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"owned" this issue and now has the opportunity to move forward to a culture of integrity. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly agreed that the EPD was fundamentally sound and complimented Chief Lehner for the work he <br />has accomplished in his short tenure; however, he opined that the problems within the department go beyond <br />a few individuals. He stressed that the policy recommendations before the council must be taken seriously; <br />however, he pointed out that when the council has attempted to address department issues in the past, it was <br />discouraged with the reasoning that such concerns were operational and not the council's concern. Mr. <br />Kelly asked if other jurisdictions can be studied to ascertain if their adopted City Council policy provided a <br />framework for a department to operate on. Mr. Matarese responded that the City Manager can provide the <br />council with the information requested. He referred to the point posed by Mr. Kelly and noted that the City <br />Council, meeting as a body, can certainly ask specific questions about the operations of a department and <br />expect to receive a reply. Mr. Matarese shared that City Manager Taylor expected to be held accountable <br />for implementation of the council's policies and procedures and would not object to such questions. Mr. <br />Matarese added that there was a misconception within the community as to how the council/manager form <br />of government operated, and stressed it was the responsibility of the council to ask such questions. He <br />stressed, however, that council members cannot act individually in such a responsible role with department <br />heads and subordinates. <br /> <br />Mr. Matarese reiterated that the council needs to %tep up to the plate" with more regularity and ask the hard <br />questions that need to be asked to ascertain that the administration was accomplishing the policies laid out. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly concurred that additional community input was critical to this process. He pointed out, however, <br />that some community members will not come forward if they do not feel their concerns will be heard and <br />responded to. In conclusion, Mr. Kelly stated that the recommendation to hire an independent consultant <br />was critical to the process and requested that this component be addressed within the budget process. <br /> <br />Mr. Pap~ referred to the comments made by Mr. Pryor and noted that the City was "all in this together." He <br />pointed out however that the council cannot operate the EPD; rather, it delegates such authority. At the <br />same time, Mr. Pap~ stressed it is the council that is accountable for the performance of the EPD and, <br />therefore, implementation of the recommendations the council deemed justified was critical. City Manager <br />Taylor concurred and reiterated that the governance of this community rests with elected officials and the <br />leadership team and assured that progress will be made towards the implementation of the recommendations. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor questioned if a performance auditor may have prevented some of the recent problems which <br />occurred within the EPD. Dr. Cacti opined that an auditor who observes the day-to-day operations does not <br />assure that performance issues will be detected. He noted that the key to a successful policy was the action <br />and follow up that occurs and the culture of integrity that exists within a department. Ms. Taylor observed <br />that the auditor model was Portland is making good progress. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor referred to Recommendation 5 - Consider eliminating the statement that the department <br />routinely checks the police records of the people with whom we have contact, including people who file <br />complaints. She voiced concern with that recommendation, pointing out that many individuals who have <br />problems with the EPD have not led a perfect life and do not want to take a chance that their records will be <br />checked. Ms. Taylor suggested that the practice itself be eliminated. Mr. Narr pointed out that it was the <br />responsibility of police officers to bring people to justice when circumstances require that. He elaborated <br />that the team did not believe it was appropriate to include a warning that may discourage an individual from <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 9, 2005 Page 7 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />