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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/03/2003 Regular Ii . . . " City of Springfield Regular Meeting MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2003 The City of Springfield council met in regular session in the Council Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, November 3, 2003, at 7:00 p.m., with Mayor Leiken presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Leiken, Councilors Ballew, Burge, Fitch, Malloy, Ralston and Woodrow. Also present were Assistant City Manager Cynthia Pappas, City Attorney Tim Harold, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mayor Leiken. CONSENT CALENDAR IT WAS MOVED BY CO~CILOR FITCH, WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR BALLEW, TO ADOPT THE CONSENT CALENDAR. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 6 FOR AND 0 AGAINST. I. Claims 2. Minutes a. February 10,2003 - Work Session b. October 6,2003 - Work Session c. October 6, 2003 - Regular Meeting d. October 13,2003 - Work Session e. October 20,2003 - Work Session f. October 20, 2003 - Regular Meeting g. October 27,2003 - Work Session 3. Resolutions a. RESOLUTION NO. 03-51 - A RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT PERMIT PROJECT P30049 RIVERGATE SUBDIVISION, SOUTH nND STREET AND MAIN STREET. b. RESOLUTION NO. 03-52 - A RESOLUTION MODIFYING AND EXTENDING THE PROGRAM OF DISCOUNTED SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT CHARGES IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. 4. Ordinances " Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 3,2003 Page 2 . a. ORDINANCE NO. 6067 - AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ARTICLE 40 OF THE SPRINGFIELD DEVELOPMENT CODE TO ADD DOWNTOWN AUTOMOBILE AND LIGHT-TRUCK DEALERS IN EXISTENCE AS OF JUNE 3, 2002, TO THE LIST OF PERMITTED USES IN THE MIXED-USE COMMERCIAL ZONE; AND ADOPTING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE. b. ORDINANCE NO. 6068 - AN ORDINANCE VACATING A 14-FOOT WIDE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY (ALLEY) BETWEEN SOUTH 'A' STREET AND MAIN STREET FROM 8TIl STREET TO lOTIl STREET, JOURNAL NUMBER 2002-08-0254. 5. Other Routine Matters a. Approval to Authorize the City Manager to Execute the Contract with McKenzie Fire & Rescue to Purchase from City of Springfield one 1993 Pierce Arrow Squrt in the Amount of $50,000. b. Award the Subject Contract for Project P20369, 66th Street UlC (Storm Drain) Decommission to Wildish Construction Co. in the Amount of 38,742.00. BUSINESS FROM THE AUDIENCE . 1. Andrew Weber. 39896 Place Road, Fall Creek, OR 97438. Mr. Weber represents the five major tow companies in Springfield. He said in 1989 tow companies were required to have a lot in Springfield in order to have a contract with the Springfield Police on their rotation list. At some point in time, the policy changed allowing tow companies from outside of Springfield to contract with the City of Springfield on their rotation list. This takes money away from our own community and does not give the local tow companies,a chance to expand. Eugene does not allow tow companies that do not have a lot in Eugene to contract with them. He explained some of the negative impacts caused by having tow companies from outside the city limits. He asked that council take this into advisement and consider changing their policy so that only those with a lot in Springfield could contract with the Springfield Police. Councilor Ralston asked about the two companies that are outside of Springfield city limits. It was listed as an option in the memo from Captain Harrison that the two tow companies outside the city could be grandfathered in if the contracting policy were to change. He asked where these two companies were located. Mr. Weber said one is located in Coburg and one located in West Eugene. He noted the distance from West Eugene to Springfield and the difficulty those tow trucks would have getting to Springfield within the required 20 minutes without breaking the law. Councilor Ralston asked how the other tow companies in Springfield felt about grandfathering those two companies into the contracts. Mr. Weber said it is acceptable, but they did ask that if either of those companies either sold or went out of business, they would not be allowed back on the Springfield list until they bought a lot in Springfield. . Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 3,2003 Page 3 . Mayor Leiken suggested bringing this to a work session for discussion. He thanked Mr. Weber for bringing this to the council's attention. Ms. Pappas said this item could get scheduled as a work session on November 10,2003. 2. Paul Dixon, 1055 S. 28th Street, Springfield, OR. Mr. Dixon said he is here tonight to discuss the road maintenance on South 28th Street. He has lived there for approximately 8 years and owns two pieces of property. He said there are about fifteen families living in this area which is predominantly county property. He noted the photos of South 28th Street from 1905-1910 in the city hall lobby and how it looks very much the same today. He understands there is a maintenance agreement that was a condition of approval between Rosboro Lumber and the City of Springfield for maintenance of that section of the gravel road that Rosboro is responsible for and that they have been performing the maintenance. Mr. Dixon said he is unaware of whether or not there are enough specific regulations in that document to require them to do it on a regular basis. He said the road is almost impassable for both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. He is requesting something be done on this agreement. He said that Springfield Utility Board (SUB) has the well fields off of South 28th Street and their trucks are on Mr. Dixon's property on a regular basis accessing those fields. He is pleased that SUB is maintaining the head gates, and he believes they too would like to see improvements on that road. He said the neighbors would appreciate it and it would not only benefit the residents, but also the city. Councilor Burge asked if this was a street that was never accepted by the city for maintenance. . Public Works Director Dan Brown said that is true. He said the issue of the poor condition of South 28th Street recurs periodically. We do have an agreement with Rosboro Lumber for some maintenance, but it is minimal. The road does need to be improved to city standards. Staff proposed such a project, but it was remonstrated by the property owners. Mr. Brown said a good portion of the street is in the county. Staff will prepare a report for a communication packet item. Councilor Ralston asked about the remonstration and if that meant the citizens did not want to pay for the improvement. Mr. Brown said that was correct. Councilor Fitch said information in the communication packet would be sufficient. 3. Fred Simmons, 312 S. 52nd Place, Springfield, OR. Mr. Simmons said the city has been richer from Councilor Burge's presence. He finds it int~resting to see the issues coming before the council tonight. He mentioned the towing company issue and how it affects private property owners as well. ' This is not just a simple issue. He said his purpose for coming tonight was to thank Councilor Burge for all the years of service he has given to the city. CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS 1. Correspondence from Mr. Ardis Smith, 5090 Forsythia Drive, Springfield, OR Regarding Traffic Issues in North Eugene and Springfield. . Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 3,2003 Page 4 . 2. Correspondence from Andrew Weber, 39896 Place Road, Fall Creek, OR 97438, Regarding Towing Contracts with the Springfield Police. IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILOR FITCH WITH A SECOND BY COUNCILOR BALLEW TO ACCEPT AND FILE THE CORRESPONDENCE. THE MOTION PASSED WITH A VOTE OF 6 FOR AND 0 AGAINST. BUSINESS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL I. Committee Appointments ,2. Business from Council a. Committee Reports. . I. Councilor Burge discussed the Downtown Springfield Association group. He said they meet weekly and their articles and incorporation, drafted by Merwin Logan, will be taken to Salem for filing the end of this week or beginning of next week. He said the group has identified eight or nine capital projects over the next 3 year period. These will be capital improvements completed on a phased-in basis as well as a prioritized basis. He said it is important that the group has some confrrmation of their capital funding from Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. Without a confrrmation ofthese funds, it is difficult for them to begin. The group felt it was appropriate to ask council that those moneys, approximately $500,000 over the next three years, be used for downtown. Councilor Fitch said council has committed to the downtown area, but it will go through the CDBG Advisory Committee to determine which projects the funds will actually go to. The targeted area is downtown. She assumes a substantial amount from this downtown committee would be submitted, but others may also have projects that could be submitted. Councilor Woodrow asked if the 29 percent was for the blighted area. Anyone in that area could apply for funding. Ms. Pappas said the Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) has criteria they use to review applications. Any applications coming through would have to meet "blighted" criteria. . Councilor Burge said he assumed the applications would have to comply with the HUD regulations and said they feel in each case they would. The issue is whether or not to go forward. When there is phasing for these projects, it gets more complicated. Without a long term (3 year) commitment, it would be difficult to phase-in those intended improvements. Knowing the amount the projects would be allocated would allow them to make adjustments from the beginning accordingly. He asked ifthere was a way to determine that amount. He understood we would receive approximately $500,000 over the next 3 years. The group would accept whatever funds they were allocated, but it would be very helpful to know what those amounts would be. Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 3, 2003 Page 5 . Councilor Ralston said today at the Housing Policy Board meeting they discussed what would happen to other needs if all of the funding went to the downtown "blighted" area. There was concern there would be no money for other projects. Ms. Pappas said one project is exempt from this and that is the I Street Project. She said a certain percentage of the money would be set aside for the downtown area for three years. This money would not be to fund a particular committee, but to be available for various activities and projects identified in the blighted area to enhance downtown. There would still be money available for housing projects, etc. Councilor Fitch said the downtown group will have worthwhile projects, but she does not wantto take away the checks and balance ofthe citizen committee which makes recommendations to the council. She said we have committed to the downtown area, but not to a particular project. Ms. Pappas said there was not a stipulation that these funds would be allocated outside the normal process, which is through the Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC). . Councilor Burge said now that council has determined the "blighted" area, would a project such as additional funding for the theater be qualified to apply for these funds. Ms. Pappas said she would check with Kevin Ko to get clarification on what projects would qualify for the funds in the blighted area. Staff will bring back information about the criteria for blighted area and who qualifies. Mayor Leiken said the city receives about $800,000 a year and approximately 24 percent would be allocated to the "blighted" area. Ms. Pappas said that it was 30 percent of 80 percent which equals about 24 percent. Mayor Leiken said that during this process if the downtown group presented their application(s) to theCDAC, it doesn't preclude the downtown group from getting all of those funds. Ms. Pappas confirmed that. Council has the ultimate decision. Mayor Leiken noted the opportunity the downtown group has to present the master plan they are drafting. He acknowledged the Springfield Renaissance Development Corporation (SRDC) and other downtown groups and the work they are doing to revitalize downtown. He is interested in seeing the master plan Councilor Burge's downtown group develops and would recommend they present it to the councilors individually. He mentioned this group has not used city funds in the past. ' . Councilor Burge said the group would like to have the opportunity to share their master plan with the councilors. They would like to keep the Mayor, council and staff informed. He acknowledged those on staff who have assisted them and Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 3,2003 Page 6 . reiterated the need for the group to know where to focus based on funding available. He does understand the view from the city. Councilor Woodrow asked Ms. Pappas to find out if council has the right to delegate the funds as they see fit outside of the committee recommendation. Ms. Pappas said in the past the council has chosen to allocate funds outside the CDAC process. The CDAC does make recommendations to the council and then council has the right to accept those recommendations or not. Councilor Woodrow asked if a decision made by council would fall into the HUD criteria. Ms. Pappas said as long as it met HUD criteria. 2. Councilor Fitch discussed the new Lane Transit District Springfield Downtown Station building going up on South A Street. She said it will be a green project, with 16 wells that will be an exchange for the heat system. She said she was able to visit the artist who is designing the 75 foot wall that is going to be put in place with tile pieces attached. . 3. Councilor Ralston reported on the Housing Policy Board. He said historically since 1991, the county has allocated Road Funds for low income housing. That has totaled about $4M and currently $2.3M has been spent. There are only a couple of years before the allocation runs out and there is $1.7M left. He said it was pointed out that Springfield has only been using 23 percent of that money. He would like staff to check into this to see if this is money the city can use for low-income housing projects rather than using some of the CDBG funds. 4. Councilor Ralston reported on Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority (LRAP A). He said in regards to J.H. Baxter & Co., LRAP A's hand is being forced to issue a nuisance against them and this may shut them down. 5. Councilor Ralston asked if anyone had seen the documentary on the naming of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Mayor Leiken said there was no mention of the Martin Luther King (MLK) street naming in Springfield in the documentary because there was no controversy here. Springfield handled things well and did things right. The documentary included interviews with Bobby Green and Bonnie Bettman from Eugene. The documentary only included controversial issues regarding naming streets after Martin Luther King, Jr. around the country. BUSINESS FROM THE CITY MANAGER I. Ms. Pappas reminded council about the reception for the local legislative contingent Wednesday, November 5 from 5:30-7:00 pm at the Town Club. She said this is an opportunity for council members to thank legislators who worked hard on behalf of transportation funding. . ADJOURNMENT Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 3, 2003 Page 7 . Mayor Leiken said it has been a great privilege to serve with Councilor Burge. He said it is good to know that Councilor Burge will remain active in the community. Councilor Burge said it has been a great honor to serve. The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m. Minutes Recorder Amy Sowa Attest: ~~.~ City Reco er . .