MINUTES OF THE METRO COMMITTEE FOR CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT

REGULAR COMMITTEE

Wednesday, April 17, 2002

Room 370

Chair Kyle called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Members Present:  Ted Kyle (Chair), Dennis Ganoe (Vice Chair), Norm Andreen, Kay Durtschi, Dick Jones, Jim Kimball, Leeanne MacColl, Don Olson, Christine Roth, Pat Russell, Ray Sherwood, Meyer Siegel, Elizabeth Tucker, Curt Winkler.

Members Absent:  Kathy Henton, Darren Pennington, Bob Pung, Scott Seibert.

Others Present:    Rex Burkholder, Metro Councilor; John Donovan, Council Communications Officer; Jane Gillespie, MCCI Applicant; Moji Momeni; Camrynne Six, Auditor’s Administrative Assistant; Cary Stacey, MCCI Staff; Lori Waldo; Angela Wright.

INTRODUCTIONS & WELCOME

APPOINTMENT OF TIMEKEEPER

Chair Kyle asked everyone to introduce themselves for the good of the group. Dennis Ganoe volunteered to be timekeeper.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Hearing no objections, Chair Kyle said the agenda stood approved.

APPROVAL OF MARCH 20, 2002, MINUTES

Ms. Durtschi asked that it be clarified that the outspoken people she had mentioned being at the conference were at her tables.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Mr. Momeni asked for information regarding the ballot measures. He was given references from which to obtain information.

AUDITOR LIAISON REPORT

Ms. Six said there had been no new audits since her last report. She said that in response to a question regarding the March 2002 audit report, CSU Transport, Inc. was the hauler and Grant Thornton was the accountant.

COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT

Councilor Burkholder reported on ongoing Metro Council offsite meetings, and said they were an opportunity to learn more about communities affected by Metro decisions and for those residents to meet with local officials and leaders.

He reported that the Metro budget was nearing completion, with a resolution soon to go to the Tax Supervision and Conservation Commission (TSCC).

Mr. Ganoe asked if the Council had approved a 64 cent excise tax for Parks in addition to the approved $1 excise tax increase proposed by the Executive Office. Councilor Burkholder responded that the Parks Department had been asked for an outline of progress made on Green Ribbon Committee (GRC) recommendations. Mr. Donovan added that the $1 increase had been approved with a two-year sunset on the funding.

Mr. Russell asked that it be made clear what percentage of the budget was flexible funding and what percentage was earmarked funds.

Mr. Kimball asked what comments had arisen during the last offsite Council meeting. Councilor Burkholder and Mr. Donovan outlined the comments that had arisen. Ms. Durtschi asked that Councilor Burkholder disclose how much the election was costing Metro. Chair Kyle said the Steering Committee would discuss ideas to help bring citizens into the budget priority-setting process. Mr. Russell asked if a sheet detailing outside meetings was being distributed. Mr. Donovan said MCCI would be added to that list.

CHAIR REPORT

Ms. Stacey distributed Appendix A of the revised MCCI Workgroup Report, a copy of which is included as part of this record. Chair Kyle spoke to the revised report and asked if member comments had been reflected accurately. He said the next step was to ask Council for staff assistance in creating an ordinance for the Office of Citizen Involvement (OCI). He spoke to the transition and said this was an opportunity to shape how the OCI would fit into the new structure. There was discussion on whether or how the OCI should be related to the Auditor’s Office.

Councilor Burkholder said a number of ordinances would establish changes stemming from the transition, to take effect at the beginning of 2003. His aim was to have an active, properly funded OCI and said that MCCI’s guidance would be needed to achieve that aim.

Mr. Russell asked how the process would proceed. Ms. Durtschi asked that a flowchart be drawn up to reflect what was proposed, and said she felt the Metro Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC) was being treated differently from MCCI. Mr. Russell said if the OCI was put in the wrong place, he felt it would lose its effectiveness. Ms. Tucker spoke to Appendix A and said she agreed with Mr. Pennington’s third comment therein regarding membership. Mr. Jones asked for a model that would account for incompetent staff. Chair Kyle said that currently there was no model and that an ordinance would be the venue for establishing such a structure for the OCI. Ms. Durtschi asked if the OCI ordinance would include membership. Chair Kyle responded that membership would be addressed in a separate ordinance. Mr. Kimball suggested that MCCI vote on how they wanted the ordinance to be. Councilor Burkholder recommended waiting until the ordinance was drafted to give the committee something to work with. Chair Kyle said that in presenting the information to council it would be clear that there were differences of opinion within MCCI. Mr. Russell asked that the minutes reflect that he and other MCCI members had concerns with the Workgroup Report. Councilor Burkholder said that the Office of General Counsel hadn’t yet ascertained what was legal in the report. Mr. Sherwood said he would like to see something concrete, as in actual draft ordinance language, before the committee expressed any endorsement or critique.

Chair Kyle announced that the Elections Committee would consist of himself and Mr. Jones.

PIPG REVIEW COMMITTEE UPDATE

Mr. Donovan said the Public Involvement Planning Guide (PIPG) Review Committee had had three meetings and was nearing completion of its work. He said the committee would meet once more and then bring the proposed revision to MCCI. He said the committee had authorized him and Ms. Stacey to develop an outline addressing core issues of citizen involvement in projects and programs. He said that the relationship between MCCI and MPAC needed to be resolved. He said there were no philosophical changes behind the PIPG, and that items proposed for elimination, such as an abridged glossary, would be recommended for inclusion as reference tools in other media.

Mr. Russell asked if public involvement staff from other departments were involved. Mr. Donovan responded that all liaisons had been interviewed prior to the formation of the committee, and would have an opportunity to review the committee’s draft product.

Subcommittee Reports

Mr. Ganoe spoke to the $1 excise tax. He said the subcommittee had received an update on the Regional Trails and Greenspaces Plan. He said all jurisdictions had been solicited for input and the subcommittee had been asked for help in obtaining public involvement for the plan and the department.

Mr. Jones said the Trolley Trail group would be having a public involvement meeting and that Metro would be involved with a Trolley Days event. Mr. Ganoe said that the Trolley Trail plan would be a model for developing trails throughout the region. Mr. Jones said that the Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP) was seeking involvement on how to weight projects, and had developed a questionnaire to achieve that end. He said Metro Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) members were working with Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) members to develop a joint stakeholders report regarding their suggestions. He reported on the corridor study for Foster/Powell.

Ms. Durtschi said that the Fish and Wildlife Habitat Protection Program would have a peer review panel to assess the economic consequences of the program. She spoke to handouts received by the subcommittee. She said the subcommittee had received a timeline for Periodic Review meetings and spoke to the timeline.

Mr. Andreen said the Regional Environmental Management subcommittee had not met that month.

Ms. Tucker said Jane Gillespie had been interviewed in the Membership Committee. She spoke to the revised application form in the Regular Committee and asked for suggestions. She said it would be electronic and specific to MCCI, with an introduction to explain MCCI’s role.

Mr. Jones asked how MCCI was involved with the Metropolitan Exposition-Recreation Commission. Chair Kyle said the Steering Committee would address that issue.

Staff Report

Ms. Stacey distributed announcements from Portland’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) regarding neighborhood association accessibility for the disabled, Bureau of Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee recruitment, and dynamic differences in a multicultural workshop, copies of which are included as part of this record. In response to a member request, she distributed a memorandum regarding the Let’s Talk regional conference and community workshops, and an article regarding Lake Oswego’s transit center, copies of which are included as part of this record.

She asked about revising the Regular Committee members’ nametags. It was agreed that the nametags should specify both where the members resided and what area or body they represented.

Round Table

Ms. Durtschi said the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) and Macadam development was a big issue for SW Portland and the tram issue would be decided in a month or so.

Mr. Andreen said Clackamas County Commissioners were receiving eight different subcommittee reports and on May 11, 2002, another Complete Communities Congress would review the reports.

Mr. Russell said that a key issue in Washington County was whether the county’s update Transportation System Plan (TSP) would be in compliance with the 2040 Concept and the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP).

Mr. Momeni reported that the Beaverton Round was now an active project and moving forward.

Ms. MacColl said the League of Women Voters for the Columbia River Region would be hosting the three Metro Council President candidates to speak.

Mr. Siegel said a Tibetan Center was moving into his neighborhood.

Mr. Kimball said he had organized a lecture in Hillsboro by the head of Mercy Corps.

Ms. Gillespie said she hoped to attend her next neighborhood association meeting in May.

Mr. Ganoe said the Sunnyside/Sunnybrook overpass construction on I-205 construction should begin shortly. He asked that an invitation be again issued to MPAC for a representative to attend MCCI meetings.

Ms. Roth reported that the Complete Communities report was completed.

Mr. Jones said he had been involved with a local sewer plant meeting.

Councilor Burkholder said Metro was now a full participant in the regional water supply initiative and didn’t yet know what would be done in terms of citizen involvement.

Mr. Olson said the I-5/217 interchange was completed, and there was interest in the Hillsboro/Tigard/Wilsonville rail project and widening the west end of the Tualatin-Sherwood road.

Ms. Tucker said she was planning on attending the ONI multicultural workshop because her neighborhood group was interested in doing outreach into the Asian community.

Ms. Stacey reported that she had joined her neighborhood association’s subcommittee on infill.

Chair Kyle reported on Oregon City’s downtown community plan, which had been driven by citizens from the beginning. He predicted a new downtown in Oregon City in the next ten years or so.

ADJOURN

There being no further business before the committee, Chair Kyle adjourned the meeting at 8:55 p.m.

Prepared by,

Cary Stacey

MCCI Staff