The Eugene City Council adopted a proposal for an ordinance that would define the authority of and procedures for the city’s new police auditor and Civilian Review Board at the Council’s work session Monday night.
Police Auditor Cristina Beamud said she has reached out to various groups to create the ordinance since she started work last month, but councilors said problems still exist within the wording of sections of the proposal, such as those regarding the transparency of the auditor and review board.
In response, the Council replaced certain language in the ordinance with text from a resolution that makes it more consistent with previous laws and describes the supervision of the auditor’s staff.
The proposal passed with Councilors Jennifer Solomon and Gary Papé voting against it.
The City Council also voted 6-1 to allocate $300,000 to expand and renovate space now used by the Lane County Farmers’ Market as part of the city’s Park Blocks Master Plan, which serves as a guide for maintaining and developing park blocks downtown.
The Farmers’ Market is located along West 8th Avenue, across from the “butterfly” parking lot, which is being considered as a site for the new Eugene City Hall.
A proposal had recommended that the Farmers’ Market project be held until the final site for the new City Hall is chosen, but Councilor David Kelly introduced an amendment recommending that the project should move forward and renovate the space before the 2007 market season.
The Farmers’ Market requested a bigger and better space because the current one is too small for the number of vendors.
Farmers’ Market Director Noa O’Hare said the market vendors were looking at how the Park Blocks project would affect them if they had to compete for space, but the market would remain downtown in the foreseeable future.
Despite some Council concerns about having to spend money twice for renovation and about the possibility that the Farmers’ Market might relocate, Kelly’s amendment received support from Councilors Bonny Bettman and Betty Taylor, who both said that the short-term effects of improving the area were worth the investment.
Taylor said the Farmers’ Market was in line with the Council’s goal of encouraging sustainable business because it brings both tourists and residents downtown to visit the market.
“Here is an opportunity where we can step forward and help them out,” Kelly said. “To give the market three more robust years downtown would be money well spent.”
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