Item 2D: Appointments to Judicial Evaluation Committee

Home Browse Search

ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Appointments to Judicial Evaluation Committee Meeting Date: January 23, 2006 Agenda Item Number: 2D Department: Municipal Court Staff Contact: Marilyn Nelson www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5580 ISSUE STATEMENT This is a consent calendar item to review the Mayor’s nominations to the citizen Judicial Evaluation Committee and to appoint committee members. BACKGROUND By Eugene Code, the City Council initiates a judicial evaluation process every four years. The City Council received the previous judicial evaluation report at a work session on June 10, 2002. A public hearing was held the same evening. On June 26, 2002, the City Council discussed the report findings with Presiding Judge Wayne Allen in a work session, and formally accepted the evaluation report and reappointed Judge Allen at the council meeting on June 26, 2002. The composition of the citizen committee is established in Eugene Code, Section 2.011. With a minimum of five persons, the committee must be composed of one member of the City’s HumanRights Commission, at least two attorneys familiar with Eugene Municipal Court, and two other persons generally familiar with the judicial system. The nomination for the position from the Human Rights Commission is Carmen Urbina. The nominations for attorney representatives are Don Diment, John Kilcullen and Greg Hazarabedian. The nominations for other persons familiar with the judicial system are Judge Mary Ann Bearden and Judge Kip Leonard. The committee will submit its report to the council at a work session in June 2006, at which time councilors may discuss the report’s findings with the committee members. A public hearing will be scheduled after this work session. At a second work session in June, councilors will meet with Presiding Municipal Court Judge Wayne Allen to discuss the report’s findings, feedback from the public hearing and court issues in general. City Council action to formally accept the report will be scheduled prior to June 30, 2006. RELATED CITY POLICIES Eugene Code, Section 2.011 calls for a formal evaluation of the City’s Presiding Judge once every four years by a citizen evaluation committee. The last formal evaluation was conducted in 2002. Citizen evaluation of a judge’s performance is an excellent opportunity for citizen involvement in local government, and is a practice which is unique to the City of Eugene. L:\CMO\2006 Council Agendas\M060123\S0601232D.doc