CC Minutes - 04/28/98 JEO - Laserfiche WebLink

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complete public safety system; and that the jail capacity need projected in program proposals was based on a population profile study performed by the Lane Council of Governments. District Attorney Douglass Harcleroad pointed out how public systems such as schools could not operate with the 80 percent failure-to-appear rate faced by the judicial system. He said programs proposed to be included in a public safety levy would provide capacity, prevention, and cooperation between local governments. He said he believed the annual cost of a levy should be emphasized, not its total cost. Mr. Cornacchia invited non-elected official members of the PSCC present to express their views. Springfield School District #19 Superintendent Jamon Kent said that school districts believed that a public safety levy should provide support for a complete system, that it should be placed on the ballot at a judiciously chosen time, and that its outcomes should be carefully defined. He recommended that a survey of public opinion regarding support of a public safety levy be made. Springfield Police Chief Bill DeForrest said that the lack of adequate jail capacity was the most critical need which should be addressed in a public safety levy. He said that area police chiefs also supported including conversion of the Area Information Records System (AIRS) and early intervention programs in a levy proposal. Lane County Children and Family Department Manager Patricia Rogers said the proposed levy was an opportunity to provide balanced support for all elements of the public safety system. She said she was pleased that support for early intervention for high risk juvenile offenders was included among programs given the highest priority among those proposed to be included in a levy. PSCC Citizen Member Jan Gund stated that she believed the council was providing the best opportunity available for a coordinated examination of the public safety needs of Lane County. She said the PSCC should continue its work after a levy was passed. Mr. Cornacchia invited elected officials who were not members of the PSCC present to express their views. Eugene City Councilor Pat Farr said that he did not believe most citizens realized the scope and coordination of public safety services. He said he supported the importance of including jail capacity in a public safety levy because it "made the system work," but was a strong advocate of prevention programs as a way to reduce needs for capacity. He thanked the PSCC for its work. Lane County Commissioner Elli Dumdi expressed appreciation for the work of the PSCC. She said she was concerned that it would be difficult to convince the voting public of the importance of the proposed programs, despite their high cost. She said she believed prevention was the most important element of a public safety system. Lane County Commissioner Peter Sorenson reviewed establishment of Public Safety Councils by State legislation. He suggested that failure of voters to approve public safety levy proposals in 1996 and 1997 indicated dissatisfaction with such proposals. He said it was important for all jurisdictions, including school districts, to support the legislation. He said his concerns about using a Local Option Levy to support public safety included: (1) the proposal did not provide a comprehensive or continuing solution to problems; (2) a five-year levy would delay an attempt to address an under emphasis on prevention; (3) the support of all jurisdictions was not guaranteed; MINUTES--Metropolitan Joint Elected Officials April 28, 1998 Page 4