HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-1101 SS MINMINUTES FOR THE
COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
REGARDING SDC'S
Friday, November 1, 1996
at
Council Chambers, 1175 E. Main Street
The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m. by Mayor Cathy
Golden. Present were councilors Reid, Hauck, Hagen and Wheeldon.
Thompson and Laws were absent.
Mayor Golden read aloud a Memorandum from Finance Director Jill
Turner, Director of Planning John McLaughlin, and Director of
Public Works Susan Wilson Broadus on the subject of SDC's. She
also read aloud a letter dated October 30, 1996 from Richard
Vezie & Associates which asked that the new SDC's only apply to
projects not in the planning process.
Councilor Reid asked how long one could stay in the planning
process.
Planning Director, John McLaughlin, replied that the length of
the planning process varies. In the past the fees have been tied
to building permit issuance.
SDC Committee Member Larry Medinger stated this would have an
impact on commercial building, but it possibly could be years
before a building permit is issued. He stated he felt that the
meetings so far had been cordial and the SDC committee should not
be blamed for this debate.
Gerry Cavanaugh noted that most people are not involved in the
planning process and only when the final results are known then
people will step forward. He voiced his concerns about
development, growth and what it does to future costs to existing
residents. He feels the City is within the ballpark of rationale
planning, but is in favor of even higher SDCs. He indicated he
favors business viability in Ashland and wants to sustain
businesses here. His feeling is that new businesses should pay a
fair share. He thinks the city is underestimating transportation
fees and asked the council to keep citizens in mind.
Finance Director, Jill Turner, stated this issue has been in this
process in excess of one year, and it was her expectation that it
should have been completed by July 1.
Committee Member, Darrell Boldt, felt that the committee took the
time necessary to do the job right. He said he would like to
resolve the issue of transportation. With regard to the water
supply, he feels if the city goes to capacity cost it would be
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beneficial to the residents.
Councilor Wheeldon felt the council should discuss the Minority
Report and identify the issues which are being refuted.
Larry Medinger said the SDC's were dependent on the assumptions
prepared by staff and we went along with, like storm sewers and
the water system, etc. He compared the Eugene SDC's with
Ashland's SDC's. He feels the city should put a capital
improvement plan in place for transportation. He stated it does
not make any sense to charge a lifetime SDC as small businesses
are not able to stay in business (e.g. restaurants). In his
opinion the SDC's should be done yearly. He said it was his
perception that more people are moving into town, and maybe
displacing previous residents. He wanted to know how many people
it would serve with regard to water.
Councilor Hagen stated that in his opinion other cities SDC's are
irrelevant to Ashland. He felt this issue should have been
resolved by July 1.
Councilor Reid asked if there is a standard to implement SDC's.
Don Greene felt the parameters should be changed and the City
should relook at a cost-per-person charge, and also look at the
population.
Mayor Golden said she felt the biggest increases in the recent
tax bills were for capital improvements for the schools.
Increases in the property taxes happen because the state does not
allow schools to charge SDC's for future needs. She stressed she
would like to find balance in future to keep taxes affordable.
Michael Gibbs indicated he wanted to look specifically at the
commercial retail aspect. He voiced concerns with the
transportation aspect. He feels a business owner may look
elsewhere because of the cost of doing business in Ashland, and
that this is discouraging economic development. He questioned
how the city could do this prior to the proposed transportation
element.
Bob Rasmussen questioned whether estimates of the transportation
plan are in the SDC packet. He felt the mention of schools and
bonds are relevant, and the question as to who pays for it,
considering the life of a school building.
Assistant City Administrator, Greg Scoles, said phasing in SDC's
at a previous meeting had been discussed. The proposal was not
to change the SDC's but to come in with a stepped-in increase.
Kevin Talbert felt the numbers could have been manipulated and
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that the data is unrealistic.
Councilor Wheeldon questioned if changes could be made in
implementation before January 1. She addressed the issue of the
arterial street fund.
Don Greene discussed that incremental costs and capacity costs
should be addressed and he felt that changing the policy would
help some people but that would result in large dollar amounts
coming to the city. With regard to transportation he does not
feel we have the true costs, although there is a need for
transportation.
Michael Gibbs felt we are working in a void of numbers and
questioned whether we have estimates. He wanted to know what is
a fair SDC for transportation.
Councilor Hagen indicated he could come up with a good estimate
of what is being spent on transportation issues.
Zack Boombeck asked if an individual had contributed to an LID in
the past would they get a credit for that and is there such a
stipulation should that in fact occur.
Mayor Golden indicated she would like to see new numbers.
The meeting adjourned at 3:00pm.
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