11.25.19 City Council Work Session Minutes

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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 they wouldn't collect the tax for the City; asked if staff was comfortable in saying the City will be able to keep up and manage collection data; asked staff to explain systems in place for businesses challenging 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 the silver lining is that once the collection system is up and running, the City will be in control and managing it internally; talked about the importance of managing and collecting good data; said that collecting the payroll tax is a long-term solution but acute issues exist right now and it's important to not to lose momentum as the bridge funding ends and before collection of the tax begins; asked what resources or mechanisms council should consider to make sure momentum isn't lost. • Councilor Zelenka - asked staff to explain the timeline and budget for using the Department of Revenue compared to internal collection; said he thinks it will ultimately be beneficial to be able to have control over the implementation within the City. • Councilor Evans - asked what fund or funds potential loans would be borrowing from and what that would look like. • Councilor Clark- asked if reference to a vendor meant software or implementation vendor; said Eugene is lucky to have many CPA firms in the community and asked what the interactions with them will be as far as training, resources, and implementation recommendations. • Councilor Taylor - asked if small businesses were exempt from the payroll tax; asked if small businesses 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 concerns about low-income individuals being impacted, but acknowledged that council has decided to move forward with this tax. 3. WORK SESSION: Update from Municipal Court Presiding Judge Presiding Judge Greg Gill gave an update about municipal court operations, including safety updates and community court. Council Discussion: • Councilor Clark- asked if there is access to enough jail beds in the current system; asked if community complaints are a result of inadequate resources to hold misdemeanor and violation offenses adequately accountable; shared his opinion that people are not held accountable very well and that council doesn't invest in the resources for the court's use to a degree that's appropriate; asked if people are ever restricted from certain areas during sentencing and how effective that is; asked if you can require someone to stay at a service provider, like a particular shelter or drug treatment as a condition of release; asked about community restoration and whether the City could work with a list of businesses owners who are interested in doing restoration in their facility. • Councilor Pryor - said that restorative justice is great but complicated; talked about mechanisms that can be used to keep people in treatment; said that accountability can be achieved in a number of ways that doesn't always include a jail bed; talked about youth programs and accountability; asked if there is the ability to maintain momentum with the new payroll tax timeline and the funding mechanisms to bridge the temporary funding; said the municipal court sees the results of citations issued by EPD and asked if there were any trends or implications to show that EPD may be issuing any frivolous, discriminatory, or reactionary citations. • Councilor Yeh - complimented Judge Gill for the depth of his knowledge and his ability to explain things well; said she sat in while he was in court and his instructions were clear, he MINUTES - Eugene City Council November 25, 2019 Page 2 Work Session