2004-06-07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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10 Ms. Richards said it is safe to say that the funds appropriated to date show Council's commitment to the project and will enable us to make the expande d grant request. Mr. O'Connell said FTA officials are excited about the project and want it to be successful. He said we would not be in this position without Council's commitment. Mr. Cox said this is a cornerstone project and will be great for trans it riders. Mr. Lynch asked about parking and access and noted that 16 parking spaces will be removed. th Mr. Letteri said the spaces will be replaced on 7 Street and between the Recreation Center and City Hall Annex. Mr. O'Connell said a reconfigurati on of parking is being looked at so there is no net loss. Mr. Lynch asked when this information will be available, noting that it is fairly th important. Mr. Lynch said he has a similar concern with access because 7 Street is a significant point of acces s to City Hall. th Mr. Tolbert said there will be angled parking on 7 Street, and 2 hour parking on Market will be converted to 15 or 30 minute parking. Mr. Cox suggested that drawings of the east end projects be put in public places. Mr. Lynch said he supports expediting the amphitheater piece. He said it is an ambitious schedule and asked about staff's confidence level. Mr. Letteri said he is quite confident about the schedule. Responding to a question from Mr. Lynch, Mr. Letteri said design ap proval is th expected from the BAR on June 15 . Ms. Richards said the Transit Center project has been funded exclusively at this point with federal funds. He said these FTA funds are for use for bricks and mortar, and while she respects the opinion that t his money should be used for improving the bus system, these funds cannot be diverted to that use. She said funds should aggressively be pursued for improving the bus system. Ms. Richards said that the amphitheater will be a community gathering place. Sh e concurred with the idea to publicize the plans. She stressed that a Fridays After Five type event will not be cancelled. REPORT : AMENDMENT TO LIVING WAGE ORDINANCE Mr. O'Connell explained that staff was asked by Council to look at formalizing a livi ng wage policy. Mr. O'Connell said he would be concerned about formalizing an automatic increase, and recommends that it be considered within budget guidelines Mr. O'Connell asked that Council comment on the draft resolution and reconsider the matter at the next meeting. Ms. Richards said that the lowest salary could be tied to the consumer price index, but she noted that the City's salary increase has been higher than the CPI for the past five years. She said that Mr. O'Connell's comments are persuasi ve, especially with regard to compression issues. She said that adjustments can be expensive and we may not be able to afford it every year. Ms. Richards said that the proposed resolution will assure that the issue is brought to the Council every year. Mr. Cox said that the resolution institutionalizes the process and commitment by Council and he will support the resolution.