CC Minutes 07/13/98 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Nathanson said that the work of the Mayor's Parks and Open Space Committee was intended to increase healthy outlets for recreation and had a relationship to community health and public safety. She said the recommendations of the committee met goals of the council and community related to crime prevention, youth, and growth management, and were intended to redress inequities in the current park system. Mayor Torrey announced that the council would deliberate and vote on the ordinance placing the recommendations of the committee on the ballot on July 22. V. ACTION: ORDINANCE CALLING AN ELECTION TO SUBMIT A MEASURE AMENDING THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF EUGENE TO ESTABLISH A CITIZEN REVIEW BOARD Council Services Manager Mary Walston reviewed the work of the council, External Review Advisory Committee, and Council Committee on Public Safety in preparing an ordinance to submit to voters amending the City Charter and enabling establishment of a process for review of police actions by a limited change in the role and authority of the City Manager and City Council. Mr. Lee expressed appreciation for the work of the External Review Advisory Committee. He expressed concern about citizen involvement in setting Police Department operating policy. External Review Advisory Committee Chair Elaine Green stated that the committee had recommended two independent processes dealing with citizen involvement in review of police actions and with citizen involvement in development of police policies. She explained that the committee's recommendation for the first process a review board appointed by the City Council required a charter amendment, but that the second process, creation of a council-level policy board, was being implemented by direction of the acting Chief of Police with the support of the Council Committee on Public Safety. Mr. Tollenaar said that he believed there was ambiguity and the potential of a dangerous outcome of submitting the proposed charter amendment to voters. He said it was not clear whether the charter amendment proposal established a citizen review process or changed the charter to enable the council to establish such a process. He asked which was the intention of the committee. Ms. Green stated that it had been a significant element of the recommendation of the committee to have independent citizen review of police actions. She said the committee had recommended the change in the charter to allow appointment of the review body by the City Council to ensure its independence. Mr. Tollenaar stated that if the proposed amendment were to be submitted to voters and was turned down, the issue of whether establishment of a police review body by another method was not solved. He said that he believed the City Council would have difficulty establishing such a body in the face of a defeat of the proposed amendment, even if its intention was only to make council appointment of the body possible. MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 13, 1998 Page 6 7:30 p.m.