Loading...
City Council Minutes - 02/12/2004 Agenda Item No. 3. Meeting of -3,q. p q MINUTES TIGARD CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING February 12, 2004 — 5:30 PM Tigard City Hall — Red Rock Geek Conference Room 13125 SW Hall Boulevard Tigard, Oregon The meeting began at 5:30 p.m. Mayor Dirksen, Councilors Sherwood, Wilson and Moore were all in attendance. City Manager Monahan noted that all eight candidates for the position of City Council were scheduled for 20 minute interviews. All candidates would be allowed to make opening remarks of up to 5 minutes, followed by Council questions. The opening is not mandatory. A process was established by Council to have Susan Koepping advise Council when 18 of the 20 minutes of their interview was used. Copies of the rating forms were distributed and scoring system with one being lowest and eight being the highest was explained. Council discussed the questions to be asked. Mayor Dirksen noted that consideration of the Bull Mountain annexation is the largest issue facing the City. He said that he will ask, "What is your stance on the Bull Mountain annexation?" The answer will be heavily weighted by him. Councilor Sherwood stated that her question would be as follows, "You privately and publicly announce that you support a project in Tigard, and then find that it is four tunes the stated cost, knowing you are the keeper of the public pocketbook, would you continue your support or change your position?" Councilor Wilson stated his question as follows, "Suppose a development applicant for a project came forward that you are not in favor of. You determine that the application meets the development code. There is a room full of people present in opposition, what position would you take and why?" Councilor Wilson had additional questions for Council to consider. One question was "Given that the term of Council is only ten months, if selected would you choose to run for re-election in November." Another question was, "if you are not selected, do you plan to run in November." Finally, he posed the question of, "What is Tigard's most significant problem, what will you do to address it?" Council discussed how to proceed, whether they will ask more than one question. Councilor Moore posed his question of, "If you are interviewing someone for any position, what you do feel are the three most important qualifications you would look for?" Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes — February 12, 2004 Page 1 Council discussed the process and agreed to ask one question each. Councilor Wilson's question about interest in running again was discussed. Council felt that it should not be asked. Interviews began at 6 p.m. The first applicant was Ian Sanders who was introduced and provided with the ground rules. He chose not to make a five minute presentation. Mayor Dirksen asked Ian's stance on the Bull Mountain annexation. Ian feels that annexation should take place and parks should be provided. Councilor Sherwood asked her question about a project with rising costs. Ian responded that he would be upfront about the situation and the costs so that a decision can be made. Councilor Wilson asked about a development application, an adult video store as the proposed use. Ian responded that a part of him would want to say that the project meets code, but also as a young parent, he had concerns. He would speak openly against it, but if the code allowed it, he would allow it. The public could decide whether to support it. Councilor Moore asked his question regarding qualifications. Ian responded 1) teamwork, 2) being very efficient, and 3) leadership, something that inspires someone to do better. In response to the question from Councilor Moore whether he had anything in addition to say, Ian stated that he would work hard, he is willing to learn, and he would use his abilities to help the City. Ian asked Council what the time commitment is. Council discussed the Iength of meetings and liaison assignments as well as meeting preparation time. Councilor Moore estimated that a council member spends 15 -- 30 hours per week volunteering for the City. Ian asked Council how feasible the 2004 goals are, in particular the parks and recreation goal. Mr. Sander's interview completed at 6:13 p.m. Second interview began at 6:20 p.m. Tom Woodruff was introduced and provided with the ground rules. He states his interest in the position and his background. As a budget committee member he gained familiarity with the City. He served for four years in the West Union School Board. Tom stated he likes the Council's goal for the year, particularly the communication goal. He noted that he has taught communication and has an interest in collaboration. Tom has no preconceived notions on any major issue, nor does he represent any special issues. Mayor Dirksen asked his annexation question. Tom said that he does not have a position, he needs to hear more. He hopes all points of view are heard and whatever decision is made is made in a transparent way. He has no problem with annexation as a concept, but would reserve judgment on Bull Mountain. Councilor Sherwood asked the "four times the cost" question - Tom said if information changes it is foolish to stick with your original decision if it didn't make fiscal sense. He would state his original position and why it changed. He referred to Tigard's conservative fiscal position. So he would likely change his mind. Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes — February 12, 2004 Page 2 Councilor Wilson asked his "development application" question -- Tom said while he may have personal troubles with something, if it meets all criteria, he would make his personal position known, then vote based on the criteria. Then he may try to change the criteria. Councilor Moore ask his "select a candidate" question — Tom responded that the three qualifications are 1) ability to work collaboratively in a team setting, 2) relevant experience, and understanding of the job, whether the applicant has done the job before and has shown evidence that they are a quick learner, and 3) good work ethic. Mayor Dirksen asked if Tom had any questions to ask of Council. Tom asked besides Bull Mountain what is the most difficult or contention issue. Councilor Sherwood said downtown. Council clarified that downtown was a big project and could be controversial. Tom said that he is very impressed with the City web site. Mayor Dirksen said a more contentious issue is related to development, leading to a code review and a comprehensive plan review. Council completed the interview at 6:38 p.m. Mark Padgett's interview began at 6:40 p.m. with ground rules discussed. Mark made a presentation. He noted that he wore his volunteer badge to the meeting, recognizing Council's stated interest in choosing someone who has volunteered. He noted his volunteer involvement since he moved to Tigard 20 years ago. He listed his City and County volunteer positions leading to the past 8 years on Tigard's Planning Commission. He has been chair of the Planning Commission for the last two years. Mark stressed that he works well in a committee structure. He noted that he looks at the big picture, what is best for the City as a whole. He asked the Council to appoint someone with background and a proven track record. He stated he has a track record working on the issues and that being a Council member is not an entry level position. Mayor Dirksen asked his "annexation" question. Mark noted that annexation is fair, City Ievel services are being used by unincorporated residents at a City level yet not paying at that Ievel. He does not like the idea of that people outside the City are being subsidized. He stated reasons why annexation is needed, plus more-pressure should be put on the County to get out of the urban services business. He thinks the County should be advocates for annexation. Councilor Sherwood asked the "four times the cost" question. Mark said of course he would change his support as it would not be the same project. He would weigh the cost benefit ratio and look at it again to decide. Councilor Wilson asked his "development application" question. Mark responded that he has to make his decision based on the code, that is the law. He would ask opponents what their legal basis is. They could encourage people to seek a code change, or the Commission could seek a change if it is legal. Councilor Moore asked his question. Mark responded l) willingness to serve, to do the job, to put in the time and effort, 2) has an understanding of the issues and a track record, and 3) the ability to work in a committee situation. He noted his prior involvement on committees. Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes — February 12, 2004 Page 3 Mark was asked if he had questions to ask. He noted that he would have interviewed all 8 applicants. He restated that he thinks he meets the qualifications. Jason Rogers' interview began at 7 p.m. Ground rules were stated. Jason stated his background and his feeling that the position available is consistent with his goal of being the head of the State Emergency Management Services in the future. Mayor asked his "annexation" question. Jason stated the financial advantages for the City because of the annexation. Councilor Sherwood asked her "four times the cost" question. Jason said that if he was passionate about the project he would promote it, but the four times the cost issue is a concern. He would analyze it closer to see if the project is necessary for the City, vital. Councilor Wilson asked his "development application" question. Jason noted that at his place of work they apply the six sigma standard which is used in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He would use this to decide if something was good for the citizens of Tigard. Each situation warrants a different answer. Councilor Wilson asked his "select a candidate" question. Jason responded 1) be able to execute on projects, 2) customer service for internal and external customers, and 3) skills to do the job. He noted he can teach people skills so the top two qualifications are rated higher. Mayor Dirksen asked Jason if he had any questions. Jason asked what the time committee is. Councilor Moore noted that this is the fourth meeting this week that he has attended plus he devotes time preparing for meetings so 15 — 30 hours per week is possible. He noted the other meetings that Council members are involved in. Jason asked what Tigard is doing in terms of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Mayor Dirksen encouraged Jason to get involved in volunteer activities. Council concluded the interview at 7:15 p.m. At 7:20 p.m. the interview for Alice Ellis Gaut began with ground rules stated. Alice made a presentation her other areas of concern besides land development. She stated that she would be new to the position of Council. She commented on a remark made at the Council meeting on Tuesday about an emphasis on volunteer activity. She asked Council to note that giving to community goes beyond the City. She asked Council to recall that family duties and service to the indigent are public services. She noted her service as a public service lawyer for over 20 years. Many of her clients were Tigard residents. She continues to do legal work for indigents, plus she has volunteered for schools. In addition, she has been involved in Take Back Tigard, which she considers as volunteer service to the community. Mayor Dirksen commented that the remark made about volunteerism meant volunteerism to mean — in your life. He asked his "annexation" question. Alice noted that annexation in general when bridging the gaps makes sense. County services differ from City. Tax dollars to County should be used for services that cities don't have available. Cities are better equipped to provide day to day services. She noted revenues from the area served Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes — February 12, 2004 Page 4 by the City should go to the City. With respect to Bull Mountain, there is a way to go to be able to answer the question whether it is time to annexation. She feels the formation of the committees is a helpful first step and can branch out to get input from the community. She noted the administrative and service concerns need to be worked out, there is some fear. Councilor Sherwood asked her "four times the cost" question. Alice responded that the middle ground is where she would head. Since it is four times the cost, we need to reassess the situation. We need to go back and say "I missed something." We can't agree to put up the money unless Council thinks it is worth it. Councilor Wilson asked his "development application" question. Alice responded that assuming it is legitimate and meets the plan, if it meets the criteria she would do her best to communicate why we make the decision we do. In the end, when making unpopular decisions, if the law says that it is legal, sometimes you need to suck it up and go there. Councilor Moore asked his "select a candidate" question. Alice responded 1) integrity, 3) experience would count, but might be third, and 2) commitment. Mayor Dirksen asked Alice if she had any questions to ask. Alice asked what do your deliberations look like. How does the collegial part of the work? Councilor Sherwood said that she does not call other Council members. Councilor Moore said that they send emails. Councilor Wilson noted that the Council responds to emails and will copy them to others. Alice asked about education or training. Councilor Moore discussed how Council works. Mayor Dirksen noted the materials and information Council receives from staff. He said the exchange that goes on is when there is a request for information. Council concluded the interview at 7:40 p.m. Bob Rohlf's interview began at 7:40 p.m. with ground rules stated. Bob did not make an opening statement. Mayor Dirksen asked his "Bull Mountain annexation" question. Bob said that his general opinion is if people are getting services, they should pay for them. If there are questions the services need to be looked at. He noted that Walnut Island needed services, this may not be true for Bull Mountain. He said Council needs to decide what is best for Tigard. He has not made a personal decision yet, he will decide based on what the voters do. Councilor Sherwood asked her 'four times the cost" question. Bob said he would go public with the cost. He would make cost a piece of the discussion, and stress the need to be honest with the public. Councilor Wilson asked his `development application" question. Bob responded that Council was concerned that such a business could be placed in the downtown. He said the issue what you think is right and what the law is. You have to uphold the law. If he saw this in advance, he would consider changing the law. He cited the legal concern. Councilor Moore asked his "qualifications" question. Bob said 1) be able to handle the pressure, 2) be fair, and 3) have a good deal of integrity. Mayor Dirksen asked Bob if he had questions to ask. Bob asked if Council thinks we can get far enough along on Bull Mountain this year. The Mayor said there is a lune Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes -- February 12, 2004 Page 5 30 deadline. Bob asked for an update on water. Councilor Moore responded with an update of the Joint Water Commission, purchase of 4 million gallons per day, the effort to raise the dam. Also, he noted a report that discussed Portland Water and the quality of the Willamette River water. Councilor Moore noted an advisory vote on the Willamette could be proposed in the coming year., Bob asked whether there are plans to move ahead on the downtown this year. The Mayor responded about the TGM grant and the citizen involvement plan. Urban renewal has been discussed. Bob asked if there are major lawsuits pending. Council responded no, but there has been LUBA activity. Interview ended at 7:57 p.m. Patrick Moran's interview began at 8 p.m. The ground rules were stated. Patrick chose not to make a statement. Mayor Dirksen asked his "annexation" question. Patrick noted his knowledge of the annexation is based on the newspaper. He thinks that it is a great idea in terms of finances and services. He said the process is not as clear to him. He thinks the sooner it gets to a vote, he doesn't see how the citizens of Tigard would not vote for it. Councilor Sherwood asked her "four times the cost" question. Patrick said he would actively support his position and actively pursue finding the funding from other sources. He would not back down from his original position. Councilor Wilson asked his "development application" question. Patrick would go with the constituency of what the community wants regardless of what the code says. He would go that way because he thinks the people who have lived in the community, if they don't like something, should not cave to what a developer wants. Councilor Moore asked his "qualifications" question. Patrick responded l) integrity, 2) desire to keep Tigard going in the direction it is going, and 3) someone with a track record of"stick to it"tiveness, not going to flake out. Mayor Dirksen asked Patrick if he would like to ask questions. Patrick said that he had been in the Tigard area for 17 years, so he has watched Council meetings. He asked about the learning curve. City Manager Monahan explained the orientation process and materials made available. Councilor Moore explained how he was oriented. The interview concluded at 8:12 p.m. Mayor Dirksen then encouraged Patrick to maintain his desire to be involved in the City as a volunteer position. The interview of Ron FIlis Gaut began at 8:20 p.m. Ground rules were stated. Ron read a statement. He noted he has watched development in Tigard and wondered why. He said there is little in his own community he can boast about. He asked "is our vision to do more of the same." He noted what he has learned about our local system of government, and there are not checks and balances. He said that citizen involvement does not work in Tigard. Ron said there is a sound condition of apathy. He wondered what is needed to get people involved and have the community be what we want it to be. Ron believes the answer is — we need leadership in City government. Ron thinks this can be shown by people following leaders. He noted that Bretton Woods was his catalyst for his Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes — February 12, 2004 Page 6 involvement. He doesn't think the City administration understands his concern about Bretton Woods. Ron said the message being stated is, the City places developer interest over threats to homes and families. He noted that he does not believe Council members have bad intent. He asked the Council to consider what the achievements of the City administration will be. He would like to contribute to establishing the vision of the City and have it be one that inspires citizen involvement. Councilor Moore noted that only six minutes remained in Ron's interview. He expressed concern how the questions could be asked in such a short period of time. Councilor Wilson asked his "development application" question. Ron said you have to make a judgment call based upon the code, if the code needs to be changed over time you can change it. You must enforce the code. Mayor Dirksen asked the Bull Mountain question. Ron said he doesn't know what the impacts will be. He thinks form a fairness perspective, the citizens of Bull Mountain should be able to have an equal say. Councilor Moore asked his "qualification" question. Ron said 1) integrity, 2) need to be qualified, and 3) that they share a common set of values. Councilor Sherwood asked her "four times the cost" question. Ron said the decision needs to be looked at in a larger context, can you still afford it? The economic realities need to come in. It may be supportable given the economics. Ron said he was being honest when he said he did not expect to be appointed to Council tonight. Councilor Moore said he was expecting something different. Council concluded the interview at 8:30 p.m. Other applicants entered the conference room as Council checked their notes and began to rate the applicants. At 8:50 p.m., Council indicated that each member had completed a rating sheet. The rating sheets were submitted to City Manager who tallied them on a score sheet. Bill Monahan with the assistance of Lisa Hamilton Treicke tallied the numbers and distributed completed tally sheets. At 8:57 p.m. Mayor Dirksen announced that Tom Woodruff was the highest vote getter and, based on prior discussion with Council, was appointed. Mayor Dirksen thanked everyone and encouraged further participation in the community. Councilor Moore and Councilor Sherwood encouraged applicants to consider openings on the Budget Committee, Library Board, and others. Councilor Wilson noted that his low rating of some applicants reflected their lack of experience. He encouraged people to get involved. Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes -- February 12, 2004 Page 7 The meeting concluded at 9:02 p.m. > >am on an, qty anager Attest: T Mayor,/City of Tigard Date: 3 .R.D q !:\adm\cathy\ccm\2004\040212.doc Tigard City Council Meeting Minutes — February 12, 2004 Page 8