CC Minutes - 05/13/08 Joint Elected Officials

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Commissioner Dwyer commented that no matter what they did at this point, they were “damned.” He said the wolf was not at the door, it was “under the bed having puppies.” He stated that the County could not manufacture money. He averred that they lived in a skeptical community, but the skepticism arose from the way the government was funded. He remarked that the government said it would not give the County money, and the County said it would not receive money, and then, at the last minute, federal timber funds would come through. He felt this supported the public’s view that the money was there all along. He agreed that there were some creative things they could do, but he said until enough people were victimized and did not feel safe in the community, and enough people realized that the County could not provide services because they cost money, and until these people were willing to pay for services, the service would not be there. He stated that government was a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week job, and was costly, and if people were not willing to pay for it, they would “get the kind of government they deserve.” Springfield Councilor Lundberg believed that the jurisdictions were good at working at cooperative agreements. She said this was a long-term discussion and should be worked on by the Joint Elected Officials because they represented the citizenry. She suggested, given the size of the list, that they take on a couple of things at a time. She stated that they needed to get the County, within which everyone resided, through this funding situation. Mayor Leiken commented that Sheriff Burger had made a profound statement and Commissioner Dwyer had echoed it. He agreed that the public did not understand what they were facing. He averred that the numbers were clear. He said the vast majority of the public were good people, but at this point the area was getting a lot of import from other areas. He felt Lane County had become a target for criminals. He noted that even with the jail constructed in Springfield, the area would still be short by about 500 jail beds. He hoped that the Joint Elected Officials could come up with ideas to combat the situation. He added that he would like the state legislators to attend the next meeting. He liked the idea of having the PSCC involved in the discussion as it included citizen members. Mayor Piercy had a strong desire for the whole group to be in the conversation. She supported the idea of inviting the state legislators to the table. She felt they should do what they could and they also needed to work with the legislative delegation. She agreed they were facing a crisis and expressed a willingness to continue to be part of a Joint Elected Officials discussion on this. Commissioner Stewart said Commissioner Sorenson would give the final statement in the meeting. Commissioner Sorenson thanked the City of Eugene for the opportunity they might have to exchange the City’s General Fund dollars for some of the County’s Road Fund dollars. He reiterated his suggestion that the City of Springfield consider doing something similar. He added that he would not support creation of another PSCC. He recommended that the elected officials get a report back from the PSCC and continue to meet as Joint Elected Officials. He thought it had been a worthwhile meeting. E. Adjournment Commissioner Stewart thanked everyone for a productive meeting. He said the short-term proposal could be a step in the right direction. As for the long-term, he suggested that another meeting of the Joint Elected Officials be held in June. He wanted to bring back a proposed long-term direction for public safety for discussion. MINUTES—Joint Elected Officials— May 13, 2008 Page 10 Lane Board of County Commissioners and Eugene and Springfield City Councils