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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApproved Minutes - 2001-01-13 Special OWL os, c?rp1 io CITY COUNCIL RETREAT MINUTES January 13, 2001 Y�, arco9+ Mayor Judie Hammerstad called the City Council special meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. on January 13, 2001, at the Main Fire Station. Present: Mayor Hammerstad, Councilors Rohde, Schoen, Turchi, Graham, McPeak and Hoffman. Staff Present: Doug Schmitz, City Manager; David Powell, City Attorney; Robyn Christie, City Recorder; Joe Hertzberg,Facilitator 2. GOAL SETTING 2.2 Goal Setting Mr. Hertzberg explained that this was an opportunity for Councilors to lobby others for placing their dots next to a particular priority. Mayor Hammerstad asked how they would accommodate the annual goals and the long-term vision goals without losing sight of the big picture. Mr. Hertzberg noted that the City did not have a document setting out an explicit long-term vision, other than budget and planning documents. He spoke to the Councilors keeping their long-term vision and goals in perspective during the discussion. Councilor Hoffman suggested that, in 2001, a subcommittee of two to three people take on the project of developing a 2040 plan for the City, with one to two pages on each of the long range challenges facing the City. Councilor Rohde mentioned the 20-year Public Facilities Plan and the five-year Capital Improvements Plan. Councilor Hoffman observed that those set out the nitty-gritty details; he meant the global issues that took more than five years to accomplish, such as becoming an arts community or what they wanted the downtown to look like in 20 years or how to achieve a more diverse population. Mr. Hertzberg commented that, over the years, various Councilors have discussed developing an explicit sense of where the City was headed over the next 4 to 12 years but no one felt that a given Council could do that. He indicated that this Council probably could. Mayor Hammerstad observed that, in having to revisit all the issues that the Council has remanded, they could lose out on what their real goal was. She indicated that they could complete them by developing a work plan. She spoke to making sure that they had the vision that Lake Oswego would be a wonderful place. Councilor Turchi suggested developing two lists: one for the long-range vision goals for the City and one for the immediate catch-up and regular action items. He spoke to setting aside a certain amount of time in each Council meeting to deal with the long-term issues. Councilor Graham indicated that learning what long-term plans the City already had in place, such as the Public Facilities Plan, would help her in focusing on the short-term list. Councilor Rohde suggested a Monday session on the Transportation System Plan,the Public Facilities Plan and the Capital Improvements Plan in order to bring the new Councilors up to speed. Councilor Hoffman spoke to the Council developing a process for deciding on the global vision for Lake Oswego in the future. Councilor McPeak noted that a process that included broad community input would assist the Council in building community in Lake Oswego. Mayor Hammerstad agreed that the Council needed to make a decision with respect to a visioning process but pointed out that a visioning process involved a huge commitment of time and resources. City Council Retreat Minutes Page 1 of 18 January 13, 2001 Mayor Hammerstad commented that the goals they set today would probably be for things that were time-consuming and important, which would lead the Councilors to the visions that they have articulated. She spoke to building the process for the larger vision within six months. She mentioned that she has done a community visioning process in the past; it could become such a huge project that it caused community fatigue. She indicated that, with the School District undergoing its current planning process, someone would have to convince her that a visioning process would be a good use of the Council's time. She stated that she did want to get on to the bigger vision. Councilor McPeak noted that the quality of life indicators process also gave the Council a good set of inputs from the community. Councilor Rohde spoke to beginning with the five-year review of the Comprehensive Plan. He recalled the historical process of the Comprehensive Plan review, in which the Planning Commission made suggestions to the Council. He argued that the Council, as the policy body, should do the first review, send it to the Planning Commission with instructions on the changes that it wanted to see and let the Planning Commission handle the public process. Mr. Schmitz noted that the next five-year review for the Lake Oswego Plan was in 2002. Mr. Hertzberg used an analogy of a mountain to describe the different levels of goals. People operated most of the time on the footpaths near the bottom where the day to day stuff happened; during this goal setting session, the Council has discussed yearly goals, which were just below the timber line; the Comprehensive Plan and long-term planning documents were above the timberline with the overall vision at the top of the mountain. He said that right now they were discussing the vision, what they wanted to move towards. Mr. Hertzberg discussed the importance of discussing how the Council's values worked in the picture. He likened values to the sunshine that made the picture light and warm. He said that if they left out their values, then the same picture became cold and dark. He encouraged the Council to think long term, and to look up instead of down. Councilor Rohde discussed his concern with the recommended action measure (RAM) element of the Comprehensive Plan. He recalled that during the last CP review, people insisted in turning items that were clearly recommended action measures into policies because they believed that only policies were implemented. He suggested reviewing the RAMs in the Comprehensive Plan in order to identify how many the City has accomplished, how many were ongoing and how many have had nothing done on them. He spoke to either accomplishing a RAM or taking it out. Councilor Hoffman suggested that the Council do a walk through of the Comprehensive Plan at a Monday session. He mentioned different ways that the Council could use to pursue a long- range community visioning process, including a joint Council/Planning Commission Task Force researching other community visioning processes and individual Councilor research. He spoke to the Council becoming more informed about the long range visioning process opportunities. Mr. Hertzberg directed the discussion back to lobbying for priorities. Councilor Hoffman discussed the island annexation policy. He spoke to the Council developing a philosophy and approach to island annexations, an explanation of why the City was doing it and a mediation process to accomplish the annexation. Councilor McPeak endorsed Councilor Hoffman bringing this issue up again, as the policy adopted by the Council prior to her appointment bothered her. Councilor Schoen said that he opposed revisiting the policy, as he favored it. He indicated that he thought it would be worthwhile to review the possibility of discussing the advantages of annexation with the various groups. The Council agreed with Councilor Schoen's suggestion to combine the open spaces and parks and recreation priorities into one topic. The Council discussed whether the city/school partnership and the joint library were two separate issues. Mayor Hammerstad observed that the items listed by Councilor Hoffman City Council Retreat Minutes Page 2 of 18 January 13, 2001 dealt with the ongoing city/school relationship while the library was an opportunity available this year. Mr. Hertzberg clarified that the city/school district relationship topic included the library, as discussed yesterday, but the library topic meant going beyond that this year in terms of the library. Councilor Graham spoke in support of explaining the pros and cons of annexation. She observed that giving clear reasons on why the City was doing an island annexation might not pacify the neighbors but at least the City would have given them concrete information. The Council discussed how to handle the carryover items from the last Council. Mr. Schmitz argued that if the Council simply recycled the issues it inherited, it would not get to its goals or vision; it would be bogged down in the day-to-day stuff. Mayor Hammerstad commented that she observed over the last couple of years how the Council became siphoned off into little issues. Mayor Hammerstad spoke to the Council deciding to divest itself of the controversial issues leftover from the previous Council and to invest its time in positive actions, such as acquiring open space and adopting master plans. Mr. Hertzberg directed the Council to place their red dots on their top five priorities. Mr. Hertzberg noted that Transportation, Open Space, City/School relationship, and East End concerns stood out as the top four priorities of the Council. He directed the discussion to fleshing out those priorities. • Transportation Mr. Hertzberg asked what did the Council want to achieve in the area of transportation, what were its goals for the year. Councilor Schoen mentioned permanent long term financing for street maintenance, which has been a goal since 1992 (per Mr. Schmitz). Councilor Rohde spoke of achieving a regional agreement on the future of the Willamette Shore Rail Line. Mayor Hammerstad mentioned working towards mode split but indicated that the biggest part was funding for the Willamette Shore Rail Line. She clarified that mode split was a long term goal of looking at alternatives for transportation on Hwy 43, better bus service, more accessible bike paths, etc. Councilor McPeak mentioned adopting the Metro recommendations for Lake Oswego on minimum density, something that the previous Council did not do. Councilor Hoffman mentioned connectivity and the Council decision not to fund traffic calming devices. Councilor Rohde recalled that they decided that traffic calming was a neighborhood quality of life issue, rather than a transportation issue. Mr. Hertzberg directed the discussion back to what needed to happen in order to make a decision on permanent funding for street maintenance. Councilor McPeak spoke to making a policy decision on whether they accomplished funding for street maintenance through a Council decision or through voter action. Mayor Hammerstad commented that they needed to make a decision about the funding mechanism. The Council discussed a possible funding mechanism. Mr. Schmitz mentioned that he and the Mayor have discussed using some of the 30 cents that used to go to the school district, which the Council rolled back this year as part of the tax rate. He said that their reasons included the fact that the money was there(which the Council could decide to pledge to transportation) and his concern that Sizemore would come back with another Measure 93, which could permanently freeze their tax rate at where it was after it declined, and not at what their capacity was (according to the bond counsel). Mr. Schmitz stated that he did not want to lose that taxing capacity for future Councils. He described this as a somewhat non-controversial way to obtain permanent funding for the short City Council Retreat Minutes Page 3 of 18 January 13, 2001 term and to protect the City for the future. He clarified to Councilor McPeak that he said `short term' because future Councils might not want to use that money for transportation purposes. Mayor Hammerstad suggested looking at the taxing capacity somewhat differently. She recalled that when Measure 50 passed, all of the separate levies rolled into the City's tax base; the intent was to let the individual decision making bodies decide how to spend the money. She observed that those with levies slated for specific purposes simply kept them in place. Mayor Hammerstad argued that when priorities changed, it was legitimate for the Council to use its taxing authority to spend the money on its priorities. She held that they had an opportunity either to ask the voters if they wanted a road levy at 20 cents per$1,000 or to decide to use the money they already had. She commented that she thought it was foolish to have the capacity and a priority, and not to link them up. Mayor Hammerstad argued that it was not levy money; it was money in the tax base. She conceded to Councilor Hoffman that it was unused taxing authority. She contended that anything the Council was deciding on was up for grabs at any time, according to Lake Oswego's budget process, which was how the Council set its priorities. Councilor Rohde stated that that amount was a three-year levy approved by the voters to fund afterschool activities for the schools. He argued that the restructuring resulting from Measure 50 did not negate the Council's responsibility to the community and their expectations with respect to that money. Mr. Hertzberg summarized the discussion as this was an important discussion to hold, along with other possible funding mechanisms, but at the end of the year the Council would agree on a funding mechanism, and as a function of that mechanism, it would specify what the role of the public was. He asked if the Council had a timeline other than the end of the year. The Council discussed moving forward during this budget cycle. Councilor McPeak said that she wanted a thoughtful discussion at the Council level before taking it to the Budget Committee. Councilor Hoffman observed that approving it by April 1 would be in line with the budget cycle. Mr. Hertzberg asked if there was anything more on adopting long-term mode split and connectivity goals. Mayor Hammerstad indicated that she and Mr. Schmitz scheduled that for September when they reviewed the work plan for the year. Mr. Powell observed that the thing about connectivity was that there were some requirements imposed on properties. He noted that they did have Measure 7 issues with that and with minimum density but not with the mode split. The Council agreed that the target date for traffic calming was April 1. • Open Space/Parks & Recreation Mr. Hertzberg asked what specific goals did the Council want to achieve this year in open space/parks and recreation. Mayor Hammerstad mentioned an upcoming survey of lands and the need to decide which ones to purchase. She observed that the negotiations would drive the timeline. She spoke to acquiring the designated open spaces by the end of the year. Councilor Schoen mentioned approving the master plan. Mayor Hammerstad commented that approving the master plans, including Canal Acres, were probably action items they could accomplish soon. Mr. Hertzberg summarized the goals under this topic: acquire designated open space under the current bond, adopt the Open Space Master Plan, adopt the Canal Acres Master Plan and adopt the Parks & Recreation Master Plan. Councilor Rohde spoke to making a decision on the level of public outreach to conduct for each of the plans. Mayor Hammerstad mentioned obtaining comment from neighborhood groups prior to the public hearings. She confirmed to Councilor McPeak that they could post the master plans on the web site. City Council Retreat Minutes Page 4 of 18 January 13, 2001 Councilor Hoffman asked if the master plans included a long-range vision and/or funding. Mr. Schmitz said that the plans did not specifically identify dollars but they did identify possible sources. He confirmed that they did include a long-range vision component. Councilor Hoffman commented that since all three master plans involved money, adopting them implied that they would have to figure out funding mechanisms. Councilor McPeak referenced Councilor Rohde's remarks yesterday about the importance of volunteer efforts. She observed that even a tight budgeting environment or lack of funding need not deter them from implementing the plans. Mayor Hammerstad commented that many people adopted master plans in concept Mr. Hertzberg asked if the goal for the year included attaching a funding mechanism to the master plans. The Council discussed identifying possible funding mechanisms but decided that it was not a goal for this year. Councilor Hoffman asked if the community involvement needed to be separate. Mr. Schmitz reported that the Open Space plan document should be ready by the end of January and the Parks & Recreation plan by March; that did not include public involvement. Councilor Rohde suggested putting both plans out to the public at the end of March. Mayor Hammerstad indicated an end of June target date to accomplish the goal. Mayor Hammerstad spoke to the Council working on its work plan, following their goal setting, and developing a schedule so that they were not bogged down with too much to do. Mr. Schmitz mentioned September for the adoption of the Canal Acres plan. Councilor Rohde indicated that he thought that they could adopt it at the same time as the Open Space plan. Mr. Hertzberg noted that the target date was July 1. • City/School Partnership The Council discussed the priority goals for the City/School partnership. It identified four priority goals: resolving the library relationship, updating the joint use agreement, reaching agreement on the fire protection retrofit, and identifying long-term common interests. The Council agreed that the joint use agreement included the library, community meeting rooms, fields, gymnasiums, the theatre, and the pool. It agreed to pull out the library and the pool as issues to resolve separately. Councilor Hoffman questioned whether the Council should spend much time on the joint use agreement, as it would flow out of the situation in any case. He agreed that the library issue was important. He noted that they needed to figure out in the next 60 days if they needed the community meeting rooms, in order to include them in the school's design process. He held that they would not resolve the ongoing pool issue unless they decided to have a community recreation center. He said that those affected by those facilities (Team Sports, Parks & Rec Department, Community School, high school athletic directors) would take care of the recreation facilities, including the gyms and the fields. Mayor Hammerstad spoke to spending time on the library relationship, as that was very important. She observed that they had to decide about the fire protection retrofit or make another decision later regarding water. Councilor Rohde commented that the City needed to work closely with the District to design exterior accesses to the community meeting rooms, similar to the design work needed for the library. Councilor Schoen mentioned that the District specifically identified the updating of the joint use agreement; they apparently saw it as an important part of the process. Councilor McPeak commented that the message she heard in the passage of the bond measure was a desire to go beyond what the City and District have accomplished in the past. She noted that the deadline on the library relationship would be fairly soon, and then that item would be off the Council docket. She spoke to seeing what new things they wanted to accomplish when the District designed its facilities. City Council Retreat Minutes Page 5 of 18 January 13, 2001 Mr. Schmitz commented that all the individual issues could fit under the joint use agreement, except the pool, which was a longer standing issue for discussion. He mentioned that Tuesday night the Council could tell the School Board that it would like the District to design a facility with public access to the meeting rooms. He observed that ultimately it was the District's design. Councilor Hoffman suggested holding a series of discussions over the next year to identify what long-range common interests there were for the City and the District. He spoke to saving tax money through cooperative efforts, such as the Youth Council, the Adult Community Center, working with the computer labs and facilitating neighborhood associations working closer with the PTAs, etc. Councilor Schoen suggested quarterly meetings between the Council and the School Board. Mayor Hammerstad mentioned the small group from the Council that already met with a small group from the School Board. The Council set the timeline for the library relationship at `soon,' as they were working on the District's timeline but they knew that the District was heading into its design phase shortly. Mr. Schmitz mentioned that the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board has recommended that the City bring in a facilitator to negotiate between the groups with respect to use of facilities. He explained that the District had first choice for facility use, the City second choice and the Team Sports groups third choice. He said that, since the negotiation of the joint use agreement, the Team Sports groups have become a more potent force in the community; they now wanted a higher standing than third rank under the joint use agreement. Councilor Schoen pointed out that the joint use agreement has become much more complex than simply the use of facilities and fields; it now included the library, meeting rooms, access, maintenance and other issues. Mr. Schmitz mentioned that the School Board would have three new members starting July 1; the joint use agreement might not be a top priority item initially. Councilor Hoffman spoke to reaching a draft agreement on the use of facilities by July 1, given the history that Mr. Zupancic had with the issue. Mr. Schmitz said that he estimated reaching a complete agreement by the end of the year. Mr. Schmitz indicated that staff needed the fire protection retrofit decision made by March 13 for facility planning. He confirmed to Councilor Hoffman that some issues did have budget considerations at the City, such as the fire protection retrofit and the library. Councilor Hoffman observed that the Council would be making commitments for future years. • East End Concerns Councilor Rohde spoke to a new East End Redevelopment Plan by the end of the year and a draft for public review by the beginning of June. He indicated to Councilor Hoffman that the East End area would go all the way to the river. Mr. Powell mentioned a legislative bill introduced requiring a public vote on any substantial amendment to an urban renewal plan, such as new projects. He observed that it might not go anywhere or it might be modified, but if it went through, the probable date was August/September. He indicated that the Council needed to first decide if it had a problem with referring amendments to the voters, and then decide on whether to schedule the revised development plan before or after the possible law. Councilor Schoen asked whether they would have any Measure 7 issues with the redevelopment plan if they moved it up. Mr. Powell said no, as far as acquiring new property. He noted that new zoning regulations would involve Measure 7 issues but not until the City imposed them. The Council discussed the target date for the redevelopment plan. Mr. Schmitz indicated that staff could have the plan ready for public review by the middle to end of September. Mayor Hammerstad suggested a target date of October 1 for public review and adoption by the end of the year. Councilor Hoffman discussed his concern that, given the expansion of the urban City Council Retreat Minutes Page 6 of 18 January 13, 2001 renewal area to include the area down to the river and the number of unique visionary components in that area, it could be a two-year project. Mr. Powell explained to Councilor McPeak that Measure 3-18 nullified the Council's special levy authority to approve a maximum debt level; it did not prohibit the Council from doing any projects in the future. Councilor Rohde commented that Measure 3-18 allowed the City to have a redevelopment plan that went on forever and to spend as much money as it wanted. Mr. Hertzberg asked what was the Council's goal for the year with respect to Block 138, as that was separate from the East End plan. Mr. Schmitz described the process that Gramor had to go through following the signing of the agreement, which virtually dictated that Gramor would not break ground this year. Councilor Hoffman suggested setting a target date of April or May 1 to reach the agreement with Gramor. Mayor Hammerstad spoke to setting a March 15 deadline date to reach the agreement or re-evaluate where they were going. Mr. Powell noted that the City was obligated to negotiate in good faith; if they could not agree after setting all the parameters, then they could reconsider at a deadline. Mr. Schmitz indicated to Councilor Rohde that a March 15 agreement made it likely that Gramor could obtain DRC approval by the end of the year. The Council asked several questions with respect to projects relating to Millennium Park. Mr. Schmitz provided the following answers: • The agreement with the condominium owners on the garages was out several years. • ODOT and the railroad were considering the City's application regarding the railroad crossing; staff budgeted the crossing for this year. • This year the City needed to redesign the wheelchair accessibility ramp because the railroad gave the City only one crossing, and the current design required two crossings Mr. Schmitz indicated that staff hoped to do the First Street from "B"to "A"redesign by December, including Council approval of the budget for implementation and the design concept, which would match the style negotiated with Mr. Cain for Block 138 Councilor Hoffman spoke to developing a relationship with the Lake Corporation, as several saw the East End plan involving a significant lake component. Mr. Schmitz said that that should be in the East End plan. Councilor Rohde asked if the Council wanted to address Block 137 this year. Councilor Hoffman suggested waiting until Gramor built out Blocks 136 and 137. Councilor Graham agreed that that would present a much stronger argument to Mr. Wizer that he needed to do something. Mr. Schmitz suggested a small step of trying to reach an agreement with Mr. Wizer to participate in the street work on Block 137 to mirror Block 138. • Mr. Hertzberg recessed the meeting at 9:30 a.m. for a break. • Mr. Hertzberg reconvened the meeting at 9:40 a.m. • Additional major Council goals Mayor Hammerstad proposed adding e-government as a fifth major Council goal. She pointed out that a webpage was another way for the City to reach the citizens and vice-versa. Councilor Graham mentioned that she had put an e-government website under her fifth priority, community outreach and involvement. Councilor McPeak wondered if they could find a talented volunteer citizen to improve the webpage. Mayor Hammerstad clarified to Councilor Hoffman that what she meant by e-government was maximizing their electronic capability, from an interactive website to electronic agenda packets or receiving staff materials as staff worked on them. She mentioned that Mr. Powell could brief the Council on the public meetings law and requirements with respect to e-government. Mr. Powell concurred that they needed to discuss how far the Council wanted to go with e- government. City Council Retreat Minutes Page 7 of 18 January 13, 2001 Councilor Hoffman commented that e-government was an important concept to look at, noting that the Council already used e-mail. He pointed out that a website that no one accessed was useless in terms of accomplishing their goal. He held that trying to communicate with the public was a worthy goal as part of public outreach but simply to hire a Webmaster did not necessarily accomplish anything. Councilor Turchi spoke to making City government more user friendly by providing online applications for tree cutting or park permits. Councilor Rohde concurred. He mentioned sending daily e-mail updates on City activities and events to citizens who signed up to receive them. Councilor McPeak commented that she thought that there was a place for well-done neighborhood association webpages like Glenmorrie's. Councilor Graham mentioned putting photos of recently acquired open space on the website. She suggested including a counter on the site to see how many hits it received. Mr. Hertzberg asked if there was an action goal to accomplish by the end of the year with respect to e-government. Councilor McPeak mentioned finding out during the budget process if there was money available to hire the personnel needed to implement e-government. Mayor Hammerstad commented that, even if there was no money, there was a lot that they could do, given that this was a management process rather than a policy process. Councilor Rohde noted that if the Council decided to make a commitment to e-government, then it was up to Mr. Schmitz to allocate his management resources to implement it. Mayor Hammerstad clarified that she suggested as a goal for the Council, as opposed to simply providing Mr. Schmitz direction, in order to make the public aware that it was a goal. • Neighborhood Compatibility Councilor Hoffman described neighborhood compatibility as involving philosophical issues, such as large houses on small lots, the lake front design issue, variances, and neighborhood plans. He spoke to developing a strong philosophical framework of understanding neighborhood compatibility in order to decide land use issues, such as the proposal to develop long term care housing or the Albertson's parking lot issue. Councilor Rohde commented that, although he thought that neighborhood compatibility had a number of important issues that the Council would have to handle, he was not certain that it should be a primary focus for the Council this year. He noted that many of these issues were already in the pipeline. Mayor Hammerstad spoke to having measurable goals on which they could report to the community at the first meeting of every month. She noted that neighborhood compatibility and some of the more philosophical issues were difficult to measure. She characterized a small lot/large house ordinance as an activity, rather than a goal. She emphasized the need for action items for the philosophical goals in order to track them. Councilor Rohde noted the broader question of what was neighborhood compatibility. Mayor Hammerstad observed that Councilor Hoffman was suggesting that answering that question was the first step in the process. Councilor McPeak concurred with Mayor Hammerstad that neighborhood compatibility was not in the same category as the other four priorities. She commented that if each of them had the ability to think their way through their philosophy on all of those issues, then they would be better decision-makers with respect to the neighborhood questions that came before them. Mr. Hertzberg summarized the discussion as general agreement that the Council needed to develop a philosophical understanding and framework for neighborhood compatibility but it should not go on the short list of Council goals. Councilor Rohde commented that neighborhood compatibility was also captured in the long- range vision goals list. He spoke to the Council affirming its commitment to the long-range goals. City Council Retreat Minutes Page 8 of 18 January 13, 2001 Mr. Hertzberg asked if the Council wanted to add sustainability to its list of goals. Councilor Rohde held that sustainability was an important philosophy for the City to adopt, and a movement, which the City would be better off leading than following reluctantly. Councilor Schoen observed that sustainability was measurable. Mayor Hammerstad commented that the reason it has not risen to the level of the other goals was that the Councilors did not understand sustainability well. Councilor Rohde suggested scheduling a study session with a presentation on sustainability. Mayor Hammerstad said that she would also like to know what the activities would be to put the City in the position that it wanted to be in. Councilor Rohde said that he could accept that sustainability was 'on the cusp' of becoming a goal, pending further information on process. • West End concerns Councilor McPeak spoke to the need to push the community in the direction of cohesiveness. She argued that this Council should have a priority goal of addressing more attention to the West End, once it achieved the East End goals in progress. Councilor Rohde disagreed. He argued that such a goal emphasized a split in the community that he did not believe existed. He cited the numerous projects accomplished in the West End over the last five years as evidence that the Council has been paying attention to the West End. Councilor Hoffman spoke in support of Councilor McPeak's West End concerns. He conceded that the City has done projects, such as the Boones Ferry project and Bryant Road,but he was not certain that the City has done anything else measurable in the area. Councilor McPeak noted that not everyone in the West End saw things the way that Councilor Rohde did with respect to amount of City projects in the area. She spoke to the business district in the Boones Ferry area needing City attention in order to come up to a higher standard that would benefit everyone, including the businesses. Councilor Hoffman mentioned that there was an interest among the Kruse Way businesses to participate in city activities, specifically art; there was a growing movement to develop a sculpture garden along Kruse Way. Councilor Schoen spoke in support of Councilor McPeak's position. He argued that there were a whole series of issues relating to the Lake Grove business district, including pedestrian access and parking. He said that his support would focus not only on beautification but also on solving some of the business issues in the area. Mr. Hertzberg summarized the discussion as a majority agreement that something needed to happen but conditioned by the question of whether it rose to the level of a goal. He indicated that Councilors McPeak or Schoen could take the lead in formulating the issues. Mayor Hammerstad mentioned that this might be a goal for next year, following the Transportation Advisory Board recommendations and list of suggested actions. Councilor Hoffman pointed out that the West End also included eventual annexation of that area and dealing with open space issues out there. Councilor Rohde commented that he would not be surprised in the next year or two to see a DEQ declaration of system wide septic failure, forcing that area to install sewers. Mr. Hertzberg noted that this was the second issue 'on the cusp.' Councilor McPeak volunteered to serve as liaison to the Corridor Committee, along with Councilor Schoen. • Public Outreach Mr. Hertzberg noted that no one has spoken about urbanization and growth management, public outreach and community vision. City Council Retreat Minutes Page 9 of 18 January 13, 2001 Councilor Rohde said that, although public outreach was not one of his top five issues, he did think that it tied into other goals, such as e-government. Councilor Graham agreed that it fit in with the public involvement component of e-government. Councilor Hoffman volunteered to update the contact list of community organizations and divide them into seven groups of five, with each Councilor meeting once a year with his/her five organizations. Councilor Rohde mentioned volunteer opportunities, although he saw it as a management issue in which the City identified ways that community members could be involved. Mr. Hertzberg noted that everyone agreed that there were action steps for the public outreach topic but it would not be on the short list of Council goals. • Community Vision Councilor Hoffman spoke to Council discussion of what to use as a community visioning process in order to develop a vision of what the community would be in 50 years. He clarified that he did not expect to conduct the visioning process this year,just deciding how to do it. Councilor Schoen spoke in support of finding out what other cities have done to develop community visions. Councilor Hoffman proposed that he work with Mr. Hertzberg, and anyone else who was interested, in doing research into the potential processes. The Council concurred. • Things to drop Mr. Hertzberg asked if there were items on the list that were not a priority for the Council. He spoke to identifying those items identified by Boards and Commissions that the Council did not want them to put a lot of work into. Councilor Hoffman mentioned the quality of life indicators. He observed that a lot of effort went into that process but it was languishing due to staff and funding issues. Mr. Schmitz suggested that the Council discuss that question with the upcoming joint meeting with the Planning Commission. Councilor Rohde mentioned City government accountability. Councilor Hoffman commented that he did not know what that meant. Mr. Hertzberg stated that they now had their short list of goals: • Finding permanent funding for street maintenance • Adopting the open space and parks and recreation master plans • The four City/School partnership goals, involving the library, the joint use agreement, the fire protection retrofit and long-term common interests • East End redevelopment goals, including reaching a master agreement on Block 138 and a developing a new East End Redevelopment Plan • E-government He mentioned developing work plans and calendar needs. He noted the agreement to track these goals closely with a monthly report. Mayor Hammerstad commented that, although it would be nice if all the Council had to do was set goals and those goals drove the budget and determined the City's actions for the rest of the year, the reality was there were other factors driving the budget. She cited the lake interceptor as an example of something that no Councilor raised as a goal yet the City had to spend money on it this year. She concurred with Councilor Rohde's earlier comments that there were some important tasks that the City performed; these Council goals were in addition to those tasks. Mr. Hertzberg described the situation as 20% of the Council's energy went into discretionary items while 80% went into the ongoing fiduciary responsibilities of stewardship. 2.3 Process and standards for evaluation of Charter Officers City Council Retreat Minutes Page 10 of 18 January 13, 2001 Mayor Hammerstad discussed her concern that it was only fair to the Charter Officers that the Council knew what it expected of them. She noted that the City Manager, the City Attorney and the Municipal Court Judge were the Council's only direct employees. She spoke to Mr. Schmitz needing to know what the Council expected of him, and then the Council would evaluate him based on how he performed with reference to those expectations. Mayor Hammerstad spoke to creating a subcommittee to develop a process and standards for Charter Officer evaluations. She asked that each Councilor submit what he/she thought were the Council's important goals that Mr. Schmitz should achieve this year. She mentioned hearing e- government as a goal, and the expectation that the Planning Department would become more customer friendly and efficient over the year, due to Mr. Schmitz's re-organization of City Hall and taking on Planning as his responsibility. Mayor Hammerstad noted that they would probably have project goals from Mr. Powell, as well as the expectation that he provide thorough and understandable information in a timely manner and perform a lawyer's duties. Councilors Schoen and Turchi agreed to serve on the subcommittee with the Mayor. Councilor Schoen spoke to the importance of establishing specific goals and accountability for Mr. Schmitz,unlike the past evaluations, which were subjective. Mr. Hertzberg suggested using a process that had checkpoints throughout the year, as opposed to a once-a-year evaluation. He spoke to the Council being flexible and able to respond to things as they came up. • Previous Council work backlog Councilor Rohde commented that there were many things that the previous Council should have done but were politically impossible to achieve, such as open space purchases. He spoke to identifying those things that were in the pipeline at City Hall that still needed to flow through the process. He clarified that there were some things that he did not want to abandon simply because they were `tainted' by the previous four years. Mayor Hammerstad agreed that they should look at some of these backlog issues as they went through the work plan to see if they were still pertinent. Councilor Rohde discussed his concern with Lake Oswego police officers not living in the city. He said that he was working with Janice Deardorff on the possibility of a zero down government- backed loan program for police and fire employees to purchase homes in Lake Oswego. He argued that there was tremendous community benefit to having the police officers living in town. Councilor Graham suggested asking the police officers if they wanted to live in the community in which they worked; sometimes they did not want to because they wanted the time off. Councilor Hoffman concurred with asking Ms. Deardorff to explore the issue. Councilor Schoen agreed that there were advantages in the event of an emergency. Mr. Powell cautioned the Council that there were some constitutional limitations on requiring the staff to live in the city. 2.4 Legislative priorities • Measure 7 Mr. Powell distributed a handout listing possible legislative priorities for this legislative session (see "Legislative Priorities"). He reviewed the provisions of Measure 7 for the new Councilors. He mentioned the preliminary injunction issued in the suit in Marion County Court to stay the enforcement of Measure 7 while court arguments occurred on a permanent injunction; the suit would inevitably go through the appeals process. He noted that the Supreme Court threw out the separate action filed to force the Governor to declare the passage of Measure 7. Mr. Powell discussed the various options available to the legislature to deal with Measure 7, including referring a repeal to the May election. He explained that that would not happen because the legislators knew that the voters were sending a message with the passage of Measure City Council Retreat Minutes Page 11 of 18 January 13, 2001 7; the question was what did they mean? He mentioned the League of Oregon Cities' polling efforts to identify what the voters thought they were voting for with respect to Measure 7. Mr. Powell discussed another legislative option of referring an amendment to repeal Measure 7 along with a more reasonable constitutional amendment in line with what the legislature thought the people wanted out of Measure 7. He mentioned that the retroactive issue was another big question mark with respect to Measure 7. He noted the strong component early in the pre- session to do nothing. Mr. Powell explained that all this made it tough for cities to decide what position to take with respect to Measure 7. He indicated that the Council should keep in mind that Lake Oswego voted 60/40 against it. He held that a reasonable position would be to make sure that whatever legislative action the Council took had the least impact possible on City regulations and budget, that it was reasonable, clear, livable, did not break the budget and did not completely cut land use. Mayor Hammerstad mentioned that she thought that the legislators were more inclined to have an interim committee that would not make a decision until after the court decision. Mr. Powell agreed that that could happen. Mr. Powell discussed the question of what did the City do next year if the court ruled for Measure 7. He mentioned the point raised by the 1000 Friends of Oregon in their appeal of City ordinances responding to Measure 7 that nothing in Measure 7 expressly said that jurisdictions could waive state-mandated land use regulations; the jurisdictions would be stuck paying compensation for state regulations that they could not waive. Mr. Powell noted that the best scenario from staff's point of view was the court declaring Measure 7 unconstitutional, the appeals courts upholding that decision and the legislature doing nothing. He indicated to Councilor Rohde that he did not see this going to the US Supreme Court because there was nothing in the US Constitution that said that a state could not require compensation for regulatory takings. Mr. Powell indicated that the constitutional challenge to Measure 7 was under the Oregon Constitution with respect to too many subjects or not accurately informing the public of the full extent of the measure. He commented that it was safe to say that the voters did not intend the measure to have such a significant impact on city budgets. • Land Use Law Mr. Powell discussed other possible legislative priorities. He noted the City's usual position with respect to land use: maintain local government control of growth. He observed that criteria for urban growth expansions usually came up every session, as did the bill to make SLAP suits illegal under certain conditions. He indicated that another bill attempting to expand the 20-year supply of housing to include commercial and industrial uses was coming back. Councilor Rohde asked if anyone was interested in pursuing a modification of HB 2709 to require that the calculation for the amount of room needed for the next 20 years be based on the growth in the last 20 years, instead of on the last five years. Mayor Hammerstad suggested that Councilor Rohde find out what that meant in actual figures; if it were substantial, it would be interesting. Mr. Powell explained that cities might want to weigh in on the exclusive farm use issue because the land that lay outside the urban growth boundary might eventually come in some day and the cities would be stuck with whatever developed out there. He commented that he expected to see a minimization of the land use bills through which the development interests tried to chip away at the land use system. He indicated that Measure 7 would likely keep the state from legislating mandated requirements but they still needed to monitor that. Councilor Rohde referenced the `windfall and wipe outs bill' —the requirement that cities pay property owners for wipeouts to the value of their property but property owners did not have to share a financial windfall caused by their property value increasing due to government action, such as expanding the urban growth boundary. He argued that value of the land in the Stafford City Council Retreat Minutes Page 12 of 18 January 13, 2001 area resulted from Lake Oswego residents investing in infrastructure improvements for 40 years. He asked where was the citizens' return on their investment from the property owners who have paid farm value taxes on that land for so many years. Mr. Powell observed that the current majority of leadership in Salem probably would not look kindly on that idea but it was worth a try. He discussed the philosophy of Measure 7, which was that it was not the property owner's fault if the government imposed a regulation that cost the property owner money, and the government should pay. He noted that when a government imposed beneficial regulations,property owners questioned why they had to pay for something that they did not ask for, and which the government now claimed benefited their properties. He said that he could see if there was an organized movement this year to pursue an apportionment of benefit from the appreciation of value. Mayor Hammerstad mentioned that, when she was on the Governor's Task Force on Growth two years ago, she had hoped to develop a legislative package to address the costs of growth and to pay for the infrastructure needs but nothing happened. She described the irony of growth as the financial benefit went to the state general fund because the income tax revenues went up with the better jobs associated with growth and more business, which in turn went back to the tax payer in the kicker. She characterized the situation as poor public policy regarding how to pay for growth, how to mitigate the negative consequences and how to take advantage of the financial benefits. Mr. Powell discussed the expansion of the SDC authority to include schools, police, fire, library and other community services, whose costs increased due to growth also. He mentioned the conversation at the Mayors-County Commissioners-City Managers meeting about no one suggesting that any one impose full SDCs but rather why could the cities not have the authority to do so, if they so choose. He commented that he did not know if any bills would be introduced this year but he did think it was a rational position for the City to take. Mr. Powell pointed out that for Lake Oswego to push its legislators to introduce a bill on SDC expansion, they would need to form a coalition. He observed that so far the League has led those sorts of efforts. Councilor Rohde indicated that, while he agreed with SDCs for police, library and fire, he did not yet feel comfortable with SDCs for schools. Mayor Hammerstad commented that this was not going to happen, and they should not waste their time on things that were not going to happen. Councilor Rohde observed that one reason the SDC expansion always failed was because they tied everything together. He suggested separating police and fire from schools. Mayor Hammerstad gave the Council a heads up that if the local governments were given the authority to levy a real estate transfer tax, there would be a strong movement in the region to allocate that to affordable housing. • Telecommunications Mr. Powell discussed the telecommunications issues that also came up every year, including protecting the right-of-way authority and the right to collect compensation every year. He mentioned the current philosophical debate in many states: should cities, as stewards of the public land, charge compensation for allowing a private company to use the land, the same as the company would have to pay a private land owner? Or should the companies pay only for damage and administrative costs? Mr. Powell indicated that Oregon has traditionally charged compensation; it has been an important revenue source for Lake Oswego. He said that every year the telecommunications industry attacked that charge. He explained that so far the legislature has been sensitive to the idea that they should not take away local government financing without replacing it somehow, which has protected that authority. • Public Contracting, State Revenue Sharing, Transportation Funding, Urban Renewal Mr. Powell explained that, although public contracting issues were not on the Council's priority list, staff did spend significant time on them every year. He said that they monitored it closely City Council Retreat Minutes Page 13 of 18 January 13, 2001 because the traditional method of lowest bidder did not necessarily result in the most efficient way to administer a government. Mr. Powell mentioned property tax exemption bills as something to watch out for, as legislatures found them a popular way to appease various groups. He explained that these tax exemptions had a cumulative effect on cities and local governments in the long term. Mr. Powell noted that the State gas tax increase was not going to happen. He spoke to making sure that the cities maintained the flexibility to find creative ways to fund transportation infrastructure. He indicated to Councilor Rohde that there was nothing yet in the pre-session filing to restrict the ability of local governments to come up with their own funding. Mr. Powell mentioned the bill to refer redevelopment plan amendments to the voters, to not issue any debt without voter approval, and to allow voters to do an initiative to terminate an urban renewal agency. He indicated to Councilor Schoen that an individual was pushing the bill. He cautioned the Council that it was too early to tell if this bill would mean anything but if it passed, it could really change how LORA operated, especially in terms of issuing any debt on Block 138. • Municipal Court Records Mr. Powell explained that appeals to jury trials at municipal courts went to a de novo trial at the circuit court level. He said that cities, which offered full service municipal courts, had a process equal to the circuit court process, and should be able to send their appeals directly to the court of appeals. He noted that it was reasonable to send such appeals from trials in rural courts run by a Justice of the Peace to the circuit court for a de novo trial. He indicated that he would explore the latest bill addressing this issue. • Photo Radar and Photo Red Light Mr. Powell reported that, according to Lake Oswego's City Traffic Engineer, Beaverton's photo radar system paid for itself but it was not a moneymaker. He indicated that apparently the citizens hated the system and its impersonalness of using the mail; they preferred the one to one with a police officer with whom they could argue. He said that his impression was that it might be useful if there was a speeding problem in a particular area. The majority of the Councilors indicated an interest in photo radar with Councilor Schoen and Mayor Hammerstad indicating no interest. Mr. Powell described the process used for photo red light. He noted that cities used it at problem intersections. He said that if the Council wanted to get on an expanded list for cities authorized for photo red light, his office needed to know that. Councilor Rohde pointed out that Lake Oswego had 186 miles of streets and 16 stoplights. He argued that addressing the streets was more important than the stoplights. Mayor Hammerstad indicated that she did not like photo radar because it seemed invasive but she would not oppose it. Councilor Turchi said that the surveillance aspect of it made him uncomfortable. Councilor Graham commented that she found it invasive when the people who passed her were significantly exceeding the speed limit. She asked how else to educate people that speeding was not a safe thing to do. She held that speed bumps would not do so. Mayor Hammerstad said that she did not have a problem with cities having the authority to use photo radar if they so chose. Councilor Rohde recalled that photo radar passed the House overwhelmingly but ran into trouble in the Senate. He said that Senator Randy Miller opposed it and did not add Lake Oswego's name to the list of cities asking for photo radar, although Lake Oswego had asked him to do so. Mayor Hammerstad indicated that Councilor Rohde persuaded her to support photo radar. Councilor Schoen said that he would be willing to try it but not to commit to it for the long term. Mr. Powell summarized the discussion as 'yes' on photo radar and 'no' on photo red light. • Historic Preservation, Municipal Water Rights City Council Retreat Minutes Page 14 of 18 January 13, 2001 Mr. Powell said that he would not pursue the historic preservation issue unless someone indicated interest. He indicated that he would bring information back to the Council on the issue of protecting municipal water rights. • Bills currently filed at the Legislature - A bill requiring public libraries to disclose the check out records of minors to parents and guardians - SB 87, prohibiting smoking in places of employment, including bars and taverns, but not preempting stricter local laws - SB 2022, allowing cities to do bi-annual budgeting - SB 15, requiring local governments to identify and rehabilitate fire stations with seismic concerns (Lake Oswego had an issue with the South Shore fire station.) - Four bills filed to reform PERS - A bill requiring water suppliers of more than 10,000 people to fluoridate their water supply • The City Attorney's role during the legislative session Mr. Powell noted that he did not lobby for the City during the last legislative session. He kept the Council informed of upcoming bills of interest, helped facilitate Council testimony and coordinated work with other coalitions. He mentioned that the last Council thought that his work with the League staff in analyzing bills to determine their impact on cities was an appropriate use of his time. Mr. Powell said that he would continue his work with the League and testify on occasion on technical issues, such as the impact of public contracting laws on cities, if that was the Council's direction. He indicated that he would continue to provide information in the Friday letter on legislative bills coming up, and he would try to keep it short. Mr. Powell asked if the Council wanted to adopt officially the legislative priorities discussed. Mayor Hammerstad commented that Measure 7 would need to come back to the Council; at this point she would not support a referral to repeal Measure 7 but they did need to get it workable. Councilor Rohde mentioned the SDC issue. Mayor Hammerstad asked Mr. Powell to talk with the City's legislative representatives to see what they said about the SDC issue. Councilor Rohde suggested that the full Council meet with their legislators within the first two weeks of a session to inform the legislators what the Council expected out of them. Mayor Hammerstad asked Mr. Powell to set up a meeting with Senator Miller and Representative Devlin. She indicated that she wanted to get the legislators' perception of what they saw coming down the pike, as well as expressing the Council's concerns. • Mr. Hertzberg recessed the meeting at 11:15 a.m. for a break. • Mr. Hertzberg reconvened the meeting at 11:20 a.m. • Community Forestry Plan Mr. Hertzberg reviewed the priority list for items asked for by the Boards and Commissions but not discussed by the Council. He noted the Natural Resources Advisory Board's request for the development of a community forestry plan. Councilor Rohde commented that a community forestry program would be helpful with the sustainability program. He suggested that the Council read the report from two years ago on what community forestry plan involved. He indicated to Mayor Hammerstad that he saw value in such a plan because it clarified that tree protection decisions were not capricious but rather part of an overall management practice. Councilor Hoffman mentioned the storm water management component in the community forestry plan. He concurred with Councilor Rohde that the Council should discuss the matter. Councilor Rohde indicated to Mayor Hammerstad that the plan would be compatible with a revision of the tree ordinance. City Council Retreat Minutes Page 15 of 18 January 13, 2001 Councilor Schoen discussed his opposition to the Forestry Commission component, as he felt that NRAB could handle that task. He mentioned his concern at the addition of another City employee and expenses at a time when they were trying to reduce employees. He argued that they did not need a forester on staff, as the NRAB could also handle the education component. • Neighborhood Compatibility Mr. Hertzberg noted that the Council goals did not speak to the neighborhood concerns. He suggested revisiting the goal, as there seemed to be agreement on the substance of neighborhood compatibility. Mayor Hammerstad held that it was different goal from neighborhood compatibility. She spoke to Council focusing on preserving and enhancing neighborhoods, as it did through the adoption of neighborhood plans, because otherwise it looked like the Council did not care about the neighborhoods, and all the Boards and Commissions talked about the importance of neighborhoods. Councilor Hoffman said that, in discussing neighborhood compatibility, he meant neighborhood livability, similar to what the Mayor described. Councilor McPeak pointed out that every month a neighborhood issue came to the Council. She asked if they needed to separate out neighborhood compatibility as part of the Council's ongoing business. Councilor Rohde observed that the concern from the neighborhood perspective about what the City was doing was that it was doing something to mess up the quality of life for the neighborhoods. He said that he did not know how to address that in terms of a goal as opposed to a philosophical perception. He argued that they could not articulate a goal of neighborhood compatibility until they agreed on what it was. Councilor McPeak spoke to visioning and neighborhood compatibility as the ongoing change in Lake Oswego. She described Lake Oswego as made up of neighborhoods; the Council addressed compatibility issues in response to neighborhood plans. She questioned how they could write that as a goal, given that the Council addressed the concerns of the neighborhoods in an ongoing fashion. Mr. Schmitz suggested including as a preamble to the goals, a City Council statement addressing the vitality of the business district, the protection of the neighborhoods, and the public safety of the citizenry and property. The Council agreed with Mr. Schmitz's suggestion. Mr. Schmitz noted that the components directly affecting the neighborhoods, such as traffic calming, the open space and park plans, meeting rooms at the neighborhood schools and recreational facilities were elements within other goals but not goals in and of themselves. Councilor Hoffman suggested developing a neighborhood livability goal with the seven action items addressing the neighborhood livability issues raised. Mayor Hammerstad indicated that she did not favor including the decision on the concerns because she thought that it would differ from neighborhood to neighborhood. Councilor Turchi agreed that all the items listed affected the livability of neighborhoods, an issue that the Council needed to let people know that it thought was important. He spoke of the underlying problem as a belief that over the next 20 years, land in Lake Oswego would become so expensive that only the top 10% of income earners in Oregon would be able to afford to live here; people did not want that kind of a community, which was why they have raised these issues. Councilor Hoffman observed that one advantage of the Council discussing neighborhood livability was their community perspective on it, as opposed to a neighborhood perspective on neighborhood livability. He spoke to making a statement that the Council thought that it was important that the neighborhoods be livable but within the context of a livable community as a whole. He suggested `neighborhood livability in a community context' as a title for the goal. Mr. Hertzberg reviewed the items listed by Councilor Hoffman: adopt neighborhood plans, adopt annexation policy, adopt density guidelines, revise zoning code, make decision on funding for traffic calming,pathways, and big houses on small lots. City Council Retreat Minutes Page 16 of 18 January 13, 2001 Mr. Hertzberg removed `adopt annexation policy' from the list at the request of Councilors Schoen and Rohde. Councilor Hoffman referenced the point made earlier that many of the things the City already did related to neighborhood livability. He spoke of traffic calming as part of transportation, and adopting a pathways program as part of the parks and recreation plan. Councilor Graham asked if they should add affordable housing. Mayor Hammerstad noted that they had two years to start that process. She confirmed to Councilor Rohde that affordable housing came down through the statewide goals and the Metro Functional Plan. The Council agreed to add `initiate affordable housing guidelines,' as they needed to start the discussion with the Planning Commission in order to get it done in two years. Councilor Rohde reiterated that the Council needed to discuss the philosophy of compatibility. Mr. Hertzberg asked what the outcome of that discussion would be. Councilor Hoffman commented that new urbanism fit somewhere in the philosophical discussion, as the concept was to create a physical environment that encouraged and facilitated a sense of community and place. The Council agreed that the following list comprised the neighborhood compatibility goal: • Adopt neighborhood plans • Adopt density guidelines • Revise zoning code • Make decision on funding for traffic calming • Adopt a pathways program • Initiate affordable housing guidelines Councilor Hoffman indicated that he would put together a white paper on island annexation, as he believed that eventually they needed a more detailed policy on island annexations. 2.5 Councilors' special interests—committee appointments Mayor Hammerstad noted the list of the regional committee appointments and the liaison appointments. Councilor McPeak asked to appoint an alternate to MACC, as MACC had quorum problems. Mayor Hammerstad asked for discussion of the special interests of individual Councilors. Councilor Graham discussed her interest in equal rights for the gay and lesbian community. She indicated that she felt that the City has done a good job. Councilor Rohde mentioned that the interim Human Resources Director had expressed concerns about the City have a staff reflective of the community diversity. Councilor Schoen mentioned his interest in the water issues and the Endangered Species Act. Councilor McPeak said that she was interested in the Boones Ferry business/West End concerns. Councilor Rohde spoke to the need for undergrounding utilities, his concern that people misinterpreted Metro requirements as `Metro mandates' (when in fact the mandates came from the State who gave the authority to Metro), and revisiting the Youth Council. Mayor Hammerstad discussed her concern with the Youth Council. She held that it needed to be a meaningful experience, and not simply a resume builder. She suggested having the Youth Councilors do an evaluation of their experience at the end of the year. Councilor Rohde indicated to Councilor Graham that the City Council did consider the Youth Council participating with them at the League of Oregon Cities annual conferences, as well as in the youth track at the National League of Cities. Mayor Hammerstad directed Councilors Graham and Rohde to talk to the Youth Council and report back to the City Council. Councilor Turchi reiterated his interest in diversity. He indicated his intent to work with the Planning Commission and become knowledgeable about those issues. Councilor Hoffman mentioned annexation, Lake Oswego associations and visioning. He spoke in support of Councilor Rohde's comments with respect to Metro. He suggested that the Council develop a one-year program to ground the Council and other community groups (such as City Council Retreat Minutes Page 17 of 18 January 13, 2001 LONAC) in the Metro Regional Framework Plan and the 2040 Plan via presentations by Metro staff. He argued that this would address neighborhood livability in a community context, and help the neighborhoods to step back and look at the big regional picture instead of focusing on their own concerns. Councilor Hoffman spoke to developing a closer relationship with Portland State University's Public Affairs College through exploring the possibilities of meeting with professors twice a year to discuss the philosophy of government, and of using student interns on projects. Mayor Hammerstad observed that, in addition to an interest in the arts and the art community, her passion was the regional issues. She spoke to the value of regional thinking and the importance of the Council being grounded in the philosophic underpinnings of regional thinking. She concurred with Councilor Hoffman that Portland State University was a valuable resource for the Council, especially in understanding the concepts of urban development and new urbanism (as applied to their specific situation). She mentioned that she has been asked to serve on the PSU Urban Studies Advisory Board. Councilor Schoen asked that Mr. Powell give the Council an overview of the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC). He commented that he had not understood that the Metro mandate on affordable housing had a relationship to LCDC. 2.6 Concluding Observations Mr. Hertzberg opened the floor up to public comments. Lori James, League of Women Voters Chair, applauded the Council for the time it has invested in this process. She mentioned the diversity issue in particular, commenting that it would be nice to have things for kids to do in the community to keep them here, instead of heading for downtown Portland. Jeff Gudman, LONAC Chair, noted that LONAC saw the development and implementation of neighborhood plans as the number one priority. He presented an article to the City Recorder on the implementation of e-government. He spoke to the importance of the Council following through on what has occurred today, and the implementation from which the policies related to the budget. The Council and staff expressed their appreciation to Mr. Hertzberg for keeping the process moving along so well, with the result that this goal setting effort presented the opportunity for the Council to move Lake Oswego forward and to heal the community under the strong leadership of Mayor Hammerstad. 3. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Hammerstad adjourned the meeting at 12:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, 04)1:11W Robyn C tie City Recorder APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL: ON,Tune 19, 2001 sal/dirt") W0/ J ie Hammerstad, Mayor City Council Retreat Minutes Page 18 of 18 January 13, 2001