CC Minutes - 03/08/06 Workshop - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilors asked questions clarifying the information illustrated by the bubble diagram. Mr. Cohen shared four consolidation options related to police functions. Option A was a one-building, full consolidation option; Option B was a campus model with police functions in a separate wing; Option C had police functions separate and within walking distance of a consolidated city hall; and Option D showed police functions remote from city hall. He called attention to a list of considerations relative to each option; those considerations included civic presence, public safety presence, access to internal affairs, public oversight of police activities, efficiency of staff communication, response time, essential services structure, sufficient lot size to accommodate programming, capacity for expansion, cost of land, cost of structured versus surface parking, and construction costs. Responding to a question from Mr. Kelly about the meaning of the reference to public oversight of police activities, Mr. Cohen acknowledged the meaning was not clear and further discussion might be warranted. The consultants were aware it was an issue and wanted to introduce it as a consideration. Ms. Teninty facilitated the discussion for the remainder of the meeting. She solicited questions. Mr. Kelly asked if any of the options could work with a precinct or centralized model. Mr. Cohen said yes; that decision was independent of the physical implications of the model. Mr. Kelly suggested that in the case of Option D, the size of the patrol building would differ depending on the number of precincts. Mr. Cohen agreed, but suggested such a precinct approach, if adopted, would be implemented over time and could be anticipated in the design. Mr. Kelly expressed interest in how Police Chief Robert Lehner felt about the different models and their relationship to a precinct design. He requested a memorandum from Chief Lehner on the topic prior to the next workshop on April 26. Ms. Taylor asked if a separate building near City Hall containing both patrol functions and administration was an option. Mr. Cohen said it was not included in the options but could be added. Ms. Taylor requested feedback from Chief Lehner on the idea. Mr. Papé agreed it was important to get the input of the chief and the department about the options. He asked if Chief Lehner felt it was important to be closer to the City Manager’s Office or closer to the patrol function. Mr. Cohen said there was a strong connection between police administration and other City Hall administrative functions, and that was taken into account. If administration was too far away from City Hall, that could be an issue. Mr. Papé suggested that was the reason the option put forth by Ms. Taylor was not listed. Mr. Cohen agreed. Mr. Wilson said the chief wanted to be near the City Manager's Office but felt comfortable with the commanders being associated with their respective patrol functions. He said his firm could look at the adjacency relationships created by a nearby facility. One option not investigated was locating all police functions outside of downtown. MINUTES—Eugene City Council March 8, 2006 Page 3 Work Shop