HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/13/2003 Work Session
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MINUTES OF THE GOAL SETTING SESSION MEETING
OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY, JANUARY 13,2003
The Springfield City Council met in a goal setting session, in the Library Meeting Room, 225
Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, January 13, 2003 at 5:30 p.m., with Mayor Leiken
presiding.
ATTENDANCE
Present were Mayor Leiken, and Councilors Ballew, Burge, Fitch, Hatfield, Ralston, and
Woodrow. Also present were City M~nager Mike Kelly, Assistant City Manager Gino Grimaldi,
City Recorder Kim Krebs, Administrative Coordinator Julie Wilson, and members of staff.
Mayor Leiken welcomed new incoming Councilors Stu ~.urge and J ohn Woodrow.
1. Welcome and Overview.
City Manager Mike Kelly welcomed the Mayor and City Council and briefly reviewed the agenda
(Attachment I) for the meeting. He said that each year the City Council conducted an annual goal
setting session. The purpose ofthe session was to adopt five-year goals and to review or revise
targets for the upcoming year. Goals are usually established looking forward five years. The
annual targets describe what was planned for the upcoming year. Targets generally support the
accomplishment of the five-year goals and the annual targets are used in the preparation of the
annual budget that is presented to the Budget Committee during the spring of each year.
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2. Environmental Scan.
Economic Development Manager John Tamulonis introduced this item. He circulated a handout
of the PowerPoint slide show he presented. The information included in his presentation was
prepared by the Lane Council of Governments and included information from the most recent
census results and strongest indicators we currently have. The presentation highlighted the
following:
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1990-2000 Annual Average Growth Rate
Springfield Area Population Trends
Population
2000 Minority Population Distribution
Comparison of the Hispanic Population
Race and Ethnic Distribution
2000. Age Distribution/Percent of total Population
Springfield Age Distribution 1990 and 2000
2000 Median Age
Springfield School Enrollment 1990-2000
Springfield Household Type
2000 Family TyPe Comparison
Springfield Average Household Size Comparisons
Owner/Renter Springfield 1970-2000 Housing
Springfield - Census 2000 Percent Owner Occupied Units
Springfield Residential New Construction 1970-2000
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Goal Setting Session - January 13,2003
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. New and Existing Residential Home Average Sale Price
. Springfield Housing Type 1980-2000
. Lane County Nonfarm Employment
. . Total Employment Comparison
. Employment 1990-2000
. Springfield Covered Employment 1978-1998
. Educational Attainment in 2000
. Springfield Education Attainment 1990-2000 .
. Percent of Households Who Moved into their Home within the last 5 years
. Year Springfield Householder Moved into Home by Owner/Renter
. Percent of Person who speak English less than "very well" by language spoken
. . Disability status
. Proportions of person with a disability by age
. Unemployment Rate 1980-2000
. 2000 Occupational Mix
. Comparison of Income in 1999
. Percent of Person in poverty 1980-2000
. Percent of Persons below Poverty in 1999 by age
. Income Characteristics
· Median Value for Owner-Occupied Units
· Households Paying 30 Percent or More for Housing
· 2000 Median Contract Rent/Lease Comparison
· 2000 Means of Transportation to Work
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Mr. Tamulonis responded to questions of the council related to his presentation. Responding to a
question from Councilor Ralston regarding the difference between the median household income
and median family income, Mr. Tamulonis said that a family was more than three persons; the
average household size was 2.5. He suggested that a household could have a higher income than
a family because it could include two working members. He noted that the Springfield and
Bethel school districts had a higher number of three- and four-bedroom houses than other
metropolitan areas, and those were the areas that younger families were locating in.
Mayor Leiken asked ifBethel-Danebo had DSL access. Mr. Tamulonis did not know. Mayor
Leiken said that would be interesting information as he believed that such access was very
attractive to young families. Mr. Goodwin did not know if the area had been upgraded.
Councilor Ballew asked if the figures were adjusted to account for University students. Mr.
Tamulonis compared the Eugene average household of 2.2 to the Springfield average of 2.5 and
said that the difference could be attributed to University students. That also skewed income and
rental numbers.
Referring to educational attainment, Councilor Ralston asked Mr. Tamulonis to explain the
difference in the bachelor's degree rates between the two communities. Mr. Tamulonis attributed
it to the presence of the University and the large number of graduate students and faculty
members.
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Councilor Ballew asked if disparity between economic levels in the two cities would be reduced
if University salaries were backed out. Mr. Tamulonis thought it would be substantially closer
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Goal Setting Session -:- January 13, 2003
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but there would be no match because of the different professional types that affect the numbers in
Eugene.
Councilor Ralston determined that the information before the council did not compare the number
of students in the two communities that went on to higher education. He asked ifthat information
was available. Mr. Tamulonis said he might be able to get that information from the census, but
it would take some time and was difficult data to extract.
Referring to the Citizen Survey (Attachment III), Mr. Kelly said the information was presented as
background. Staff had not planned to provide a formal presentation on the survey results, but was
prepared to respond to any questions. .
Referring to page 29 of the survey and the information related to proj ected voter turnout,
Councilor Burge said it is important that the council be cautious of making decisions based on the
information contained in surveys such as this as they might not be accurate or complete.
Councilor Hatfield thought Councilor Burge's point well-taken.
3. Review Current/Existing Five-Year Goals.
Mr. Kelly reviewed the existing City Council Goals 2002-2007 (Attachment V).
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. Provide financially sound, stable City government
. Utilize resources efficiently and effectively to meet citizen needs.
. Expand the Springfield economy creating family-wage jobs.
. Continue to make Springfield a safe community.
. Deliver quality services.
. Participate in a renaissance for Springfield.
. Partner with citizens and other public agencies.
. Preserve Springfield's small-town character.
Councilor Burge asked if meetings of the Springfield Renaissance Development Corporation
(SRDC)were open to the public or only to members. Before approving any further funding for
the effort, he wanted to know if the public was welcome to these meetings. Councilor Fitch said
that all the SRDC meetings were open to the public. Councilor Burge indicated he had expressed
previous interest in attending but was told he could not. Councilor Fitch said she was unaware of
anyone being turned away from attending and indicated she would follow-up.
4. Proposed Changes to Five-Year Goals.
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Councilor Burge asked if the last item was related to limiting growth. Mr. Kelly indicated that
the meaning of the item lay with the council. In the past the council had discussed the concept in
terms of Springfield being big enough to meet everyone's needs and small enough to care about
the citizens' needs. Councilor Burge thought the item subjective. Councilor Hatfield did not
perceive it as a no-growth policy, but rather a way to maintain neighborhood identity. He cited
the Thurston area as an example of a distinct neighborhood that could be negatively affected by,
for example, redevelopment of Main Street as a strip commercial area, or enhanced by
maintaining the neighborhood commercial character of existing areas along the street. Councilor
Burge questioned the difference between Main Street from downtown to 60th Street and Highway
99 North. Councilor Hatfield agreed there was little difference at this time. He said that it was
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his sense that Thurston residents were more likely to conduct businesses along that part of Main
Street rather than in downtown.
Councilor Burge asked if the Thurston neighborhood typically supported bond measures.
Councilor Hatfield said generally, no.
Councilor Fitch recalled that during the Springfield Update discussion with citizens, citizens
expressed a feeling of a community with a character that was smaller town and "blue collar" in
nature: "we're here, we have jobs, we work together, and we fmd solutions together." It was not
so much of keeping growth down, but retaining the small-town image as Springfield grew.
Councilor Burge assumed that the Thurston area had a higher percentage turnout in elections. If
the area consistently voted against bond measures but demanded services, those two factors
conflicted. Councilor Hatfield agreed that was an issue. He noted that Thurston had an identity
based on self-reliance, such as its efforts to privately fund the Thurston High School football
stadium. Councilor Burge questioned if the area preferred to de-annex. Councilor Hatfield did
not think so. .
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Mayor Leiken suggested that eventually the council would have to defme what a "quality" service
. was. Councilor Fitch suggested the reference to "quality" services be changed to "quality priority
services." Mayor Leiken agreed. He said he did not see the tax structure changing any time
soon, and the community would be affected by the same economic conditions affecting the
remainder of the state. Until the economy improved, the council would have to cre~te a defmition
of a quality priority service. . I
Councilor Burge suggested that the situation facing local government was the same as individuals
faced in their personal budgets: government could spend what it could afford. If the community
wanted additional quality services, it would have to decide that and then determine if it was
willing to pay for them. Citizens would get what they paid for.
Councilor Fitch agreed with Councilor Burge. She said that the citizens indicated support for
services such as fire and police through the passage of the bond measures, which she
characterized as a band-aid. It was now the council's task to determine how to make the funding
permanent.
Councilor Burge noted his support for the bond measures related to public safety. He said it was
the council's responsibility to keep the community better informed so the citizens were able to
make good decisions when they voted. He believed that City Hall had been honest with its
citizens, and in turn the community had been benevolent when asked for money for public
services and schools. He believed the citizens would make the right decision when asked, and
would protect its investment in its infrastructure. .
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Councilor Hatfield believed that the Budget Committee needed to have a philosophical discussion
about how it approached service reductions; would it do piecemeal reductions, or eliminate entire
programs. He noted the City's limitations on expanding its budget and noted that the annual cost
of government was exceeding the allowable growth percentage each year. He suggested that the
City could keep using the fee-for-service approach, but he believed the public would tire of that
eventually. Councilor Burge agreed, saying that over time people may wish for lower and lower
taxes, but when they got them they may find they got what they did not want. He did not think
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the community paid an exorbitant amount of taxes for the services it received. Councilor Burge
believed that the council could trust the community to understand the facts regarding the services
they received.
Councilor Ballew suggested that at this time the council may have no changes outside of minor
"tweeks" to the existing goals. She suggested that one possible "tweek" could be to revise the
goal under discussion to read "Preserve the community's historical character." Councilor Burge
endorsed alternative wording. Councilor Hatfield suggested that the intent of the goal was that
the community worked together to solve its problems. Councilor Burge suggested "Maintain a
community of character."
Councilor Ralston liked the use of the words "small town" because some of the things that come
with larger cities were things Springfield wanted to avoid. He interpreted "small town" as being
neighborly.
Councilor Ballew suggested the council move on and reconsider the goal later.
Councilor Ballew suggested that the fifth goal be modified to read "Deliver prioritized quality
services." Councilor Fitch said that the council was always going to provide quality services, but
the need to prioritize services should be emphasized.
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Councilor Ballew suggested that the council needed to capture the need for the tax base to include
properties assessed at a higher valuation as well as 'affordable family housing, pointing out that
the occupants of affordable family housing tended to be younger families who were more prone
to be users of the system because they had children in school and made greater use of the
infrastructure. Commercial and industrial properties and higher end residential properties overall
pay more taxes and use fewer services.
Councilor Burge concurred with Councilor Ballew. He said that there might be more demand for
services from a property valued at $85,000 than from a property valued at $500,000. In addition,
Springfield had many multi-family developments, in cases valued at $30,000 to $35,000 per unit,
and in some close-in areas those developments generate more than 100 calls for police service
annually. He thought that a better nexus between those who create the demand for service and
the cost of that service was needed. Councilor Burge suggested charging such units an annual
$15 license to capture those costs. He said the City must have housing at all levels to be a viable
community, and the City should consider middle-income and high-income housing as well.
Councilor Ballew suggested that such an approach would improve the City's tax base and that
could be added as a goal.
Mayor Leiken pointed out that Springfield must expand its tax base in order to deliver needed
services to its citizens. He believed that fostering commercial and light and medium industrial
development opportunities was necessary.
Councilor Fitch suggested the following modification to the third goal: "Expand the Springfield
,economy creating family-wage jobs with an expanded tax base." There was general concurrence.
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Mr. Kelly determined there were no further changes to the goals.
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Referring to the one-year targets, Mayor Leiken was pleased to see the priority given to
Glenwood Development. He believed that Glenwood was more ready for development than the
Jasper-Natron area because of the existing infrastructure serving the area. He said he believed the
'area would be a "gem" in the future. There were many property owners in the area interested in
partnering with the City. He wanted to put more emphasis in this area., Council members
expressed agreement about the importance and potential of Glenwood.
Councilor Hatfield suggested the Council remove Jasper-Natron off the high priority list and
move to a mid-priority list until it was processed through the many road blocks it is facing. He
noted that Glenwood had better access at this point in time. There was general concurrence.
5. Maior Work Plan Activities for 2003.
Mr. Kelly reviewed the proposed work activities for next year.
Mayor Leiken suggested that as the City worked through complex issues, such as amending the
municipal code and addressing mandates from other levels of government, it work to better
educate the public about the origin of the amendment or mandate; in order for the public to
understand what is being done. He said the media could be used to accomplish that goal and
called on staff to think more about the issue.
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Councilor Burge suggested it would be useful if the City identified every service it provided to
the community, the origin of the service, what it cost, and the source of the funding. When the
City was faced with a new unfunded mandate, the Council could let the public know who wanted
it to spend money to provide that service. Councilor Burge added that if such mandates came
without funding, the City should tell the mandating agency to do the job itself.
Councilor Ballew observed that the Council needed to keep in mind that the City was a political
extension of the State government, and not an island to itself. While she agreed that unfunded
mandates were very irritating, she was unsure the City always had a choice.
Councilor Fitch noted that the Council had such a list of services that were developed previously
by staff.
Councilor Hatfield said voters were tax-adverse because they questioned the provision of certain
services as opposed to other services. He said the council needed to be prepared to address those
questions when it discussed cuts in service. It might be discussing a discretionary service people
really wanted or a mandated service nobody really cared about. Councilor Hatfield agreed that
the council had a role in educating the public about such mandates and the fact the City was not
always master of its own destiny.
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Councilor Fitch referred to the money realized from the sports complex/Chambers property
exchange and said if the City was to expand its tax base, that funding should not be used as a
band-aid. She suggested that it be used as investment capital, perhaps in Glenwood now or
Jasper-Natron later. She believed that rather than applying band-aid solutions to the problems of
nonprofit social service providers, the City would be better off bringing those providers together
to work together toward a solution if Ballot Measure 28 failed. Councilor Burge concurred.
While he did not want the Council to lose its sense of compassion, he favored carrying reserve
funds so the Council could take advantage of opportunities when they arose.
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Councilor Hatfield also agreed with Councilor Fitch, and suggested that the City Council would
be better off creating an investment opportunity fund rather than attempting to provide stop-gap
funding to social service providers.
Councilor Burge noted his ongoing objection to the City's contractual agreement with the
University of Oregon for funding of Hayward Field improvements. Mr. Kelly clarified that the
City signed an obligation to make a best effort to provide $15,000 annually for 20 years. He said
that the City Council could ask the City Attorney to explore legal ways to void that agreement.
Finance Director Bob Duey noted that the City had approximately four years left on that
obligation.
Councilor Ballew said she agreed about the importance of having healthy reserves. However, she
did not want to limit the City Manager and his staff from coming forward with a budget proposal
to the council if, for example, the City was contemplating something as severe as closing the
library. Councilor Fitch preferred taking another approach to maintaining libraI}' services, such
as a merger.
Mr. Kelly called attention to the work activities for 2003, noting a focus on the budget and some
significant decisions facing the City. He anticipated staff would return to the Council sometime
in the year with a fire district and library district proposal. He briefly described the scope of work
required for those efforts and the required regulatory processes.
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Responding to a question from Councilor Burge regarding the use of any money left over from
the four-year fire levy if a fire district formation was approved before the levy expired, Mr. Kelly
explained that the district, if formed, would likely over the levy by one year, and the council at
that time could make choices about the levy and timing of the district start-up. Councilor Fitch
said that if the City could complete work on the district in four years that would be great.
Councilor Burge said he just wanted to ensure the City did not get into a "double-dipping"
situation. Mr. Kelly explained that the voters would have to agree not to file a remonstrance
petition.
Councilor Fitch said she was asked to serve on the committee formed to discuss the feasibility of
a new fire district, and would bring updates to the council as discussions go on. She invited other
councilors to contact her with questions.
While she was willing to accept it, Councilor Fitch asked if the council's change in the priority of
the Jasper-Natron area sent the wrong message to the property owners that had been supportive of
the City's efforts. Councilor Hatfield suggested that it would be the County, rather than the City,
that would send the wrong message, given the County's threat to defundthe Jasper Road
extension project. Councilor Fitch asked if changing the priority would send the wrong message
to the Board of County Commissioners regarding the City's interest in the road project.
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Mr. Kelly briefly discussed the status of the Jasper Road Extension and negotiations with the
property owners for the right-of-way needed for the road extension. He said that the County
Commissioners have indicated they had another use for the funds intended for the project. At this
point, it appeared that the Oregon Department of Transportation had approved a Phase 1 Plan.
Parties to the project were in agreement that construction could begin this year. Dan Brown
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Public Works Director indicated that in approximately 45 days, the County Board would evaluate
whether the project should go on to Phase 2.'
In response to the issues voiced by Councilor Fitch, the Council agreed to leave the activity in its
current priority position and defer a decision on the issue until later.
Responding to a question from Councilor Ballew, Mr. Kelly provided additional information
regarding the feasibility study for the conference center. He noted that the Chamber of
Commerce and Lane County Convention and Visitors Bureau were sponsoring the feasibility
study. If anything came out of the feasibility study, he anticipated the City would be asked for
$10,000 in funding for the next phase of the project.
Referring to the Booth Kelly redevelopment, Mayor Leiken asked that staff, as it moved forward,
include what he termed the "Gunderson factor." He said that if Gunderson were stagnant or
laying people off, the council needed to know that.
Development Services Director Cynthia Pappas noted that staff would know if its grant
application to the Environmental Protection Agency Ground ,field Grant Program was approved
sometime in April.
TEAM Springfield
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Mr. Kelly referred to the information regarding TEAM Springfield distributed to the council. He
reviewed the agenda of the TEAM Springfield meeting scheduled for January 16 at 3:45 p.m. at
School District # 19. He said the information contained a letter that the TEAM Springfield
partners would review. He recommended that the City sign on to the letter, which was addressed
to various Public Organizations, Representative Groups, etc. suggesting that a long-term
collaborative process be developed to the State's budget problems. He asked by a show of hands
who would be attending the TEAM Springfield meeting. By a show of hands, the Mayor and
Councilors all responded in the affirmative.
Mr. Kelly asked if there were any additional items for discussion that the Council might want to
take forward to the TEAM Springfield meeting. Mayor Leiken said he would suggest that the
Oregon Business Council be included as a recipient of the letter.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
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Minutes Recorder - Kim Krebs
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Kim Krebs, City Recorder