CC Minutes - 10/08/03 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Kelly indicated that in a few cases, there had seemed to be a disconnect between clear council direction and the staff response. He acknowledged that it was not a habitual problem, but thought that it would be beneficial if that loop were closed. In regard to input about policy, Mr. Kelly said it was understood that the council decided policy but he would appreciate Mr. Taylor's input in a policy discussion based on his practical experience. He would also appreciate Mr. Taylor giving the council a framework within which to work. Mayor Torrey expressed his concern that the City was feeling the pressure to hire a police chief and would move too quickly. He said he would much rather to take the time needed to get the very best person for the job, adding that Chief Thad Buchanan was doing a good job in the interim. Mayor Torrey was also concerned that the City was not doing a good job of staffing the Police Department appropriately with sufficient numbers of people on the street and that would create a problem for the City budget next year. He said the City should not accept a balancing and blending of the department needs at the expense of safety on Eugene's streets. Ms. Taylor said that she believed in open government and therefore disagreed about holding the performance evaluation in private. She thought the process session should also be open, which was why she objected to having them in different places. She said that in her opinion, being accessible and open were two paramount goals in government. Ms. Taylor said she was disappointed that a recruiter was used for the search for a police chief. She was also disappointed that the council was not involved in the process, adding that the council should be at least as aware of what was going on as people in the community. Mr. Meisner pointed out that at one time there was a goal to have City Council meetings out in different parts of the city. He acknowledged that there were merits to having one familiar place for meetings as well as to going out to other areas. Mr. Meisner noted that the council had very carefully made policy directions and budget decisions about creating more positions for police officers on the street. He said the council had funded two foot patrol officers in the Whiteaker neighborhood and shifted money for more traffic enforcement positions, and that all of those positions had been eliminated without even informing the council. He said that while he understood department and citywide needs, it was troubling to have positions taken away without discussion when the council had debated and made a very conscious decision to fund those positions. Mr. Taylor said that the performance evaluations in which he had been involved had always been public and that he was comfortable with that format. He said that would make it even more useful and important for councilors to fill out the evaluation form and try to synthesize the information in some consistent manner. Mr. Taylor said the only thing that he was disappointed over during the last six months was that the City had not yet hired a new police chief. He said he was fortified by the fact that Chief Buchanan was serving and he had committed to continuing in that role until a new police chief was hired. He said he and Chief Buchanan had decided to go ahead and make some decisions about filling vacant positions. They will also focus on the pressures on patrol by shortening some of the recruitment cycles in order to encourage already prepared police officers from other MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 8, 2003 Page 5 Work Session