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City of Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey stated that the Eugene City Council had never failed to support <br />a Lane County ballot revenue measure. He said he believed a gap in programs proposed for <br />inclusion in a public safety levy was an emphasis on the importance of keeping juveniles in <br />school. He said he did not believe there were adequate prevention programs proposed in Tier 1 <br />of the levy proposal. He encouraged including a "court school" and support for programs for <br />homeless youth in a levy proposal. He said he would support potential Eugene revenue <br />measures for a library and park-land acquisition and a Lane County public safety levy in the fall <br />election. <br /> <br />Eugene City Councilor Tim Laue said he believed voters would be able to understand the <br />importance of programs proposed to be included in a public safety levy and that if 90 percent of <br />its support was directed toward capacity expansion, it would not be approved. He suggested that <br />a significant portion of programs proposed in Tier 2 would need to be included for a levy to be <br />approved. <br /> <br />Eugene City Councilor Scott Meisner said he believed previous public safety measures had not <br />been approved by voters because they did not deal with the need to address the perception of <br />safety. He said he agreed that capacity needed to be included in any levy proposal and that he <br />believed that offering a "menu approach" to voters was unwise because the public safety system <br />was comprehensive and its pads inseparable. He recommended that prevention proposals be <br />cautiously made because of the difficulty in substantiating their success. He said he expected to <br />support a public safety levy. <br /> <br />Mr. Tollenaar said he believed a park-land acquisition revenue measure could be considered a <br />public safety prevention proposal. He said he did not believe percentage of the total cost of <br />program proposals was a good measure of their balance because prevention was comparatively <br />less expensive and that some portion of capacity could be considered prevention. <br /> <br />Ms. Weeldreyer said it was her experience that the lack of coordination in the public safety <br />system was best illustrated in rural areas of Lane County. She suggested that the system was <br />like a house in need of repair and that improvements should be strategically planned. <br /> <br />Ms. Maine said that she supported a public safety levy proposal and that she believed a <br />significant difference could be made through programs supported with a $1/$1,000 of assessed <br />value. <br /> <br />Mr. Cornacchia said he believed "market research" regarding voter response to a levy proposal <br />was important and that it should seek opinions from a large segment of the voting population. <br /> <br />Bethel School District 52 Superintendent Kent Hunsaker expressed appreciation for being able to <br />participate in deliberations of the elected officials and the work of the PSCC. He said safety was <br />the highest priority of schools and of Lane County. He said he did not believe a five-year Local <br />Option Levy was an appropriate revenue source to support public safety programs. He <br />suggested unused tax bases and issuing bonds could be more advantageous. He said parks <br />and public safety issues had a natural affinity and should be presented to voters in a common <br />package. <br /> <br />Mr. Burge said he was frustrated because he did not believe the total levy proposal could solve <br />public safety system problems. He suggested that diminished social and family values, and the <br /> <br />MINUTES--Metropolitan Joint Elected Officials April 28, 1998 Page 6 <br /> <br /> <br />