HomeMy WebLinkAbout221116 WSMINUTES
Eugene City Council
Work Session
Eugene, Oregon 97401
November 16, 2022
12:00p.m.
Councilors Present: Greg Evans, Matt Keating, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Randy Groves,
and Emily Semple
Councilors Absent: Alan Zelenka
Mayor Vinis opened the November 16, 2022, work session of the Eugene City Council in a
hybrid format at 101 W 10th Avenue, Eugene OR 97401.
1. WORK SESSION: Alternative Response Study
City Manager, Sarah Medary introduced Community Safety Initiative Project Manager,
Jeremy Cleversy, and BerryDunn staff members Michele Weinzetl and Thomas Shea, who
presented part two of their alternative response study results.
Council Discussion:
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Councilor Keating -asked staff for information regarding the red caps that serve the
downtown area, and how their effectiveness is evaluated; stated an interest in
collaborating with downtown businesses for a downtown safety plan.
Councilor Groves -stated the need for an updated dispatch processes to improve
effectiveness and appropriateness of response by emergency services; indicated a
desire to establish a baseline for service utilization to compare over time; asked staff to
provide updates on staffing and the backfilling of vacant positions; asked what
percentage of CAHOOTS calls are initiated by police, fire, self-initiated or initiated by
other.
Councilor Yeh -noted that she was unaware CAHOOTS responds to calls outside of the
intended services; asked if there is a planned public outreach and education to outline
services; stated that communications with the public is an important part of any
process changes.
Councilor Semple -asked if the shift to single and dual role positions in Eugene
Springfield Fire will impact responses to fire calls; noted support for evaluating and
improving the downtown safety plans and processes; noted appreciation for the red cap
workers in the downtown area; stated that having the red caps in the evening could be
a helpful way to bridge gaps in the coverage of downtown.
Mayor Vinis -asked if the system coordinator position is intended to be a bridge
between the police and non-police responses; asked if the recommendation is to
reshape response teams geographically into multi-disciplinary teams; is interested in
seeing the recommendations that come in the final report; asked how Berry Dunn
envisions the mental health response programs.
Councilor Groves -asked if the previously approved number of neighborhood services
officer positions have been filled; noted that the officers have been an effective addition
MINUTES -Eugene City Council
Work Session
November 16, 2022 Page 1
to the response team; asked how response changes will be evaluated; asked staff to
confirm there is a team assigned to evaluate and track changes and outcomes; noted
that fire responses were increased since the merger of Eugene Springfield Fire.
Mayor Vinis adjourned the meeting at 1:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Katie LaSala
City Recorder
(Recorded by Sara McKinney)
Webcast of meeting available here.
MINUTES -Eugene City Council
Work Session
November 16, 2022 Page 2