BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS'
WORK SESSION
October 29, 2002
2:00 p.m.
Commissioners' Conference Room
Commissioner Bill Dwyer presided with Commissioner Bobby Green, Sr.,
Anna Morrison, Peter Sorenson and Cindy Weeldreyer present. County Administrator Bill Van Vactor, County
Counsel Teresa Wilson and Recording Secretary Melissa Zimmer were also present.
1. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AGENDA
Item 10. a. pulled.
2. PUBLIC COMMENTS
Bill McCoy,
115 S. 3rd, Creswell, stated the Creswell area had been without
funded library service. He noted with
the growing population in the area there is a need for a community tax funded
library. He said there are over 90,000
people in Lane County without tax funded library service. He noted the Lane Library League was going
to try to provide that service for everyone in the County. He stated they have
a grant from the Oregon State Library, but they needed the Board’s help.
Jim Seaburry,
stated he met with Bill Sullivan, President of the Lane Library League. He said they are looking for support in the
unincorporated areas to pull together Creswell’s need for a library. With regard to the urban services study, he
noted people were upset about what happened at the joint City of Eugene and
Board of Commissioners’ meeting. He
said people weren’t consulted about the final recommendation report.
Green said there were a variety of opportunities for
people to participate in the River Road, Santa Clara transition process. He said many meetings were held on a regular
basis at North Eugene High School that included public testimony. He said people were asked to participate.
Seaburry didn’t think there was a public hearing.
3. COMMISSIONERS' REMONSTRANCE
None.
4. EXECUTIVE SESSION as per ORS 192.660
To take place after the meeting.
5. COMMITTEE REPORTS
Human Rights Advisory Committee
a. ORDER 02-10-29-1/In
the Matter of Assigning the Responsibility and Authority for Monitoring of the
Diversity Implementation Plan and for Development of the Phase II Diversity
Plan to the Diversity Action Committee (DAC). (NBA & PM 8/28/02)
MOTION: to
approve ORDER 02-10-19-1.
Sorenson MOVED, Green SECONDED.
Green asked how they would communicate to the Board
for monitoring.
Laura Yergan, Management Services, responded they are
looking at a timeline of activities and events. She said they would start the
development of Phase II of the Diversity Plan by the beginning of 2003. She said they would report back to the Board
three times next year to give regular updates.
VOTE: 4-0
(Morrison out of room).
6. COUNTY ADMINISTRATION
a.
Announcements
Van Vactor announced a preliminary meeting of the PERS
negotiations. He said they hope to negotiate a settlement by December 1.
7. PUBLIC WORKS
a. REPORT
BACK/Parks Financial Status.
Rich Fay, Parks, stated the Board authorized interfund
loans to the Parks Division, not to exceed $150,000. He reported that in 2001/2002, Parks had cash flow problems with
the expected revenues lower than expected.
He noted at the end of the year they had to get a loan of $115,000 to
cover their expenses in June. He said
they had been able to repay the loan including $401.71 interest to the fleet
fund as required. He added they are
$86,082 ahead. He said they have to
continue to watch their revenues and expenditures to build up reserves to be
more protective when they have fluctuations.
Dwyer asked when the Parks would be able to accept
credit cards for reservations. He
wanted Fay to have credit cards in place by November 30, 2002.
Van Vactor thought it was an achievable goal and Fay
could report back if that couldn’t take place.
Weeldreyer stated that Mr. Farner sent the Board an
e-mail indicating that the Parks Advisory Committee had voted unanimously to
not allow any variation in the parks reservation system for Chumwa Fen to have
some large events. She understood the direction from the Board was for the
Parks Department and Chumwa Fen to work together to try to find a mutual way of
cooperating. She didn’t think there was
cooperation.
Fay explained they reminded the Parks Advisory
Committee of the Board’s request to provide an opportunity for reservations
beyond one year and they chose not to do that. He said during their deliberation, they thought that 2003 should
be a trial year to see how the reservation system works. He noted their
recommendation was to try it and then expand it for additional years if needed.
He said they have to determine a rate that is fair based on the carrying
capacity. He added it would be an
amendment to Lane Manual Chapter 18, under special use areas. He said it would come back in front of the
Board.
8. COUNTY COUNSEL
a.
DISCUSSION/Annexations and the Urban Transition Agreement.
Wilson noted there is a variety of annexation methods
that are available and are initiated. She said sometimes the city council
initiates an annexation or it could be by petition or the Boundary
Commission. She said some of the
methods allow for an election at the end of the process and some don’t. She said that annexation doesn’t change the
status of County roads; it is the transfer and surrender process that changes
the jurisdiction. She stated annexation
would transfer the local access roads and only if the road is identified in the
initiating document as a piece where the jurisdiction is being moved as part of
the annexation from the County to the City.
She added it is determined by how the actual annexation initiation
document is worded.
Paula Taylor, Boundary Commission, explained the
Boundary Commission is a state agency that is created by Oregon law. She said it has an IGA with LCOG that
directs LCOG to provide all of the services to the Boundary Commission,
including staff and office space. She
said her primary job is to staff the Boundary Commission. She noted in Lane County most annexations
are initiated by consent from the property owner. She said most annexations they deal with are annexations to
Eugene and Springfield. She noted some
cities use the method under the law as the double majority that requires
consent from the property owner and the electors. She stated that no city uses the triple majority method that was
ruled questionable by the Oregon Supreme Court.
Taylor noted in the process of annexing property, they
sometimes include roads and right of way, but most cities are not supporting
annexation of roads. She explained that in Eugene, most annexations they
process are in the River Road/Santa Clara area and are generally not
contiguous. She said in Springfield
they are seeing annexation activity in the Gateway area. She noted in the process of annexation there
are islands created. She said that
island annexations had been initiated in Lane County and had been in process,
with the last island annexation occurring in 1987, along Gilham Road. She said the cities that are doing
annexations are only processing annexations that are supportive by 100% of the
property owners. She noted there had
not been annexations where there are non-consenting owners.
Snowden explained the first urban transition agreement
that dealt with roads was in 1987. He noted that within the following year
there were 30 miles of roads within the city limits of Springfield that they
requested surrender for. He didn’t
think the City ever requested surrender of the boundary roads and it has been
spotty inside the annexation for surrender of the roads. He said because they were getting a
checkerboard annexation pattern in the Santa Clara area, they entered into an
annual maintenance agreement with the city.
He noted the city is maintaining the same number of miles of roads the
County maintains. He said some of the
roads are already inside the city limits but County roads are listed in the
maintenance agreement. He noted under
the original urban transition agreement there were ones that should have been
surrendered. He said in the mid-90’s
they stopped calling it an urban transition agreement and changed the way
payments were made to the city and retitled it the County/City Road
Partnership. He explained with the
reciprocal maintenance agreement there are some issues that are problematic.
Van Vactor recommended Snowden have a discussion with
Curt Corey to see if it is a handshake agreement.
Dwyer wanted to amend the agreement that when they are
in the city, the city is responsible at the time they take it. He said they had to move in that direction.
Wilson explained there is a separate process for
transferring jurisdiction of County roads.
She said until they have a decision on annexation, they couldn’t begin
the process of surrender.
Van Vactor noted that the statute said the City has to
request it. He added they have in the agreement the requirement on the part of
the City to annually automatically turn them over.
Taylor said the thing that is most frustrating is that
people are oftentimes put in a situation that is unknown. She said they are trying to implement the
statute and when they try to make it more flexible or easier it ends up being
more complex. She added it was
cumbersome and costly.
9. COMMISSIONERS' ANNOUNCEMENTS
Sorenson reported that the
Land Management Task Force had its third meeting.
Weeldreyer noted the Challenge of Change conference was in Eugene last week. She noted the Oregon Telecommunication Coordinating Council met and by statute finalized their report and will present it to the Governor.
10. COMMISSIONERS' BUSINESS
a. REPORT
BACK/Letter from L. Michael Adler. (NBA & PM 9/25/02)
This was pulled until next week, as Weeldreyer did not
have the letter.
11. EMERGENCY BUSINESS
None.
There being no further
business, Commissioner Dwyer adjourned the meeting at 3:15 p.m.
Melissa Zimmer
Recording Secretary