Agenda Packet 1-13-20 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Finance team’s knowledge on implementing the payroll tax, noting the work is complicated and important. •Councilor Clark – asked for more information about why the Department of Revenue said theywouldn’t collect the tax for the City; asked if staff was comfortable in saying the City will be ableto keep up and manage collection data; asked staff to explain systems in place for businesseschallenging applicability; asked for the target implementation date. •Councilor Pryor – said he’s sorry that DOR didn’t have the time to work with the City, but thesilver lining is that once the collection system is up and running, the City will be in control andmanaging it internally; talked about the importance of managing and collecting good data; saidthat collecting the payroll tax is a long-term solution but acute issues exist right now and it’simportant to not to lose momentum as the bridge funding ends and before collection of the taxbegins; asked what resources or mechanisms council should consider to make sure momentumisn’t lost. •Councilor Zelenka – asked staff to explain the timeline and budget for using the Department ofRevenue compared to internal collection; said he thinks it will ultimately be beneficial to be ableto have control over the implementation within the City. •Councilor Evans - asked what fund or funds potential loans would be borrowing from and whatthat would look like. •Councilor Clark – asked if reference to a vendor meant software or implementation vendor; saidEugene is lucky to have many CPA firms in the community and asked what the interactions withthem will be as far as training, resources, and implementation recommendations. •Councilor Taylor – asked if small businesses were exempt from the payroll tax; asked if smallbusinesses would have help figuring out how to deduct taxes from their employees’ paychecks;asked if paychecks will have a line showing this payroll tax deduction; said she has concernsabout low-income individuals being impacted, but acknowledged that council has decided tomove forward with this tax. 3.WORK SESSION: Update from Municipal Court Presiding JudgePresiding Judge Greg Gill gave an update about municipal court operations, including safety updatesand community court.Council Discussion: •Councilor Clark – asked if there is access to enough jail beds in the current system; asked ifcommunity complaints are a result of inadequate resources to hold misdemeanor and violationoffenses adequately accountable; shared his opinion that people are not held accountable verywell and that council doesn’t invest in the resources for the court’s use to a degree that’sappropriate; asked if people are ever restricted from certain areas during sentencing and howeffective that is; asked if you can require someone to stay at a service provider, like a particularshelter or drug treatment as a condition of release; asked about community restoration andwhether the City could work with a list of businesses owners who are interested in doingrestoration in their facility. •Councilor Pryor – said that restorative justice is great but complicated; talked aboutmechanisms that can be used to keep people in treatment; said that accountability can beachieved in a number of ways that doesn’t always include a jail bed; talked about youthprograms and accountability; asked if there is the ability to maintain momentum with the newpayroll tax timeline and the funding mechanisms to bridge the temporary funding; said themunicipal court sees the results of citations issued by EPD and asked if there were any trends orimplications to show that EPD may be issuing any frivolous, discriminatory, or reactionarycitations. •Councilor Yeh – complimented Judge Gill for the depth of his knowledge and his ability toexplain things well; said she sat in while he was in court and his instructions were clear, he Janurary 13, 2020, Meeting – Item 3A