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“With the increase in mandatory fines, the courts need to be more sensitive to the financial needs of this community--people are broke--we should look at Portland’s community court model to save $ for lesser offenses. We need a municipal shelter instead of religious ones to provide basic needs to poor people so they don't have to steal or trespass to get by. Need more community service type activities in lieu of fines; perhaps like Josephine County where hours are converted to dollars?” DISCUSSION WITH JUDGE ALLEN On July 13, 2010 the committee met with Judge Allen to discuss the survey results with him. He shared with us his goals as presiding judge, his assessment of changes over the past four years to address areas of improvements in the court, and his reaction to the survey data and comments. Below is a summary of some of those achievements: Areas of Improvement Since 2006 In 2008 the Eugene City Council adopted Ordinance 20419 which defined a downtown public safety zone (DPSZ) and enacted conditions under which the Eugene Municipal Court could exclude a person from this zone. Municipal Court has administered the new ordinance carefully and effectively. It has proven to be a useful sanction for chronic offenders in the downtown public safety zone and beneficial in supporting the Council’s recent focus on downtown safety. During the summer of 2009, Municipal Court offered an “Amnesty” discount to all individuals with accounts that had been referred to the city’s collection agency. The program was highly effective and helped people pay off their outstanding debt and in many cases allowed them to reinstate their driver’s license. The program was developed in response to the economic downturn and the large number of defendants the court observed who failed to pay their fines. The program resulted in over 300 individuals reinstating their license and generated approximately $130,000 in revenue to the city. Municipal Court has made significant strides with technology over the past four years. In 2008, the court implemented a document imaging (scanning) system for all closed case files. Now staff, judges and attorneys can quickly access closed case files electronically. Police reports are now available electronically and are accessed by judges in the courtroom using tablet PCs. Beginning in 2011 court will transition to the new AIRS case management system which will further automate court processes. There are also plans to develop an entirely paperless process for the court, where information will be received electronically, adjudicated using workflow and ultimately archived in an electronic database. The committee was impressed with Municipal Court’s technologically achievements in relation to other courts. Significant Issues Since 2006 Along with the rest of the city organization, Municipal Court has had to make significant reductions to help balance the budget over the last several years. Many changes have occurred, including major reductions to staffing levels. While the court has managed well during these difficult fiscal years, it will be challenging to absorb additional work at current capacity if case load increases substantially.