Item B: Public Safety Task Force Update

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and adding an exemption for renting a hotel or motel room, achieved seven votes of the 10 needed for a supennajority. The proposal presented by Commissioner Stewart included seven elements: 1) Recommend the $24 million dollar enhancement package. 2) Ask the Commissioners to move the Public Safety Services paid for in the general fund out of the general fund and combine them with the enhancement package creating one new Public Safety System, (approx. $60 million). 3) Recommend a 1 % Public Safety Tax on retail sales dedicated to the new Public Safety System ONLY. 4) Recommend rebating a minimum of$l/thousand of the County's property tax up to the entire amount based on the revenue generated by the new tax. 5) Recommend asking the voters to give us 3 years to prove results and then give them the opportunity to vote it in permanent in November of2008. 6) The only way to change the rate is through a vote of the people. 7) Supply resolutions of support from all cities, Sheriff, and DA Needs, Problems, and Issues in the Public Safety Syste.m Lane County Governme,nt -in General. During the 1950's, 60's and 70's rising revenue from federal lands meant Lane County did not need to seek an increase in its property tax base. In the 1980-81 proposed budget, Law Enforcement and Judicial Services are described as using 32 percent of the county's general fund budget. The percentage now stands at 65 percent. In the departments listed below, there are about 200 fewer employees when comparing staffing from 1980-81 to 2005-06. DeptlEmployees 1980-1981 2005-2006 Difference Public Health 82 59 -23 Mental Health 90 58 -32 Planning 24 13 -11 Parks 25 19 -6 A&T 155 59 -96 RIS 37 24 -13 Finance 49 17 -32 Personnel 15 16 +1 Facilities 21 25 +4 Executive Summary - Lane County Public Safety Task Force Final Report 6