Upcoming City Council Work Session
The Eugene City Council received extensive input from the community on the FY21 budget, which was approved on June 22. In addition to their on-going commitment to 21st century policing reform, members of the City Council have also noted the need to take thoughtful and deliberate actions addressing discrimination and systemic bias. As part of that effort, the Council is scheduled to meet at 5:30 pm on July 20 to specifically begin working on issues related to public safety funding including the Community Safety Initiative (CSI). That meeting will be available live on Comcast channel 21 and online, both live and recorded, at www.eugene-or.gov/webcasts.
Public Comment for Administrative Rules begins July 6
The City of Eugene is seeking public comment on Proposed Administrative Rules for the Community Safety Payroll Tax. These rules will implement the Community Safety Payroll Tax Ordinance (No. 20616)
passed by Eugene City Council in June 2019 to provide long-term funding for community safety services. The Community Safety Payroll Tax will generate funds to provide faster, more efficient safety responses, deter crime, connect people to services, engage and help at-risk youth, support more investigations and court services, and add jail beds to reduce capacity-based releases and hold those who commit crimes accountable.
Visit the Payroll Tax web page to review the proposed Administrative Rules, provide comment, or learn more about the Community Safety Initiative, including to check if your business is within the Eugene city limits.
Citizen Advisory Board
One of the accountability measures for the Community Safety Payroll Tax is a Citizen Advisory Board. The Citizen Advisory Board is responsible for preparing an annual report separate and distinct from the report prepared by the outside auditor, documenting the City’s use of the tax revenue and noting whether the tax revenue was spent in compliance with the purpose and use set forth in section 3.750 to 3.768 of the City Code of Ordinances.
Board members must be city residents and/or subject to the payroll tax. They are selected based on their interest in the Community Safety Initiative and/ or local government, and are appointed by the City Manager to represent a cross section of Eugene residents. The Citizen Advisory Board is comprised of community members, business owners, employers, employees and local community organization leaders. Their background and experience will provide important perspectives and oversight on the work of the Community Safety Initiative.
The Board held its first meeting on June 16. See the meeting packet and presentation slides on our website. We look forward to sharing more about the work of the Advisory Board in future emails.
SHiNA 