CC Minutes - 06/14/06 Work Session

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B. WORK SESSION: Judicial Evaluation Ms. Piercy welcomed Municipal Court Judge Wayne Allen and conveyed the council’s appreciation for the results of the recent judicial evaluation. Ms. Bettman congratulated Judge Allen on an excellent evaluation. Ms. Piercy commented that it was clear during an earlier discussion of the evaluation that there was a growing burden on the court system as it picked up some of the slack from Lane County. She asked Judge Allen for his perspective on the situation. Judge Allen said that Eugene had by far the largest municipal court in the State and the issue for the council over the next two or three years was to determine the court’s purpose. He said it was appropriate for the court to assume the extra cases, which changed it from a traffic court to a quality-of-life court, but that placed a considerable strain on resources. He anticipated more difficult cases as the population grew and the Police Department hired additional officers. He said that difficult cases were those involving behavior modification instead of simply imposing a fine or sanction. He used the mental health court as an example of an effort assumed by the Municipal Court that required a tremendous amount of resources and would continue to expand; however, it was very successful in changing the behavior of chronic offenders with mental health issues. He said those offenders were stabilized, no longer appeared in court regularly and had a chance at a reasonable life. He hoped the court would not get to the point where it could not continue with mental health court or the docket was far in arrears because of lack of staff, time or space. Continuing, Judge Allen noted that while the Police Department added 13 officers over the last six years, the court added only one staff person. He said the increasing number of diversion programs, while a benefit to the community, also placed a strain on court resources. He said while the courtroom remodel provided a more appropriate setting, the court still lacked adequate space to conduct its business. He urged the council to consider the court’s need for interim space when a decision was made about a new city hall. He said the 40 percent no-show rate at court was due in large part to the lack of sanctions because there was no space in the jail for pre-trail holds; the City currently rented 17 beds at the jail from the County, but greater capacity was needed to reduce the no-show rate. He said that work crew assignments reached capacity and no new referrals could be made until August, which meant there was a delay in working off fines and satisfying other judgments. He did not feel that Springfield’s approach, which would only house people and not include alternate programs, would be effective for Eugene. Judge Allen acknowledged that there might not be immediate solutions to the problems he identified but encouraged the council to take them into consideration. Ms. Taylor asked how much time the court spent on animal control issues and what constituted a quality-of- life case. Judge Allen said very little time was spent on animal control and clarified that quality-of-life cases included things such as automobile break-in, theft, assault, disorderly conduct, and harassment. Mr. Kelly commended the mental health court and noted that even the defendants who responded in the judicial evaluation reported that they were well-treated and that court staff was helpful. He asked if Judge Allen and the court staff were engaged in any strategic planning activities that could be used during the City’s budget process. Judge Allen said that staff was engaged in determining court needs for planning purposes. He said the current focus was on the court’s location and that would affect other considerations. City Manager Taylor added that a discussion of court issues was part of a larger discussion with the County MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 14, 2006 Page 3 Work Session