HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/10/2004 Work Session
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City of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY, MAY 10,2004.
The City of Springfield council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225
Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, May 10,2004 at 5:30 p.m., with Mayor Leiken
presiding.
ATTENDANCE
Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Ballew, Woodrow, Lundberg, Ralston and Fitch.
AlsQ present were City Manager Mike Kelly, Assistant City Manager Cynthia Pappas, City
Attorney Joe Leahy, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff.
1. Potential for Urban Renewal Districts in Downtown and Glenwood.
Economic Development Manager John Tamulonis and Development Services Director Bill Grile
presented the staff report on this item. At the March 22, 2004 Work Session, council heard about
redevelopment efforts for downtown and Glenwood, reviewed how urban renewal helped with
redevelopment efforts in other communities, and saw examples of what worked in Medford's
downtown. Council asked for more information about the vision for downtown and Glenwood
and the process, commitment, and costs the city might experience to use this tool for achieving
its vision and goals for development and redevelopment in these two areas.
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The community has done substantial reports and completed work on how to develop and
redevelop downtown and Glenwood. Based on these reports and community dialogue, there ~
consensus for a vision of downtown and Glenwood. However, progress achieving this vision has
been limited, principally due to lack of resources and focused consistent effort. The city has
insufficient fmancial resources now to underwrite and sustain all that could and should be done to
achieve the City Council's goals for the redevelopment and potential for downtown and
Glenwood.
Over forty-five jurisdictions in this state successfully use urban renewal, as authorized under ORS
457. As a redevelopment tool, urban renewal can accomplish objectives cities cannot easily do on
their own. For example, with an urban renewal plan in place for an area, tax incrementfinancing
is authorized and future property tax growth is focused on achieving the plan's objectives. For
downtown and Glenwood, these objectives are the council's very own goals. Urban renewal plans
typically last about 20 years and terminate. Tax increment that went to the plan then goes to the
cash-strapped general funds of local taxing bodies. A successful urban renewal plan would
facilitate more private investment within the plan area than would have otherwise occurred;
stagnant growth in assessed value growth downtown illustrates this point.
Attachment 2, included in the agenda packet provides a summary timeline for establishing urban
renewal plans. If council directs staff to begin the process of writing urban renewal plans, a draft
downtown plan could be ready in July for council action and community consideration this fall.
Establishing urban renewal in Glenwood' s unincorporated areas will require a partnership with
Lane County. If the council wishes, a discussion with the County Commissioners could be
scheduled to explore the opportunity.
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To create an urban renewal district plan under ORS 457 requires a plan and a report on the plan.
The plan can be written in-house by development staff. Needed, however, is technical expertise
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May 10,2004
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to prepare the report and to ensure all components meet Oregon law. The consultant cost is
estimated to be about $8,000 for the report needed for each area. Funds are available from
Economic Development Reserves.
Mayor Leiken provided a video tape from KEZI which was played for the council, staff and
audience. The tape included interviews of Mayor Torrey of Eugene and Mayor Leiken
discussing the possible off ramps into Eugene and Glenwood. Mayor Leiken said this report was
taped in January. He asked Transportation Manager Nick Amis to give an update on the issue of
the off ramps.
Mr. Amis said staff met with local Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) staff. He said
the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) ODOT planned to conduct on the bridge would be
extended to include an interchange due in part to a phone call from Congressman Peter DeFazio.
They should start getting consultants on board and committees going by the end of summer.
Mr. Tamulonis acknowledged Lane County Tax Assessor Jim Gangle who was in the audience.
Mr. Tamulonis and Mr. Grile have been talking with Mr. Gangle regarding urban renewal. He
referred to several of the studies that have been done regarding development/redevelopment in
Glenwood and the downtown area. He referred to the options listed on the attachments included
in the agenda packet. The intention was not to have a plan in place to be approved by any
jurisdiction, but to get direction from council regarding a draft plan staff could bring to City
Council for renewal. The Urban Renewal Agency currently in place in Springfield includes all
members of the City Council.
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Mr. Grile said this was a wonderful opportunity for the city to take advantage of this tool that has
been used successfully by about forty-five jurisdictions in Oregon. Staff would like council to
consider whether or not it would be a tool that would work well for Springfield.
Mr. Tamulonis referred to the memorandum included in the agenda packet as Attachment 1.
This memorandum listed three options for council. He discussed the options listed. The
investments would not be made from the city's General Fund, but from a separate Urban
Renewal District fund. He discussed the studies that have been done for both the downtown area
and Glenwood. He referred to maps displayed on the wall that showed how the refinement plan
from 1999 was structured. He discussed opportunities in these areas and how staff works to
make one or more of those opportunities happen as they come along. Working on them in this
way takes a substantial amount of energy. Having an Urban Renewal District in place would
allow more opportunities for direction. They would know how that could be done and what
investments could be made. A good portion of the area in Glenwood has planning,work already
in place. He referred to the map and outlined which areas are annexed into the City of
Springfield and which are under county jurisdiction. The County Commissioners would be
involved regarding the area still under county jurisdiction. Staff would like direction from
council regarding staff approaching the county about urban renewal. Staff has had preliminary
discussions with Mr. Gangle regarding assessment issues and Mr. Tamulonis spoke briefly with
a current and former County Commissioner and they were interested in staff returning. He
wanted to get council's direction before meeting with them further.
Mr. Grile said it may be helpful to ask Mr. Gangle to offer his opinion on the suitability of Urban
Renewal for Glenwood and to comment on the increase, or lack of increase, of assessed value
growth in downtown and what Urban Renewal might do in those areas.
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May 10, 2004
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Mr. Gangle distributed a handout from the Oregon Department of Revenue. Urban renewal is a
tool that has been used throughout the state. The document he distributed showed the different
jurisdictions using urban renewal and the tax revenue from 2000-2002. Mr. Gangle said the tax
assessor's office collected approximately $5.6M from the four Urban Renewal Districts in Lane
County. He discussed the increase in assessed value for properties within the Urban Renewal
District and how that increase is captured by the Urban Renewal District. He said this is a
political issue. There are subtleties in urban renewal. It is a shift of revenue as the Urban
Renewal Agency would capture the increase in revenue. There is an amount of tax increase that
could occur in specific circumstances that relate to bonds. The effectiveness of the tool itself
would depend on the amount of effort put in to the area, how well the plan worked and how well
the assessed value of the actual district increased.
Councilor Ralston asked about Willamalane and how that would affect them regarding collection
of taxes.
Mr. Gangle said any increase in the assessed value that would occur in the Urban Renewal
District would usually mean increased revenue to any districts that overlay the plan area. Instead
the Urban Renewal District would capture that increase rather than other districts.
Councilor Ballew said during the life of the Urban Renewal District, all taxing authorities would
collect on the base rate set at the start of the district. Any increase would go to the district.
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Mr. Gangle explained this further and discussed the gain by the other districts once the Urban
Renewal District was dissolved. All taxing authorities would be affected pertaining to taxes
within the district.
Councilor Ralston asked if this could cost individuals more.
Mr. Gangle said it could potentially be more taxes for citizens regarding bonds and measure five
compreSSIOn.
Councilor Fitch asked if Springfield was under compression.
Mr. Gangle said there is very slight compression in the City of Springfield. The school district is
in compression.
Mr. Grile asked how much the assessed value in downtown was going up and how much it was
likely to go up without help.
Councilor Fitch said it would be good to know both in downtown and in Glenwood how much
the values have increased.
Mr. Gangle said he had not done a specific study, but generally commercial value in these areas
remained flat. Opportunity exists to combine properties to allow growth.
Councilor Ballew said she is not a great fan of urban renewal, but we do not have a lot of
options. She would like to see the assessed valuation and anticipated growth and what increases
could be anticipated with a district. She referred to the presentation by Mr. Bird from Medford,
regarding urban renewal. She would like to know what the plan is for a district in Springfield.
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Mr. Tamulonis said staff would work on setting a framework with some specifics to bring to
council regarding a vision or plan. Staff would be as comprehensive as they could and council
could determine which option they would prefer.
Councilor Ballew said there was an interest in downtown and Glenwood, but staff was limited.
She would like a sense of how it could be accomplished with staff support.
Mr. Tamulonis said the first portion would be to give council some options and look at a plan
and timeline. Staff anticipated getting a draft plan to council by mid July. They would present
some calculations performed by someone with expertise.
Councilor Ralston asked which of the two areas had the greatest advantage for an Urban
Renewal District.
Mr. Grile discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each area.
Councilor Ralston asked if all businesses within the selected area would have to agree to a
district.
Mr. Grile said the downtown busmess owners would be some of the greatest beneficiaries of
urban renewal.
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Mr. Tamulonis said they would not need to do anything. They would see no difference in terms
of taxes. They would see consistent investment in terms of programs and projects that might
enhance the downtown development. He discussed some of the programs that have been used in
the past and the inconsistencies in those programs. An Urban Renewal District would allow the
programs to stay in place long enough to have a substantial impact. The business owners would
see no difference in the taxes they would pay. The income stream from the businesses within the
district would be split.
Councilor Ralston asked if this would require a vote of the citizens.
Mr. Tamulonis said according to the City Charter it would require a vote.
Councilor Ralston said he does not approve of subsidies. The city could convince him of the
value of this district, but it would also have to convince the citizens. He said he was interested to
see what could be done. The final decision would be up to the citizens.
Mr. Tamulonis clarified that staff and the city would provide information, but would not be
campaigning for a district.
Mr. Kelly said if council authorized staff to go forward with this, they would bring a plan back to
council in July. At that time, council would need to agree by consensus that the plan would be
worth putting to the vote. If they agreed it was worthwhile, council would pass a resolution with
a ballot title to send to Lane County and essentially put in on the November ballot. If council did
not approve of the plan brought to them in July, this would not go forward for election.
Councilor Ballew asked Mr. Leahy about debt financing and voter approval. She asked if voter
approval was needed for debt financing of tax increments.
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Mr. Leahy said it was needed for debt financing. Discussion was held about council not putting
out new things that voters had rejected in the past. One of the things that voters had made it
clear was that they wanted to vote on debt financing, so that remained in the Charter.
Councilor Ballew said the vote was only needed if money would be borrowed and the tax
increment fmancing would pay back the loan.
Mr. Leahy said that was correct. He discussed other options he and staff had considered.
Councilor Lundberg said she would approve of staff going forward with additional studies. She
discussed the plan staff would be bringing back to council.
Mr. Tamulonis said the types of investment made by Urban Renewal Districts have an affect on
the outcome. Glenwood has property with great potential for commercial and industrial
development. He discussed infrastructure in the area and the growth that would foster.
Mr. Grile said ifthere was no significant growth in assessed value, there would be no significant
growth in revenues to the agency, but there also would be no significant loss.
Mr. Tamulonis discussed the maximum debt of an Urban Renewal district as determined by the
state. Staff looked at growth in Urban Renewal Districts through the life of the district. In the
end all taxing agencies would benefit from growth.
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Councilor Lundberg said there was agreement at the TEAM Springfield meeting that time and
energy should be put into the downtown. She puts Glenwood and downtown together. A lot of
time has been spent talking about this, but there needs to be a focus. The potential of these two
areas needed to be determined and how that potential could be optimized.
Councilor Ralston said he would be more likely to support something for a shorter period of
time.
Councilor Fitch said she would be supportive of looking at these two areas. She would also like
staff to continue to include Lane County in their discussions because any recommendations
regarding Glenwood would need county approval as well.
Mr. Grile suggested staff open a dialogue with the county regarding the possibility of
establishing an Urban Renewal District in Glenwood.
Mr. Tamulonis said the timeline for the Glenwood area would be longer due to the extra
coordination required with the county. They may not be able to get it on the November ballot,
but could perhaps be ready to bring it to a vote next spring. This would still allow both areas to
be included on the same year's tax roles.
Councilor Fitch discussed annexation of Glenwood residents into the city.
Mr. Leahy confirmed that council had made no decision on this as this was just a work session.
Staff would go forward to do further work and bring this back to the council. No decisions were
made in respect to the downtown; no decisions were made in respect to Glenwood; nor both
areas.
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Councilor Ballew affirmed no decisions were made.
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Councilor Ralston discussed those who reside in Glenwood and the importance of hearing their
concerns.
Mr. Tamulonis said one of the first steps staff was planning would include a public involvement
progress. There are different perceptions of urban renewal.
Mayor Leiken suggested this could not be a 'shot in the dark'. There must be a business plan.
Councilor Fitch acknowledged there were a number of people in the audience who would want to
be involved in this process.
2. Glenwood Riverfront Plan Implementation.
City Planner Susanna Julber presented the staff report on this item. The city did not receive any
proposals from developers for the redevelopment of the Glenwood Riverfront. Infrastructure
improvements such as sanitary sewer are scheduled, and it is critical that the regulatory
framework is in place to guide redevelopment once the infrastructure is in place to serve the area.
The Glenwood Riverfront Plan has been an ongoing project and a top council priority since fall
of2000. The city has received Transportation Growth Management grants to develop a plan to
guide redevelopment in the area identified as a node in TransPlan, along the Glenwood
Riverfront. The intention was that a developer would partner with the city to redevelop the area.
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Because the city didn't receive any proposals from developers, staff is currently developing a
strategy to adopt a plan which will guide future development. Critical tasks include: 1) Prep
Work; 2) Amend the Metro Plan diagram and Glenwood Refmement Plan (GRP) text and
diagram from Mixed Use CommerciallIndustrial/Multi Family Residential to Mixed Use
Commercial (MUC), Medium and High Density Residential, and Public Land and Open Space
(PLO); apply the Nodal Development Overlay to the Project Area properties; 3) Zone changes;
4) Adopt internal road system; 5) Adopt conceptual drainage plan for the project area; 6)
Planning Commission recommends adoption of Riverfront Plan; 7) Joint Elected Officials adopt
Riverfront Plan; 8) Annexation coordination/strategy; and 9) "Gap Administration".
Ms. Julber referred to Attachment 2 included in the agenda packet and gave a description of
these tasks. Staff estimates that plan adoption could occur by February/March 2005.
Infrastructure construction is programmed for 2004-2006, as outlined in Attachment 3 included
in the agenda packet. Staff is seeking direction in order to develop a strategy for coordination of
infrastructure and development requests, which is the primary objective of Tasks 8 and 9, above.
Ms. Julber referred to Attachment 1 included in the agenda packet which outlined the pros and
cons, and staff's recommendation on each ofthe following options:
· Option 1: Require a minimum development area, such as three to five acres.
. Option 2: Require a master plan
· Option 3: Allowing development without the requirement for a minimum development
area or master plan.
· Option 4: Council adopts the drainage master plan and conceptual local street network;
developers dedicate right-of-way through annexation agreements.
· Option 5: Council adopts Greenway setbacks for the riverfront area, rather than having
each developer apply for their own Greenway determination.
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· Option 6: Require the first developer to adhere to special development standards, in
order to set the tone for the project area.
While it was uncertain whether property owners would support these options, it was unlikely that
piecemeal development would lead to the type of large-scale development originally envisioned
by council.
She asked council for direction on the options outlined in the agenda packet in Attachment 1 and
the timeline listed on Attachment 3. She also referred to Attachment 2.
Mayor Leiken said a serious conversation needed to take place with the county regarding the
transfer station (dump) located in Glenwood. This meeting should also include the Pape Group,
Weyerhaeuser, and Sanipac. In order to look at developing Glenwood, that conversation must
take place as soon as possible. Staff should also discuss the power line issue with Springfield
Utility Board (SUB) and whether or not they could be put underground. Glenwood is an urban
area and a transfer station should not be in an urban area.
Councilor Ballew discussed the refinement plan and the consultants that studied this area. She
asked if staff would continue to pursue developers even though no responses were received the
first time and if so, why.
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Ms. Julber said they were still looking at that plan. The intent was to get a developer in a limited
partnership to come in and negotiate with property owners, form some partnerships with them or
take on the whole development area on their own. At the time the requests were sent out, the
city had not yet considered urban renewal and there were not a lot of incentives to offer
developers. She did receive some positive responses from developers, but no one submitted a
proposal. Now with sewers going in, the riverfront vision and the possibility of an urban
renewal, there are more incentives to offer developers.
Councilor Ballew said the plan had not been well received by the development community. We
are pursuing a dream that is not going anywhere. She asked how we would know where to put
streets without knowing who will be there.
Councilor Fitch confmned that some were interested, but felt the city was not ready because
there were not programs or incentives such as urban renewal in place.
Mr. Kelly said the limited feedback received was that there was a dream but no plan in how it
was going to be developed. The refinement plan sets out the zoning, but still does not show a
plan. The developers said they would have more interest once the city had an adopted plan and
money for infrastructure. Staff would like to proceed with council's approval to develop a plan
and with urban renewal plan for the improvement and how they would be paid through the
increment value. It would be council's decision whether or not to approve the plan and adopt a
plan to bring urban renewal to the voters. In the end the financing vehicle would be urban
renewal.
Discussion was held regarding the area where industrial zoning would be changed.
Councilor Fitch asked ifthere could be a potential loss of value to a property when taking away a
particular zoning.
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Mr. Tamulonis said typically the commercial property was several times higher than industrial.
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Councilor Fitch said under such a plan if a current property owner wanted to continue the use
they are currently using on their property, they could continue doing so until they redeveloped or
sold their property. In either of those instances, they would then need to comply with the new
regulations. Removing the industrial zoning could potentially increase the value of their
property when they went to sell.
Ms. Julber said there was a shortage of commercial land in the metro area.
Councilor Fitch asked if this plan would be so well defined as to say which would be multi-
family and which were commercial and who would get each.
Ms. Julber said that is something they need to discuss. They do not want to limit the potential
for owners to make money on commercial property by rezoning it medium density residential
(MDR). She discussed the concept of three acre floating nodes that were used in the Gateway
area. Staff would need guidance on how strict to zone or if other options such as a floating zone,
master plan requirement, or a three to five acre minimum would be preferable.
Councilor Ralston said since it had to be market driven, the more flexible we were the better.
Mr. Kelly said the issue was that staff believed some plan regarding types of zoning, types of
uses, and minimum size developments should be in place before storm and sewer lines were
installed. Decisions need to be made regarding standards and preservation of river frontage.
Once sewers are in place, properties would go up and each owner could decide what they want to
do without a plan for the whole area.
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Councilor Ralston said preserving riverfront buffer zones was important.
Councilor Woodrow asked if any of the riverfront was set aside as a riparian area.
Ms. Julber said it was in the concept plan. There is a 75 foot no build zone and the next 75 feet
is a limited development zone. That only encompasses the project area and that has not yet been
adopted. If council would like to go forward with this, adoption of the greenway could occur.
Councilor Ralston discussed the sewer and if the lines planned would be adequate if the area
were fully developed.
Ms. Julber said the lines would be constructed anticipating growth.
Mayor Leiken recommended looking at the pictures of the riverfront in Portland in 1972. It had
changed dramatically for the better. He said Bend had also seen vast improvements to their mill
district. These transformations didn't happen overnight. It involved partnerships with people
who had an investment already or who were interested in an investment and working together to
set a plan. Public involvement would be the key to success in the Glenwood area. He said staff
had done a very good job in putting this forward and encouraging public involvement. Within
our downtown corridor and in Glenwood, there was a great opportunity.
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Councilor Fitch referred to the options listed on Attachment 1, page 1 included in the agenda
packet. Regarding Option One, she would disagree and suggest it should be within the master
plan from the city. There needed to be a big concept and within that there would be room for
leveraging. She discussed several businesses that should not be included in a master plan for this
area. Regarding Option Three, she would disagree and said that a developer needed to have a
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master plan. It would take council as a whole to say no one hooks up to sewer without a master
plan. Staff and council need to act in a timely fashion so a plan is in place when the sewers are
ready for hook-up. Regarding Option Four, she agreed the master plan needed to be in place.
She agreed with Councilor Ralston regarding the setbacks as listed in Option Five. Regarding
Option Six, she agreed that the fIrst developer should be required to adhere to special
development standards. This would set the precedent for the rest of the development. The first
developer would need the city to work with them. ;
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Councilor Lundberg gave her answers to each option. Option One - no; Option Two - yes,
Option Three - no; Option Four - yes; Option Five - yes; Option Six - not sure. Regarding
Option Six, she did not want to make it too difficult for the developer. She would agree with
setting a tone, but did not want to make it too restrictive for the developer.
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Councilor Ballew said a master plan was nice, but expensive. She said a:three to five acre
minimum would be a good place to start. Without knowing what development will go in, it was
difficult to know where to put the streets. She discussed different developments and how that
would affect the location of the streets. The city has a refinement plan in place, but we do not
have the funding to create another master plan.
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Councilor Woodrow agreed with Councilor Ballew that it would be expensive for a master plan,
but with the potential of the off ramps and the possibility of urban renewal, developers would
look at this area differently. He said perhaps modifying the existing master plan would be less
expensive than creating a new one. He gave his answers regarding the options. Option One -
yes; Option Two - yes, Option Three - yes, Option Four - yes; Option Five - yes, and Option
Six - cautiously yes. He agreed precedence needed to be set, but some flexibility must be
allowed.
Councilor Ralston agreed that a master plan would work great if someone came in to develop the
whole area at once. On the other hand, we must be optimistic and have a vision that they can all
be proud of in future. He gave his answers regarding the option. Option One - yes, Option Two
- yes, Option Three through Six - yes.
Mayor Leiken asked if staff could have the master plan as potential. Once more information was
learned regarding the off ramps, it would be easier to have a better idea of the possibilities for
Glenwood. It was good to be optimistic, but not too optimistic.
Councilor Fitch said she could live with that idea if the three to five acre development was
within the scope of the master plan.
Discussion was held regarding return on investment and standards.
Councilor Woodrow asked if the sewer would be put in allowing potential for streets to be
added.
City Engineer Al Peroutka said there would be a number of eight inch lines coming off the main
line. Many of them were in areas where future streets would be placed according to the city's
preliminary plan. There would be flexibility for location of streets.
3. Proposed Public Safety Reductions.
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Mayor Leiken introduced District Attorney Doug Harcleroad and Lane County Sheriff Jan
Clements. Mr. Harcleroad and Sheriff Clements made a presentation regarding the proposed
Lane County public safety reductions for the budget year beginning July 1, 2004.
Mr. Harcleroad' s office provided handouts which were included in the agenda packet regarding
this topic.
Mayor Leiken introduced City of Springfield Municipal Court Judge Strickland, City Prosecutor
David Logan and Court Supervisor Kathy Cunningham who were present in the audience.
Sheriff Clements said he appreciated council allowing them to come and speak to them on this
issue. Sheriff Clements said he spent 25 years in Eugene as a police officer and had a good sense
of the criminal justice system at all levels. He distributed information to the council that
outlined the proposed reductions from the Lane County Sheriff's Office for FY2004/2005. He is
a separate elected law enforcement official and he expressed that he was not asking for any
money from the City of Springfield's General Fund. He said that would not be appropriate. He
said he would like a collective understanding by Springfield elected officials and staff of the
public safety system deficits. He would ask for a collaborative push to influence county
priorities in the short term, during this current budget cycle, as well as the intermediate and long
term.
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Sheriff Clements said Springfield could double the number of officers in Springfield, but for
every officer in place there would be a diminishing return on the value of what they could
produce in terms of enforcement activities if the rest of the system was broken. Any treatment or
intervention programs designed to allow people to reenter society in a productive manner are
ineffective because there is not enough funding to enforce if they fail. The problem the county is
facing is similar to that of Springfield. He discussed the rise in costs versus incoming revenues.
Until the system is right sized, meaning adequate jail and correctional space, adequate
prosecutorial capacity, adequate programs, adequate supervision through parole and probation,
and adequate youth services, the law cannot get a handle on what's going on. Springfield
officials need to realize their public safety enterprise is dependent on Lane County's county-wide
criminal justice system health. Eugene Council, Springfield Council, judges and others need to
coalesce around a plan to adequately resource the juvenile and adult systems so officers could
make a difference. He believes there would be short-term, intermediate and long-term solutions.
He referred to the handout he distributed to councilors. He discussed the budget cuts they were
facing and how some of those figures were determined. The cuts were devastating. They had to
prioritize what was expendable, but it was very difficult. The reductions were in the following
areas: 1) Domestic Violence Investigator, 2) Interagency Narcotic Detective, 3) Corrections/
Work Release/Community Corrections Center Gail beds), 4) Police Patrol, 5) SWAT Team, 6)
Helicopter Maintenance, 7) Transport Deputy, and 8) Sheriff's Office Support Staff. He
discussed the loss of staffing in these programs and the effect these losses would have on crime
III our area.
Sheriff Clements said these cuts were taking us in the wrong direction in Lane County. It is an
interdependent system and livability would suffer because of this. When people look to move to
this community, they look at the amenities plus education and public safety. One leg is ready to
collapse and that may cause us to lose on the economic front as well.
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Mr. Harcleroad said Lane County has approximately 400 police officers who do a good job of
arresting people. Eight thousand criminal cases are brought to the District Attorney's (DA)
office each year. That is after Springfield adopted a state code to take on all Springfield
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misdemeanors. There are currently twenty-five lawyer positions including himself in the District
Attorney's office, however, Mr. Harcleroad does not carry much ofa caseload anymore. He
referred to a recent study from the American Prosecutor's Research Institute which studied over
seventy-six district attorney's offices around the country. This study showed Lane County
should have thirty-two lawyers and is short about seven secretaries. His office has been able to
get things done by implementing quick disposition programs. Under the current budget there
would be nineteen lawyers left to handle this caseload, and that is not adequate to deal with 8000
criminal cases. That is a nineteen percent cut from DA's office, in part because they are losing
some revenues. He noted that their office used 18.86 percent of the county's General Fund
budget this year. He discussed the Interagency Narcotic Enforcement Team (INET) which has
been very successful. Unfortunately, this drug enforcement program will be closed due to these
budget cuts. He discussed the high rate of methamphetamine manufacturing in this area which
led to the formation ofINET. He discussed further results from the research study relating to
number of lawyers needed to process the murders and serious assaults. Mr. Harcleroad discussed
prioritizing the list of crimes, with person crimes at the forefront followed by domestic violence
crimes. They treat these cases seriously. There were sixty-eight felony domestic violence cases
in Springfield in 2003. The DA's office continues to take care ofthose felony cases as well as
misdemeanor assault cases. The DA's office would also continue to handle drunk driving cases.
He provided council with a handout showing the impact of a million dollar budget reduction for
the Lane County District Attorney's Office. He explained how these cuts would affect the DA
office's ability to assist victims and prosecute crimes.
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Mr. Harcleroad and Sheriff Clements have visited city councils within the county to educate
them on the severity of these cuts. They asked council members to contact the County
Commissioner from Springfield and other County Commissioners regarding the concern over
these cuts. Mr. Harcleroad said there are over six hundred drug charges from the City of
Springfield, which equals over two hundred felony drug offenders that the DA's office would no
longer be able to prosecute. The budget decision would be made in the next ten days.
Councilor Ralston asked the sheriff about the cost of the domestic violence investigator. He also
asked if those who use the search and rescue helicopter are charged.
Mr. Clements addressed his questions. He also noted that it is difficult to charge for use of the
search and rescue equipment because it could cause someone to delay in calling which increases
their risk.
Councilor Ralston said he likes to leverage things and felt the victim advocate should be a
priority. He asked if the Human Services Commission could take over those services. He asked
about the large reductions public safety is taking compared to other departments.
Mr. Harcleroad said the commissioners directed staff to take a nine percent, across the board
reduction. He discussed the added losses caused by revenue losses, which included the closure
of INET, one-time money used last year that had to be accounted for, and lost money from the
state. With those additional losses they have the largest reduction of all the departments in the
county.
Councilor Ralston asked again if victim services could be tied in with the Human Services
Commission (HSC).
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Mr. Harcleroad said the HSC has only $500,000 to spend and there is a large demand for those
funds and their services. He said they could ask for some of that money.
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May 10, 2004
Page 12
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Councilor Ralston said he could advocate for that to the HSC. He asked if Springfield Municipal
Court would be able to prosecute some of the cases that Lane County had been prosecuting.
Mr. Logan said Springfield could take some of those cases. He would try to deal with some of
those crimes on a misdemeanor level. He discussed how some felony cases could be reduced to
a misdemeanor allowing them to be prosecuted in our Municipal Court. Property crimes under
$1500 could also be prosecuted by the Municipal Court. He would remain optimistic.
Mr. Harcleroad said the breaking line between felony and misdemeanor for property is $750. A
$1400 dollar theft could be charged as less than $750 to allow Municipal Court to try the case.
Drug cases that are low level felonies could be charged as attempts to make them misdemeanors.
He appreciated all that Mr. Logan could do to alleviate the county's burden.
Judge Strickland said that if Mr. Logan prosecutes offenders and they are found guilty, the city
still only has access to five beds in the county jail. All five of those beds are full all the time. It
is a daily task trying to decide who is the worst offender that should stay and who gets out.
Sheriff Clements said long-term solutions need to be found. He discussed several options. He
agreed that the city should not be forced to pay for the jail beds. That should be the county's
responsibility. The priority should be put back on public safety in Lane County. No solution set
has yet been found.
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Councilor Ballew appreciated Mr. Harcleroad and Sheriff Clements coming to meet with council
in person to discuss these issues. She discussed public finance in all jurisdictions. She asked
Sheriff Clements ifhe had been able to garner any Federal funds for the AIRS.
Sheriff Clements said he had not heard anything yet regarding the AIRS project funding. They
have garnered a grant from Oregon Emergency Management that is passed through from
Department of Homeland Security. Springfield Fire and Life Safety also garnered some funding
from that grant. He said federally things are also difficult due to the war deficit and deficit in
general. He would remain in contact with the federal agencies regarding grants funding.
Councilor Ballew asked Mr. Harcleroad ifby law they were required to prosecute these cases.
Mr. Harcleroad said he was required by law to prosecute crimes that come to his attention. He
discussed the law and how it related to the DA's office.
Councilor Woodrow said he was concerned even if Springfield picks up some of this because it
could then become over-burdensome to the Municipal Court. Council doesn't have a lot they
can do because they cannot give money. He asked what they could do.
Mr. Harcleroad said in the next five to ten days they could talk to any of the County
Commissioners and discuss these concerns with them. There are tough choices to be made
regarding the county budget.
Councilor Woodrow asked who else besides the county could assist.
Mr. HarcIeroad said no one in the short-range; in the long-range the state.
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City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
May 10, 2004
Page 13
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Sheriff Clements discussed Senate Bill 1145 which affected the funding received from the state
and ability to detain offenders. Judges need the additional jail beds. County Commissioners
adopted a strategic plan that public safety would be the number one priority, yet these cuts are
being made. Government needs to make the hard decisions.
Councilor Fitch asked how many total beds were in the county jail.
Sheriff Clements said there were 485 beds in the jail, 366 were funded and an additional 26
would be lost with the proposed budget reductions.
Councilor Fitch asked how many of the 366 jail beds were leased to federal and state.
Sheriff Clements said they lease fifty to the u.s. Marshall's service, who has put $IM into
capital construction along with SB 1145 facility. They also pay a higher rate than the state which
helps to subsidize some of the operations. They lease between 150 and 200 to the state.
Councilor Fitch asked about the matrixing system.
Sheriff Clements gave a brief summary of the matrixing system. It is very complex. The county
hopes to move to a system called The Defendant/Defender Management Center whereby the
matrix would be discontinued. If they had capacity, they would be able to hold on to many of
those who would be released. They hope those going out the door in the future would have some
type of accountability. He said 119 jail beds are closed due to lack of funding.
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Councilor Fitch asked if staff running the jail were sworn officers.
Sheriff Clements said officers that provide security are sworn officers. They have looked at
other options. There are issues with labor unions, comparables and classifications. It is
worthwhile to pursue.
Discussion was held regarding prosecution of misdemeanors in Springfield and the cost
effectiveness of prosecuting in Springfield rather than in the county.
Councilor Fitch asked ifthere were more economical ways to prosecute.
Sheriff Clements said there are always ways to improve. It would require a coalition of all city
staff, elected officials and the county to advocate to the County Commissioners for funding
options.
Mr. Harcleroad said in reviewing an intergovernmental agreement of the Public Safety
Coordinating Council, he found that one of the things in the agreement was to review the
municipal courts in Eugene and Springfield to see if they were cost efficient. It was found that
Springfield was very efficient. Eugene has since gone to a system similar to Springfield and they
are now saving money. Municipal courts serve a valuable function for the cases that are not as
serious as the felonies. They serve a very good function in the center ofthe city and are more
efficient than the circuit and state court systems. He said Springfield saves a lot on overtime
having the court here in the City of Springfield. He said he appreciated Mr. Logan's willingness
to expand and manage these additional cases, but he shouldn't have to do that.
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Councilor Lundberg said she is always appalled the criminal justice system is so broken. The
bulk of Springfield taxpayer dollars is going into public safety. She said the same people
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Council Work Session Minutes
May 10, 2004
Page 14
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continue to be arrested and prosecuted and she would like to know how to get them out of the
system. She would like to support the pieces of the criminal justice system that get them out of
the system. They are incarcerated, but she asked how we could keep them from returning. It is
up to the county to take care of the incarceration. She would like to see effort put into creating a
different system to track people. She would like to see the Human Services Commission and
justice system working together better because they do interrelate. The county needs to prioritize
that part of the budget.
Sheriff Clements discussed the state tax structure and the county tax structure. In terms of
county services, Lane County is the second lowest statewide. Lack of prioritization is also a
problem. The common denominator to a solution is to have adequate capacity for youth and
adult. That gives the justice system a coercive agent to cause people to complete the programs
they need to function and be productive citizens once they are released. Without that capacity,
judges have no ability to sanction the offenders and get their attention.
Mr. Harcleroad described the bell curve showing the age of arrests. We should be investing the
most in teenagers because they are the growing population of offenders. We need to do what is
smart on crime, which means using correction programs that work. The evaluation on what
works is behind here locally and on a national basis. One in every thirty two adults in the United
States of America is under some sort of court supervision, parole, etcetera. One out of every 142
adults in the U.S. is in a prison or a jail.
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Councilor Ballew said the public would not pay any more money. Her priority would be in
supporting funding for more j ail beds. They are on their own regarding the rest of the list of
reductions. She discussed the felony and property crimes. Everything on the list is important.
Councilor Ralston asked about the effectiveness of the D.A.R.E. program.
Sheriff Clements said early research showed it was affective for the short-term, but not for the
long-term. He has heard of more recent studies that are conflicting. They need to rely on solid
research-based analysis.
Discussion was held regarding the youth facility that is only one-third utilized and whether or not
use of that facility should be a priority, not only for the consequence if would provide for the
youth, but also because it could be economical to run at full capacity.
Sheriff Clements discussed the dangers of releasing some adult prisoners into the community to
free up beds for youth offenders. He agreed more youth beds should be used and there could be
money in the county budget for that purpose.
Councilor Fitch said a bad message is being sent out to the public regarding their safety.
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Mayor Leiken said council understands there are issues out of the sheriff and DA's control. He
appreciated them coming to discuss this with council. He said there is a severe credibility issue
with the county, which is not the fault of Mr. Harcleroad and Sheriff Clements. The county has
intervened in city business and that has caused some issues. If they are serious about sitting
down and looking at being creative, the Springfield City Council would be one of their better
advocates. Springfield has been working hard to come up with options and creative solutions.
He discussed frustration over Sheriff vehicles patrolling inside city limits within the city's
jurisdiction.
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Council Work Session Minutes
May 10, 2004
Page 15
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Sheriff Clements said patrol officers on city streets could be a traffic team situation, although
they should not be inside city limits. That does not take away from their rural patrols, but there
is an image issue. They have cars serving civil process in Eugene and Springfield. He said he
would discuss this with his patrol officers.
Mayor Leiken asked Mr. Harcleroad if he or some of his senior staff would be trying more cases
with the reduction in lawyers. He said Mr. Harcleroad probably does not try as many cases
because he is the administrator and there is not an expectation that he should take on an
additional case load. He said he was talking short-term. He discussed whether or not it would be
effective for councilors to call County Commissioners regarding this issue. Springfield would be
willing to work with them on long-term solutions. He hoped that Sheriff Clements, although
near retirement, would continue to be involved with the process of fmding solutions.
Mr. Harcleroad said he could try some additional cases, but the number of cases that actually go
to trial is small. They tried 128 jury trials last year out of 8000 cases and about 50 bench trials.
Ninety eight percent of the cases are going away in some other way other than a trial. There is
not enough time to go to trial. If he took on more cases, it could make some impact, but he
would not be able to perform some of his other duties. He manages the financial impacts of each
case and makes decisions regarding other details of the cases. He is often there for large cases
such as murder and other felonies. Most DA's from jurisdictions the size of Lane County do not
try cases.
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Sheriff Clements said there are two elements he has heard from the public regarding the special
district issue. The first is if we raise the money that presently the General Fund is going to, we
need to rebate that money to the taxpayers and then raise it to a special district. The second
element he proposed is to go to the state legislature and ask for a fix that enables a separately
elected budget authority other than the County Commissioners. There is one commissioner who
was willing to consider it to allow them to get out of the law enforcement business. The citizens
could have a separately elected budget authority by putting on the ballot through an initiative
process. This would be similar to rural fire districts with separately elected budget authority. He
discussed the instability of using levies to fund programs and services
Mayor Leiken said members of the Springfield City Council would contact the County
Commissioners regarding this issue.
Councilor Fitch thanked Mr. Harcleroad and Sheriff Clements for their presentation. She also
thanked our city prosecutors and municipal court for being an efficiently run organization in
Springfield.
Sheriff Clements thanked the Mayor and council for allowing them to come to discuss this issue
with them.
4. 2000-2003 Springfield Residential Land Monitoring Report.
City Planner Kay Bork presented the staff report on this item. Ms. Bork distributed the 2003
Springfield RLS Monitoring Report. The Residential Lands Monitoring Report is prepared in
response to Housing Policy 5 of the Metro Plan which reads, "Develop a monitoring system that
measures land consumption, and values, housing type, size and density. Reports should be made
on an annual basis. "
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Council Work Session Minutes
May 10, 2004
Page 16
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This report includes data gathered from July 1,2000 to June 30, 2003 for properties within the
Springfield UGH. The report tracks residential land consumption and housing characteristics for
new development. In addition to housing characteristics, the report compares actual land
consumption and remaining supply with projected consumption and demand for the remaining
supply of land identified in the 1999 Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area Residential Lands
and Housing Study. The report also includes maps of platted subdivisions during 2000-2003 on
the Residential Land Site Inventory.
The last report was published in 2001. This is the first update of the original report. During
2001-2002 the Development Services Department implemented a new database software system
that tracks building permits and land use activity. During that time data was not available for
reporting purposes. Since then data has been made available and staff was able to run the
necessary reports to complete this monitoring report.
The reporting period is based on fiscal year therefore data for the remainder of 2003 is not
included. Staff is proposing to change the reporting period to calendar year. The next monitoring
report will be available February 2005 and will include all information from July 1,2003 to
December 31,2004.
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Key findings of the report:
· Springfield consumed less residential land during the period 2000-2003 than projected in
the 1999 Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area Residential Lands and Housing Study.
· Springfield built fewer housing units during this period than the projected demand stated
in the 1999 Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area Residential Lands and Housing
Study.
· Springfield built more single-family homes during this period compared to other housing
types projected in the 1999 Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area Residential Lands
and Housing Study.
· Springfield built at higher densities on Low Density Residential land than previous
years.
· The average size of a single-family detached housing unit increased slightly in size from
1655 square feet to an average of 1699 square feet since the last report.
· The average apartment unit built in Springfield increased in size from approximately 800
square feet to 1,000 square feet.
There is no financial impact.
Ms. Bork said the report is a report on the residential land consumption by new development,
zones changes and metro plan amendments. It also summarizes housing characteristics such as
what type of housing Springfield is building and in what zoning districts. The report is not an
analysis of development trends, but is more of a snapshot in time.
Ms. Bork referred to tables included on two documents she distributed to council members. The
charts showed a summary of the report.
Discussion was held regarding this report and interpretations regarding economy based on the
report. Eugene is not currently included in this report, but if they were added, Eugene's numbers
could affect the results.
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Councilor Fitch asked if Ms. Bork could tell from this report ifthere was still a 20-year supply of
buildable land.
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May 10, 2004
Page 17
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Ms. Bork said we are consuming less land on the whole. If Springfield continued to build as they
have over the last three years, there could be a possibility that low density lands would be
consumed. Metro plan has a range that makes it difficult to pinpoint. This is something staff
would watch. They would be putting in a new database that would allow them to look at this
annually.
Councilor Fitch said as they look at this annually they can determine if they need to expand
certain areas so we have a supply.
Ms. Bork said it would be better if Eugene were involved to make it more comprehensive.
Councilor Woodrow referred to page 1 of the handout and the increase in the amount of medium
density residential (MDR) land.
Ms. Bork said the increase was due to zone changes.
Councilor Ballew asked how the city would run out of buildable land if we are consuming less
than expected.
Ms. Bork said we are consuming less land yearly, but we are developing single family homes at
a much higher rate than anticipated.
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Councilor Fitch said a prior council put an emphasis on higher value dwellings, which tend to be
single family.
Planning Manager Greg Mott said a lot of the inventory was based on what the state economist
said would occur. The state economist said we would have a decrease in household size, but an
increase in younger families and older citizens. Those things would dictate the types of homes
built. This shifted what was normally considered detached single family over this new market,
without consideration for the drop in interest rates, the war and other factors. It may be four
years from now that things would go back to how they were projected. Council is correct that we
need to keep on top of it because if our assumptions are not following through, we need to make
adjustments on those assumptions.
Ms. Bork said staff held a community question and answer opportunity for feedback on the
report. They suggested incorporating those types of things.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 pm.
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Minutes Recorder - Amy Sowa
Attest:
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(JrWZL
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
May 10, 2004
Page 18
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Amy Sowa
City Recorder
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