Item 3A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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looked on fresh vegetables and fruits as a luxury. He averred that though they were not going hungry, they were just surviving. Mayor Piercy closed the forum. Councilor Bettman thanked everyone for their testimony. She averred that the vote for the charter amendment meant that the language in the charter was mandatory and was not negotiable. She opined that the amendments she put forward were “basically just a way to get the discussion going.” She asserted that they would enact the maximum authority the charter allowed. She did not believe this was being done currently. She also did not believe the committee would finish its work in three months and predicted it would be “at least six months, if we are lucky.” She alleged that every day her proposed amendments sat in the committee would be in violation of the law set forth by the charter that enacted police oversight. She believed that the auditor and the CRB did not have the authority the voters gave them by enacting the charter. She likened it to “shirking” their responsibility to the voters. She declared that the council “must give that authority” to the auditor and the CRB. Councilor Ortiz thanked everyone for coming down. She indicated that she would call Mr. Clemens about his idea for a free garden. She said she was working on an effort in the Trainsong neighborhood that could include a community garden. Councilor Ortiz stated that she had supported the charter amendment and supported police oversight. She stressed that her motion to form a committee to vet the proposed amendments to the ordinance language had not been the result of backroom finagling. She had no desire to undermine the authority of the auditor or of the voters. She said she had also worked on the auditor issues with Councilor Bettman. She underscored that this committee was not charged with anything other than reviewing the issues that Councilor Bettman had set forth. She had attended three National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) conferences. She related that she had learned that the oversight process was fluid and that there was nothing set in stone; it needed to have continued revision in order to ensure it reflected the community values that supported it. She did not know of any words to reassure people who felt that the formation of the committee was a “stalling tactic.” She said when she placed herself on a committee and appointed other people to a committee she expected that everyone would work hard to make sure they send back to council a product they could send forward to the community. She underscored that the council had the last word on it. Councilor Clark expressed appreciation to everyone who came and shared their opinion. He said he would be willing to help with Mr. Clemens’ idea for a community garden. He thought it was a wonderful idea. Councilor Clark thanked everyone for their opinions on the police auditor. He specifically wanted to thank Mr. Laue, who had captured his sentiments “best.” He found some of the comments unfortunate. He said he appreciated Ms. Berg-Caldwell’s comments but he did not think it was helpful to define people’s disagreements by guessing what their motivations might be. He underscored that he had clearly said from the beginning that he was very interested in seeing effective police oversight go forward. He recognized that 65 percent of the people had voted to strengthen the oversight model. He intended to see that done. He explained that there was no direct connection to what the people had voted for and what Councilor Bettman had proposed in her amendments. He said some of the 11 amendment she had set forth had left him with questions. He was not certain that one could say that this was a direct correlation to the council had considered in Councilor Bettman’s proposal. He absolutely favored seeing the oversight strengthened and the charter fulfilled. In order to make appropriate decisions on Councilor Bettman’s amendments, he felt he needed better information. He disagreed with the suggestion that the committee was somehow stacked in favor of the police. He reiterated that at the end of the day the City Council would be the ones that were accountable for the decision and if the public did not like the decision they arrived at, the voters could vote MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 24, 2008 Page 6 Regular Meeting