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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/13/1995 Work Session City of Springfield Joint Work Session Meeting . MINUTES OF THE JOINT MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL AND THE LANE TRANSIT DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS HELD MONDAY, MARCH 13, 1995 The City of Springfield Council and the Lane Transit Board met in a Joint Work Session Meeting, in the Library Meeting Room, 225 fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, March 13, 1995, at 6:05 p.m. with Mayor Morrisette and Lane Transit District Board Chair Pat Hocken presiding. ATTENDANCE Present for the City of Springfield were Mayor Morrisette, Councilors Beyer, Burge, Dahlquist, Maine, Shaver and Walters. Also present were City Manager Mike Kelly, City Recorder Eileen Stein and members of staff. Present for Lane Transit District were board members, Bailey, Bennett, Hocken, Kleger, Montgomery and Saydack. Also present was General Manager Phyliss Loobey and members of staff. . Lane Transit District (L TD) Board Chair Pat Hocken opened the meeting and highlighted the handouts that had been prepared for the meeting. She noted the Springfield citizens that had been involved on various L TD advisory committees. She highlighted existing L TD service routes in Springfield and commented on L TD's recent visioning process and it's commitment to work with other government agencies to make transportation adequate in the metropolitan area. She stated L TD would like to hear what Springfield's vision is for LTD. Ms. Hocken introduced Board member Rob Bennett who first expressed interest in having a joint meeting with the City Council. He stated he wanted to reach out and listen to what other governments had to say about LTD. Mr. Bennett commented on Transportation Planning Rule 12, specifically the requirement for reduction in vehicle miles traveled (VMTs) , and the Board's efforts to establish a payroll tax for self-employed persons as a means to finance the transportation system improvements required to be in compliance with Rule 12. He indicated the purpose of the outreach was to test whether L TD is moving in the right direction. Councilor Shaver commented that the Council is interested in greater coordination as well. He commented on comments he's received from people about the payroll tax and the process used to enact it. He stated that self-employed persons can not use the bus in the course of their work and so they feel it is not a fair tax. Councilor Burge commented that the public feels that the new L TD facility in Glenwood was not necessary and that the payroll tax for self employed persons is likewise unnecessary. Mr. Bennett stated that various people in the Springfield community were contacted about the proposed tax. Councilor Burge said he was contacted. He indicated that the feedback they received caused them to believe that there was some support the for tax, on the basis that transportation improvements would enable better traffic flow for those persons who do use their vehicle as their primary mode of transportation for work. . . City of Springfield Joint Work Session Meeting Page two Councilor Maine commented on L TD's statement about how it best serves transportation needs when traffic congestion is reduced during peak traffic hours. She referred to a comment made by Councilor Beyer during an earlier meeting about the key to reduction of VMTs is not from commuter traffic, but from traffic related to personal businesses. She commented that this focus needs to re-examined if Councilor Beyer's assertion is true. Councilor Walters commented that bus ridership will increase when traffic congestion increases. He commented on his experience using public transportation in Chicago. He stated his concern with the self-employed payroll tax and asked about the equivalent payroll tax for employers (.6% of payroll.) He complimented L TD on its service quality but wondered about the need for public transit, especially when busses can be found with only two or three people on board. He said that bus stops should have time schedules posted at them so people know when to expect the next bus. Councilor Dahlquist commented that the busses he sees at his business on their way to the University of Oregon and Lane Community College are always full but commented on the ridership makeup relative to who is paying for the pu~lic transportation system. He had questions about the self-employment tax. Mayor Morrisette stated he favored utilizing more park and rides to capture commuters. He felt that Rule 12 was not reasonable and conjectured it would be overturned before it had to be implemented. . Ms. Hocken discussed her views of public transit and how it relates to other public services provided by government. She commented that L TD has received less opposition from businesses now with the self-employment tax than when they first instituted the payroll tax for business. Board member Kleger commented that state law prohibits the self-employment tax from being any higher than the payroll tax. It is the same rate as the payroll tax. He said that the tax is needed in order to pay for transportation system improvement mandates that L TD is responsible for making. Board member Dave Bailey commented on the students who use the system and the group pass program. He commented on the types of vehicle trips generated and how transportation system planning must occur hand in hand with land use planning in order to generate vehicle trip reductions that are other than commuter related. He commented on the passage of the self- employment tax. General Manager Phyllis Loobey commented that the self-employment tax was not adopted with an emergency clause as the public has been led to believe. Councilor Walters asked if a property tax could be used rather than a self-employment tax. Ms. Hocken commented that the property tax could be levied but L TD has never chosen to implement it. She indicated the self-employment tax was proposed by the real estate community as a compromise to funding mechanisms for the transit district. Board member Thom Montgomery commented on the Ride Source program to provide transit services for disabled persons. Board member Roger Saydack commented that he welcomed the opportunity for this dialogue and hoped that some misperceptions had been clarified. . . City of Springfield Joint Work Session Meeting Page three Board member Bennett commented about the trip reduction requirement in Rule 12 and expressed a desire for coordinated discussion about strategies for achieving reductions in vehicle usage. Councilor Shaver commented that people should not feel that using an automobile is bad. He felt that vehicle reduction should not be artificially imposed but that natural usage patterns should be examined and capitalized upon to find pockets of transportation patterns. Ms. Loobey commented on the express service to Sacred Heart that exists from the River Road/Santa Clara bus transfer station and how L TD is looking to work with Sony on a similar transportation mechanism. Mayor Morrisette asked about the make up of Thurston riders. L TD commented that Thurston riders are similar to other users, 20% for work, 30% for students and the rest miscellaneous. Councilor Burge asked about the cost of the express service to Sacred Heart and Ms. Loobey commented on the price structure of the Group Pass Program. Councilor Shaver commented on his previous statement that L TD Board members should be elected not appointed. He still felt that way and commented that things are different when you are elected. He also commented on the petition drive to limit the salary of the General Manager and felt that such desperate tactics as this could be minimized if the Board was elected rather than appointed. ADJOURMENT . The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m. Minutes Recorder - Eileen Stein iffi ~~ Attest: ~ &uk- City Record~ .