06/10/1985 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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- Ms. Speck said she has numerous relatives who are police officers. She understands the dangers officers face. She said the police department and the fire department should come first in the City budget and the sheriff's depart- ment should be first in the Lane County budget. She hoped her experience would make more funds available to those departments. Mayor Obie told Ms. Speck that Councilor Miller and Mr. Groves had told him of their conversations with Ms. Speck. The councilors will receive a report of the burglary investigation. He suggested that Ms. Speck speak to the budget committee when its work begins in September. B. Whiteaker Community Council Concern About Drug Manufacture Edna Webster, 41 Madison, read a letter indicating that the Whiteaker Community Council discussed neighborhood problems caused by the widespread manufacture and sale of methamphetamines. She said a letter had been sent to the City Manager outlining the extent of the problem and the efforts under- taken to deal with it. She said Lane County ranks second to Philadelphiat PA, in drug producing operations in the United States. She said a high proportion of the drug use and distribution points are in the Whiteaker Community. There has been an increase of armed robberies, muggings, burglaries, and aggressive behavior in the neighborhood in the last 18 months. Drug paraphernalia is seen on the streets and in alleys. Ms. Webster said the drug issue should become a major agenda item for the City. She asked the council to: e 1. appoint a task force to assess the problem, determine the enforce- ment and treatment resources available, and recommend increases if appropriate; 2. lobby the Lane County Commissioners and State legislators to pass legislation making the obtaining of constituent chemicals and glass- ware for the manufacture of methamphetamine more difficult and the identification of people seeking the items more explicit; 3 lobby the State legislators to pass legislation mandating minimum manditory sentences for the manufacture and sale of methamphetamines and for stricter supervision of people convicted of the manufacture and sale of methamphetamines after their release from encarceration; 4 and lobby the congressional delegation for support of House Resolu- tion 526. When the legislation is passed and the position of Lane County in the meth- amphetamine network is established, Ms. Webster said the Whiteaker Community Council urged the City Council to direct the staff to obtain the necessary funds to eradicate the problem. The problem threatens the lives of the neigh- borhood residents. The Whiteaker Council does not want the problems to continue. - Mayor .Obie said he and several councilors share Ms. Webster's concerns and are trying to determine how to deal with the matter. MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 10, 1985 Page 2