HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/12/2017 Work Session City of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY JUNE 12, 2017
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth
Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday June 12, 2017 at 5 30 p m..with Mayor Lundberg presiding.
ATTENDANCE
Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors VanGordon, Wylie, Moore, Stoehr(6:22pm), Woodrow
and Pishioneri.Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi. City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith.
City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff.
I. Joint Meeting with the Springfield Arts Commission.
Attending from the Arts Commission were Thea Hart(staff liaison),Kim Lyddane(Chair), Daphne
Mantis, Wanda Seamster, Summer Young-Jelinek,Jodie Davaz Delsere. Danielle Knapp, and Kayla
Ackerman.
Ms. Lyddane reviewed the mission of the Springfield Arts Commission (SAC).The SAC was
established by City Council in 1986 at the end of the City's Centennial Celebration to promote the arts
in Springfield. The SAC supports the Heritage Arts Grants to Springfield-based art projects,the City
Hall art gallery,the downtown Springfield Second Friday Art Walk,the Mayors Art Show, and youth
art programs at the library. The SAC provides unique events and ongoing programs that result in
opportunities for Springfield artists, enhanced quality of life for Springfield residents and an increase
in visitors to downtown Springfield. The SAC accomplishes this with an active nine-member citizen
hoard, part-time staff support, and an operating budget of$7500 The SAC operating budget was
established at$5.000 in 1986 and was last increased in 2007 from $5000 to$7500. In FYI7 and FY 18,
the SAC received an additional $3,000 for the Heritage Arts Grant program
Ms. Lyddane thanked the Council for increasing their budget by$3000 both last year and this year.
Since the last Joint meeting,there have been a number of changes, including subcommittees for the
City Hall Gallery;Heritage Arts Grants, Marketing, Outreach, Public Art, and Second Friday Art
Walk. She reviewed each of the subcommittees and their focus. She commended each commission
member for their work on these subcommittees and elaborated on the creative activities and the hard
work by everyone to promote art through different venues. If there are any activities or events the
Council would like the Arts Commission to get involved with, she asked the Council to let them know
Mayor Lundberg thanked Ms Hart for staffing the Arts Commission, and for the members sen ing.
Councilor Moore asked about the Emerald Arts Center and if there were any other coordinated efforts
between them and the Museum.
Ms. Lyddane said Arts Commission Member Amy Ore is working with Paula Goodbar(Executive
Director of the Emerald Arts Center) and Rick Dunaven on the 2"`i Friday Art Walk. She
communicates information back to the Museum Board, but it is an Emerald Art Center event and is
part of Ms Goodbar's role.
Ms. Seamster said each November, the Arts Commission provides funding to run the Mayor's Art
Show. They gather at the event and vote on the top three artists. Some of the artists from Emerald Art
Center show in the City Hall Gallery. \D
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Ms Hart said the answers haven't always been forthcoming about what they are doing with the
Second Friday Art Walk since the Art Center took it over, so this is another opportunity to learn more
about what that change means.
Councilor Moore said she wants to see the Emerald Arts Center thrive, so wants to see them
coordinate and communicate more in general
Mayor Lundberg said the Emerald Art Center is their own entity and is a 501(3 Kc). She appreciates
that they have taken over the Second Friday Art Walk.
Councilor Moore asked if it was possible to make a donation to the Arts Commission through the City
as a non-profit.
Any donation would go through the City since it's a City committee.
Councilor Pishioneri said there are governmental agencies which have formed a 501(31(c)component
in order to allow donations He suggested adding a drop box for donation opportunities for the City on
our website There is documentation that the Arts Commission is promoting arts in Springfield,but it
appears they added culture. If that is being added,the Charge would need to be updated. Because this
is supported by transient room tax(TRT), he hopes the primary goal is to bring people in from outside
the City. Iie would like to see some outcomes of the events the Arts Commission organizes. He feels
the arts should be the highest priority, followed by the cultural ey ents. He asked about the Cesar
Chavez event.
Ms. Lyddane said Cesar Chavez event is run through the School District and has an art component.
She explained.
Councilor Pishionen said he was fine with that,but he doesn't want redundancy with Willamalane
doing cultural events. It has been amazing how much the more effort and attention has been going to
the Arts Commission and they are headed in the right direction. He appreciates the work the
commission is doing.
Councilor Wylie said the mission of the Emerald Arts Center and Arts Commission is quite different
The same people go back and forth between the two,and they do coordinate. She commended Kim
Lyddane and the Commission for the excellent job There have been great improvements, and the
Commission is making a lot of progress.
Councilor Woodrow agreed. To see the growth,maturity and outreach is amazing They now have an
identity and are recognized. She is not sure how they can separate arts and culture Art is all
encompassing and each year the Cesar Chavez event brings more and more people
Ms. Young-Jelinek said the applicants are asked on the grant application to specify what the funds are
used for. The portion of the Cesar Chavez event that was funded by the Arts Commission was very
narrow related specifically to arts
Ms Lvddane said they also ask how many people the applicants anticipate coming from Springfield,
Lane County and outside the county to attend.
Mayor Lundberg said she appreciates everyone, in particular the new people to the Commission, and
she wishes them the best. She would like to see the_'"d Friday Art Walk grow and hopes the Arts
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Commission involvement will help with that. It is worthy of the effort and speaks to whether or not
we are successful. She would like them to keep an eye on how the 2n° Friday Art Walk is doing. She
agreed the Arts Commission is doing a great job. She would like to have them fill the blank wall
located in the City Hall Lobby with art or pictures.
Councilor Pishioneri said he would like to concentrate funding where they can see gains in high
profile events that will attract the most attention He doesn't want them to spread themselves too thin.
Ms. Hart said they are looking to redesign the art brochure and also at way s to get the word out about
public art and showcase Springfield's art They would like to distribute the newly designed brochures
to local hotels.Those are solely funded and produced by the Arts Commission.
Councilor Pishioneri suggested they contact Kari Westland, Executh e Director of Travel Lane
County. She could provide contacts for hotels, etc.
Councilor Moor acknowledged the time the Commission commits. She thanked them for their service.
2. Community Development Block Grants(CDBG)FY2018
Erin Fifield, Community Development Analyst, presented the staff report on this item
Each spring, City Council must approve funding allocations for use of CDBG funds for the next fiscal
year in a document called the One Year Action Plan (OYAP) Am proposed substantial amendments
to prior year action plans must follow the same approv al process. Council will have the opportunity to
formally approve the 2017/18 CDBG One Year Action Plan,and the proposed substantial amendments
to prior year CDBG action plans, during the Council Regular Session on June 19,2017.
The Community Development Ady isory Committee(CDAC) held a public hearing on March 16, 2017
and has made recommendations to Council for the DRAFT Springfield 2017/18 CDBG One Year
Action Plan,and proposed substantial amendments to prior year action plans. Both prioritize the
strategy to increase the supply of affordable housing Final approval for both the Action Plan and
substantial amendments is planned for the June 19th Regular Session.
The timing of federal budget allocations indicates the City will most likely not have final budget
numbers for the 2017/18 CDBG program by June 19'^'s Council regular session. yet Council will need
to approve an Action Plan at that time
his. Fifield said the proposal is to maintain the One-Year Acton Plan for the emergency home repair
(FUR)program and down payment assistance,to maintain the allocation for the Human Services
Commission at 15%,to maintain the allocation for administration and planning at 20%, and adjust our
numbers for the strategy to increase the supply of affordable housing based on the final allocation.
Staff needs to know if Council supports this formula
Councilor Moore asked about carryover funds going back to 2012/13 in the substantial amendments.
She asked if the City was at risk of losing those funds.
Ms. Fifield said CDBG is more flexible so the risk is about 8 years out If the CDBG funds are not
used in total in a timely manner, our allocation as a whole is at risk for the future.
Councilor Pishionen asked if these are the same line items discussed earlier
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Ms. Fifield said in January these same strategies were listed This allocation reflects what Council
suggested and the CDAC recommended. The reasons they had lowered amounts in SHOP and EHR
was due to carryover funds
Councilor Pishioneri asked if the down payment assistance program was a grant or loan.
Ms. Fifield said it is a no interest loan. When the home sells, it is paid back
Councilor Moore said it bothers her that we are spending$46,000 for administration and planning and
onl) $72,000 to the Human Services Commission (HSC). She knows it is a lot of work.
Ma)or Lundberg noted that the City gives more to the HSC through other funds
Ms Fifield said the federal regulation cap for human services deliver) s)stem is 15°$, as proposed.
Mr. Grimaldi said the amount for administration and planning does not cover everything that staff
works on
Councilor Wylie said it's nice to have funds to pay for our staff to manage the grants
Councilor VanGordon said when you look at the federal requirements for managing the program, it is
very cumbersome. He asked how much the City is subsidizing the program.
Management Anal)st Neil Obringer said the City cm ers the remaining staff costs of$30.000-$40,000
per year to subsidize.
Councilor VanGordon said requirements for federal funds make it difficult to manage how we would
like. Last time Council talked about the repair program,they were looking into small repairs coming
from the General Fund so there would be fewer record keeping requirements.He asked if that was
included in this proposal.
Mr. Grimaldi said the budget that will be going to the Council on June 19,2017 does not include those
costs.
Councilor VanGordon asked if they could do analysis on it during the comings ear and bring it back in
the FY I9 budget cycle.
Ma)or Lundberg said perhaps the United Front team should talk to the Housing and Urban
Development(HUD) staff about the requirements and red tape for this grant. It is not a simple process
and never gets better. HUD doesn't realize what's going on at the local level. She would like to talk to
them about streamlining the requirements so it doesn't cost so much Perhaps they could get some
congressional help to get something like a categorical exclusion for smaller projects such as plumbing,
roof repair, etc. When people can't pay for repairs, it puts housing at risk Being able to assist with
those repairs helps people stay in their house. She agrees the) should look at it for next year.
6:22pm Councilor Stoehr arrived.
Ms. Fifield said this was the Action Plan for 2018. For past activities that ha)e received allocations
and were not able to use those funds in a timely manner,the City must make a substantial amendment
to the prior year plan to let the public know we would like to use those funds in a different way. The
plan went out for public comment: the CDAC held a public hearing and were recommending changes
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to the Council. The plan w ill also come to the Council for approval next week. She asked if the
Council had any questions or changes.
Council was fine with the amendments as recommended by the CDAC.
Ms. Fifield said she would like input from the Council on the type of affordable housing project they
would like to see as a priority. That will help staff when looking for land or talking to developers.
Councilor Stoehr said he is in fav or of landbanking, especially for projects similar to Opportunity
Village There is a group called Square One that administers that program. His understanding of
Opportunity Village is that the City of Eugene provided the land and the rest was donated by other
groups He spoke with the administrator of the project and his understanding is that the City can get a
large return on the investment of donating land.
Councilor VanGordon said he likes land banking It helps non-profits to dev elop. He is in favor of
more permanent housing as it builds a place in the community It could be an extension of the work
done with the G Street project and getting families into permanent housing This would be a good
opportunity to look into development that provides affordable housing and also helps push our
economic development strategy by using advanced timber or something else innovative He wants to
figure out a way to be innovativ e in pushing housing forward.
Councilor Pishioneri said he likes land banking, but prefers permanent housing and feels it is a better
investment to get families into homes. He agrees they need to create a model for affordable housing
units. He wants to monitor what is going on.
Councilor Moore said she visited Opportunity Village,which is temporary housing. The affordable
tiny house community will provide permanent affordable housing for people with very low incomes
On site they show some of the designs. Emerald Village in Eugene is a 22 unit affordable tiny house
community that is scheduled to break ground in spring of 2017.Another similar community is
scheduled to be built in Cottage Grove The State has now allowed tiny housing in the building code.
She would like to see Springfield mm e forward with that type of thing
Councilor Pishioneri said that is permanent housing, but not home ownership. lie supports home
ownership If they move in the direction of home ownership, it will help the housing market
Councilor Wylie said there are many reasons why people are homeless and we need multiple
solutions. Home ownership is not always the answer. Some people need a cluster of homes they can
call home for awhile. St.Vincent DePaul is remaking mobile home parks for affordable housing She
is excited to look at this and find solutions. We need to look at how we can house the most,the
fastest, be creative and develop long-term community planning. (here are several answers. She
prefers Option#3,#4 and#7.
Councilor Woodrow said the options don't address permanent housing. There are big gaps in the
continuum of the housing market and she would like to find a way to go in at the first level and work
our way through. There are programs helping people just underneath that level She would like to
look at where we can lead and guide people to move them up.
Councilor VanGordon asked about next steps if the City acquires land for housing.
Ms. Fifield said any of the options are dependent on what is financially feasible for the developer. She
would like to ask developers what is possible and what could be done in a year She could then come
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back to Council or real estate professionals about available land How the development gets chosen is
still yet to be determined.
Councilor VanGordon said he would like to remove Option#1, Glenwood Place, for use of CDBG
funds this y ear
Ms Fifield said realistically,they won't be ready this year
Councilor VanGordon said he is not opposed to using CDBG fund for Glenwood Place, but is opposed
to holding the funds for a long period of time for them to be ready.
Ms. Fifield said that was addressed in the Substantial Amendment.
Councilor VanGordon said he had questions in Option#4 about manufactured home parks and their
life span He does not want to create a problem 25 years down the road.
Mr.Grimaldi asked if he would be open to remove mobile homes and construct permanent housing
such as tiny homes on the same site.
Councilor VanGordon said the construction type is what concerns him most.
Councilor Stoehr said there are some people that will aspire to permanent housing,but will need
something else in the meantime. There may be multiple approaches and there will be a need for some
kind of first step He is not opposed to the approach that emphasizes helping families, but there is also
a need for single people who are homeless for a number of reasons. He is in favor of part of Option#4.
Councilor Woodrow said there are a lot of opportunities and needs, but each community doesn't hay e
to address all needs She feels we need to look at what Springfield can do to meet other needs. We are
all interconnected. Human Services Commission agrees we can't spread ourselves too thin in all
directions Each agency can address certain needs and be able to direct people to other places for other
needs We can corroborate and work together.
Councilor Moore asked what was meant as permanent housing. She asked if the Council had identified
the focus
Mayor Lundberg said the City did choose to address children and families for affordable housing
Councilor Moore asked if they are talking about homeownership or renting when they speak of
permanent
Councilor Woodrow said she is not sure we can put someone in permanent housing and
homeownership immediately, but may start with a rental. When she speaks of permanent housing, she
is referring to something that is not a shelter, or dusk to dawn arrangement, but something that works
toward getting them into the continuum
Mayor Lundberg said they need to discuss what we want on the table and what is off She agreed
landbanking is a good idea,and CDBG allows that One advantage is that when public property is
used, it goes through the public process when they decide to develop Cluster housing is an option for
homeownership. She is fine with cluster housing for rental or home ownership. Fairhaven is a good
example of cluster housing. She likes Option#7 to develop new and creative models for affordable
housing. That melds together the idea that we create a type of housing that matches what everyone
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wants—something permanent, low cost, Dell insulated She is interested in doing that,especially with
new wood products. She also supports Habitat for Humanity,whose funds were cut. She is not a big
fan of Opportunity Village or Square One, and would like the Council to decide whether or not to keep
it on the table,or take it off. She is tine with Option#3 and agrees to wait on Glenwood Place.
Comprehensive Planning Manager Sandy'Belson said this conversation is merging into the affordable
housing strategy. She had heard from the majority of the Council that they want permanent dwellings.
The Opportunity Village model is not permanent dwellings The houses in Emerald Village(Square
One)will meet state building codes and would be considered permanent. The question to the Council
is whether or not that model of cluster housing is something they would like to consider. It would be
permanent dwelling, but transitional housing in that it would be targeted towards homeless families
who are transitioning from homelessness to housed.
Ma)or Lundberg said a lot of our housing is stepping stones and subsidized.
Councilor Stoehr asked about the square footage on Square One
Ms. Fifield said it is between 150-260 square feet.
Councilor Stoehr said he would support a Square One type of housing
Councilor Moore said we could leave that type of housing on the table until we see Emerald Village
built. In some ways, Springfield is doing something like Opportunity Village with our Conestoga
Huts at church and industrial sites.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if people could stay in Square One as long as they would like or if there
are restrictions on how long they can stay. He wants places where people can stay as long as they want
with no restrictions
Mayor Lundberg asked Council if they wanted to keep Opportunity Village or Square One on the
table
Councilor VanGordon said he would like Opportunity Village off the table. If they could come up
with request for proposal (RFP)requirements for Square One, it could still be on the table. Permanent
style housing is what he's looking for
Councilor Woodrow said she would like to take Square One off the table for now, see how things go.
and then perhaps bring it back.
Mayor Lundberg said she would prefer a smaller list of options since we have limited resources.
Ms. Fifield said staff will be coming back in the fall. What she is getting from Council tonight is that
it is less on the model of who would he prodding it,and more on the type of construction. Part of the
discussion with a developer is what type of model would be feasible and the type of subsidy that
would be needed
Mayor Lundberg said the Council needs to figure out just what they want and prioritize before going
out for an RFP. Council needs to pick the strategy
Councilor Moore said she thought they wanted to look into small houses that are not on w heels or
considered temporary. She would support that She clarified that Square One is a non-profit proi,ider.
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Mr Grimaldi said some of the common themes include cluster housing.
Mayor Lundberg said cluster housing has a specific definition in the Code. and is not necessarily like
Square One Fairhaven is a good example of cluster homes.
Mr. Grimaldi asked if the Council had a minimum square footage in mind
Councilor Pishioneri said he is completely supportive of the accessory dwelling unit(ADU)program.
He is not endorsing 25 ADU's or small houses in a row clustered together in a camp setting
Mr. Grimaldi said the minimum for an ADU is 300 square feet They could look at a 300 square foot
in some type of cluster formation
Mayor Lundberg said the Council has alwa}s wanted more homeownership than rentals, and now we
are growing the segment of more rentals. The issue is that there is a lack of housing,which drives up
the prices,and is causing people to not be able to pay their rent. We are looking at all these different
styles because we are in a crisis, but that doesn't lead to good community planning. She would like to
think in terms of longer term. We are going to have a lot of new rentals, and we have incentives with
waived SDCs, so are making good steps in the right direction
Councilor Stoehr said they are trying to solve a crisis,but he feels this crisis will last longer than
expected. He feels we need to make some sort of provisions. He would love to think no one would
need a 300 square foot home, but believes they will
Mayor Lundberg said she supports clusters that are outlined in the Code. They are less expensive than
single homes because they have a shared wall.
Ms. Fifield said it sounds like Option#2 is off the table, which would help staff move forward. They
could look at what land is available and what that could produce
Mayor Lundberg asked if the Council wanted their number one priority to he land banking. Council
decided to take Option#6 off the table, as well as Option#2 Option #5 is something they arc looking
at for HOME funds.
Councilor Wylie spoke regarding Options #4 and#7
May or Lundberg said somewhere in Option#7 is the possibility for Option#4. Option 41 is off at this
time.
Councilor Wylie said we should have options available to refer people for emergency,transitional and
permanent housing, w hether in our city or another city There needs to be a plan that directs people.
Councilor Woodrow said there are resources through the Human Sen-ices Commission(HSC)for
emergency'programs.
Mayor Lundberg said we have Option #3 and Option #7
Ms Fifield said that would help staff They will be back in the fall for further discussion.
Councilor Pishioneri said defining cluster housing could be a zoning issue.
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Councilor Wylie said they could buy a manufactured home park, remove the old trailers that are in
disrepair and make that a cluster de'elopment.
Mayor Lundberg said St.Vincent DePaul is doing that type of housing
3. Developing an Affordable Housing Strategy.
Sandy Belson, Comprehensive Planning Manager, presented the staff report on this dem She
distributed a document that was a summary of the information. Staff wanted to make sure they
understood the Council decisions of the overall strategy prior to their break. The information was
presented on the graphic document. It portrays the housing continuum and the different ways the City
is Irving to address the anous housing needs This is a check in to see if staff has captured what the
Council understood
Councilor Moore said she didn't see the option of allowing ADC's in medium density residential
(MDR) zoning
Ms. Belson said that would be covered under the section about revising the Development Code That
would go first through the Planning Commission before coming to the Council in the fall
Councilor Pishioneri asked about the multi-unit property exemption.
Ms. Belson said staff would bring back more information about that in the fall. It had not_yet been
decided on,but was under consideration
Councilor VanGordon asked about Strategy 6C about creating brochures and webpages to help explain
code requirements and processes He wants to make sure that any materials created are easy to read for
the general public. He is concerned it is currently too engineered and he feels it should be streamlined
and made as simple as possible. He asked about Strategy 6D
Ms. Belson said initially it would be to address our known plan zone conflicts. They will need to
resolve those plan conflicts Part of that includes looking at buildable lands
Councilor Pishioneri concurred about making informational pieces simple He suggested they find a
lay person and have them review any materials they plan to put out
Council took a break at 7:30 p.m.
Council reconvened at 7.38 p.m.
4. Master Pole Attachment Agreement.
Anette Spickard, Development and Public Works Director, and Kristina Kraaz,Assistant City
Attorney, presented the staff report on this item. Pictures of examples of small cell wireless and DAS
units were displayed.
Wireless telecommunication providers have contacted the City for permission to attach devices to
City-owned utility poles.A Pole Attachment Agreement is required. By establishing a Master Pole
Attachment Agreement, the Council ensures all providers are treated the same and allows the Cit'
Manager to execute agreements as applications are reviewed and approved.
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The Springfield Development Code contains special standards and land use approval processes for the
siting of wireless transmission facilities on property outside of the right-of-way(traditional cell
towers). The Code exempts small cell and distributed antenna system(DAS) installations on utility
poles within the right-of-w ay from land use approvals. For small cell and DAS installations the City
has an established process for permitting the placement of these devices in the right-of-way which
includes issuing a utility license to the company. granting an encroachment permit to the company to
do work in the right-of-way(ROW),and executing a pole attachment agreement
7 he City currently does not has e any of these devices attached to our utility poles:however we have
received several inquiries from providers wishing to install this new technology in Springfield in order
to provide the infrastructure for 5G w ireless transmissions.A pole attachment agreement is now
needed to allow for these devices.
A Pole Attachment Agreement is essentially a lease agreement granting approval to the company to
use space on our utility poles for this purpose in exchange for meeting our engineering and ROW use
standards and paying an annual rent of$5,000 per pole per year as established in the Master Fees and
Charges schedule.
All agreements with individual companies will be reviewed bs legal counsel and executed by the City
Manager Ms. Spickard noted that companies hay contacted Springfield Utility Board(SUB)about
placing their equipment on SUB's utility poles. SUB has to get the City's permission to do this ty pe of
work in the right-of-way.
Ms.Kraaz noted that there was a limitation that these would not be allowed on decorative street lights.
Ms. Spickard said during the Master Fee Schedule process,the lease fee of$5000 per pole was added.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if there was a provision about removal of the equipment bs the company if
they went bankrupt or closed.
Ms Kraaz said there are provisions about forfeiture of the agreement,which would result in
termination of the agreement and there are removal requirements.
Councilor Pishionen asked if they had to be bonded for the removal provision. The way it reads,we
would have to go to Court to get funds back for the removal, rather than the company being bonded
which would put the responsibility on the company.
Ms.Kranz said there is no bond requirement aside from the bond requirements for encroachment
permits They could look into that and add that pros ision if needed.
Councilor Pishioneri said he prefers the Baltimore model rather than the first model aesthetically, and
he prefers the concealed cabling He asked if staff could look at the proposed pole to see where it is
located and decide whether or not it is aesthetic during the pre-inspection process
Ms. Kraaz said there are no aesthetic review processes or standards When the Council adopted the
w ireless telecommunications ordinance, low power attachments to existing poles were removed from
the land use rev iew.which is where the aesthetic piece would come in. Staff could look at more
explicit aesthetic limitations through the City's leasing authority,but nothing in the Code would
prevent a company from putting something up on SUB or other poles
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Councilor Pishioneri said that could prompt companies to go to SUB or other poles so they wouldn't
have to follow the aesthetic standards. He spoke regarding obstructions for the signals.
Ms. Kraaz said if they needed to cut down a tree to maintain a signal, and it was a public street tree, it
would not be allowed. If it was a private tree,the company could get permission from the property
ow ner That provision is not in this agreement.
Councilor Pishioneri asked how they came up with the$5000 fee.
Ms. Spickard said they looked at what other jurisdictions were doing and came up with a
recommendation.
Councilor Woodrow said she is happy with this She asked if having additional equipment on the
poles makes them susceptible to damage. If so, who does that affect'?
Ms. Spickard said she is not sure if they are more susceptible, but they do have to meet the
engineering requirements for structural integrity.
Ms Kraaz said these provide 'back hall' service which is an auxiliary system to the network that is
established through the taller cell towers. It prevents service from being interrupted when they are
overloaded. If one went off line, she is not sure how much affect it would be. They have a small
coverage area and are not intended to be the sole source of service.
Councilor Moore noted concerns about radio waves from cell towers and asked if someone living in a
home or apartment had any recourse if one of these was placed close to their home
Ms. Spickard there is none. Staff is engaged in a comment period with the FCC who is trying to take
away even more local control in regulating cell towers
Councilor Moore said the public needs to understand that part of this is out of our hands. She asked
how many they are expecting per year
Ms. Kraaz said two permits were submitted early this y ear, but were incomplete. No additional
information has been provided by those companies to date. The company was aware this lease
agreement was in the works, so they may have been waiting before submitting additional information.
Councilor Moore asked if the electricity was coming from pole itself. Yes.
Ms Kraaz said they are required to get permission first.
Councilor Moore agreed with wanting them aesthetically pleasing.
Councilor Pishioneri asked about the antennae array and said he is opposed to the cylindrical array
mounted on top of the cross arm. To him, power lines are visual pollution, and SUB has increased the
height of poles and added lines. He is opposed to adding height to what is already on the poles
Ms. Kraaz said this agreement would not he executed on any SUB poles. To make a change to what is
allowed on SUB poles, Council would need to go through the encroachment permit process. If the it
are for low-powered facilities on existing utility poles,they would be exempted from the Development
Code review. Staff could look into it further
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Councilor Pishioneri said having no controls over SUB poles would push companies to use SUB
poles, rather than the City. The new poles on Main Street are nearly 60 feet tall
Ms. Spickard said the Council could provide comments to the SUB Board about this issue The City
did deny a new 120 foot pole on private property. We do have some authority on height of utility
poles.
Councilor Pishioneri said he is very opposed to having them stacked up high on the poles, and doesn't
want them any higher than the height of the head of the street light.
Councilor Stoehr asked if these would be first come/first serve or if a company could buy a number of
poles.
Ms. Kraaz said under this agreement there is no pre-leasing or pre-reserving the sites. At the time, if
someone comes in with an encroachment permit, it would be subject to the agreement and would be
first come/first served.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if this would fall under the multi provider placement.
Ms. Kraaz said if there was a pole that could accommodate more, it would be reviewed.
Ms. Spickard said this is a big discussion. Staff can bring back ideas,share it with other jurisdictions,
and possibly look at code changes. Staff is in a constant network of people sharing ideas.
Mayor Lundberg said Council would be interested in seeing additional information.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if staff could approach our State lawmakers
Ms Kraaz said under the current Municipal and Development Code provisions, the City has
exceptions so there is no review for that additional height for these types of facilities The Council
would need to look at changes to the Code,provided they are in line with FCC pre-emption.
Mayor Lundberg said they could look at what others are doing and considering
Mr Grimaldi asked if the Council was fine moving fonvard with the pole attachment for City owned
facilities,and having staff look bey and that for further controls to attachments to SUB or other entity
poles.
Council agreed
5 ADA Self Evaluation and Transition Plan.
Tom Mugleston, Risk Manager, Kristina Kraaz,Assistant City Attorney,and Chaim Hertz, Human
Resources Director, presented the staff report on this item.
In accordance with state and federal law, the City is required to conduct an ADA self-evaluation to
review the accessibility of their programs, sery ices and activities The law also requires that public
entities with more than 50 employees develop a Transition Plan that sets forth the necessary steps for
structural changes to facilities that are needed to make programs accessible
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Council Work Session Minutes
June 12,2017
Page 13
By enacting the Americans w ith Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Congress intended to"pros ide a
clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals
with disabilities." The City of Spnngfield recognizes the importance of that mandate,and continually
strives to achieve equal access for all its programs, services, activities, and facilities for persons w ith
disabilities. The City's draft Americans with Disabilities Act Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan
establishes the City's ongoing commitment to that effort and pros ides a framework for maintaining
and improving access.
The draft.IDA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan includes:
• The designation of an ADA Coordinator:
• The process for requesting an ADA accommodation and filing a complaint:
• Recommendations for improving access to public meetings.electronic communication,printed
materials, purchasing,training, and public facilities;
• An evaluation of the accessibility of City facilities including City priorities for accessibility
upgrades;
• A Transition Plan for structural changes to City streets and sidewalks;
• A public involvement process for public comment on this draft of the plan; and
• The process for subsequent self-evaluation and updates to the Transition Plan.
There is no financial impact to the City to adopt the ADA Self-Evaluation and Trans uiun Plan
document;funding mechanisms for necessary ADA improvements are further discussed within the
Transition Plan document.
Ms. Kraaz reviewed the plan and what was covered in each section. Staff is looking for feedback from
the Council on the draft.Following Council review, it will be taken to the public for input and then
back to Council in the fall for adoption.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if there was a guidance document for staff to use to respond to animal
related ADA issues.
Mr Mugleston said they didn't have a specific guidance document. General orientation is provided for
employees.
Councilor Pishioneri said it could help to heighten the ability for staff to address those issues.
Mr Grimaldi said the Library and Police Departments have a policy.
Councilor Pishioneri said he would like to see something for all departments.
Ms.Kraaz said staff training is included in the plan, including training on the use of text telephones.
This section could he amended to include development of physical trade resources.
Councilor Pishionen said it is an important topic and it would he helpful to have the information
readily available for staff to read to people who bring in their animals.
Councilor Moore asked if the identified changes were required
Ms Kraaz said this is a list of items that if they were done,would make the City building full) ADA
compliant. Not all of them shall or will be done. Prioritization of the projects is listed in the plan. She
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Council Work Session Minutes
June 12,2017
Page 14
also noted that there is a list of facilities that the City owns. If the Museum were to move under the
management of the City,the Museum building would moi e to a higher priority in this list.
Councilor Pishioneri said he thought they went through and made the Museum ADA compliant about
8}ears ago
Councilor Stoehr asked if there were circumstances where practical pros inions exceed the
requirements of ADA. He gale an example
Ms. Kraaz said ADA publishes minimal standards Those standards could be exceeded depending on
design Later in June,this draft will be published on the City's website.through print ads and social
media,and some targeted outreach w ill be done to constituents we know are interested. This outreach
will continue through mid to late August with open houses. Staff will compile all feedback,review its
applicability to the plan, and come back to Council with some possible changes or updates to the
Council in the fall for discussion and esentual adoption
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
Minutes Recorder—Amy Sowa
Christine L. Lundberg ,
Mayor
Attest:
Amy So1.4
i'U w�
City Recorder