Task force prioritizes plan for public safety.

Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard

An emerging plan to improve public safety countywide by cracking down on criminals and protecting children will focus on methamphetamine cooks and drug dealers, addicts who steal, domestic violence, drug and alcohol treatment, and crime prevention.

The priorities surfaced Thursday night in a draft memo to the county's Public Safety Task Force prepared by elected law enforcement leaders and crime prevention program managers.

No cost figure has been discussed yet, but potential sources of revenue include sales tax, personal or corporate income tax, restaurant tax, amusement and entertainment taxes or the property tax.

The task force - composed of representatives of the county's dozen incorporated cities, county commissioners and elected public safety officials - has met three times in the past month to work toward consensus on a new funding source to rebuild a range of eroding public safety programs.

Task force members have concluded that a lack of rural sheriff's patrols, a revolving door at the overcrowded county jail, high levels of property crime and declining resources for public safety and crime prevention have reached a crisis.

While the priorities of Thursday night's memo garnered wide support, task force members are not settled on several critical aspects of the plan - which they hope to have ready for voters by November 2006.

Some officials, for example, loathe any approach that will create instability and uncertainty by requiring yearly voter approval of funding and constant budget tinkering. Others are wary of a big-ticket, all-encompassing measure similar to those defeated in past elections.

The Thursday night memo sought to strike a balance by narrowing the scope to the methamphetamine trade while offering help to addicts, building on prevention programs for children and families, and stepping up efforts to combat family violence.

Even before they have the details hammered out, task force members are thinking about how to shape the package to address public concerns about accountability, efficiency and effectiveness.

Veneta City Administrator Ric Ingham said the plan must clearly explain what people will gain from it.

"What is going to be the outcome, the benchmark? At some point, that's what voters are going to buy off on," Ingham said.

Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy said the task force's message must be clear and appealing to many audiences. For example, instead of saying the plan will "decrease domestic violence," she suggested it be linked to "saving the children."

Jim Johnson, a former administrator for Eugene and Lane County who is facilitating the task force, said the priorities expressed by officials in earlier meetings shaped the memo prepared by county Administrator Bill Van Vactor, District Attorney Doug Harcleroad, Sheriff Russ Burger, Health and Human Services Administrator Rob Rockstroh, Children and Families Director Alicia Hays and Department of Youth Services Director Lisa Smith.

"It's real clear. There is one factor that is driving the system - illegal drugs. Unless we target methamphetamine in our community, we're probably not going to have much success," Johnson said.

The task force will meet in two weeks to discusspossible funding and to refine the plan.

"What I think we'll give you is a reasonable (cost) number for the system to work. We can't give you some huge number that will never sell," Johnson said.