Springfield City Council — February 16, 2021

0:04 Ready and we are now recording. I'm going to call this work session to order of the Springfield City Council with roll call. Mayor Van Gordon Here. Councilor Moe Here. Rodney Here. Stare Here. Woodrow Here. Pictionary Here. And we have looks like we got one item which is the interview for the interim council candidates with Mary Bridget. So I'm going to turn it over to her. So uh walk us through it. Uh good evening uh Mayor and Council. Uh tonight you have uh interviews for the interim council candidates for Ward 1. There are four interviews scheduled

0:49 tonight. That's for four a half of the people who have applied. The second half will be at the next uh work session scheduled for next week. Approximately 10 minutes per interview. There is a little time in there. Um a little bit of cushion. And then you had discussed um the questions are on attachment one and discussed having um one counselor ask all of the questions just for um some expediency and to make it a little more smooth. Um and then just reminder to the audience there are opportunities to um provide input either at the CMO email address or individual email addresses for council. Um and that's on the city's website and has been pushed out to the public. Um AJ and Neil are working on

1:36 facilitating interviews and calling people up. Um and the people tonight are Kelly Mason, Michelle Weber, Thomas Lawrence, and Raymond Suit. So if you have um uh if you want to select which counselor will ask the questions for the interviews and then we can call the first person up. Um I figured that I would start with the first one and then we would just go by ward order um until we That makes sense. Okay. Yeah. And I don't think any Does anybody have any questions before we get started? All right, Mary Bridget. I think we are ready.

2:25 Okay, excellent. First person is Kelly Mason. Hello, Kelly. Hello. So, um we're going to go through a quick round of uh ro- uh questions. Um I'm going to ask them all. We put them up on the screen. Um so, everybody else is going to be taking notes. Normally, we would do it round-robin style, but we now live in the age of Zoom. So, if you're ready, I'm going to get going. Yeah, I'm ready. All right, let's do this thing. What are the primary reasons for your interest in the Ward 1 City Council position? Yes. So, I am very eager for the opportunity to serve the community that raised me. Um I've lived in Springfield my entire life, and I was raised by a single

3:12 mother who owns a small cleaning business, and I watched her struggle and fight uh throughout the years to ensure that I was able to get to where I am today. Um I want to show Springfield that this community raises strong, resilient, and dedicated citizens just like me who are ready to step up and be a voice for those who often do not have a seat at the table. Um in a not-so-distant past, members of our very own city council have exhibited hostility towards marginalized groups in our community, and I would like to help move Springfield forward in the right direction. And as the current chair of the CEDAC, um the Community Development Advisory Committee. I see this opportunity as the next step in my public-facing career and

3:58 an exciting chance to make a difference in Springfield. Thank you. So, the next question is what unique abilities or experiences would you bring to the council? Yes, thank you. Um, so I'm familiar with the duties of City Council. As I said, I currently serve as the chair of the Advisory Committee of the council for the CDBG and HOME funds. Um, I'm bilingual, so hablo español, and I am able to connect with and interact with the Latinx population of Springfield. And I've done this connecting work through countless outreach events, presentations, and mentoring programs. And it's through these opportunities that I've learned how to empathize and understand the

4:44 needs and experiences of this portion of our community. Uh, I have a bachelor's degree in P P M, which is stands for Planning Public Policy and Management from the University of Oregon. And I'm almost done with my MPA, which is the Master of Public Administration program from the U of O as well. Uh, where we study public policy and all about local government. Uh, so I believe that these programs and this course of study has offered me the skill set and the tools that I need in order to be an effective and well-informed public servant. When faced with a complex problem with multiple solutions, what processes would you use to select the best solution to the problem?

5:30 Yeah, this is a great question. Uh, when I was thinking about this, I was going to give you guys some textbook answer to this question, kind of citing the steps to public policy analysis and decision-making. But when I thought about my experience working on complex problems in the real world and how that applies to the work I hope to do with the city council, I realized that it's more about how well you understand the city, what's worked in the past and what hasn't, as well as the people that make it a community and using the pros and cons of various solutions that are presented, my understanding of Springfield and the needs and the goals of our community, even when we're faced with tough decisions, there's a clear path forward

6:18 and I will use my unique skill set and training and education along with my dedication to Springfield to put my best foot forward and pick the solution along with the other members of council, of course, that best aligns with those values, even if it isn't always the most popular decision. Please describe your understanding of the relationship between city council and staff. So, my understanding of the relationship is that kind of how the beginning of this meeting started, staff provides guidance and assistance in the administrative tasks and preparation of the packet that city council reviews, for example,

7:04 and city council makes decisions about how staff time is used primarily and that's what I've seen. So, my experience and my exposure to this has been primarily through the C-DAC, where we have a staff person who represents the C-DAC, provides us with information and background knowledge, which can be really helpful when we're making tough decisions. Also serves as a liaison between the C-DAC and the council, so I know that they do that work. So, hopefully that answers your question. Yes, thank you. If there were three things in Springfield you were permitted to do, whether it be to add, eliminate, or change anything, what would they be?

7:51 Yeah, so this is a really good question. I think it gives me the opportunity to kind of showcase some things that I feel passionate about. I realize that they might not necessarily align with what council has the power to do, but you said if I was able to do anything. So in no particular order, some of the three things that I would do or change would be to find, first and foremost, find easier ways to increase the stock of affordable housing and ensure access to these units in Springfield. Throughout many of our conversations within the C-DAC and beyond, it is so clear that the need for safe and affordable housing is only increasing and I myself have witnessed the barriers when finding suitable land and housing

8:38 and contractors in order to make all this possible, especially when it comes to public dollars. So that would definitely be something I would change. Number two would be to increase funding for K-12 schools. Like enhancing facilities for all schools within the district. I realize that council might not have the power to do this, but to afford our students, who are the next generation of leaders, all of the tools that they need to be successful and to thrive. And the COVID-19 pandemic has really shown how resilient our students and our families are and they truly deserve the best. And third would be to increase civic engagement. I know that you guys have these conversations a lot in city council meetings. I know that

9:24 it's hard work, but it's important work. And so I know how important this citizen participation is to the success of our community and I value the input that the people of Springfield have to offer as I often am a participant through the seat act and other channels and I believe giving the void a voice to diverse segments of our community will create a space for more trust in local government, for better informed citizens, and for favorable outcomes in the decision-making process and a more unified Springfield. Thank you. There are six city council positions. What do you believe are the advantages and disadvantages of collective decision-making and shared leadership?

10:11 Okay, so based on my understanding, I think some of the advantages of collective decision-making are that it promotes engagement and transparency in the decision-making process. It's more likely to be an inclusive process and take into account the needs of the broader community. Participated decision-making leads to better decisions and better outcomes usually. But the disadvantages might be that the process of collaborative decision-making just takes longer. It can be frustrating to some people, you know, the the time that it can take to make collective decisions. Also, while it involves others,

10:58 often times it still doesn't result in a unanimous decision. Great. Thank you. Councilors are elected city-wide rather than by ward. What advantages or disadvantages do you see with that process? So, the advantage to the city-wide election for city councilors is that it ensures councilors understand that their job is a lot more than just representing a specific ward. They get to represent the entire city and think about all the parts of the city and all the needs. The disadvantage to the city wide elections is that a ward election would kind of ensure

11:43 that each ward gets maybe special attention from their council member. In wards, you know, there are specific needs and issues that might be not might not be the same across the board such as demographics, socioeconomic status, the geographic region of that part of the city. And so the election by ward would kind of help to assure that those issues are given a voice at the council. Yeah. Great. We looks like we made it to the end. Thank you so much for your time. As I'm sure you know, this is going to take a couple of weeks. So you were the very first interview. So I appreciate the time. And then We will Mary Bridget, I think we're ready for

12:30 Michelle. Thanks Kelly. Great. Then the next person is Michelle Weber.

13:16 You think I'd have this zoom thing knocked down by now. Yeah. We'd all be experts at it. So the plan right now is we're going to have one counselor ask all the questions. And then the rest of us are going to take notes. So, I'm going to turn it over to Steve Mote, and he's going to take you through the questions. Perfect. Hi, Michelle. I'm Ward 2, so you're the second, uh, applicant, and I get to give you the questions. Beautiful. First one, uh, what are the primary reasons for your interest in the Ward 1 City Council position? Yes. Um, so while I live in Ward 1, I would like to be a member of the council to help foster, uh, vision, respectful discussion, and positive outcomes, which promote a safe, diverse, and prosperous place for all Springfield citizens to live and work. We have a lot of work to do around

14:02 issues of diversity and inclusion, around police-citizen tension, and, uh, those living without shelter. We have work to do around supporting our businesses and recovering financial, financially from the impacts of COVID. These issues impact our entire city, so it is important to consider the voices of all Springfield citizens as we look to find solutions. Thank you. Question number two. What unique abilities or experiences would you bring to the council? Sure. Um, so I believe a 28-year career in banking, combined with my experience as, uh, former vice chair of the Springfield School Board, uh, current chair of the Springfield Education Foundation, and other board roles have prepared me to be an effective member of the City Council.

14:48 I have experience with financial governance, policy process, administrative oversight, civic engagement, and intergovernmental resol- or, excuse me, intergovernmental relations. When faced When faced with a complex problem with multiple solutions, what process would you use to select the best solution to the problem? Um, so when I'm faced with a complex problem, I like to start by gathering facts and perspectives from multiple sources as there are often multiple multiple perspectives and facts around any situation. Only by obtaining these facts and hearing different perspectives and

15:34 taking the time to understand where those perspectives come from can I feel confident that I'm looking in the right places and making the best solution. As an example, citizens are rightfully concerned about some police actions being taken. And while I understand the desire for immediate action, it is important to gather as many perspectives and facts as possible to to determine the best solutions to each individual account or incident. There will always be those who disagree with any given outcome, but I have to be able to say I did my research to feel good about the outcome. Please describe your understanding of the relationship between the city council and staff. Sure. The mayor is the ceremonial head of the

16:20 city and presiding officer of the council. Council is the legislative and policy-making body. The city manager is responsible for administering policy and staff plays a very critical role in providing information to the council to guide decision-making. Okay, if there are three things in Springfield you're permitted to do, whether it be to add, eliminate, or change anything, what those be? There are so many things that um you know, we've done to make Springfield this amazing place to live. Um but as I kind of look at where we are today, you know, our country is in a really pivotal place and we're facing a

17:06 lot of challenges. Um so I think starting locally, we have a really really good opportunity to face these challenges before us and move forward together. Um so kind of just that mindset because I think if you start with these three, I feel like the rest kind of follows. So, I would work to change the climate of political divide as I think it hinders us moving forward together on important issues. And it creates mistrust and erroneous perceptions. Um, I would work to strengthen the relationship between police and citizens as we currently live in a city where not all feel safe. I would like to see a citizens advisory committee focused on creating an environment that values diversity and inclusion. It is time to bring our community together on this issue.

17:52 Um and I, you know, I just think we have a really solid opportunity right now to kind of jump on some of these, um emotional issues and and move them forward. Um Thank you. There are six city council positions. What do you believe are the advantages and disadvantages of collective decision-making and shared leadership? So, the the main one that comes to my mind, um, is that each councilor represents a different area of Springfield. Um, and I think this creates an environment for many voices to be heard and considered in council's decision-making process. Um, while there is, you know, rarely if ever going to be a time when every decision matches everyone's expectation, I think that collective decision-making

18:37 and shared leadership uh, creates a better chance for acceptance among varying groups. And the disadvantage, the main one that comes to my mind is that those living in specific wards expect their councilor to represent them. And if the decisions don't match their expectations, they can feel unrepresented. Okay. Sort of runs over into the next question. Councilors are elected citywide than by ward. What advantages or disadvantages do you see with that process? Sure. Um, the main advantage again there that sticks out for for is that the collective city council is accountable to every resident of Springfield and that every registered voter has the opportunity to vote for a collective collective council that they feel will best represent them.

19:23 Um the main disadvantage I see again is the same as number six where those living in those wards expect their councilors representation um and if those decisions aren't matching their expectations, they again can feel unrepresented. Thank you, Michelle. You're welcome. Thank you, Michelle. Um we'll be in touch. This is going to take the next couple of weeks, so I appreciate the time. You bet. Thank you. Mary Bridget? Great. Then the next person is Thomas Thomas Lawrence.

20:20 Hello. Did that work? Yes, we can hear you. So, um I'm sure as you've as you have heard, um what we're going to do is we will have somebody ask all the questions um and then everybody's going to take notes um as we go through this process. So, Council Rodly is going to uh lead you through the questions. Perfect. Thank you. Okay, here we go. What are the primary reasons for your interest in the Ward 1 City Council position? My primary reason is that I feel like I have the necessary attributes to represent not only people that would be in my ward um but a lot of the people who feel like politics of any level don't really involve them or don't really um

21:06 share their concern for them. Um I went to school for psychology. I work in the mental health field. Um I spend a lot of time weaving in and out of the people with the haves and the people with the have-nots and seeing the lack of resources out there available for people who feel like this whole system is not helping them. And I feel like I can represent that for people. Thank you. What unique abilities or experiences would you bring to the council? I think the main one that I would bring is being new to not necessarily to politics, but to being involved directly. Um I feel like right now with everything

21:51 going on, especially in the last year as we see our entire country kind of get upended with corona and everything else, we need people who were not previously involved to get involved. Um we need people who aren't already, you know, long-time established board members of other other groups. We need people who are in this because they want to be in it, not because they feel obligated or because they have to represent something. And I feel like that is me and a lot of other people who are starting to join in to these meetings on a weekly basis or bi-weekly basis. When faced with a complex problem with multiple solutions, what process would you use to select the best solution to the

22:36 Yeah, so this is probably the hardest one to answer just because it's so context-specific to the problem. Um but that inherently is the answer is that you have to have an open mind and there cannot be a predetermined answer to what it is that you want your solution to be. You and the rest of us would have to be able to take in all information from all sources, um be able to discuss it with each other, create a plan, put an appropriate timeline on that plan, and figure out where we can get the most solution solved in the in the most reasonable amount of time. Um some things are time specific, but most things aren't. So, you have to create a acceptable plan before putting it in place rather than just rushing into something, but you

23:21 also can't take so long that there are unintended consequences. And I think that is what is so great about having elected representatives to speak on behalf of the people in this town. Thank you. Please describe your understanding of the relationship between the City Council and staff. Yeah, so as I kind of just said in the last one, um the City Council are in most cases, the elected mouthpiece for the people living in town. They are the ones who get to share their version of ideas based on the feedback that they have gotten from the rest of the people living in town. And the staff then have the actual job details um and specifics,

24:07 but we get to represent for and um of the people. And I think that relationship is what makes it so effective in so many cases. If there were three things in Springfield that you were permitted to do, whether it be to add, eliminate, or change anything, what would those be? Yeah, so starting off with the, you know, hottest topic of our town at this moment, um the police force in the city is the first thing that I would try to figure out a solution to. Um regardless of our opinions on any of the extremely complex subject, um this town is spending a lot of money on lawsuits for policing, and that

24:52 inherently means it is an issue that needs a solution, because that is affecting all of us. So, that would be my first one. Um for my second one, it would be affordable housing. Um as others mentioned previously and um as I mentioned previously, um in the field that I work in, we have people all over our town right now who need help. And to be spending time figuring out how to fix bigger problems for people who aren't in dire need is frankly kind of a waste of time. We need to fix people who are in desperate need of help. There are not nearly enough resources out there to help the people in our town who need the most help. Um that goes with affordable housing for people who are unhoused and

25:38 that goes for affordable housing for people who are housed but can't afford it and are currently living off of the fact that we can't be evicted for not payment. Um there's not nearly enough housing around this this area. Um and then on my third one, um I someone else also kind of mentioned, but we need more civic engagement and I would love to see some version, even very um non-official, um to increase outreach from us, the elected officials, um to the people. Um more forums, um obviously technology inclined or in person when that comes available again. Um but we need more people involved. Um you know, we can't we can't fix all the problems that anyone has with only, you

26:24 know, eight to 10 people joining meetings. We need, you know, we need more. Um so, I would definitely spend a lot of time trying to get people back into believing that politics can make a difference. Thank you. There are six city council positions. What do you believe are the advantages and disadvantages of collective decision-making and shared leadership? Yeah, the the main advantage is getting a wide perspective of viewpoints um not only of the six city councilors, but of all the people who send emails and get in touch with them and share their opinion. And then funneling those opinions into much shorter sound bites so that we can

27:10 actually cover everything. Um we wouldn't be able to have 150 people showing up or more to all want their say. We have to have a way to narrow that. Uh the disadvantage then is that we can't all agree all the time. Um and to have a process in place that requires um such structure, which is necessary, also means that we might spend too much time at times um talking about issues and not being able to get a decision made um because we either don't agree or because there just isn't a good answer and we have to keep coming up with a better way to get forward. Thank you. So councilors are elected citywide

27:56 rather than by ward. What advantages or disadvantages do you see with that process? Yeah, so similar to the last one, um the best advantage is that that many more people get to have a say. Um regardless of where we live in this town, we all live in this town. Regardless of where we live in this town, we all live in Lane County and we live one freeway over from Eugene and we all live in Oregon and we all live in this country. As many people that can have a say on who they believe represents them and who they believe represents the best interest is always going to be an advantage. The more people that can share their thoughts and opinions, the better. Uh the disadvantages are if we're spending too much time focused fixing one area, the other areas might feel neglected either because they don't

28:42 have a representative or because their representative is busy focusing on another area. So in the worst case scenario, you could have six city councilors living four blocks from each other and the rest of town might feel like they're not getting their their due diligence of um representation. So, how do you fix that? I don't really know the answer, but um there there is disadvantages to to having people living a little bit farther out of town and not having a fair representation. Thank you. That was the last question. Yeah. All right. Well, thank you, Thomas. Um we've got one more interview to go tonight and then as most people know, this is going to take a couple of weeks, so we will be in touch as we work our

29:28 way through the process. Thank you so much. Perfect. Thank you. Mary Bridget? Okay, the last person is Raymond Sue. I can. How are you? Good. How are you? Doing good. Um so, we're going to have uh one councilor lead you through the questions um while the rest of us take notes. It works a little bit easier with this uh with this Zoom setting. Um so, Leonard Stairs is going to take you through the questions. I'll turn it over to him.

30:14 Okay. Okay. Sorry about that. I got a bum I got wrapped up in listening to these answers, so I got to uh got to pull it back up here. Here we go. Hi, Ramon. How's it going? Good. So, um, what are the primary reasons for your interest in the Ward 1 City Council position? Yeah, good question. Um, I've always lived, I've been a member of this community since uh I went to school here, went to college here. Um, both of

31:00 my parents are hard working. Uh, my dad was a mechanic at Lane Transit. My mom worked for environmental services uh for Peace Health. Uh, I've always thought I wanted to be part of some type of civic duties here. I started raising a family at a younger age and thought, you know, when they got to a more mature time I would put my hat into some type of civic duty here locally. Um, I do do a lot of volunteer work here locally. Um, but one of the main reasons is um just kind of feel like the urgent um need to move with the current, you know, some of the other candidates said, you know, some of the current stuff with the police, um, housing getting unaffordable. But then just also the national climate of politics really kind of has me on the ease and would like to you know, be part of a better difference

31:45 so better community. Thanks. What unique abilities or experiences would you bring to the council? Uh, yeah. So, again, I'm from this community. Um, I've had the opportunity to do um different associations. Uh, I had worked at Symantec which is now Norton LifeLock for over 16 years. Uh, when I started there out of the university, uh, there was over 1,500 people working um for that company. Uh, when they shut the office last year, um, and I went home remote, there was only 15 of us. So, I've seen a lot of my own community get disbursed through employment. Um, and then also just um being involved I feel like the couple people said with the issues with the police and employment. I

32:32 feel I have relationships with people in those different circles where I could bring them together and feel like really bond some of those relationships. Good. When faced with a complex problem with multiple solutions, what process would you use to select the best solution to the problem? Yeah, so I do think that's I feel like some people are I stole some of my answers, but I do think a collaborative approach, more input the better. But then there's also So I'm going to go back to my business sense a little bit. You have to look in um time and effort. So you know, how much of an investment are you going to have and what's the return on the investment? A lot of times this a solution or problem will have a long-term and a short-term. Something that might fix it short-term and then work on a long-term more

33:18 cohesive process. So I do like when I look at problems saying, "Hey, is there something that we can plug in short-term with minimal effort and then maybe work on a long-term that might take a little bit more effort." Please describe your understanding of the relationship between city council and staff. Yeah, good question. So my understanding, again, I have a degree in political science as well from the University of Oregon. I've served on boards. I was state president of DECA, state vice president of Oregon DECA. So I do have a pretty good understanding of how the council and the administration works. It's more of a partnership. So again, the council is going to be, you know, addressed to look at the big picture policy where then the city staff is more of an administration body where they would support the city council and

34:05 administration and, you know, personnel moves to free up the hands of the council to say. If there were three things in Springfield you were permitted to do, whether it be whether it be to add, eliminate, or change anything, what would that be? So again, going going last isn't the best service, but I do think some of the things that the other candidates are really the issues. One of the main things would be the how I would like to coin it is the relationship or the community relationship with the police force. Just being a community member, I do watch the local news, I read the local newspaper, and just seeing, you know, the community unease. I have actually friends that serve on our Springfield

34:50 Police Force and having to witness, you know, some of the you know, just the comments and stuff from their family members, not them but their wives, you know, having to, you know, stand out and protect inside of a riot and, you know, it's just discouraging because we could just get those people at a table rather than on the streets and talking. I wish I think I could help that. So, the community police and community relationships, the housing. So, again, I come from a very hard working financially strapped family and so I'm fully aware of my experience the housing crisis here in town. And again, it's not getting easier but there's really no easy solution. So, I'd like to at least involve myself with that. And then the other thing is just reopening our businesses and schools in a safe manner. That gets everyone I again I have three children. I have a grade school

35:36 children, a middle school and a high school. So, I'm on all three levels of our public education and very involved with the policies and going back to school and you know, the hybrid mode and really like to lean an ear as a parent to the council on you know, what what the parent are feeling in your community. And then I got said three but those are the big ones but other things I think, you know, I live here for a reason. I think Eugene and Springfield is an amazing place to live. And I love our parks. I would like to develop our bike and walkways especially in the ward that I live in ward one. I think there's a lot of opportunity for that. So, I'll give you four. Sorry. Yeah, four is fine. There's six city council positions. What do you believe are the advantages and

36:21 disadvantages of collective decision making and shared leadership? Yeah, so I'm a huge advocate of collective decision-making. Again, you're always going to have a better outcome with more input. But again, as some of the other candidates said, you know, whittling down that input to have a you know, supreme output is challenging, right? So, you do need to have a little bit of a system. And the system I like to have is, you know, you go, you know, everyone puts in a you know, their say, but you have to have consentment at the end, right? So, you might not agree on the final decision, but everyone in the collaborative needs to at least coincide and you know, agree to move forward. I guess the disadvantages is what some people said as well, it does take a little bit of time. If you are able to you know, make all

37:06 decisions on your own, you're able to move a little faster and swifter, but sometimes that also comes with recklessness. So, I do think the collaborative approach is the best way. Councilors are elected citywide rather than by ward. What advantages or disadvantages do you see with that process? Yeah, so I do think, you know, with a bigger body of a population, you're also also going to get a more diverse group and higher equality for the entire group. So, I do think it's a great that the entire city votes on all the wards, but again, the same thing kind of like what I said with question six, I see certain things in Ward 1 that could be improved and opportunities to improve, but might not

37:51 get the top of the slate if working with you know, all the other cities concerns or city councilors concerns. That's all we got. Thank you, Raymond. Okay. Thank you for your guys' time. Thank you very much. We've got one more week of this and then we will be in touch. So, thanks, Raymond. Thank you. Does anybody have any questions or comments before we adjourn? Or Mary Bridget, do we have anything else we've got to cover? No, nothing from me. Like you said, next interviews for next week, four more candidates, and then uh deliberation is scheduled for March 1st. And AJ, when we return at 7:00, we are on the same meeting invite, correct? Yes. All right, outstanding. I'm going to adjourn the work session, and we will

38:36 reconvene at 7:00 for regular session. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. All right, AJ, are you uh We're still half a second early. We may be half a second early, but we're always at the ready. Are you ready, AJ? Yes, sir. All right, I'm going to call the uh Springfield City Council regular session to order with roll call. Mayor Van Gordon. Here. Councilor Moe.

39:21 Here. Councilor Rodley. Here. Councilor Stehr. Here. Councilor Woodrow. Here. And Councilor Pishioneri. Here. Please join me with for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance Allegiance to the flag of the United States and to the republic republic for which it stands, one nation one nation under God, indivisible, indivisible, with liberty with liberty and justice for all. What with all those delays, that's interesting. So, as we begin our meeting tonight, I would like to ask members of the audience who are joining us online to please keep yourselves on mute until you are called upon to provide public

40:06 testimony. There are two different times this evening designated for public testimony, and will be listed as public hearings and business from the audience on the agenda. If you're are joining us online with a tablet, smartphone, or computer and wish to speak during that time, please use the raise hand option to be called upon to provide public comment when the designated time is announced. When we will call on you, please state your name, ward, or general location for the record. The order of public testimony is as follows. Anyone who has raised their hand, anyone who has submitted email in advance, if there is remaining time, Neil will read into the record. First item, please. Councilor your first item is the consent

40:52 calendar. Any comments? Make a motion to approve the consent calendar. I second. It's been moved and seconded to approve the consent calendar. Uh Neil, will you please call the vote? Councilor Moe. Yes. Councilor Roddy. Yes. Councilor Stare. Yes. Councilor Woodrow. Yes. And Councilor Pishioneri. All right. Next item, please. Next item is public hearings. You have one public hearing tonight. Public hearing number one is fiscal year 21 supplemental budget number two and

41:37 appropriations transfer. Resolution number two, a resolution adjusting resources and requirements in the following funds: general, streets, special revenue, transient room tax, fire local option levy, sanitary sewer operations, ambulance, storm drainage operations, insurance, and vehicle and equipment, and authorizing the transfer of appropriations within the general fund from contingency expense to city manager's office operating expense. And Neil Obringer is here for the staff report. Good evening, Mayor and and council. As Neil said, this is the second supplemental budget for FY21. The supplemental budget includes a range of requested adjustments

42:23 to the budget as articulated in the CBM and the attached resolution. First, staff requests that the council hold a public hearing on this item, after which I'm happy to take any questions on this supplemental budget. Are there any questions before we start with the public hearing? All right. I'm going to open the public hearing. Neil, do we have any cards for public comment? We have one hand raised from Lauren Williams. Um Lauren, I'm going to unmute you. I don't know if you're ready for this topic or business from the audience, but if you can unmute your microphone, let us know.

43:08 Hi. I'm trying to enter into the chat box, but I'm having some trouble. I'd like to speak during business from the audience. Okay, no problem. We'll just activate you at that time. No problem at all. So, mayor, it does not appear we have anyone wishing to speak on this item. Then I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing and entertain a motion or discussion. I'll second that. I have a motion to approve. Is there a second? I'll second. I'm still getting used to things. It's been moved and seconded to approve this item. Can you call the vote, Neil? Yes, counselor Moe. Yes. Counselor Rodli.

43:53 Yes. Counselor Stehr. Yes. Counselor Woodrow. Yes. And counselor Piccinini. Yes. The motion passes 5 to 0. Next item, please. Mayor, the next is business from the audience. We're using the hand raise feature, so we'll give folks a few minutes to figure that one out cuz it's a little different than we were doing with GoToMeeting previously, but um we do have two hands raised so far. It looks like folks are are now joining, so um Council, your first speaker is Lauren Williams. And that and she will be followed by Mike Eister.

44:45 Yes. Great. Hi, my name's Lauren Williams. I live in Ward 2. Um I'm in the middle of making dinner while I listen to the work session and currently, so I just wanted to hop on really quickly and um I wanted to comment my thoughts about the interviews. Um I really specifically enjoyed Thomas and Kelly. I thought they reflected the qualities I'd like to see um more of. I thought they were really exciting candidates. Um I thought Thomas's answers were really sincere and thoughtful, smart, and unique. Um and I felt that Kelly seemed clearly the most qualified

45:31 um with her education experiences and offered diversification um that we really need. That's it. I just wanted to um hop on in and say that I really hope that you Well, so far, I really liked those two the best. Thanks. Hey, old Council, your next speaker is Mike Eister followed by Elizabeth Utterback. Um AJ, nobody's seeing the timer. All I'm seeing right now is the flag.

46:20 Can you hear me? Yes, we can. And do we have a timer? Yep, it's on. Yes. Yep. Thank you. Okay. Good evening, Council and Mayor. Uh, this is Mike Ister, Ward 2. The job of filling the Ward 1 Council seat is one of the most important decisions among many important decisions you will make this year. I have three requests. One, that you apply an equity lens as you consider applicants for the vacancy. Two, that you give yourselves considerably more time than 10 minutes per applicant to vet the applicants. Three, that you give the public considerably more time than 20 minutes to provide input after all applicants have been interviewed. Equity lens. The current vacancy on the Council

47:06 permits this Council to make a deliberate decision, take action toward the Council goal of fostering an environment that values diversity and inclusion. One of the serious problems facing the city right now is racial unrest and lack of trust and confidence in the police department and government in general. The Council is fortunate to have candidates in the pool that make the Council more representative of the Springfield community. I ask that you use an equity lens as you decide on the Ward 1 Council vacancy. Two, vet the applicants. More time to vet the applicants. I realize that there's important work for the Council to do and that getting new Councilors on board will help that process to get started. However, of

47:51 utmost importance is selecting the best person for the job. Spending only 10 minutes interviewing the applicant simply doesn't give the council an adequate opportunity to get an understanding of the capabilities, skills, and qualities of each of the applicants. Perhaps it makes sense to narrow the pool based on an initial screening, then at a later time conduct a more in-depth interview with finalists. You could ask three finalists to each make a 5-minute presentation to the council followed by a Q&A session. This expanded process may require an additional or special council meeting or two, but the additional time could be very beneficial to Springfield. Three, opportunity for public participation. Another ongoing issue faced by the city

48:37 government is lack of confidence in government due to lack of transparency and resistance by government to public engagement in the work of the city. The remedy to this problem is to be more transparent and actively invite and create opportunities for engagement and participation. Providing 20 minutes for public input after all applicants have been interviewed is antithetical to promoting participation and engagement and contributes to frustration over lack of transparency. Please provide more time for public input. Thank you and good evening. Your next speaker is Elizabeth Utterback followed by Ginny Austin

49:23 and Lizzy, your microphone should be unmuted now. All right, thank you. This is Lizzy Utterback from Ward 3. I wasn't going to comment tonight because speaking up here rattles me, but this afternoon I had an upsetting conversation that I think you need to know about. A neighbor was saying that a Green Book is needed for Springfield so folks can know which businesses are safe. In the not too distant past, the Green Book provided African Americans with advice on safe places to eat and sleep when they traveled through the Jim Crow era United States. What a shame that we need that here in Springfield now in 2021. At least two Springfield businesses are

50:08 currently overtly defying the governor's COVID orders, one of which who's had their own armed militia that actually threatens state regulators as reported in the Register-Guard. This is done to intimidate and reinforce white supremacist values and is downright dangerous in terms of the virus spread. At City Council, we previously heard from a woman who testified that part of the reason she was moving out of Springfield was due to safety issues and how she may be treated by the police if she was ever pulled over here. Personally, I know two other people who left Springfield for similar reasons, and I know of two more people who won't cross the river to do business here due to valid fear fears of being racially profiled and harassed, not necessarily

50:54 by the police but by other Springfield residents. That is basically condoned by the police because we've also heard about how the police kiss off reports and don't follow through on complaints. And these are things that can't and won't be fixed by strengthening a relationship with police officers because these are not personal issues. They are systemic issues. We know Chief Lewis and the Springfield police officers do not have our best interests in mind as they have not responded to these businesses or the known violent white supremacists that reside here. So, I would like to know who does have our best interests in mind. Thank you.

51:45 Our next speaker is Ginny O'Steen followed by Amy Cothran. Yes, we can. Okay, hi. Um so, last fall the council strongly supported the idea that all police officers should give a business card with their name and badge on it badge number on it so that every person they encounter in their role as a Springfield police officer um would know who who they were speaking with. And preferably the card should be handed out at the beginning of the conversation. And um at that time Chief Lewis told the council that it would be done by the end of 2020.

52:30 And as of January 21st, when I was last talking to an officer, um it turned out the cards still weren't printed and distributed. And I'm wondering when that can be done. An incident occurred 2 weeks ago at which it would have been very important to have the cards. The woman was too upset to even remember if the officers had told her their names, much less give it um what they were. She couldn't remember. So, I I hope this we can start moving forward on this. Thank you.

53:15 Your next speaker is Amy Cothran followed by Irene Hinjen. Hi, y'all can hear me? Yes, we can. Great. My name is Amy Cothran. I'm uh calling in from Ward 5 uh tonight. Shockingly, I would like to speak about SPD, uh a concern that many people have in this city. Um specifically, I would like to speak again about the event on November 21st where Officer Robert Conrad failed to take any type of action including education, any type or education or dispersal of a large crowd of people who were gathering to protest masks. Uh I've tried reaching out to

54:02 Chief Lewis. I've reached out to the Police Advisory Council. I've even filed an official complaint. Uh one that I included all of you, you know, on the mailing list for so, you know, that you could be alert to things that are going on. From SPD, I've gotten no official response. Uh in Police Advisory Counting meetings, uh Chief Lewis has done nothing but try and dodge the questions. Uh and just overall, it's it's obvious that they are just trying to make this incident disappear. Uh based on that, because of their lack of transparency and because the possibility that Chief Lewis may have given an order to ignore a state

54:48 mandate, I would like to recommend his dismissal from the City of Springfield. In the last 6 months, he's shown his metal as a police chief and it it has not been good. People in Springfield has less trust in the police than they ever have and things are getting worse. If you want to have a successful city, having a strong and successful police force is part of that. And Chief Lewis is just not equipped for that. He cannot accept the responsibility and should be dismissed. Thank you.

55:35 Can you hear me? Yes, we can. Okay. Um Irene Henjum, I live in Ward 3 and I would like to speak about um, the Ward 1 Council vacancy and I would just urge the Council to take uh, the diversity of the city of Springfield into account when they um, make this the selection for the new counselor. Um, it's very important if you are a person who um, it's a very important to see the Council reflect you as a person. Um, and

56:22 we need some more diversity on our City Council. And that's one thing and then I also would like to speak about um, that kind of ties into the police accountability issue and I really think um, we do need to move forward on things like the business cards and um, just the Springfield Police right now has an image problem. There's far too many settlements uh, going out and um, I don't know what can be done, but we do need to improve that image because it's not good for the community the way it is now. And um,

57:08 finally it I would like the Council to make a strong statement condemning white supremacy. Um, I think it sends a message that that is something we don't tolerate in our city and um, that would uh, I think is very important right now considering the climate that we're in. Anyway, thank you for your time and um I'm finished. And Mayor, it looks like our last speaker is Neil Box.

57:59 Can you hear me? We can hear you, Neil. Okay, great. Um I would just like to encourage the city council uh to make their choice based off of merit. Um just valuing people's resumes, what they've accomplished, the things they've done, the success they've had. I would also like to say that I've been liv- I've lived in Springfield for 15 years and I've had many opportunities to see the police department in action, even in on my street when BLM was protesting in my on my residential

58:44 street and causing havoc, the police demonstrated great restraint and kept law and order and were um very effective. As well as we've we've have been given business cards from the police. Um I'm not saying they're doing that everywhere, but we've experienced uh great treatment by the police and have been given business cards. And like I said, I've lived here 15 years and have yet to come across somebody that was a self-proclaimed white supremacist or neither have I noticed any white supremacist activities.

59:29 So, for the city to make any kind of statement thereof would be would be weird. Um so, that's all I got. Thank you. Mayor, it appears that's all of our speakers for this evening. Um I would like before we call the next item, is there any council response? I cannot tell Leonard if you're raising your hand or cuz you kind of covered it, so.

1:00:18 All right, thanks. Um yeah, I would just like to thank everybody who took the trouble to come to the meeting and weigh in with your with your comments. I I would like to address one specific comment that Mike Eister made without way without waving the 3-minute limit on public commentary per commenter, I don't see any kind of downside to allowing everybody who wants to speak on the council vacancy to speak whenever that's appropriate. That's all I got. Thanks. Uh Counselor Woodrow. Um I just want to offer a uh general comment and that is that we have

1:01:04 gone through the last year where nobody's been able to practically shake hands with anybody else. Um you know, you hit elbows and that kind of thing, but it's been a rough year. I've been in this uh community now for 24 years um and I would like to say that organization-wise, entity-wise, you can go anywhere from city councils to committees and commissions to the numerous entities, uh, county commission, League of Oregon Cities, any of those, uh, ELCOG, any of the organizations in the community. None of us have had a chance to meet with anybody else for the last year. I want to say, and I'm not making

1:01:49 excuses for any decisions or actions, but I want to say that part of that involves how often we would have seen our police department in casual settings. They would have an open house at the jail. They would attend the dinners of the various organizations to represent, uh, not only the department, but Springfield. Um, they're out in the community with their safety, uh, programs and their safety, um, things for the for the little ones, for the kids. There's so many opportunities that the community in the last year has not been able to see the police the police department, the officers on a casual level. Um, I miss it. I know that there's other

1:02:34 members of the community that miss seeing that. It's also part of their persona that we haven't been able to see. And I think I think it would be a balance that's missing right now. I know that there's issues. I know there's things that have to be dealt with and looked at and and considered. But at the same time, we also have a police department that does care. We also have officers out there that, believe me, if they weren't out there because they cared, they wouldn't be there because it's been a terrible climate for, uh, nationally as well as locally. So, I just think we need to understand that there are times right now in the last year we have not had the opportunity to see the police department and our officers as regular people who

1:03:21 have go home to their families every night. They you know, they put their officer uniform on every day to take care of the community. Yeah, there's problems. Yeah, there's officers that make bad decisions, but the majority of them are out there for a purpose and that is to serve the community or they wouldn't be putting up with everything they put up with. So, I just want to put out there that there's a part of the police department we have not been able to see for uh at least a year now and and we need to we need to consider that. We need to keep that in mind. Okay. Thank you. I appreciate hearing both those perspectives on different things and I just want to

1:04:07 what I want to say is one of the things that I think we heard tonight and I think we hear over and over again is that um our community members do not experience public safety the same. So, depending on skin color, depending on whether you're housed or unhoused, to to assume that there is one way that people are experiencing public safety, I think is a is a problem for us and so for us to think about that as we're thinking about how we may personally be experiencing it or how how we may have historically experienced interactions with the police and also hold that other people have not experienced in the same way. And I also I appreciate that Councilor Woodrow is

1:04:52 you know, talking about our police officers and our public safety as people and I think what the challenges that we have to deal with are the systemic challenges to how our public safety is operating and it's not just us. It's not just Springfield. However, in Springfield, we have some urgency because of things that have happened recently and things that have happened historically. So, I just wanted to say that, you know, I think we're we're hearing from people that they have different opinions based on how they're experiencing public safety, but that doesn't take away our responsibility to deal with this as a systemic issue that is affecting our city and is affecting us as as an entity. So, that was a piece I wanted to say. And I also wanted to

1:05:37 say that I always appreciate people coming and sharing. So, thank you. Anybody else? Um I had just one quick follow-up. Um and I didn't catch the last name, but they had the complaint Her first name was Amy. Um did Can the PD get her an answer? Um I've heard the name come up and the questions come up a couple of different a couple of different times. And you know, if if she wants to file a complaint, right? Like, can we at least confirm that we have the complaint and they're and they're looking at it and they're going to give her an answer? Mayor, this is Nancy. Um I will follow up with Chief Lewis on that issue. All right. I appreciate it. Um next item, please.

1:06:23 Mayor, the next item is business from the City Council. Is there any business from the City Council? Uh Counselor Kushner, are you Just a quick one that I'm not sure if everyone is aware that the Arapahoe director, uh Merlin Huff, is uh retiring after many years of service and that we are in the middle of not middle of, but actually towards the tail end of the new director selection process. And that um the announcement it would be forthcoming fairly soon. And that's all I can basically share at this point. That will be exciting to see a see answer. Um anybody else with

1:07:09 um When When is he retiring? Well, technically he retired the end of the year, but he's been holding on for uh to to graciously holding on uh semi full-time, mostly part-time, and and just keeping us rolling until we have someone on board, and then we'll make for a smoother transition. Okay, thanks. Mhm. I have two quick items. Um Councilor Roddy and I were just recently at uh the Home Consortium Governing Board. So, it was it's always get fun to approve projects and allocate funding. So, we approved out a million and like 1.2 million dollars of funding for

1:07:54 affordable housing projects for two sites in Eugene. The Springfield one should be coming up in the you know, in the next few board meetings, but the Home RFP is a long process, and it's awful fun to get to the finish line and give people money to build housing. And Go ahead, Joe. Just a quick comment. Actually brought that up, and I don't know I just want to make it was made aware to me on the the projects some recent projects that were done with the federal grants, etc., that the some of the things that are installed or being installed in those places were kind of set me back when you're talking close to $6,000 water heaters. So, um

1:08:39 that's the number I was given, and so I'm thinking, "Okay." And the the person added on to that same, "Well, hey, it's a federal project. That's how they all go." And I would like to you know, and we were talking about when we approved those projects and how much money it is and how much it is per square foot that I brought up the cost per square foot compared to real life cost per square foot. And yes, I do realize they have prevailing wage requirements, but with that penciled in, I'm you're talking some of those costs that uh some of the things that are being purchased, I just shake my head. And I just wonder how many more houses and homes that could be built, people that need them, when those projects uh costs can be looked at and

1:09:25 saying, "Okay, well, how how much bigger can we make this because of this shaving these costs down?" Or how many more units we could build. And we're going to turn right around and say, "Hey, we really need these units." But is people are people really looking at how much is it really costing us to build these units? And how much and where can we save so we can increase the amount of units that are being built? Just saying. Oh, that's good feedback. It Is Is there any way to audit that or pay attention to that? Well, theoretically, I think the the fox is watching the henhouse. Okay. I mean, there there you know, the person who's got the project that's been approved and and because, "Hey, it's going to cost this much." It's been approved and I

1:10:10 assume that there should be some sort of of uh checks and balances, but I think that it's a when you have the same companies that are building those projects and no others are building them, there it just it's I just think there's a lot of room for some oversight and some looking into an in-depth look into those projects because I think it could free up a ton of money and we can increase the amount of housing that we so desperately need and everybody yells about, but we're not looking for solutions in a practical matter. Go ahead, Corey. So, I I'm I'm I'm new to the conversations, um but my understanding is for many of these affordable home

1:10:56 projects that they're actually uh collaboration between several entities. Um and including, you know, Homes for Good, including us in some cases and getting to check in them. And I would also be interested in looking at an audit and seeing where things are going cuz I think that some of it might also have to do with code and what is required and what is required for housing that is accessible because I know some of these units that we talked about were for accessible units. So, I would I'm I would be really interested in learning more about it because I'm new and assuming that there might be multiple reasons for why things are costing what they're costing. Yeah, and there's a whole audit regime that goes on with the home consortium. Um

1:11:41 so, maybe we'll take that back and we'll we'll we'll get a quiet we'll get that answer for for the rest of the council about how building costs are are taken into it because the the development staff on both Eugene and Springfield are pretty involved through the whole process. But, it's it's a good feedback. You know And and don't get me wrong. I'm not sitting here trying to point fingers at anybody or make any accusations. I'm just going with what the feedback I have gotten from people that are in building the buildings. Yeah. So, but I'm just saying if that's the case, if if we're paying $6,000 for a water heater, I don't think there is any code possible that can codify a water heater up to $6,000 cost. Sorry.

1:12:26 No, I think you're asking asking questions that you have, which is good. That's how we get like move the dial on this. Right. It just sounds like the $600 hammer again. Okay. Um last thing that I had was state of the city's dropping tomorrow on the social media channel. So, be on the lookout for that. Um it should be out in the morning. And your videos looked great. Thanks for volunteering for it. All right, anybody else before we call the next item? All right, next item, please. Mayor, we have a few items under business from the city manager. Item number one, acceptance of capital improvement project P21142, the Main Street pedestrian crossing

1:13:11 construction phase three, and Michael Lebler is here for a staff update. Hello counselors. Can you hear me? Yes. Hi. I am Mike Lebler. I'm your city of Springfield transportation planning engineer, and it's a pleasure to present on the Main Street at 66 pedestrian crossing project completion. Out here at Main Street and 66 in our continuing effort to chip at the rock that is Main Street safety, we installed a pedestrian hybrid beacon pedestrian crossing. These are separate than the other crossings that we installed, which were rapid flashing beacons down on the other sections of Main Street corridor. This project was completed in January of

1:13:57 2020. We actually substantially completed most of the project many months earlier, but due to delays in signal poles, it took about 6 months to get our poles to show up and and get them manufactured. I do have a slight typo on the sheet. The approximate cost was more around $300,000. I was thinking previous construction costs as we put this out to bid twice looking for good costs and trying to complete the project. A lot of public outreach. That beautiful fence in the background that you can see there working with the Crawfords and many of the neighbors. It was truly a pleasure to work with all of the different property owners on this. Go ahead to the next slide, AJ. This project was the final of several

1:14:44 pedestrian crossing projects. Mayor Aliyah I can see you're smiling there cuz she's been there with me through through many many of these. The 2010 Main Street Safety study, which was completed January in 2011 just right after 2010 was really the emphasis for kicking off a lot of these projects. ODOT found around a million dollars of project funding and started off the process with some survey and installation of one ped crossing out at 44th. And then through working with the business and property owners, Mary Lee, very very very much. Thank you, Counselor Woodrow, for all of your help. Working to build several sets of

1:15:29 pedestrian crossings. 44th was one done by ODOT. We did 41st, 35th, Chapman, 49th, and then this final one out here at 66th. ODOT and the city got in in together with an IGA for the city to manage and continue to do public outreach after the 44th. There was $750,000 associated with that IGA to install the remaining crossings. So this is really the final of those sets of crossings that came out of that study. I'd like to end here with just my contact sheet and a special thanks to all the business and property owners who really spent 6-7 months on each set of crossings hammering out the details. Much thanks

1:16:15 to Counselor Woodrow for all the ones in the middle being our counselor representative and much thanks for Counselor Pishioneri to get us over the finish line with the last one out in his ward. So with that, thank you very much, Council. Mary Lee. Yeah, I just want to say this was truly a collaborative project. We started out with representatives from LTD and ODOT and the city and myself with each crossing um and worked with the study that was done and what differences there might have been or might be in what a location for a crosswalk and maybe it changed in the meantime in the years in in term

1:17:01 um and so we we worked with everyone with far side stops and the whole nine yards but we were out there with all the businesses to figure out what might affect them what what might be a benefit or not. There were changes made in order to make sure that their businesses weren't affected um negatively by these crosswalks. I think the biggest um the biggest and best uh reaction I got uh that I think all of us got was when we first went out numerous businesses sat there and thought okay we're we're interested in safety but we're not sure that this is going to work and we came we recognized their concerns and we expressed the fact that we were out there because the community had asked us to work on safety on Main Street and

1:17:46 pedestrian crossings were the first element of that. um I have two two things. One is that how many comments afterwards we we collectively got uh that said they're being used. They're working. People are actually using the crossing. I go all the way out Main Street every time I go in and out of town and I can't tell you how thrilled I was within the first several months that um uh I could look from uh 30 to get to 32nd Street or and I could look down Main Street I could see all the lights on at one time and I which meant to me that people were actually using the crossings they were actually creating a much safer environment. It's not going to get 100% all the time you know it's

1:18:31 not going to take 100% of the issue away but it sure contributes to more safety and opportunity to have better and safer crossings And I'm I'm thrilled with the work that was put in on behalf of on behalf of the staff, Michael especially was out there on on every one of them. Joe was there with the with the tail end. But it was truly a collaborative effort on the part of everybody and I like I said, it was the first in working on the safety on Main Street and I'm yeah, you can tell I'm excited about having gotten them done and and the fact that they are being used and they are helping. All right, Joe. Yeah, I I concur with everything that Council Woodrow has said and and I my

1:19:16 hat's off to Michael. He did a wonderful job with the interaction with the citizens and always finding that balance and and I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but the Thurston neighborhood area is a pretty tight crowd and there's a lot of communication back and forth with a lot of the folks on many different ways a lot and frankly we communicate mostly here by phone calls and um and I out of that whole project I literally got one phone call that was upset that that crosswalk was placed on Main Street and the main argument was is that it was a ton of money for not it's a big dinosaur sitting out there and it's this big eyesore and then you know, I just commented to him. So, let me ask you

1:20:01 this, would you consider that a waste and a dinosaur out there on Main Street if one of your family members got creamed by a car right about at that location? And he there was a moment of silence after that and and I haven't heard since from that person. But I mean I hate to use that as an example, but frankly it it really is. I have seen it as Council Woodrow mentioned, I've seen the crosswalks used this one out here gets used a ton and it actually seems like it's getting traction so to speak. Uh before people were seems like they were avoiding it cuz they were scared. Um and then the downside is just this last week I saw two kids using it. They used it, but they didn't take the energy to push the button.

1:20:49 I don't know I I'm looking at that I'm going, "What the heck?" And I'm like, "Can't you could push a button." And I mean actually it's more it's a lot more fun if you push a button cuz you can make cars stop. But uh anyway, so but it's being used a lot. I know the neighbors down there with the fences. I know them personally. I spoke with them several times and they're they're happy as larks about the whole thing and how it went and and actually part of they're happy about being part of that safety. You know, being a a part of that. So and I do appreciate all the new work that was done to it cuz it was cream Well, how was it? About 10 15 days after it was installed and got creamed by a driver. And so it's all back in working condition and I appreciate that. But anyway, yeah, it's it's a great addition I think it's actually a point of pride at least in

1:21:35 the Thurston neighborhood that we have that out there. So appreciate that. All right, thank you. Counselor Steer. Yeah, I just for my own information, Michael, how does a hybrid beacon work as opposed to just a regular beacon? Does it still activate blinking yellows? Um when the button's pushed? I guess, Counselor. A pedestrian hybrid beacon is is a a full signalized system. So a RRFB or rapid rectangular flashing beacon, just the yellow ones, just activate flashing yellow light that's that's really annoying and really gets your brain alerted. And so it's a more of a warning system. The pedestrian hybrid beacon goes through signal phases

1:22:21 and and has the red toggle. So it it first makes you go through a yellow phase to to slow the cars down and stop them and then gives a dedicated pedestrian phase with a red signal. And this was needed out in in the Thurston area because it's a higher speed environment. PHBs are 40 mph and more, whereas RRFBs are 40 and and below, so 35 with the other environment that we are in. It's also a two-stage crossing, so you hit one and then you go and you hit the other stage and that helps also with traffic flow. So that's the difference between the PHB and an RRFB. So it works more like a conventional

1:23:06 traffic light then. Yes, in in we are currently keeping it in the red toggle phase, but in in throughout the city we've changed those out because they have all the guts for just a standard pedestrian signal to more of just a regular three section, but we haven't quite quite got there with ODOT to accept on their facilities as a standard three section vertical three section as opposed to the red toggle. They both have very high compliance. Thank you. So now that one quick one if I can, if that's all right. So Mike, now you triggered a question. So the uh um the is it not going to be a blinking red of some sort to where the people will be allowed to proceed after they

1:23:52 stop? So that the the phasing for the PHB goes from a solid red and then to a flashing red. So the solid red everybody stops. Once the flashing red goes, then they can proceed in order, which means that just one car behind has to stop and then it usually goes to black full and then everybody just goes. Right. Is that being Is that being changed? Not not not as of now. We're keeping the standard per state phasing plan, Um, but we're we're willing and we've been working with the state and looking at the one other ones that we've changed out um and how those work and and we may change it out to just a standard head in the future. Um, but for now the state standard is what's out there on state facilities. Okay, but there's no plan to change the

1:24:38 stop and go. Not not as of now. Okay, thanks. I just had one more quick thing, Mayor. I just wanted to mention um that we did have a a media event that we were planning on doing um prior uh um prior but COVID kind of put the put the put the cramps on that. So, it's great to have this in front of all of you. I just wanted to let you know that we were we were considering a higher level of celebration for getting these things done. Just didn't have the time. Well, there's a lot of stuff to celebrate as soon as you can reopen the community. Um, and I just want to thank you guys, right? Like safety's really important in this community, but it really takes standing next to business owners and residents and everybody to

1:25:24 sort of figure out where to put all the infrastructure because it's, you know, there's not a whole lot of space out there and make it work. So, that's really where the kind of the rubber meets the road as far as, you know, improvements in Main Street goes. So, thank you. Um, I think we need a motion, Steve, if I'll make a motion to adopt resolution number three. I'll second. It's been moved and seconded. Um, can you call the roll, Neil? Councilor Moe. Yes. Councilor Roddy. Yes. Councilor Stehr. Yes. Councilor Woodrow. Yes. And Councilor Pishioneri. Yes. The motion passes five to zero. Next item, please. Mayor, the next item is item number two, fiscal year 22 budget committee process

1:26:09 discussion. Nathan Beller, finance director, is here for the staff discussion. Uh good evening, uh Mayor and Council. Uh the item before you this evening is a request for guidance on the fiscal year 22 budget committee process. Uh city staff are well into developing the fiscal 22 year budget, and we're at that point where we need to start planning for the budget committee process itself. Uh last year was a unique year, and um we were kind of hoping it would stay that way, but the pandemic is still with us. And uh we felt that with the uncertainty of what the late spring would look like, that it was prudent for us to plan on a virtual process again. Uh we felt that uh the process last year worked well with the few exceptions, primarily that being uh the abbreviated

1:26:55 process. Uh we planned on a single evening, uh but it rolled into two robust evenings, and um still felt that it fell short of the time that people would have liked to have had to uh had conversations on the budget. So, uh this year we'd like to uh return to the traditional four scheduled meetings. Um some other changes we'll have this year is uh the department presentations were 10 minutes each. Uh we heard feedback from the department directors that this felt short. At the same time, we want to be respectful of your time, and so we're going to expand it by two minutes. It's not a lot of time, so they'll be 12 minutes. Um there'll be roughly 10 presentations when you include all the departments as well as the uh capital project presentations. So, we're looking at a roughly two hours

1:27:41 of pre-recorded uh presentations. This also saves time for conversation um during uh the evening meetings. Uh we're going to be moving over to Zoom, uh which we've already done for council meetings. Uh we're essentially learning this on the go, uh and um I would hope um by late April and May that we'll have most of the bugs worked out. We'll also provide trainings for the budget committee members uh on that platform. Uh and then I I think the last um item that would be different is this year we'd like to do a training at the beginning of the first meeting. Uh this is something that we observed last year in the city of Corvallis's um budget committee process. Uh we liked what we saw and um the idea behind this is really just to go over Oregon um budget

1:28:26 law and the reason that we're there and and essentially um our purpose and the role that that budget committee has. Um I think there's going to be a lot of interest in this year's budget and I think that training will be helpful um for anyone new to the process. Um with that, I think I'm going to turn it over to you for uh discussion and questions and uh Neil Wobringer, the budget officer, is also here with us this evening if we want to go down into the details. Uh Counselor Woodrow. Um I just want to say thank you for having uh suggesting the training at the first meeting. Uh I can remember my first budget meeting as a counselor my first year and I was the lost. So I so I think a training meeting training information at

1:29:11 the beginning where we fit into the overall scheme of things, how our process works um from budget committee to council and all that and I just I think that's really good. It's a good refresher for us. It's also good for anybody that's new or hasn't heard it before. So uh thank you. I think that's a good addition. Uh Counselor Rodney. I really appreciate the detail that that was in the packet and the calendar having it backed out. Also just to idea of a train what Counselor Woodrow said for the new or even folks who choose for the first one here.

1:29:56 Um also really appreciated in the coming in the um the sort of timeline for when people could get into it and that would get the answers cuz I know that was I think we're losing you, Corey. for kind of flying a little bit We may have to come back to Corey. Did anybody else have questions or comments? If Corey's frozen. Yes. Hopefully she'll be back in a second. I had questions about we have two two new interviews for Ward 3 and Ward 4 that are coming up. Are we planning on doing additional training with those folks prior to or is the the training on the first day the only training they're going to get? No, there'll be a training

1:30:43 technology platform itself which will be Zoom and we'll talk about also the process of budget committee the the four evenings the agenda and so there'll be that opportunity for them and then the training on the first evening is really meant to cover kind of the global Oregon budget law and Oregon budget public process. Okay. Perfect. Thank you. Anybody else with questions? I'm sort of stalling for Corey. We may just have to move on and I'll and see if she can't send you her question by email. Marylee Yes. You said said increasing from two to four scheduled

1:31:29 meetings. Are we actually scheduling that fourth meeting with with stuff that's already set for that fourth meeting or is that fourth meeting in case we need it? It's going to be in case we need it again. So we'll schedule all the topics over three meetings leaving that opportunity for to spill over into that fourth evening. Okay. Thank you. And then I had I guess one additional question. So in the budget preparation I know that it's a lot easier if you could pull out you know, anybody that's like incremental head staff improvements, right? Because we're going to probably see a drop, but if we're adding an actual new position, guessing that people are going to want to see that. Sometimes that gets a loss when you roll

1:32:14 up the whole number because it looks like we're flat or, you know, maybe dropping head count when in fact we're if we're creating new positions. You we probably need to call that out. Yes, and I remember that request from earlier because sometimes it'll look like the FTE is the same at the high level, but there can be changes within. So, any changes within the FTE we'll be sure to call those out. Okay, I'm going to try calling on Corey and seeing if she's back with us cuz she just put in the chat that she could hear us. Corey? Can you Am I still frozen? SO FAR NOT. I was Nothing changed on my end, so I'm like, what is happening? I feel like I'm invisible. I don't know. All I I really wanted to say is that I really

1:33:00 appreciate all the appreciate all the detail. I like building in time for and letting people know, committee members know when they can ask questions and when you'll get back to them. I also really like adding extra time to the department cuz that was the part that I just I grieved the loss of that last year because we normally have such a a a nice time and a robust discussion with the department people and I get to really understand. So, I appreciate the adaptability and I'm for all of it. That's what I had to say. Thank you for your patience, everyone. And I do want to point out that the department heads will be there all the evenings and available for any questions. So, you still can have that robust conversation.

1:33:50 Perfect. Anybody else? I I think I think we're good. Thank you, Nate. Thank you. Neil, next item, please. Any additional um business from the city manager? No additional business. Thank you. Next item is business from the city attorney. Uh looks like no additional business from Oh, here is Mary Bridget. Sorry about that. No business. Then we are done for the evening. Thank you, Neil. Um thank you, everybody. Um have a great night, and we will adjourn this. Take care.