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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/06/1995 Work Session City of Springfield Work Session . MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6,1995 The City of Springfield Council met in Springfield City Hall, Jesse Maine Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, February 6, 1995, at 6: 10 p.m. with Council President Stu Burge presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Councilors Beyer, Burge, Dahlquist, Maine, Shaver and Walters. Mayor Morrisette was absent. Also present were City Manager Mike Kelly, Assistant City Manager Gino Grimaldi, City Recorder Eileen Stein, City Attorney Joe Leahy, and members of the staff. 1. TransPlan Alternative Plan Concepts Development Services Director Susan Daluddung provided an overview of the TransPlan update and the specific aspect of the update the Council was being asked to consider. The purpose of this work session is to make sure Council is in agreement with the assumptions being used to determine the Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) model options. These models will be the subject of public input in the form of stakeholders meetings to be held in mid-February. . Planner II Mel Oberst discussed how the TransPlan has been developed so far. He presented three model concepts that are based on the following three factors: 1) population increases projections in the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area; 2) vehicle registrations, and 3) daily VMT usage. Mr. Oberst reviewed the traffic congestion projections to the year 2015 based on the three factors. Mr. Oberst reported computer simulations will be performed based on the three strategies for reducing VMT: 1) land use; 2) demand management; and 3) system management. The three strategies will be modeled to determine if altering any of them will have an impact on VMT projections. Once the models are determined, staff will report back to Council on alternatives being developed. Councilor Shaver asked what would happen if Springfield endorses one particular set of assumptions and Eugene or Lane County endorses another set of assumptions. Ms. Daluddung replied that the Council can adopt the strategies that makes most sense for Springfield. She also stated the particular strategies are dependent upon the level of financing that makes most sense for the Springfield community. Ms. Daluddung discussed a video that Metro has prepared which shows how TransPlan and concurrent land use planning can result in savings of buildable land. Councilor Burge stated he was concerned whether high residential densities is good social policy. . Councilor Maine stated she would like to know how VMT is calculated and what the 10 percent reduction provided for in Transportation Rule 12 is based on. Mr. Tom Schwetz, Lane Council of . Work Session Minutes February 6, 1995 Page 2 Governments, replied that VMT is calculated by taking the volume on arterials traveled for certain types of trips. Ms. Daluddung indicated she could provide a written explanation of how it is calculated. Councilor Walters stated he likes Concept C but doesn't like the range between high and low. He would like more options around Concept C, such as demand management being "low". The Council discussed the strategies involved in each concept. Councilor Shaver asked if the VMT calculation has changed since the beginning of TransPlan update. Mr. Schwetz replied that minor modifications have been made, but the calculations have not changed much. Councilor Dahlquist asked how closely the City is working with Lane Transit District (L TD). Mr. Oberst indicated that LTD is part of the planning process. The Council discussed transportation planning efforts in the metropolitan area in general. 2. Confined Space Rescue . Fire Chief Dennis Murphy provided the staff report. He indicated the purpose of this item is to present four options for Council consideration in establishing a Confined Space Rescue (CSR) service for Springfield businesses which is required for them by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). Chief Murphy discussed the background of how this program came to be proposed and developed. He reviewed discussions with Springfield businesses to determine their interest in participating in a program and indicated that Weyerhaeuser and Springfield Utility Board are the only two businesses currently not interested. Chief Murphy then presented the four options and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Councilor Walters commented he could not understand how it would be cost-effective for any business to hire, equip and train its own rescue team. Councilor Shaver stated that hazardous materials fees have not increased in five years. He asked whether there is a higher number of incidents involving hazardous materials in anyone industry over another. Fire Marshall Dennis Shew replied that the transportation industry experiences the most frequent incidents. Councilor Beyer asked what would happen if the City does not provide this service and what alternatives the Public Works Department would have. She felt that Weyerhaeuser would not provide this service for the city if they had their own team. She commented that the City would likely have to assemble its own which could cost $50,000 to start up and $5,000 for annual training. . . Work Session Minutes February 6, 1995 Page 3 Councilor Maine stated her concerned over the cost of providing CSR for city departments. She stated that it did not look like a good entrepreneurial program to her. She also stated that the program has gone from making $94,000 a year to costing $50,000 a year. Councilor Shaver stated that he was originally concerned about subsidizing the hazardous materials program. He stated he called 80 percent of the affected businesses in Springfield and was told they were supportive of the CSR program. He also received comments and feedback from the businesses about how businesses, both big and small, would be involved in assisting the Fire & Life Safety Department to serve them. He stated he favors Option 1 which would fund the program through a combination of CSR fees and hazardous materials fee increases. Councilor Burge stated he concurred with Councilor Maine and that he would like to see the hazardous materials fees increased to the extent that the fees would support the program costs. He discussed the potential for increased labor costs for CSR-trained personnel. He asked how many permit-required confined spaces existed? Chief Murphy reported there are a total of 960, of which there are 630 spaces between Weyerhaeuser and Springfield Utility Board, and only 330 spaces in all other Springfield businesses. Councilor Burge stated government should not be entrepreneurial. . Councilor Walters stated that Option 1 raises fees for hazardous materials and also noted that start-up costs would be repaid by the fifth year. He felt the CSR program is consistent with Council's goals for a safe community and feels the program would be an incentive for businesses to locate in Springfield. Councilor Dahlquist remarked that the entire hazardous materials discussion should be revisited before deciding to raise fees. He commented that some businesses appear to be located outside the city limits and wondered if they should pay more for the same service. After Council discussion, it was determined that staff was to continue to explore this program. Councilor Beyer asked why the hazardous materials fees were not set higher initially. Mr. Kelly reviewed the work of the original hazardous materials task force and explained the rationale for how the fees were originally set. The meeting recessed at 7:15 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 9:17 p.m. The Council continued discussing the Confined Space Rescue program by evaluating the costs and projected revenues of the program, and also whether the options actually included a General Fund contribution or subsidy. . The Council expressed an interest in reviewing the hazardous materials fees and discussed whether those fees are at adequate levels. They also discussed how the CSR program would compare with the hazardous materials program in terms of the number of incidents. ~ .. . . . Work Session Minutes February 6, 1995 Page 4 After discussion, each Councilor expressed their preference in continuing to explore a CSR program. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:55 p.m. Minutes Recorder - Eileen Stein Gt//7f!~ Ma or Attest: ~~ City Recorder