CC Minutes - 06/14/99 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Taylor supported community policing, which meant to her a different approach to policing. She did not think that was reflected in the staff memorandum outlining the program focus areas. Ms. Taylor said that if the City decided to seek a tax for the Community Policing Program it should not be a property tax. She called for council discussion on what City services needed money most; she did not think the council goals called for a focus on police services to the exclusion of other services. Mr. Kelly expressed appreciation for the wide variety of proposals suggested for the four focus areas. He supported some, others he opposed, while others he questioned as part of the City's mission. He did not understand why the council needed to act quickly, as he wanted to give the PSCC the chance to do its job first before even discussing a City money measure. Mr. Kelly said he was not proposing to ignore the subject until after November, but did not want to displace items now on the June agenda. Mr. Johnson believed that voters would want to know how Eugene would use its revenue sharing dollars if a PSCC measure that included revenue sharing was passed. If the City did not have the first three years of a Community Policing Program mapped out, voters might oppose it because of uncertainty. Mr. Kelly said he would rather provide the voters with the elements of the program with the strongest council support in September, and give the community the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the council. Mr. Johnson said that a September ballot gave the council little time to refine its proposals. Mr. Kelly acknowledged the short time line involved and said he did not think the council could do justice to the issues facing it over the months of June and July. Mr. Rayor noted his previous support for the November 1998 PSCC ballot measure and said he wanted to hear more from the County. He liked the Community Policing Program elements presented, but feared that if the City enhanced its system it would overwhelm other elements of the public safety system, such as the judiciary and incarceration systems. Mr. Johnson said that staff attempted to avoid adding new officers or detectives that would generate substantial new arrests that would impact the judicial and incarceration systems. He did not think the measure the PSCC recommended in the future would differ much from the measure offered to the voters in November 1998. However, that package did not address what he believed were Eugene's needs, which were better addressed by the elements of the program included with the staff memorandum and which could be funded by a revenue-sharing component of the PSCC measure. Ms. Nathanson also wanted the PSCC process to go forward, but she wanted to be ready with a Eugene-only measure should the County decide to wait. She acknowledged Mr. Johnson's remarks about voters' interest in Eugene's use of the revenue sharing funds. Regarding the potential of further community input, Ms. Nathanson said that she believed if the City sought further input on the subject of community policing there would be backlash from those who had contributed their time and suggestions to the City over a long period of time and were now waiting impatiently for their implementation. She believed the program components identified by staff reflected the community's desires. Ms. Nathanson said that the memorandum was a starting point for discussion. Mr. Meisner concurred with Ms. Nathanson regarding further citizen input, noting he had reams of materials related to community policing in his files. He believed that canceling the joint meetings with the Human Rights Commission and Planning Commission to work on a City money measure would create a level of community expectation he was unsure could be satisfied even if a measure was passed. Mr. Meisner did not think the community was currently conscious of the City's progress in implementing community policing. Mr. Meisner wanted to see what the PSCC developed, and expressed frustration that the City Council was not receiving regular reports about the work of the PSCC's Finance Subcommittee. He added he was not prepared to support whatever PSCC placed on the ballot, particularly if the measure did not include a revenue sharing MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 14, 1999 Page 2 5:30 p.m.