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virtually be out of the drug prosecution business, including the sale of cocaine, heroin, and methampheta- mines and the manufacture of those drugs. Ms. Solomon arrived at 5:40 p.m. Continuing, Mr. Harcleroad said that possibly 100 to 200 felony drug cases would be prosecuted if they were substantial quantity cases. He stated that in 2003 there were 1,550 drug charges equating to approximately 700 cases from the City of Eugene, and starting July 1, 2004, those would no longer be accepted. He said that felony property crimes under $1,500 in value would no longer be prosecuted, leaving homicides, felony assaults, other violent felonies, drunk driving, misdemeanor domestic violence, other violent misdemeanors, other violent juvenile crime, and some major burglaries and theft to be prosecuted by 19 attorneys. He remarked that the magnitude of cuts to the public safety system did not appear to be happening elsewhere in the country. He asked that the council relate concerns to county commissioners regarding prioritization of budget cuts. Ms. Taylor asked what type of youth services would be cut. Mr. Clements replied that the Serbu Center presently operated at one-third of its capacity and many of the intervention and prevention programs, such as Pathways, were reduced or eliminated. Ms. Taylor noted that one of the cuts listed on the handout called for no police patrol for four hours during the night and asked what would happen in a life-threatening emergency. Mr. Clements said in that type of situation, deputies would be called from home and overtime would be paid; other nonlife-threatening situations would be handled by the next shift. He said the hours not covered would likely be between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. when calls were down dramatically. Mr. Pap6 asked if other counties were experiencing similar problems. Mr. Harcleroad said data he had seen for comparable counties such as Washington, Clackamas, and Marion indicated that each of those areas had a significantly better property tax base with a higher rate and, in addition, Washington County had a public safety levy. Mr. Clements added that of Oregon's 36 counties, Lane County was second to the lowest in taxes Mr. Pap6 asked how the distribution of budget cuts was determined. Mr. Harcleroad said that he had placed the most importance on serious person felony crimes, followed by misdemeanor person crimes, felony property and serious drug crimes. He said that nonviolent misdemeanors were at the end of the list, except if there was a one-person crime wave. He commented that his approach to prioritization was consistent with that used by other district attorneys across the country. Mr. Pap6 asked what impact could be expected in the River Road/Santa Clara area. Mr. Harcleroad said it was likely that offenders would quickly learn the offenses for which there were no consequences and those types of offenses would be repeated. In response to a question from Mr. Pap6, Mr. Clements related that expenses had increased by six percent while revenue increased at three percent. He suggested that to stabilize the system, public safety should be moved in whole or in part out of the general fund and into a county-wide service district that was dedicated, permanent, and had a separately elected budget authority. He emphasized that this proposal was not about consolidation. MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 10, 2004 Page 2 Work Session