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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-0722.SS.MINMINUTES FOR THE STUDY SESSION ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL July 22, 1998 CALL TO ORDER Mayor Shaw called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m., Civic Center Council Chambers IN ATTENDANCE Councilors Laws, Reid, Wheeldon and DeBoer were present. Councilor Hagen participated by phone. Staff present included: City Administrator Mike Freeman, Administrative Services Director Richard Wanderscheid, City Attorney Paul Nolte, Public Works Director Paula Brown, Director of Community Development John McLaughlin, and Director of Finance Jill Turner. DISCUSSION OF PUBLIC INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING PLAN City Administrator Mike Freeman made brie£ introductory comments on the Communications Plan. Noted that in his prior position with the City o£ Thornton, Colorado, public communication was a priority and it is an area where he has experience and upon which he places a lot of value. Explained that in the four months since he came to Ashland, he has observed that the City government has little or no media relations and that there is no internal coordination, from a public information standpoint, within the City nor any departmental emphasis on communicating with the public, short of big projects. Stated that key resources, including RVTV, the employee newsletter and the utility billing insert, are under-utilized, and there is no conscious effort to develop promotional materials. Lastly, there is no public communication plan and no articulated decision from the council in terms of what they would like to see done £rom a public communication standpoint. Explained that this plan will provide guidance, priority, create a strategy for staff, and set accountability. Stated that it will set benchmarks, and that it identifies the resources necessary for implementation. Requested that Council allow the plan's adoption and evaluate it after a trial period. Administrative Services Director Richard Wanderscheid noted that he has been involved in the City's communication efforts since 1995, when the Ad Hoc Communications Committee was formed. Explained that this Committee developed a plan which has been implemented. Went on to explain that at his promotion, he had submitted his concerns to Freeman in order to develop a list of those areas that need work. Noted that the newly created Marketing/Communication position is closing this week, but explained that this issue is a large one and will have to be the responsibility of more than one person. The skills of the person hired for the position will determine what responsibilities are placed in that position and which ones are delegated elsewhere. Stated that he has spoken with his colleagues in other cities, and has some samples of newsletters and billing inserts. Noted that this plan has gone to members of the Ad Hoc Communications Committee. Explained the goals of the proposed Communications Plan as: I) To develop an overall communications strategic plan to improve existing avenues o~ communications while developing new means to communicate. Explained that this would meet the City's internal needs, and would involve work on the part of the department heads along with the City Administrator and the Administrative Services Director. 2) To provide timely infornaation to the public and enhance public input. Noted that a request for proposals (RFP) had been prepared to create Citizen Surveys, and that focus groups would also be held. 3) To improve media and community relations. Cited the need for a liaison to communicate between the City and the School District, the Chamber of Commerce, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the U.S. Forest Service. Provided the Council with examples of City and Utility newsletters, noting that most were in-house items. Asked Council for any feedback they might have. Ashland City Council Study Session Minutes 07-22-98 Councilor Reid stated that she attended the Ad Hoc Communications Committee Meetings, and emphasized that communication has been a priority with the City and previous efforts should not be dismissed. Stated that she does not want persuasion behind public information, and that it should be informative. Noted that the Ashland City Source newspaper is first rate despite not being slick and glossy. Emphasized that she does not want marketing, and that the City Recorder should be the elected liaison for public information. Feels that the proposed plan does not take into account where the City is in its communication efforts. Suggested that staff not seek to re-invent the wheel, and stated that she was uncomfortable with paying another person to provide public information. Emphasized the need to build on what we have, and not market but merely inform. Freeman stated that staff was not trying to re-invent the wheel, but that all the recommendations of the previous plan had been met and it is time to build on that and move forward. Emphasized that Wanderscheid had already documented implementation of items from the Communications Plan. Stated that the City Recorder is not responsible for the day to day information on the activities of the various City departments, but that this falls under the purview of the City Administrator. Suggested that he would like the City's quarterly newspaper moved to the new position created in Administration. Feels that a quarterly is not timely, and that the paper could be much shorter. Councilor Reid stated that the Ashland City Source has been successful, that the format has been accepted, and that it should not be removed. Mayor Shaw noted that the City Source has been a quality, informative product. Stated that the positive citizen response has been because citizens like having something, but that something more timely would be that much better. Feels that the City could better encourage citizen participation in a timely manner. The Ashland City Source has been a great first step. Councilor Hagen feels that the Ad Hoc Communication Committee will be enthused at the investment in better communication and that Wanderscheid is the perfect person to implement the City's communication plan. Councilor Wheeldon has long felt that there is a hole in the City's outreach efforts, and the plan is fleshed out. Stated that she disagrees with the idea of marketing the City, and feels that the City needs to be cautious about "spin". Emphasized that there is a tremendous amount of information to offer. Stated that the proposed plan needs to explain the role of the Council to complement the staff. Stated that this is not political, that many players are involved, but that Council would like to have been involved in this plan earlier, and more actively involved overall. Councilor DeBoer suggested that the plan be less about marketing, which concerns him. He feels that the City needs public input up front in the decision making process, rather than trying to sell its decisions after the fact. Cited paving as an example. Mayor Shaw emphasized that public marketing is different, and stated that trained professionals can present information in ways that make documents more appealing. Feels that experience and education bring new ways to communicate, and that lay-out and design skills make documents more readable for the public. Councilor DeBoer stated that he is concerned with manpower costs, and that he feels that marketing is the same, whether it is public or private. Wanderscheid stated that the newly created position was originally a marketing position within the Electric Utility in the budget, with the intended purpose of marketing the City's telecommunications services. Explained that it had been Freeman's preference that this position be in Administration. Reiterated that the City will need to market its electrical and telecommunications products, and that this is already funded within the Utility's budget. Ashland City Council Study Session Minutes 07-22-98 2 Councilor Laws suggested that the idea of marketing be dropped from the Communication Plan. Stated that there will be three products that the City markets, electricity, telecommunications services, and "fire-reed" memberships. Emphasized that marketing and information should not be mixed or confused, and the City should not spend money on something that will be perceived as marketing. Not sure how best to design a Communication Plan, but need to improve, and need to centralize communications under Administration. Emphasized, however, that the plan should be packaged without confusion, and in a way that makes public information accessible. Freeman suggested that Council adopt the plan and evaluate in four months. Either there will be no problems, or he can be held accountable. Council would have the option of doing away with the plan if it is not successful. Councilor Wheeldon stated that she feels that the intent of the plan is good, but she has concerns over how it is to be carried out. Feels that communications need to be non-persuasive, and make citizens aware of the services that are available. Councilor Reid emphasized that she trusts the City Administrator, and noted that she will participate in his evaluation each year. Stated that the elected City Recorder provides a one-on-one link between the citizens and the City government. This is a direct trust between the citizens and the City government, and similarly the information flow is direct. Explained that it would involve a policy shift if the City moved back to take information functions away from the City Recorder. Stated that changing the Ashland City Source would take that direct link away. Freeman stated that the information would be from the same source, just through a different medium. Cate Hartzell/881 East Main Street/Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Communication Committee/Noted that she received a copy of the proposed plan the night before this meeting. As chair of the Communication Committee, she found this insulting. Had attended two other meetings concerning the Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Ashland Fiber Network in the past week, and the Ashland Fiber Network meeting had not been publicly noticed. She was told that noticing could not be built in. Mayor Shaw explained that this was because the Ashland Fiber Network committee meetings are not sanctioned, public committee meetings but rather serve as a means of gathering expert feedback on specific issues having to do with the Fiber Network. Hartzell continued that expert testimony from those paid with tax dollars should at least be taped and made available to the public. Emphasized that there is a subtle difference between involving the public in City processes and merely seeking their "rubber stamp." The City must choose between whether it will use slick marketing or provide basic information. Noted that the citizens have specifically asked for the City Recordefts Office as their source of information, rather than being given filtered propaganda. Stated that there should be a marketing position for the Ashland Fiber Network, as budgeted, but this will take a full-time effort. The City does not need a high-level manager for desktop publishing. Stated that the City needs to look at the assumptions behind this plan, which adds another person into citizen interaction with the City. Communication should be easy, and this plan seems to make it harder. Plan is largely a job description for a position which, though not yet approved by Council, has already been advertised and is about to close. Susan Hunt/220 Nutley Street/Plan focuses on communicating information to the public rather than with the public. The City is becoming a huge corporation that has an agenda, and seeks to promote that agenda through spin. Communication should be both ways. Citizens are already inundated with brochures from numerous marketing sources. The City should do a good job and let the information speak for itself. Carolyn Eldman/541 Fordyce Street/Stated that the public address system at the Council Chambers does not allow the citizens to hear, which poses a communication problem. Jack Blackburn/805 Oak Street/Questioned how much effort has actually gone into fixing the problem with the public address system. Ashland City Council Study Session Minutes 07-22-98 Mayor Shaw noted that the City is aware of this issue, and has tried to improve the public address system by replacing components several times. The issue involves acoustics and the lay-out of the room, which is not engaging and makes seeing from the back difficult. Stated that the City is looking into a complete redesign of the Council chambers. Mayor Shaw noted that the proposed plan provides an update to the communications measures that are in place. Councilor Laws emphasized that this is only a study session, and the Council can take no action on this issue at this time. City Administrator Mike Freeman stated that staff would flesh out the plan based on the Council's input tonight, and bring the plan back to an upcoming Council meeting. Councilor Reid stated that the decision to change the City's Public Information Officer functions to a staff position is a policy issue that would require a decision by the Council. LID COMMITTEE REPORT City Administrator Mike Freeman made brief introductory comments, providing background on this issue. Noted that dealing with the issue was a Council goal, that a great deal of time had been spent, and that the issue was one of the most contentious facing the City. Councilor Laws noted that he had served on the Ad Hoc LID Committee along with seven citizens and Councilors Wheeldon and DeBoer, and that they had met every Tuesday for the past two months. After a great deal of time and effort, they have been able to reach a compromise that represents a general consensus in the form of this report. Explained that the report consists of five main recommendations. First, there would be partial financial participation by the City in all future LIDs. Second, the maximum assessment against any single unit of property would be $4,000.00, with any additional amount to be paid by the City. Third, the City would allocate LID costs to all existing and potential lots on a "per unit" allocation basis, based on the lots and their zoning. Would figure the number of units into the total cost to develop, leaving no need for the Council to determine benefit. Fourth, all assessments would be paid for a lot on the first sale of that lot, and not allowed to continue with the property over time. Finally, citizens would be allowed to pay assessments in advance, even prior to the first sale of a lot after the initial allocation of costs. Those who pre-paid assessments could be counted as initiators of the district, and could remonstrate against its formation. Noted that the overall concern behind these recommendations was the increasing number of citizens who were unhappy with the current LID system. Costs have risen significantly due to current standards, and LIDs are now initiated by pre-sign agreements. The recommendations presented here will eliminate many of the current problems, but will increase the cost to the City. Councilor Hagen expressed his concerns with the fact that there are no specific sources of funding identified. Explained that tnany of the Council's transportation goals in recent years have been difficult to fund, and are still in need of funding. Ashland City Council Study Session Minutes 07-22-98 Councilor Reid stated that she is concerned with the idea of paying the maximum potential assessment for a benefit prior to that benefit's ever being received. Questioned how the recommendations of the committee address those who are subdividing properties. Councilor Laws explained that subdividers would pave to and through the subdivision as a condition of approval, and the City would not participate in the cost of this improvement. Director of Community Development John McLaughlin noted that if a lot were split, the buyer of the newly created lot would pay at the time of the first sale. The City would grant the benefit of the new lot and receive the funds to hold until paving occurs. The Capital Improvement Plan would prioritize improvement projects so that all properties would be paved within ten years. Councilor Laws explained that existing units would fall into one category, and potential units would be another. Emphasized that under the recommendations, there would not be circumstances where an assessment remained on a deed indefinitely. Councilor Wheeldon clarified that a property owner could pay $4,000 up front and be done with the improvement process. There would be no more "blank checks". This would reduce the reliance on pre-signs, which has created chaos and the perception of unfairness. The recommendations would leave a ten year plan, with projects dedicated and prioritized with a definite completion date on the horizon. Councilor DeBoer stated that the committee's report represents a working document, with room for continued adjustment. Councilor Wheeldon disagreed that this be a working document. Noted that the City needs to lock into a path for dealing with future LIDs, and supplement that with other transportation efforts. Emphasized that recommendations do not give developers any break, and that the pre-sign class system would be eliminated. Noted that she has a hard time with the $4,000 cap for lower density areas, and that this subsidizes neighborhoods that add to traffic. Stated that she likes the idea of providing an incentive to pay off pre-signs, and this would allow property owners to pre- pay and thus clear their titles. Mayor Shaw clarified that the recommendations would allow property owners to pay-off what would otherwise be an encumbrance to their title should they choose to sell their property. Councilor Wheeldon suggested that once a property owner has paid they should be considered to have signed in favor. City Attorney Paul Nolte clarified that since 1991, pre-sign agreements have included a waiver of the right to remonstrance. Councilor Hagen noted that in hillside areas, the lower density combined with the topography means that total costs and per unit costs for paving are higher. Councilor Wheeldon noted that it might be possible to delineate maximum per unit costs according to zoning. McLaughlin discussed hillside zoning as being Residential R1.5, noting that typical lots are ½ acre, and stated that caps on property owner costs could be tiered based on zoning. Councilor Laws emphasized that a solution to the LID issue needs to be kept simple, and not adjusted by ability to pay, or it would create problems instead of solving them. Councilor Wheeldon stated that she had concerns over the portion the City would be required to pay in lower density areas. Ashland City Council Study Session Minutes 07-22-98 Councilor Hagen stated that setting tiered caps based on zoning makes sense. Councilor DeBoer noted that the committee had looked at this issue. Stated that bigger lots in lower density areas would be those that paid $4,000 and smaller lots would pay less. Councilor Laws explained that he believed that Councilor Wheeldon's concerns centered on the fact that improvements to lower density areas would require more of a financial contribution on the part of the City. Councilor Wheeldon stated that her concern was more with impact than with wealth. Councilor Laws explained that there were so few examples that would exceed the $4,000 cap that any adjustment would effectively remove the cap. Councilor Hagen stated that everyone would cite the fact that they could have to pay $4,000 anyway, despite the possibility for variation. Mayor Shaw reiterated that $4,000 would be the top-most cap and that no one would have to pay more under the recommendations. No one would be above this amount, and many would be below. Any difference between the amount paid and the actual cost of the project would have to be picked up by the City. Councilor Hagen stated that this will be a public relations issue, as many citizens will object to the fact that they could potentially have to pay $4,000. Councilor Reid questioned how the recommendations would deal with multiple units. Councilor Hagen noted that larger properties in less dense areas would benefit more. Emphasized that when the City has to make up the difference, it is all of the citizens having to make up the difference. Mayor Shaw stated that there are trade-offs, but that people should trust the process. The recommendation for units per acre takes care of this issue. Councilor Laws noted that apartment units would be counted as a fraction of a unit, related to the amount of impact they generate. Freeman stated that the next step would be for staff to bring this information before Council as a report at the August 18 meeting for a public hearing. Council could then adopt, modify or reject the committee's recommendations with a motion. If adopted, staff would bring back an ordinance with changes to the Ashland Municipal Code for a first reading on September 1, with a second reading on September 15. There would also need to be some sort of Resolution to deal with the five Local Improvement Districts that are still outstanding. Councilor Laws stated that he would be out of town for the public hearing if it were scheduled as discussed for August, but that this was acceptable. Stated that he would prefer that no decision on the matter until his return, as he feels that this issue merits a decision by the full Council. Under discussion, it was decided that the public hearing would be scheduled for August 18, with a council decision on September 1, the first reading of the ordinance changing the Code on September 15, and the second reading on October 6. Councilor DeBoer suggested that he would like to see initial funding details from Finance Director Jill Turner. Steve Motjig/610 Chestnut Street/Stated that the public would like an opportunity to speak on the LID issue. Mayor Shaw stated that those wishing to speak could call the Councilors, or submit comments in writing, and emphasized that there would be a public hearing for those wishing to speak. Ashland City Council Study Session Minutes 07-22-98 Jack Blackburn/805 Oak Street/Stated that the failure of Council to allow comments from the Committee members defeats the purpose behind this process. Susan Hunt/220 Nutley Street/Expressed her disappointment that Councilor Wheeldon had raised new issues before Council that had not been brought up at the committee level. Councilor Wheeldon explained that she had been absent from the final committee meeting, and had not had the opportunity to voice her concerns on the final recommendations until now. Councilor Laws stated that he was sorry that people were unable to speak at this time. Mayor Shaw emphasized that the committee recommendations reflect compromises necessary to reach an acceptable solution. Councilor Laws suggested that committee members be allowed to speak first at the public hearing. Freeman stated that the committee members would be allowed a presentation when this item was brought forth at a regular meeting of the Council. Mayor Shaw emphasized that all parties would have an opportunity to speak in the public hearing, and that she would be liberal about time constraints placed on those wishing to speak. ADJOURNED The meeting was adjourned at 2:00 p.m. Submitted by Barbara Christensen, City Recorder/Treasurer Ashland City Council Study Session Minutes 07-22-98