patient.
Mr. Duey said the only fee we have at this point is for out of service area transports.
Chief Zaludek said they have to have that fee in order to charge the Ground Emergency Medical
Transport(GEMT)fee. It is consistent across the State,but can be waived. The GEMT is how
Medicare pays prior to the ambulance arrival.
Councilor VanGordon asked if someone getting service from an ambulance would get charged for the
GEMT fee and the ambulance fee.
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Chief Zaludek said that is correct.
Councilor VanGordon asked how much revenue they expected from the GEMT fee.
Chief Zaludek said it could be as low as$100,000 or as high as$750,000 across the whole metro area,
which would come to about$250,000 for Springfield. Our department is sharing the rule writing with
some of the Portland based fire departments that are doing the legal work required to get these rules
inserted in legislation.
Councilor VanGordon asked if Medicare and Medicaid would reimburse for this.Yes.He said he was
still skeptical since this fee will be charged to citizens who already pay taxes into the system. He feels
it doesn't treat our taxpayers right.
Chief Zaludek said we could negotiate the fee. The GEMT is what Medicare pays and is an estimate
based on the Washington,California and Utah models.
Councilor VanGordon said the amount reimbursed by Medicare or Medicaid is very low.He has a lot
of concerns and feels this item should be removed at this time. He asked what would happen if Eugene
adopts this fee and Springfield does not.
Chief Zaludek said he would need to check with the City Attorney and get back to the Council.
Councilor VanGordon asked about the Library fee.
Mr.Duey said this is for those without a library card or are not a City resident.
Councilor Pishioneri referred to the provision under the GEMT fee that"the fee may be waived if the
Firer Chief or the Fire Chief's designee determines that payment of the fee would cause financial
hardship to the patient". He asked if there is a written policy with the parameters for the Chief to
make that determination.
Mr.Duey said they don't have any yet since they are still working on the rules.
Chief Zaludek said they would likely model those parameters around the FireMed guidelines for
determining hardship.
Councilor Pishioneri said he would like to see that in place before we start collecting the fee. He asked
which fee could be negotiated.
Chief Zaludek said there has to be a legal ability to have a first responder fee before we can fill the
GEMT. That fee is negotiable and is currently charged for non-residents.
Councilor VanGordon said when we have future versions of fees,he would like to look at simplifying
the ambulance fee. He suggested incorporating mileage into the base fee for transports insider city
limits rather than calculating and charging mileage.He feels it would make billing easier in the long
run.
Councilor Stoehr asked if the fee waiver for financial hardships could be a reduction prorated based on
the amount the people could afford based on their income.
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Chief Zaludek said he would need to check with the City Attorney as there are legal reasons about
making sure billing is equitable.
Councilor Stoehr asked if we have problems with people staying too long at the computers in the
Library.
Councilor Woodrow said there isn't an issue as they are within sight of staff and sign up for a two-
hour time limit.
Discussion was held regarding people using the computers.
Mr.Duey said this provides a way for people to get a card for a shorter amount of time rather than a
long-term card.
Councilor Woodrow said staff does a good job of monitoring the computer use.
Mayor Lundberg asked if FireMed only covered the ambulance ride. She asked if the GEMT fee could
be added into FireMed as another level(similar to the Life Flight). Our costs are so out of control with
PERS,and we have to be creative with revenue.
Chief Zaludek said his understanding is that Fire Med does cover the GEMT First Response fee.
Mayor Lundberg asked about the new electrical permit mandated by the State. She asked if the City
gets any of the funds from that permit.
Mr.Bowlsby said the City shares 12%of permit fees with the State as they are the administrator of the
building codes. Our legislature has pushed hard on alternate energy, so have put in a fee methodology
that we are required to adopt.The people that are local and buying these specific permits, don't have
to go to the State to get the permit. The City was instructed to add that permit into our program.
Mayor Lundberg asked if the Council had changed this so they look at fees every year.
Mr. Duey said they do look at the fees overall once a year,but the utilities are on a separate cycle, and
some of the planning fees come at different times.
Mayor Lundberg said increasing fees 5% in one year caught her eye. She thought it would only be
about 2%or 3%per year.
Mr.Duey said they are tied to increased cost of service and this year it took 5%to remain equal.
Councilor Pishioneri said there is a break-off point where the citizens are paying for staff time,with
additional fees for time to administer permits which he understands.As a citizen,he feels his taxes
should be paying for some of the services. If the cost becomes prohibitive and people aren't buying
building permits,the taxpayers are getting less return on their money. There needs to be a balance to
keep people interested in paying to develop.
Mr. Grimaldi said the City is very fee dependent due to our property tax situation.We do have
property tax limitations,and if fees don't come in or if we reduce fees,we don't have the ability to
increase taxes.
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Councilor Pishioneri said except with new construction.
Mr.Duey said the City pays more on Police and Fire than we bring in property taxes.There is no way
to finance the City with property taxes alone.
Councilor Pishioneri said there is a point that will generate more projects.
Mr. Grimaldi said there are many fees in this report. If the Council is interested in generating more
business,there are lots of tools to use with other incentives. Staff will look hard not to increase 5%
every year.
Councilor VanGordon said no one wants to pay fees.He noted that construction costs have increased
12%and the last year he was with UPS,the cost of living adjustment was 6 '/s% in a year when there
was no inflation. Having clear methodology is important. This still makes sense;we just need to work
through it and try to keep it as low as possible.
Mayor Lundberg said it is going to take everyone to get the tax system under control,and at some
point,we will have to cut staff. She has committed to going to testify when possible on PERS reform
to get a stable government that can provide services.
Mr. Duey asked if Council wanted a second work session on this topic.
Mr. Grimaldi confirmed that the GEMT fee was on hold for now. Staff could bring it back with some
additional information.
No additional work session will be scheduled.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:02 p.m.
Minutes Recorder—Amy Sowa
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istine L.Lundberg
Mayor
Attest:
Amy Sowa
City Recorder