CC Minutes - 07/28/03 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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4. ACTION: An Ordinance Concerning Citation Authority of University of Oregon Department of Public Safety on University Property; Adding Section 4.035 to the Eugene Code, 1971; and Amending Section 4.0-6 to That Code Council President Pap~ moved, seconded by Councilor Nathanson, that the City Council adopt Council Bill 4843, an ordinance concerning citation authority for University of Oregon Public Safety Officers. Mayor Torrey called for those wishing to speak to the motion to do so. Councilor Taylor registered her opposition, stating that she objected to passing the ordinance while the majority of university students were not in town due to the summer break. She stressed that the students would be the most affected by the ordinance and should have a right to speak to it. She shared her doubts on providing this level of authority to people who were not police officers. Councilor Poling stressed that this was not an issue of attempting to change the behavior of area residents, it was a cost-saving issue. He stated that it would upgrade the standards required of the personnel in the University of Oregon Department of Public Safety (DPS) and would increase the efficiency with which the Eugene Police Department (EPD) could respond to calls. He emphasized that this ordinance singled out no one and that it was important to implement it in an expeditious fashion so that it was in effect when the students returned. Councilor Kelly thanked staff for clarifying that State law limited the applicability of the ordinance to an officer that had completed commissioning training. He agreed with Councilor Poling that the idea had a great deal of merit, but felt that students should have had more opportunity to provide input. He noted that the article in the student newspaper had been printed during "dead week." Councilor Kelly moved, seconded by Councilor Taylor, to table the motion. Roll call vote; the motion failed, 5:3; councilors Kelly, Pap~, and Taylor voting in favor. Councilor Bettman agreed with a large measure of Councilor Poling's remarks. She felt that it was a budget issue and that it would be fiscally responsible to support the motion. She noted that there were 8,000 students on campus during the summer, yet only two chose to come to the hearing that had been held in the previous week. She related that she had not heard a substantive reason not to support the motion. Councilor Bettman thanked interim Police Chief Thad Buchanan for including direction to staff to return in a year with an analysis of how the shift had worked and whether there were any objections on the part of the University students. She also expressed appreciation for the MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 28, 2003 Page 10 Regular Meeting