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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/05/1993 Work Session ..' . . . . City of Springfield Work Session Council Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, APRIL 5, 1993 The City of Springfield Council met in Work Session in the Springfield City Hall, Meeting Room 2, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, April 5, 1993 at 6:05 p.m. with Mayor Morrisette presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Morrisette, Councilors Schanz, Walters, Berg, Burge and Adams (6:15 p.m.). Councilor Maine was excused. Also Present were City Manager Michael Kelly, Assistant City Manager Gino Grimaldi, City Recorder Eileen Stein, and members of staff. 1. Sports Center Update Mr. Kelly introduced Sports Center Management Analyst Howard Wade, who gave the Council an update on the process and what progress has been made since the project inception in 1992. Mr. Wade explained the status of current lease negotiations and reported that Bill McCabe of the Timbers Baseball organization has withdrawn from negotiations for a baseball stadium. He further explained Mr. McCabe's continued commitment to seeing the stadium constructed. Councilor Burge asked what group would be next in line to negotiate with. He asked whether it would be Kidsports. Mayor Morrisette responded that would possibly be so. He also reported there was another group interested in developing a volleyball complex at the facility. Mr. Wade and Development Services Director Susan Daluddung gave the Council information on the Riverside West All Sports Park in Grants Pass. They suggested the complex and management system might be a model of how the Sports Center could proceed. Mr. Wade reported there are 17,000 people residing in Grants Pass and they were able to build the $5 million dollar facility through the community's commitment to the project. There was a discussion regarding cost estimates for phase I of construction and Ms. Daluddung stated the total cost would be approximately $2.5 million dollars. Mr. Wade told the Council the community of Grants Pass raised $1 million dollars in nine months. Ms. Daluddung explained the land use permit the city has obtained for the construction of phase I. Mayor Morrisette discussed the portion of land zoned community commercial and ideas were exchanged regarding development. Mayor Morrisette stated he would like to contact the past Chamber of Commerce presidents and community leaders to give the project additional support. Councilor Walters asked about the cost to build a stadium. Ms. Daluddung replied an estimated cost would be $600,000. Mr. Wade gave details on the Sports Center logo contest and Council agreed they would like to see the final designs. ~ . . . - City of Springfield York Session Council Meeting Page two 2. City Attorney Evaluation Mr. Kelly introduced Tim Harold and Joe Leahy of the city's law firm, Harold and Leahy. Mr. Kelly then turned the evaluation session over to Councilor Schanz, who is the chair of Finance and Judiciary Committee. Councilor Schanz reviewed the process and procedures for the City Attorney evaluation. He explained there were six categories the attorney's were evaluated on: General Legal Counsel, Legislative Counsel, Litigation, Interaction with other Governmental Entities, Citizen Requests, and Any Other Comments or Concerns. General Legal Counsel Responses: 14 excellent and 4 good Mayor Morrisette said he gave a good rating, as it is hard to be excellent in all areas. Legislative Council Responses: 12 excellent, 4 good and 2 did not score Mayor Morrisette said he gave a good rating. The advise received at Council meetings is clear and timely. There was a discussion regarding the new roles assumed by Mr. Harold and Mr. Leahy after the retirement of Mr. Ed Harms. Mr. Harold stated the firm realizes their weaknesses, but have worked out a schedule for meeting attendance. Councilor Burge stated the attorney's give excellent guidance to the Planning Commission during their meetings. Litigation Responses: 14 excellent, 1 good and 3 did not score Mayor Morrisette said he gave an excellent rating and referred to the Depot fuel tank clean up project. Interaction with other Governmental Entities Responses: 12 excellent, 2 good, 1 satisfactory and 3 did not score Mayor Morrisette said he gave an excellent rating. He referred to the Department of Land Conservation and Development issue of the Metro Plan amendment process. Councilor Burge commented the legal counsel for Springfield is very involved in the community. (' i> .. . City of Springfield York Session Council Meeting Page three Citizen Requests Responses: 13 excellent, 1 good, 4 did not score Mayor Morrisette said he gave a good rating, as he has not heard many citizen comments. He asked if the attorney's have received many complaint telephone calls this year. Mr. Harold replied they have received quite a few this year due to the listing of the office in the telephone directory. Mr. Leahy clarified their role of bringing citizens back into the "loop" with staff, but stated they do not interpret ordinances. Any Other Comments or Concerns Councilor Burge complimented Councilor Schanz for his work on the evaluation process. Councilor Schanz thanked Human Resources Director Frank Hotchkiss and Administrative Secretary Ginger Connole for their roles in the process. There was a discussion on the last comment listed regarding a stronger and more definitive position by the city attorney's. Councilor Burge stated he likes a stronger style, but appreciates all the effort Mr. Harold and Mr. Leahy give. . The Council discussed the e-mail problem, ethics, public records and public meeting laws issues. Mr. Leahy indicated they could have played a better role in advising Council regarding e-mail. He did not think this was addressed during the Council orientation in 1991, but was well covered during the 1993 orientation. Councilor Walters stated he appreciates the common sense advise the attorney's give the Council. Councilor Burge and Mayor Morrisette agreed the attorney's do a great job and are a valuable part of the city's team. Councilor Schanz summarized the ratings: 65 excellents, 12 goods, 1 satisfactory and 12 did not scores. He ended the evaluation by stating the city attorney's are courteous, professional, knowledgeable, and can easily handle complex issues. He addressed their heavy workload and backlog of work. Councilor Schanz said the overall rating for the evaluation was excellen t. ADJOURNMENT The work session was adjourned at 7:15 p.m. Minutes Recorder - Shari Higgins . ATTEST: ~~ t~?//~ M r