A Eugene man has been charged with the willful depredation of government property for allegedly breaking the window of a federal government vehicle.

Federal prosecutors said that court documents allege Kielan Robert Eugene Fitzsimonds, 33, intentionally threw rocks at a U.S. Department of Homeland Security vehicle parked at a federal building in Eugene on June 8. The rocks that Fitzsimonds allegedly threw shattered the vehicle’s rear window and dented its hood and trunk.

According to prosecutors, surveillance video showed a man — who was later identified by investigators as Fitzsimonds — throwing objects at vehicles in the parking lot. The video also showed the man attempting to enter the federal building.

On June 10, a federal agent found the damaged vehicle with a large rock in its back seat, prosecutors said.

Fitzsimonds made his first appearance in federal court on Monday. A federal judge ordered him detained pending further court proceedings.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the willful depredation of federal property is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison.

The FBI is currently investigating this case with assistance from the Eugene Police Department.

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Amid a 14% rise in homelessness in Lane County, the Eugene City Council on Monday approved nearly $710,000 in funding from the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund to support new housing projects.

Established in 2019, the AHTF is funded by a City Council-approved 0.5% city construction excise tax and city general fund dollars. City officials say the AHTF was created to “provide a dedicated source of funding for affordable housing in Eugene.” 

City Housing Tools Analyst Laura Hammond said the goal of the AHTF is to provide more cost-effective housing to people with limited incomes in Eugene.

“We want homes to be affordable so that people aren’t cost-burdened,” Hammond said.

Hammond said that the AHTF aims to reduce the number of residents spending more than half of their income on housing. Ideally, she said, people should be spending around 30% of their income on housing. 

Seventy-five percent of the city-managed AHTF fund is allocated toward constructing affordable housing for renters and first-time homeowners, while the remaining 25% provides direct assistance, such as rent relief and down payment support. In recent years, AHTF dollars have backed transitional housing for veterans and others exiting homelessness.

This year’s AHTF awards

This year, the AHTF received three proposals and one additional funding request from four different organizations: DevNW, Community Development Partners, Cascade Housing Association and Cornerstone Community Housing. 

At the Monday meeting, the City Council voted unanimously to select three of the proposals: Cascade Housing Association, Community Development Partners and Cornerstone Community Housing. City officials said the nearly $710,000 in AHTF funding will help create 205 new affordable housing units. They added that it will also help ensure the financial stability of one project through additional funding. 

AHTF’s impact

Over the past three years, more than $3 million in AHTF funding has supported the development of 280 affordable housing units citywide. In addition to new housing, the fund has helped nearly 200 Eugene households stay housed through rent relief and foreclosure prevention.

Cultivate, Inc., a recipient of AHTF funding in 2023, said the funding was essential for its Grant Street Grow Homes affordable housing project.

“Without the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, this project would not have happened,” Cultivate owner Dylan Lamar said.

St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County, a recipient of AHTF funding in 2022, echoed a similar sentiment. Real Estate Development Director Kristen Karle said the AHTF was crucial in making Williams Place, a transitional housing site for veterans experiencing homelessness, a reality.

“If we didn’t have the AHTF, we probably wouldn’t have been able to move forward with this project,” Karle said. She added that it is “really difficult” to get funding for transitional housing.

Homes for Good, a recipient of AHTF funding in 2023, said the funding will allow the organization to increase capacity at its future Coleman affordable housing site by more than 25%. Real Estate Development Director Audrey Banks said the Coleman will have 52 housing units instead of 38 because of the AHTF funding.

Homelessness on the rise in Lane County

Despite ongoing investment through the AHTF and state affordable housing programs, homelessness is still increasing in Lane County.

On Jan. 29, 2025, Lane County’s Point-in-Time Count recorded 3,509 people experiencing homelessness — a 14% increase from the previous year. Eugene city officials estimate that approximately 3,000 people are experiencing homelessness in Eugene. This means that about 85% of people experiencing homelessness in Lane County live in Eugene.

Since last year’s count, the number of individuals experiencing chronic homelessness has risen by 8%. The number of unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness has also increased by nearly 17% since last year’s count. According to the count, nearly half of those counted were chronically unhoused.

A recently released city report shows that the City of Eugene has made some progress on its 2022-2027 Housing Implementation Plan, a five-year strategic work plan to address homelessness and increase housing affordability and supply through coordinated, equity-focused policies and investment. Between June 2022 and June 2024, the report says that 2,385 new housing units were permitted — nearly 40% of the city’s goal of permitting 6,000 units by 2027.

Despite these gains, only 196 of the 835 city-supported affordable housing units that the five-year plan aims to deliver by 2027 had been completed as of June 2024. Officials said that “without intervention and increased investments,” the city is unlikely to meet that goal.

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On Tuesday, the leader of a Lane County drug trafficking cell was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy tied to the largest single seizure of methamphetamine in Oregon state history.

Federal prosecutors said law enforcement first began investigating the Lane County-based cell in October 2020 for its role in trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine from Southern California to Oregon. Martin Manzo Negrete, 51, was later identified by law enforcement as the cell’s leader. Prosecutors said investigators found that Manzo Negrete was responsible for coordinating the receiving, distribution and storage of methamphetamine in Lane County and surrounding areas. 

In September 2021, law enforcement officers conducted search warrants at different locations in Lane County, including a storage unit where they found 384 pounds of methamphetamine. The amount authorities found in the storage unit is the largest single seizure of methamphetamine in Oregon state history, prosecutors said. In addition to the drugs found, law enforcement officers also found more than $76,000 in cash and 14 firearms, some of which prosecutors said were stolen. 

After the warrants were executed, Manzo Negrete and four of his associates were arrested. Another associate was arrested later, prosecutors said. In March 2025, Manzo Negrete pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it. 

Prosecutors said Manzo Negrete, a Mexican citizen who was living in the U.S. without legal permission at the time of his arrest, has a long history of drug trafficking. According to the U.S. Department of Justice and court documents from a prior case, he previously was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for the distribution of methamphetamine. That sentence, though, was reduced from 14 years to 134 months or approximately 11 years, the documents say.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The Springfield Police Department, the Eugene Police Department and the Linn Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team assisted with investigating the case. 

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On Tuesday, the leader of a Lane County drug trafficking cell was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy tied to the largest single seizure of methamphetamine in Oregon state history.

Federal prosecutors said law enforcement first began investigating the Lane County-based cell in October 2020 for its role in trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine from Southern California to Oregon. Martin Manzo Negrete, 51, was later identified by law enforcement as the cell’s leader. Prosecutors said investigators found that Manzo Negrete was responsible for coordinating the receiving, distribution and storage of methamphetamine in Lane County and surrounding areas. 

In September 2021, law enforcement officers conducted search warrants at different locations in Lane County, including a storage unit where they found 384 pounds of methamphetamine. The amount authorities found in the storage unit is the largest single seizure of methamphetamine in Oregon state history, prosecutors said. In addition to the drugs found, law enforcement officers also found more than $76,000 in cash and 14 firearms, some of which prosecutors said were stolen. 

After the warrants were executed, Manzo Negrete and four of his associates were arrested. Another associate was arrested later, prosecutors said. In March 2025, Manzo Negrete pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it. 

Prosecutors said Manzo Negrete, a Mexican citizen who was living in the U.S. without legal permission at the time of his arrest, has a long history of drug trafficking. According to the U.S. Department of Justice and court documents from a prior case, he previously was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for the distribution of methamphetamine. That sentence, though, was reduced from 14 years to 134 months or approximately 11 years, the documents say.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The Springfield Police Department, the Eugene Police Department and the Linn Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team assisted with investigating the case. 

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A vehicle entered the Willamette River near the Randy Papé Beltline in Eugene, Eugene Springfield Fire officials said Sunday. 

Officials said that emergency responders were notified of the vehicle falling into the river at around 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Calls to 911 reported that the car accelerated into the river, floating away with a woman trapped inside. 

Officials said that the woman inside the vehicle was pulled out by firefighters on a boat and transported by crews for further medical evaluation. 

Firefighters responded to the scene with support from the Lane County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue division.

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On May 21, the Eugene School Board voted five to two to approve the district’s 2025-2026 budget, moving forward with a proposal to reduce 38.25 full-time positions. 

The district’s nearly $561 million adopted budget for the upcoming 2025-2026 fiscal year includes roughly $15.86 million in reductions. The 2025-2026 fiscal year begins on July 1, 2025, and ends on June 30, 2026. 

Earlier this month, district officials proposed that the board cut 65.80 full-time positions as part of what would have been roughly $20.78 million in budget cuts. After community and school board feedback, some positions, including seven licensed full-time positions at the elementary school level, three licensed full-time positions at the middle school level, 3.5 full-time positions at the high school level and 92 hours of educational assistant time in 46 first-grade classes, were restored and added to the now-adopted budget. 

In addition to those positions, the budget also restores the equivalent of one full-time district-wide library services position, 4.5 classified full-time district-wide positions and 6.3 classified full-time positions at the high school level.

The approved staffing reductions will impact schools. While district officials say that 92% of the staffing reductions next fiscal year will occur “outside of” schools, they say that 8% will occur “inside schools.”

The district’s budget woes

The school district’s budget woes come amid lower revenue forecasts for state education funding for the state’s upcoming 2025-2027 fiscal year, which begins in July. District officials say a recent state forecast shows that the three sources that make up the state school fund — general fund and lottery resources, corporate activity tax and corporate kicker revenue — are all down by roughly $920.4 million from a previous forecast made by state economists in March for the upcoming fiscal year. 

Further complicating the district’s budget, officials say, is that “​​local revenue also went down,” which means that the state “needs to make up for the loss on the local level.” While district officials say they can assume a 3% increase each year in property taxes and revenue from the district’s current local option levy, they say cuts are still necessary next fiscal year because of “less beginning fund balances across the entire budget and reduced capital project funds.”

Collectively, property taxes, school district levy funds and the state school fund make up 83% of the district’s proposed total budget. 

Another major challenge the district faces is declining enrollment and increased staffing despite the lower student numbers. This impacts the budget because the state funding the district receives is largely tied to the number of students it has. 

The district has nearly 600 fewer students than it did in 2020. Since then, it has added almost 600 staff positions to support students and schools during and after the pandemic. The added positions were primarily funded by COVID-19 federal dollars, which have now run out. According to the district, these positions were extended this school year by utilizing the district’s reserve funds. Moving forward, though, officials say the district needs to change its staffing levels to match the district’s financial realities. 

District officials report they are on track to spend nearly $30 million in reserves for the current fiscal year. The projected spending accounts for 14% of the district’s reserve accounts in its 2024-2025 adopted budget. The district plans to spend at least $23 million in reserves during the 2025–2026 fiscal year.

Reserve Level Shortfall and Board Policy Conflict

District officials say the 2025-2026 budget is projected to dip “just below the minimum reserve level” required by the school board’s 8% required reserve threshold. Under board policy, the superintendent and school board now must review transfers, expenditures and the projected ending fund balance for a potential mid-year adjustment next fiscal year. It also requires that the superintendent notify the board and propose a plan to rebuild reserves over time if the district were to fall below the 8% threshold.

Interim Superintendent Colt Gill sees three options for the next fiscal year to address this board policy. He said the board could direct the superintendent to underspend the budget to maintain minimum reserves. Another option, Gill said, is that the board could further reduce the 2026-27 budget to build the reserve back to the minimum level. The third option, he said, is that the board could choose to change the minimum reserve level it has set in the policy. 

A ‘win’ for educators and parents

Eugene Education Association President Sabrina Gordon said the now-approved budget is a “win” for parents and educators who pushed back against the district’s previously proposed budget.

“We’re really looking at it as a win. It did not happen by accident,” Gordon said in an interview with The Daily Emerald. 

Gordon said that “win” was the result of sustained opposition from educators and community members who warned that the previously proposed cuts would hurt students. She added that restoring roles previously proposed for elimination, like educational assistants for first-grade classes, helps address some of the district’s most urgent classroom needs.

Budget Opposition

While most of the school board voted to approve the budget, two members, Rick Hamilton and Morgan Munro, voted against it.

Munro said the budget ignores financial realities by relying heavily on one-time fixes and draining reserves, potentially setting the district up for painful decisions in the future.

“This budget irresponsibly ignores financial reality,” Munro said. “It leaves us incredibly vulnerable to the likelihood of federal funding cuts and sets both the board and our new superintendent up for unnecessarily brutal choices next year.”

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With funding potentially expiring soon, the long-term future of Eugene’s city-supported shelter sites — formerly known as safe sleep sites — is uncertain, even as demand for sanctioned shelter options continues to outpace supply. 

A 2021 city ordinance allowing for the temporary establishment of safe parking and safe tent sites has enabled these sites to provide unhoused residents a legal place to rest for nearly four years. St. Vincent de Paul, the largest operator of the sites, said it currently has a waitlist of roughly 300 people.

Despite the demand, the city has made no commitment to fund the sites beyond next year.

City officials say the city has secured funding to allow the program to continue through at least June 30, 2025. City spokesperson Amber Allan said a combination of current state funding, limited one-time grant funds and operational efficiencies, such as reduced staffing, will allow the city to extend funding into the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The 2025-2026 fiscal year begins on July 1, 2025, and ends on June 30, 2026.

What the sites offer

City officials say the city-supported shelter sites program aims to “provide safe, legal places for people experiencing homelessness to sleep and connect to services as well as reduce the impacts of unsanctioned camping across the city.” The program currently has three different sites. 

Two city-supported shelter sites near the Trainsong neighborhood run by St. Vincent de Paul offer 55 RV spaces, additional smaller vehicle spaces, 86 indoor tents and six outdoor Conestoga huts for pet owners. Another site operated by Carry it Forward in the Harlow neighborhood near Autzen Stadium operates 20 pallet shelters only for individuals with special medical needs.

In addition to providing shelter, the sites offer amenities and services that vary by site, including communal restrooms, showers, case management and shared kitchens.

Funding Challenges

On Feb. 24, the Eugene City Council voted seven to one to extend the ordinance, allowing the sites to continue until June 30, 2028. 

City Councilor Mike Clark, the only councilor who voted against extending the ordinance to 2028, expressed concern about extending the ordinance without guaranteed funding.

“We are relying on state funding that we don’t certainly have lined up,” Clark said at the time. “To an extent, I believe it obligates us by policy, so I’m not in favor of us shifting that funding to the city at a time when it’s most difficult to do.”

City officials, though, said extending the ordinance to that date does not obligate the city to continue funding the program. 

Initially, the American Rescue Plan and a state grant for shelter operations provided funding for Eugene’s city-supported shelter sites. Now, two sites are funded by the “All In” state funding. A one-time existing grant funds another site because it is currently not eligible for “All In” funding. 

In 2024, city officials estimated that operating the three sites cost roughly $3.6 million per year.

Officials say they cannot speculate about future funding because state lawmakers are considering extending the financing as part of the state’s 2025-2027 biennial budget, which begins on July 1. Allan said that without continued state funding, the city would need to work with operators to find other potential revenue sources and possible reductions in either beds or services. 

“The City continues to advocate for additional and ongoing All In state shelter funds to supplement limited one-time grant funds,” Allan said in an email.

Public Opposition Limited 

In 2021, The Register-Guard reported that some residents opposed building the sites in certain areas. That public opposition, though, appears to have largely subsided.

At the February meeting where the council extended the ordinance and a public hearing concerning the extension, nobody delivered public testimony against extending the ordinance. Only one person, a representative from St. Vincent de Paul, testified about the ordinance at the public hearing. 

The city-supported shelter sites have grown into St. Vincent de Paul’s “highest performing program,” Operations Manager Jack Boisen said at the public hearing. He added that the sites meet community needs by providing “calm, trauma-informed shelter” and safe sheltering for unhoused individuals living in vehicles. 

In 2024, the percentage of individuals exiting the city-supported shelter sites to permanent housing increased to 27%, a 9% increase from 2023. Additionally, the percentage of individuals exiting the sites to more stable living situations increased to 44% that year, a 21% increase from the prior year. 

According to Allan, all contracts require the operators to be available to respond to concerns and complaints about the sites. Allan said this could include problem-solving with the city to address potential issues that may arise. 

Boisen said St. Vincent de Paul is unaware of any complaints about its two city-supported shelter sites.

“Our sites are incredibly safe, and we haven’t had complaints,” Boisen said in an interview with The Daily Emerald.

A representative for a business adjacent to one of St. Vincent’s two city-supported shelter sites on Garfield Street echoed similar sentiment. 

“As a neighbor of the safe sleep site for many years, we have no major complaints and fully support their work and initiatives in the community,” Arcimoto Chief Operating Officer Dwayne Lum said. 

The only other operator of the city-supported sites, Carry it Forward, said early outreach to its neighbors helped prevent sustained community opposition.

“We have a good relationship with (our neighbors),” Executive Director Kris McAlister said. He added that one neighbor told him they were initially skeptical that the site would remain clean and quiet, but they have been proven wrong.

Program’s future 

Despite city officials advocating for more state funding and the City Council’s decision to extend the ordinance until 2028, the future of Eugene’s city-supported shelter sites is in limbo.

Whether the sites can continue to operate largely hinges on the state’s next biennial budget, which begins in July. Gov. Tina Kotek’s proposed 2025-2027 budget calls for a nearly 43% increase in general fund allocation for housing stabilization programs, which include homelessness services, housing retention and energy services.

However, until state lawmakers finalize the budget and Eugene knows its funding allocation, the program’s long-term future remains unclear.

Lawmakers will likely approve the final budget sometime in June. In 2023, lawmakers approved the 2023-2025 budget on June 25.

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A former employee for Homes for Good was arrested on embezzlement charges earlier this week, Eugene police officials said Friday. 

Homes for Good is the public housing authority for Lane County and the cities of Eugene and Springfield. It provides affordable housing units for low-income families, older adults and people with disabilities. 

The former employee worked as a human resources and payroll specialist for Homes for Good from February 2015 until her termination in September 2024, Homes for Good spokesperson Jordyn Shaw said. Police officials estimate the former employee allegedly stole roughly $560,000 from Homes for Good. 

The alleged theft was reported to Eugene Police in September 2024. At the time, Homes for Good estimated that the former employee had allegedly stolen $125,000. After investigating and reviewing thousands of pages of bank statements, a Eugene police detective determined that the amount allegedly stolen was greater than what Homes for Good initially estimated. 

The detective interviewed the former employee and arrested her on Wednesday. Police officials said the former employee was “lodged” in jail on 16 counts of identity theft, six counts of aggravated theft in the first degree, 114 counts of computer crime and a single count of forgery in the first degree.

Shaw said the agency is working in “full cooperation” with Eugene Police. Shaw referred The Daily Emerald to the police department for any further questions.

Editor’s Note: This story is breaking and will be updated.

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The City of Eugene’s Youth Empowerment Program has gained traction over the past year with growing teen participation and programs that now include a waitlist. But despite its successes, the program’s long-term financial outlook remains uncertain. 

City officials say YEP is safe from $11.5 million in annual general fund budget cuts in City Manager Sarah Medary’s proposed 2025-2027 biennial budget, which begins in July. That’s because the program is funded entirely through the Community Safety Payroll Tax, a city council-approved revenue measure.

However, some city officials warn that public trust in the payroll tax could potentially erode, putting funding for programs like YEP at risk.

Program sees growing demand

YEP Program Supervisor Alison Willis said the aim of YEP is “to help improve youth safety outcomes.” She described YEP, which launched in 2022, as a proactive public safety tool.

“Not having ways to be positively engaged can lead teens to activities that are not healthy for them and get them in trouble,” Willis said.

Last year, YEP opened a Teen Center in Washington Park. The program has also transitioned from primarily drop-in programs to regular clubs and programs. 

“In the past year, we’ve really hit our stride,” Willis said. “Now we have waitlists for our programs … which we couldn’t have dreamed of last year.”

YEP activities include rock climbing, cooking, jewelry-making clubs, resume workshops, food handlers certification and lifeguard training. YEP also offers summer apprenticeships that place teens in places like summer camps and preschools. The city now employs one teen who graduated from the lifeguard program. 

“She loves her job,” ​​Willis said. “This is her passion, and something she wants to pursue as an adult that was not available to her before.”

Community Safety Payroll Tax at Risk

In addition to funding YEP, the Community Safety Payroll Tax also funds enhanced police, fire and social services. To extend funding for the tax past December 30, 2028, the council must vote by June 30, 2027 to place the measure on the ballot. 

Some city councilors are concerned that public support for the payroll tax may be weakening. 

Speaking at a city council work session late last year, City Councilor Mike Clark cautioned that there is a risk of losing community trust over the fire service fee. Only $2 million from the fee would directly fund fire services, with the remainder used to cover other general fund budget shortfalls. 

“We’re taking $8 million of general fund money currently paying for fire out to go and spend on other things,” Clark said at the work session. “And I think that’s the part where we are going to risk losing community trust.”

Clark warned that losing that trust could jeopardize the payroll tax’s future. 

“I think the consequences could be failure of the public safety levy in a year and half (and) losing $23 million … to pay for police and public safety,” Clark said at the time. 

YEP eyes expansion

Looking ahead, Willis hopes that YEP can expand into areas like West Eugene and Bethel, where she says youth often face barriers to accessing programs like YEP.

“That would be my dream,” Willis said. 

But whether Willis’ vision can be realized may depend less on growing demand and more on voters’ willingness to renew the Community Safety Payroll Tax in the future. 

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Lane County is on track to eliminate roughly 80 positions across multiple departments in what would be the county’s largest workforce reduction in more than a decade, county officials said Wednesday. The staffing cuts are part of Lane County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky’s proposed budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, which begins in July. 

The proposed budget aims to close a projected $6.3 million general fund shortfall. Mokrohisky said the $17.4 million in general fund cuts seek to “minimize impacts to the services residents rely on as much as possible.” The roughly $179 million general fund makes up nearly 15% of the proposed $1.2 billion total budget.

Like other Oregon county and city governments, county officials say the proposed cuts come as Lane County’s expenses are growing faster than its revenue. However, officials say the county faces the additional challenge of having an “artificially low” property tax rate because the county used to rely on timber harvest receipts to fund public safety for decades. In the mid-1990s, when new statewide measures imposed limits on how much property taxes could increase — limits that remain in place today — and timber revenue declined, officials said it created the “perfect storm.”

According to Mokrohisky, only 18 of 80 proposed staffing cuts are currently filled. He said county staff tried to cut existing positions only when affected employees could be reassigned to another position. 

Some of the proposed cuts hit different county departments harder than others. County officials say that most direct services in the county’s general fund, like county administration, county counsel, technology, human resources and facility maintenance, face proposed reductions that average around 6%. Only the Sheriff, the District Attorney and the assessment and taxation department have proposed cuts of less than 2%.

Within public safety services, there would be a 3.75 full-time reduction in Community Justice and Rehabilitation Services, a 0.5 full-time reduction in the District Attorney’s Office, a 2.0 full-time reduction in the Sheriff’s Office, a 2.0 full-time reduction in the Health and Human Services department and a full-time reduction in Emergency Management. According to the proposed budget, the Sheriff’s Office will lose a Population Management and Adult in Custody Programs Deputy and a Corrections Lieutenant.

County officials emphasized the need for more funding for public safety.

“Until new revenue for public safety is identified, Lane County cannot adequately address the need for public safety services across the community,” county officials said. 

Officials said the budget committee will meet multiple times during the next three weeks and receive information from each department. The Board of Commissioners will likely approve the budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year in June.

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