CCMinutes - 09/27/04 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Bettman noted that the Police Commission was conducting community forums on September 28 and September 30, 2004, to obtain public comment on police complaint procedures. She announced that a public meeting and design workshop for the Crest Drive area would be held September 29, 2004. She said that a recent article published by the American Public Health Association confirmed that research had established that traffic calming measures saved children's lives. Mr. Pap6 asked when the racial profiling study being conducted by the Police Commission would be available. City Manager Taylor said that a presentation on findings had been scheduled for the previous week but was cancelled because of the incident he mentioned earlier. He said that the task force working on the report would reconvene to review the findings and a report would be submitted to the Police Commission and made available to the council and the public later in the year; he would keep the council informed about the timeframe and how the report would be used. Ms. Solomon arrived at 5:45 p.m. Mr. Kelly requested a copy of the written request to DOJ to investigate the incident. He commented that many community residents faced discriminatory and arbitrary behavior both from the City organization and the community at-large. He said that while many people had been working on the problem for years, little progress had been made and it was necessary to face up to diversity issues and racism issues. He said he appreciated and supported the work of the committee and the Police Commission but it was critical for both elected and appointed City leaders to set the tone in the community. City Manager Taylor said the City was on record to make organizational changes and pledged his commitment to treat people fairly, both individually and systematically, and work to address the complex societal issue. Mr. Meisner commented that a number of councilors had complained over the years about ;;paper planning" instead of planning that made a real difference. He said the City organization and the community had a habit of studying and processing and talking about diversity, but Eugene was not actually a very tolerant community, and the City organization could model better behavior. He said it was important to voice actively and loudly the City's commitment to make a change. City Manager Taylor reiterated his pledge that he and Chief Lehner would provide leadership on that issue. He thanked the council for raising the issue, the Police Commission for its work, and individuals in the community who had worked with the City on diversity challenges over the years. B. WORK SESSION: Transportation Funding for Pavement Preservation City Manager Taylor recognized the council's interest in finding a sustainable, locally controlled source of funding to address the growing backlog of pavement preservation needs. He introduced Public Works Director Kurt Corey and asked him to discuss the history of the issue and various options available. Mr. Corey provided a brief background of the issue, referring to a report from the Budget Citizens Subcommittee in the fall of 2001 that identified a $67 million backlog of deferred maintenance that was continuing to grow and required a new revenue source to address. He said the committee recommended a combined local option gas tax and transportation system maintenance fee (TSMF) for the purpose of generating a new revenue stream of $9 million per year. He said the council had approved a motor vehicle MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 27, 2004 Page 2 Work Session