Earlier this year, the Eugene Police Department was reaccredited by the Northwest Accreditation Alliance, an Oregon-based nonprofit that accredits 60 police agencies in Oregon and four in Alaska. Eugene police officials said the department has been accredited by NWAA since 2015.

NWAA — formerly known as the Oregon Accreditation Alliance until January 2024 — was founded in 2001 under the direction and authorization of the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association, the Oregon Association Chiefs of Police and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials. As of mid-April 2025, it provides accreditation to 60 police agencies and nine 9-11 Communication Centers in Oregon. These agencies include the University of Oregon Police Department, the Lane County Sheriff, the Portland Police Bureau, the Springfield Police Department, Central Lane 911 and the Salem Police Department. 

Police Accreditation Required by Oregon Law

Under an Oregon law passed in 2021, police agencies with more than 100 sworn officers are required to be accredited by a body designated by the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training by July 1, 2025. In addition to that requirement, the law mandates that small police agencies with 35 or more employees be accredited by one of the designated accrediting bodies by July 1, 2026. Currently, the NWAA and the Virginia-based Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies are the only designated accrediting bodies.

CALEA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1979 through the joint efforts of the Police Executive Research Forum, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the National Sheriffs’ Association and the Police Executive Research Forum. CALEA accredits law enforcement agencies, public safety communications agencies, public safety training academies and campus security. 

Police Accreditation Board Independence

One difference between NWAA and CALEA is the composition of their boards. Most of NWAA’s 24-member board consists of former or current law enforcement officers in Oregon. 

Only one voting NWAA board member is from outside Oregon: Gene Meek, the current Chief of Police for the Wrangell Police Department in Alaska, an agency that NWAA does not currently accredit. Two voting members, Wendy Patterson and Andrea Tobin, currently work for 911 Communication Centers.

NWAA Executive Director Scott Hayes said that steps are in place to address conflicts of interest that board members might have. If board members are voting on the accreditation of agencies that they are currently employed by, Hayes said that they will abstain from voting. 

However, when The Daily Emerald inquired about the safeguards in place to ensure impartiality in board decisions, Hayes did not mention any further policies.

CALEA’s 21-member board is more independent than NWAA’s. Eleven board members currently work or are retired from work in law enforcement; the rest come from other sectors. Those 10 board members include current and former municipal administrators, a criminology professor, a state senator, a circuit court judge and a county attorney.

Arizona State University Criminal Justice Professor Joseph Schafer, who served on CALEA’s Board from 2016 to 2024, said that it makes sense for police accreditation bodies to include former and current law enforcement professionals because they understand agency operations and legal constraints. However, he said that including outside voices — like academics and civic leaders — adds “value” by bringing diverse perspectives and identifying potential blind spots in board governance and objectivity.

“There’s value in having those other perspectives to sometimes help us see things that are difficult to recognize, because we are so enmeshed in a particular professional environment,” Schafer said.

University of Texas Public Affairs Assistant Professor Gordon Abner, who has studied police accreditation, offered more critical remarks on the composition of NWAA’s board. While Abner said NWAA’s accreditation “is better than no accreditation at all,” he cautioned that the lack of non-law enforcement voting board members impacts the rigor and neutrality of the accreditation process. 

“A lot of these folks are going to know each other,” Abner said. “I think it doesn’t invalidate it, but I think it would be viewed as more rigorous, and would be more rigorous if maybe you had some people from out of state, … some non-law enforcement people … involved in it with expertise into the functionings of police departments … some judges, some prosecutors.”

Abner said that NWAA’s current board composition “definitely sets up a false sense of accountability.” He said that “part of the idea behind accreditation is that you catch things before they become sort of big problems.” If the accreditation process is not “as rigorous as it could be,” Abner said that police agencies could end up having problems that will cost them in the long run.

“There’s … sort of a potential liability risk involved in not having a more thorough or more rigorous process,” Abner said. 

While Abner said it may cost more money for accreditation agencies to increase independence by adding non-law enforcement board members, Abner believes it would be a worthwhile investment for accreditation agencies like NWAA.

“I think people are going to start looking more closely … It’s gonna only generate further criticism,” Abner said. “I think it would be … extremely useful, and extremely worth the money … Why not just have another sort of further stamp of approval?”

Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner said he doesn’t have any concerns with the current composition of NWAA’s board and its ability to remain impartial when voting on the accreditation of police agencies.

“I don’t have any concerns with that, because what we’re asking people is to evaluate deep operational police policy,” Skinner said. “It’s really hard to evaluate deep operational police policy if you don’t have any experience in actual operations.”

When presented with Professor Abner’s suggestion to add more independent voices to the board, Skinner said that he’s open to the idea. 

“If NWAA wants to do that, we would welcome it … We have so many layers of oversight here that it would be normal for us … I don’t think it would be met with any resistance,” Skinner said. 

When asked about the NWAA board having more independence and oversight, Executive Director Hayes said Abener’s recommendation requires more investigation. Hayes also pointed out that other accrediting bodies in other states share a similar board structure to that of the NWAA. These accreditation bodies include the Utah Chiefs of Police Association, which provides accreditation to police agencies in the state.

“We would have to look into it,” Hayes said of Abner’s recommendation. “Currently, the way it works now, we’re pretty solid with how we operate.”

NWAA and CALEA Differences

CALEA has a much broader reach than the NWAA nationwide. According to the CALEA, approximately 35% of law enforcement officers in the United States worked for a CALEA-accredited agency in 2023. In addition to accrediting agencies in the United States, CALEA also accredits agencies in other countries, including Mexico, Canada and Barbados. 

As of mid-April 2025, CALEA has fully accredited three police agencies in Oregon, far fewer than the 60 police agencies that the NWAA currently accredits. The three agencies are the Albany Police Department, the Corvallis Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff.  

The CALEA accreditation process includes a self-assessment, in which agencies evaluate their level of compliance with the accreditation standards. After the self-assessment is completed, assessors confirm compliance through on-site reviews and other review methods, all of which are compiled into a final report that is presented to the commission’s board for review. 

The final decision to accredit an agency rests with CALEA’s Board. CALEA also requires annual reports. 

There are, however, key differences between the NWAA’s and CALEA’s accreditation processes. One difference is that the accreditation process includes a public comment period. Another difference is the timeframe: agencies in CALEA must be re-accredited every four years to keep their accreditation, while agencies in NWAA must be re-accredited every three years. 

When asked if there should be public comment during the accreditation process, Eugene Police Chief Skinner said he “doesn’t know” if there should be one or not. He said that if the NWAA opened the accreditation process for public comment, it would receive an “awful lot” of comments that would not help improve anything. 

“It’s always a bit of a slippery slope when you start asking people to give you public comment around mostly operational aspects that they have no foundational understanding of,” Skinner said. 

NWAA Director Hayes echoed a similar sentiment, recalling his time as accreditation manager for the Salem Police Department when it was accredited by CALEA. Back then, he said the department received “a lot of complaints.” (Salem has since ended its accreditation with CALEA and is now accredited by NWAA.)

“We have a limited scope or limited window in which we have to get agencies accredited, so we don’t offer that,” Hayes said.

Former CALEA board member Schafer said that CALEA’s public comment process typically generates little feedback. 

“In a very large community, you might have three or four comments in a community of 100,000 people,” Schafer said. “So you’re not necessarily getting a huge amount of feedback in that process.”

CALEA and the NWAA also vary in costs. For an agency like the Eugene Police Department with more than 200 sworn officers and 137 civilian staff, accreditation with CALEA currently costs $16,125 initially (this does not include on-site assessment fees, which can vary) and $5,000 annually in continuation fees. NWAA’s current fees, by comparison, currently cost an agency like Eugene between $4,483 and $5,503 per year. 

In addition to differences in cost, another difference between the NWAA and CALEA is the number of standards that agencies need to meet to get accredited. CALEA currently has two tiers for accreditation, whereas NWAA has no tiers.

CALEA’s two tiers are Tier 1: CALEA Law Enforcement Accreditation Program with 185 total standards and Tier 2: CALEA Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation Program with 461 total standards. NWAA, by comparison, has fewer standards. According to Lane County’s Sheriff’s Office, NWAA currently has 104 standards.

Inside NWAA’s Accreditation System

To remain accredited, NWAA agencies must undergo the accreditation process every three years. The process begins with the agency completing a self-assessment, in which the agency determines its level of compliance with the NWAA’s standards. After that, all of an agency’s policies and processes undergo a review. In that review, NWAA officials said that policies and procedures are updated and revised as needed. 

Following that process, one or more of the NWAA’s assessors will conduct an onsite review of the agency to ensure that its policies, procedures and practices meet the accreditation standards. After the onsite review, a final report is made and forwarded to the NWAA’s board for review and final approval.  

Eugene Police Department’s final report is not currently publicly available on the department’s website. In the past, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has made such reports publicly available online. To obtain the final report, The Daily Emerald had to submit a public records request and pay roughly $80. The Lane County Sheriff and the Springfield Police Department also did not have their final reports online, but neither charged The Daily Emerald a public records fee to obtain their reports.

Eugene Police Chief Skinner said that he was not aware that the department’s final accreditation report wasn’t publicly available. Skinner expressed no objection to making the report publicly available online. He suggested that the omission of the report online might have been due to an oversight. 

The Daily Emerald also attempted to obtain the self-assessment that the three police departments filed with NWAA in public records requests, but all departments reported having no responsive records. 

NWAA Executive Director Hayes said the onsite accreditation assessment generally takes a day to conduct. He said that all NWAA assessors are former police officers with decades of experience, who know “what to look for” and “what to ask.”

“We do everything from looking at the police vehicles to … ensuring property evidence is handled correctly,” Hayes said. “We’re all over the board when it comes to reviewing an agency.”

In addition to that process, Hayes said that several of the NWAA’s standards require agencies to submit annual reports. And every year, Hayes said, NWAA’s standards are updated to comply with new state and federal laws and recommendations from state and federal agencies. 

Eugene Police Chief Skinner said that the NWAA’s accreditation has many benefits for the department. He said that the accreditation process has prompted changes, which include updating policies that have fallen off the radar — ones that are rarely used or have been affected by recent case law. 

“What this process does is it brings everything to the forefront to be taken a look at,” Skinner said. 

Through the recent re-accreditation process, two Eugene Police policies were updated, according to the department’s NWAA final report. One policy update clarified that firearms proficiency training must be conducted under the supervision of a “certified” range master. Another added “annual” to some training policies to ensure that the department provides annual training on specific topics. 

Benefits to the Eugene Community

Ultimately, Eugene Police Chief Skinner believes that NWAA accreditation demonstrates to the Eugene community that the department is a “contemporary, innovative and 21st-century policing agency” that is open to outside review. 

“I’m hoping what it does is that it fosters a higher level of trust and confidence in us,” Skinner said. 

Whether NWAA will add more independent voices to its board remains unclear. For now, it is one of only two accreditation bodies authorized under Oregon law to accredit police departments — a requirement that takes effect for many agencies as early as this summer.

The post How the NWAA accredits the Eugene Police with limited independent oversight appeared first on Daily Emerald.

On April 9, the Eugene City Council delayed potential action on the referendum to bring the fire service fee to a public vote, opting to revisit the issue for further discussion at a work session on April 21. 

The council’s decision follows City Recorder Katie LaSala’s certification of the referendum petition on March 24. Prior to LaSala’s certification, Lane County Elections verified that petitioners, who submitted more than 8,400 signatures, met the 5,817 required for the ballot. As established in Eugene’s city code, LaSala’s certification triggered a mandatory presentation to the City Council outlining the council’s potential options under the code. 

At the meeting, LaSala laid out the potential options that the City Council could take to address the referendum petition. Absent any council action to repeal the ordinance or to move the election to an earlier or later date, city officials said the fee will be on the ballot in the November general election.  

Before opening the meeting to council discussion, Mayor Kaarin Knudson offered a few thoughts about the situation.  

After talking with community members about the referendum, Knudson said “more work” and “information” are needed to “build understanding about the really challenging pressures that our community is under.” Knudson also expressed “sincere hope” that the City Council can continue to work together toward outcomes. 

City Councilor Randy Groves echoed a similar sentiment. 

“I think we all need to be looking at how do we bring our community together? … What is a reasonable path forward?” Groves said at the meeting. 

Groves, though, cautioned that the City Council needs to be careful about how it addresses the referendum. He said the council should not disrespect the process that petitioners took to refer the fire service fee to the ballot box. 

City Councilor Eliza Kashinsky concurred with Groves. “I agree with Councilor Groves,” Kashinsky said at the meeting. 

City Councilor Alan Zelenka spoke critically of the petitioners who organized the voter referendum. 

“I’m super disappointed in the forces of self-interest that care so little about our community … that they want these services to go away … putting us in the position of making these cuts that will be very hard to recover from,” Zelenka said at the meeting. 

City Councilor Mike Clark, on the other hand, spoke critically of the February five-to-three council decision to effectively reject a May 2025 public vote on the fire service fee by attempting to implement the fee without a prior public vote.

“I made the motion I did on the amendment to put this forward for a May election because it seemed pretty obvious to me we’d be caught in this box,” Clark said at the meeting. “I wish we had done that instead.”

The “box” Clark referred to is the fiscal and procedural bind the City Council now finds itself in. Because the council declined to send the fire service fee to voters in May and there was a successful referendum petition, the city must build its 2025–2027 Biennial Budget with the assumption that the fee won’t be implemented. This means accounting for a larger $11.5 million general fund gap instead of a smaller $3.5 million general fund gap.

Had the council opted for a May election, the result would have been known in time to inform budget decisions. If the fire service fee passes in November or an earlier or later special election after May, city officials say they will adjust the budget in a supplemental budget afterwards. 

At a Budget Committee meeting on April 30, City Manager Sarah Medary will present a proposed 2025-2027 Biennial Budget that assumes $11.5 million in annual general fund budget cuts. The 2025-2027 Biennial Budget, which starts in July, will likely be adopted sometime in June. The City Council previously adopted the city’s 2023-2025 Biennial Budget on June 26, 2023. 

City spokesperson Caitlin Wallace said the city’s General Fund has been in “a state of structural imbalance for over a decade.” She said that the city has implemented more than $67 million in budget strategies since 2010.

The 2023–2025 Biennial Budget included an $8.3 million placeholder in its second year (fiscal year 2024–2025). In June 2023, the council voted to adopt the budget with this gap with the intention of solving the gap later to achieve balance. Wallace said the city has been working to close the budget shortfall.

Wallace said the work to close the gap includes the fire service fee and another ordinance the City Council adopted in June 2024. That ordinance expanded the definition of stormwater service to include Parks and Open Space operations and maintenance. Wallace said this change allowed the city to shift approximately $1.1 million in general fund costs to the Stormwater Fund. 

To help support the increase in stormwater fees, Medary approved a 5% increase in stormwater fees in October 2024. The rate increase went into effect in November 2024. 

In February, the City Council voted unanimously to direct Medary to prepare a council budget retreat on long-term budget stabilization strategies. 

Despite Clark asking if they could do the retreat earlier, perhaps before the first budget committee meeting on April 30, Medary told councilors that it is not practical to do a budget retreat until later this year. Medary said the retreat would be “a pretty significant staff effort,” which is not possible to prepare for while city staff are working on the 2025-2027 Biennial Budget. 

Medary said the earliest realistic timeframe for the retreat would be late fall. If the fire fee goes to voters in November, Medary said the retreat would likely need to wait until after the election. 

The post Eugene City Council hits pause on fire fee referendum vote as $11.5 million budget gap looms appeared first on Daily Emerald.

In board meetings earlier this year, the Eugene Water and Electric Board of Commissioners approved a set of goals to expand support for residents on limited incomes. 

One of these goals is to enhance EWEB’s limited income support programs. EWEB officials said one of the programs they want to improve is their Customer Care Program, which currently provides qualifying households with $280 each annually. Households can apply for the assistance once per year on a first-come, first-serve basis, starting on the first business day of each month. 

EWEB predicts that nearly 6,000 households will be able to use the program this year. Last year, the program served roughly 5,000 households annually. To expand the assistance, EWEB raised the total funding available for the program by nearly 21% to $1.6 million. According to EWEB spokesperson Aaron Orlowski, the program is funded entirely by ratepayer dollars. 

EWEB officials said the demand for the program often exceeds the budget allocated, especially in the winter months when utility bills are typically the highest. 

“The Customer Care Program is a critical support for thousands of households, but as it stands, it’s a blunt instrument,” EWEB General Manager Frank Lawson said. “It provides broad relief, but not necessarily in the most targeted or effective way.”

In addition to improving the Customer Care Program, EWEB is exploring other ways to help customers. Officials are exploring new programs like pre-pay billing, which they say would allow customers to pay their EWEB bill in advance. They add that the program could help customers better manage their usage and avoid unexpected bills. 

Another way EWEB is looking to improve affordability for residents is by enhancing energy efficiency opportunities in Eugene’s rental market. While EWEB offers rebates, loans and a Home Energy Score Program for rental units, officials say many tenants face challenges accessing these energy-saving programs. To improve this, officials said they will analyze demographic and housing data to help them better understand existing opportunities to improve energy efficiency.

“The rental stock in Eugene … makes up about 50% of the housing stock in Eugene. Some of it is new, some of it is energy efficient and a lot of it is not,” Orlowski said. “There’s a challenge because renters pay the utility bill, but landlords manage the property.” 

How much are EWEB power rates going up this year?

This year, EWEB’s residential power rate increases are staggered. In February, residential power rates increased by nearly 8%. In October, officials say those rates will increase further via the direct passthrough of a Bonneville Power Administration rate increase, which is currently forecasted to increase by 4%. If that forecast is correct, residential power rates will increase by nearly 12% this year. 

Springfield-Eugene Tenant Association Board Member Kevin Cronin commented on the recent EWEB power rate increase, highlighting the impact in relation to February’s colder temperatures. 

“People are really upset about their EWEB bill, particularly (February’s),” Cronin said. “They had a rate increase, and at the same time, the mean temperature for the region was really low. Everybody used about a thousand more kilowatt-hours, which really hurt people’s bills.”

EWEB officials said three major factors are behind the power rate increases:

Electric investments: Officials said these investments include rebuilding aging substations and upgrading EWEB’s Carmen-Smith hydroelectric project.

Inflationary pressures: Since 2020, officials said that although inflation has “increased significantly,” EWEB’s rate increases have not kept up.             

They said there is currently a gap of roughly 20% between EWEB’s rate increases and the rate of inflation since 2016.

“We’re just trying to catch up … We have to raise rates a bit to try and catch up with inflation. It is a balancing act,” Orlowski said.

Orlowski said those inflationary costs “went up higher for the electric sector than they did for the economy as a whole.

Regulatory Environment: Officials said increasing regulations are placing more requirements and restrictions on EWEB operations and                          investments. 

How do EWEB’s power rates compare to other consumer-owned utilities?

EWEB and the Springfield Utility Board are customer-owned utilities, which means they do not function to earn a profit. Instead of being controlled by independent investors or shareholders like Portland General Electric or Pacific Power, customer-owned utilities are owned by the community they serve.

Last year, EWEB power cost roughly 58% more than Springfield for the same amount of residential energy. In September 2024, EWEB charged Eugene residents $70 more per month — or $840 more per year — than the Springfield Utility Board for 1,600 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Orlowski attributed part of the cost differences between Springfield and EWEB for electricity to the EWEB’s investments in infrastructure. He said EWEB has invested “a lot” in its infrastructure. Orlowski pointed to EWEB’s response to the January 2024 ice storm as proof that these investments have paid off. 

“We were able to get power on a lot more quickly than Springfield did,” Orlowski said. “Fewer of our customers lost power.”

Springfield spokesperson Meredith Clark responded to Orlowski’s comments about Springfield’s response to the January 2024 ice storm. After reviewing news accounts, she said, “It appears all our local public utilities announced restoration was complete at about the same time.”

The January 2024 ice storm had “back-to-back ice storms that left behind unprecedented ice accumulations, far beyond anything our part of the Willamette Valley has ever seen. It hit the eastern part of Springfield particularly hard, making SUB’s restoration effort the largest in our 75-year history,” Clark said. “Our crews, like those at other utilities, worked diligently to get power back on … Like others, we brought hired outside crews to help us get that job done as quickly and safely … as possible.”

Clark added that Springfield has a “robust system” and one of the highest reliability ratings awarded by the American Public Power Association. In 2024, the association awarded Springfield a 2023 Certificate of Excellence in Reliability. 

Based on the 2018 to 2022 data submitted to receive the award, Springfield reports its power is 99.8% reliable. According to Springfield, the data used to determine who receives the award excludes major events, which are defined as “events exceeding the reasonable design or operational limits of an electric system.”

EWEB, which received other American Public Power Association awards for 2023, did not receive the award that year. Based on 2023 outage metrics, EWEB reports its power is 99.44% reliable. 

Clark also commented on the cost differences between Springfield and EWEB for electricity. She said Springfield is “very focused” on delivering “cost-effective rates” for its customers. 

“We always try to make smart investments in electric infrastructure on behalf of our customers,” Clark said. 

Clark pointed to the Glenwood substation — currently under construction with completion anticipated in 2026  — as an example of Springfield’s efforts to deliver “cost-effective” rates. She said the site is being funded without any loans, which helps Springfield keep “rates in check.” Clark added that the Glenwood site will also help “support future growth in the area and provide extra reliability” to customers on the west side of Springfield’s system. 

Another reason Orlowski said electricity costs are higher is that EWEB has its own power-generating facilities, which results in “higher costs.” Springfield doesn’t generate any of its power; it gets all of its power from the BPA. According to EWEB, 20% of its power comes from EWEB-owned and co-owned power-generating facilities. The other 80% comes from power purchasing agreements, the vast majority of which is generated by the BPA. 

EWEB power, though, is not the highest among consumer-owned utilities in the Pacific Northwest. In September 2024, Seattle City Light power cost roughly 18% more than EWEB for 1,600 kilowatt-hours of electricity. Seattle City Light reports that approximately 40% of its electricity comes from its own hydroelectric power-generating facilities. 

EWEB does not have a low-income bill discount program like other utilities in the Pacific Northwest. The utilities that have this program include Portland General Electric, Pacific Power and Seattle City Light. Instead of having to apply for an annual one-time discount that could run out, as is the case with EWEB’s Customer Care program, these programs reduce a household’s monthly utility bill based on their qualified income level. 

On the future of the EWEB Customer Care Program, EWEB General Manager Lawson said, “We have an opportunity to refine the program to better match assistance with the needs of our customers, ensuring that those facing the greatest financial strain receive the help they need while making the best use of our customers’ resources.”

The post EWEB tackles affordability: 2025 goals aim to support residents in need appeared first on Daily Emerald.

More than 8,400 signatures have been collected to bring Eugene’s fire service fee up for a public vote, the Eugene Chamber of Commerce announced March 14. 

City officials estimate the fire service fee would generate $10 million in revenue annually. Under the ordinance, the city would move $8 million in general fund dollars out of the Eugene-Springfield Fire Department and replace it with $10 million in the new fire service fee revenue. 

The general fund currently accounts for roughly 67% of the more than $59 million Eugene allocates to the fire department each year. With the move of $8 million in general fund dollars away from the fire department, the city’s total annual general fund contribution to the department would be reduced by roughly 20%. 

On Feb. 10, the Eugene City Council voted five to three to implement the fire service fee without a public vote. City Councilors Jennifer Yeh, Eliza Kashinsky, Matt Keating, Alan Zelenka and Lyndsie Leech voted to implement the fee without a prior public vote. City Councilors Mike Clark, Greg Evans and Randy Groves voted against implementing the fee without a prior public vote.

The support for bringing the fee up for a public vote was reportedly bipartisan. According to the Chamber, early sampling of 6,000 signatures collected indicates that 46% were registered Democrats, 32% were registered unaffiliated, 20% were registered Republicans and 2% were other. 

Chamber of Commerce Leads Opposition

The Eugene Chamber of Commerce began publicly speaking against the fire fee at a City Council meeting in November 2024.

Chamber officials expressed a strong belief that critical city services, like public safety, parks and libraries, should be “prioritized and protected.” They said they are committed to working with city leaders “to identify long-term, fiscally responsible solutions to Eugene’s budget challenges.”

Chamber officials said they believe another approach is possible. Instead of raising taxes outright, they said the city should first identify budget priorities, make necessary cuts and then make the case for new funding to voters. 

“Our goal is not just to challenge a fee but to ensure a more sustainable, transparent and community-supported path forward,” Chamber President Brittany Quick-Warner said. 

Rationale for the Fire Service Fee 

Some city officials disagree with the Chamber. Eugene City Councilor Eliza Kashinsky, who voted for the fire service fee, spoke with The Daily Emerald in early March. At the time, she said she was “frustrated” with the Chamber’s effort to bring the fire service fee up for a public vote. 

Kashinsky said the Chamber’s efforts to bring the fee up for a public vote are delaying efforts to have more conversations about long-term city budget stability. 

At the same meeting that the City Council voted to implement the fire service fee, councilors also voted unanimously to direct the City Manager to prepare a council retreat on long-term budget stabilization strategies.  

Kashinsky also defended voting to implement the fire service fee. She said there “aren’t any other good” alternatives to the fire service fee that do not have “severe impacts” to city services.

Another City Councilor who voted for the fire service fee compared the fee to utility billing.

“Our Fire EMS is very similar to a utility. It’s something we count on to be there every day,” City Councilor Jennifer Yeh said at a City Council meeting in February. “It cannot stop working.”

EWEB Commissioner John Brown expressed a different perspective in February when he raised concerns about the potential shift of a City of Eugene general fund cost to residents’ EWEB bill. 

Speaking at an EWEB Board meeting in February, Brown cautioned that adding the fire service fee to residents’ EWEB bills could result in water and power utility shutdowns for customers unable to pay the additional charge. Brown also expressed a desire to keep EWEB bills dedicated exclusively to utility charges.

“I just want to keep utilities utilities and not start putting other charges on EWEB bills,” Brown said at the meeting.

At a meeting on April 1, EWEB Commissioners discussed billing and collection of the fire service fee. Commissioners asked EWEB staff questions. EWEB staff are currently working on getting answers to many of their questions. 

One commissioner asked about the timeline for EWEB to approve the fee. 

“Do we have to make a decision before it goes to a vote so that if it does pass, then they’re ready for a collection mechanism or is it something that if it passes that we have some time to make that decision?” EWEB Commissioner Mindy Schlossberg asked at the meeting. 

The EWEB Board of Commissioners has not yet decided if they will bill the fire service fee on behalf of the city. The board is scheduled to discuss billing and collection again on May 6. 

Fire Fee Budget Impact 

If the fire service fee is enacted, the city would shift $8 million in general fund dollars from the fire department to fill budget deficits in other city departments. City officials said that without the new fire service fee revenue, the city would need to “implement $11.5 million in budget reductions beginning in July 2025.”

City officials proposed two potential scenarios for those budget reductions. Both of those potential reductions include cuts to these city departments: police, fire, public works, planning and development, central services, and library, recreation, and cultural services. 

City officials justify the move of $8 million in general fund dollars out of the fire department’s budget by saying it will be replaced with $8 million in “dedicated” fire service fee revenue. They said the fee is “anticipated to be used to stabilize $8 (million) in existing fire and emergency medical services and provide $2 million in additional funding for expanded fire services.” They added the fee will “enable the city to increase and grow these services over time to meet community service needs.”

City Councilor Randy Groves was one of three councilors who voted against implementing the fire service fee without a public vote. While Groves said he doesn’t want to see the cuts that would result from not implementing the fee, he believes the choice should be up to the voters. 

“I don’t want to see these cuts either. Personally, if this was on a ballot, I would vote for it,” Groves said at a City Council meeting in February. “But, this is other people’s money. They should get a chance to weigh in themselves.”

Under an amendment passed by the City Council, the fire service fee also gives the City Manager the authority to increase the fire fee by up to 5% annually without a vote of the city council or Eugene voters.

In a Feb. 10 letter to city leaders, Chamber officials, business leaders and others raised concerns about the fire service fee. They said one of their primary concerns was that the public will incorrectly “assume that $10 million in new investment is being made into Eugene’s Fire Department.”

In highlighting that only $2 million of the $10 million fire fee will be used to expand fire services, Chamber officials said, “This risks eroding trust between the city and the community, as residents and businesses will not see the full impact of what they believe they are paying for.”

What’s next for the Fire Service Fee?

On March 24, the petition to bring the fire service fee up for a public vote was certified by Eugene City Recorder Katie LaSala. The certification follows Lane County Elections validating the signatures that were collected. 

Now, Eugene residents will potentially get to decide if they want to pay the fire service fee. Per the City of Eugene’s Referendum Process, the fire service fee referendum vote must take place in the next available election, which must take place at least 90 days after the certification of the petition. According to the City of Eugene’s Elections webpage, the next available election is Nov. 6, 2025. 

But it is possible that Eugene voters might not vote on the fee after all. If the Eugene City Council decides to repeal the fire service fee ordinance at least 61 days before the next available election date, voters will no longer vote on the fee. 

Another possibility is that the election could occur sooner or later. Eugene City Council could choose to place the referendum in an earlier or later special election, which must be held at least 66 days after the certification of the petition. Under Oregon law, the city would be required to pay for the cost of holding the special election. 

Lane County spokesperson Devon Ashbridge said the costs for special elections can vary. 

“The cost would depend upon whether there are other items on a ballot, how many and for which jurisdictions … We should be able to provide a very general estimate if an election date is announced by the City of Eugene,” Ashbridge said.

It is not clear yet what the City Council will do to address the successful petition. The City Council is on break until April 8. 

According to Eugene City Code, City Manager Sarah Medary must present a certified referendum or initiative petition to the City Council no later than 20 days after certification for consideration.

At that time or after which, the City Council may adopt the ordinance proposed by the petition or repeal the ordinance referred by the petition. The City Council could also cast a vote to recommend approval or rejection of the initiated or referred measure or order alternative measure(s) to appear on the same ballot. The council is restricted from adopting or repealing such ordinances during the 61-day period preceding an election on the measure.

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Downtown Eugene is undergoing a transformation as city leaders and other organizations work to
revitalize the Downtown core.

The efforts to revitalize Downtown Eugene include several initiatives. These initiatives include
revitalizing historic spaces and creating new housing and public spaces.

Reconnecting Downtown with the River

One of Eugene’s most ambitious redevelopment efforts is in the Riverfront District. The effort, which helps bring to life previously inaccessible riverfront property, aims to reconnect Downtown Eugene with the Willamette River.

As part of this effort, the city opened the Downtown Riverfront Park in 2022. The three-acre park includes overlooks, multiple paths and decorative art pieces. 

The next phase of this effort is Riverfront Plaza. The one-acre plaza, which is scheduled to be completed this summer, will include a variety of features. These features include a tree grove, event space, interactive public art, a water feature and a splash pond. 

Just steps away from the plaza and park is the Heartwood, a luxury apartment building that opened last year. Equally as close to the plaza and park is Eugene City Hall, which opened last summer, restoring a dedicated municipal building to the city after over a decade without one.

Ethan Clevenger, who owns Porterhouse Clothing and Supply, expressed doubts about connecting the Riverfront District and Downtown Eugene.   

“People in Eugene are pretty walking-averse,” Clevenger said. “People want to park right outside wherever it is that they’re going. Folks aren’t typically walking from the Riverfront to Downtown.”

Jeff Reynolds, who owns Bicycle Way of Life, expressed a more optimistic view. 

“I’ve seen the mockups, and it does look like it is a different neighborhood Downtown … I know that they have plans to kind of merge it into Downtown,” Reynolds said.

Eugene Downtown Manager Eric Brown said, “Slowly but surely, I think the Riverfront and 5th Street Market are gonna feel like they’re more cohesive.”

Historic Steam Plant Transformation

Another part of Eugene’s effort to revitalize the Riverfront District is preserving historic architecture. In April 2024, the Eugene City Council approved $6 million in additional urban renewal funding to support the restoration of the Downtown Riverfront Steam Plant, increasing the total budget for the project to $60 million.

Brown said revitalizing the steam plant and connecting Downtown to the Riverfront District is a work in progress. 

“The riverfront park and the plaza, and eventually the steam plant, are going to feel like real assets to downtown,” Brown said. 

Karen Mortensen, who owns the Cozy, a yarn store in Downtown Eugene, expressed optimism for the project. 

“I think it would be lovely if something would happen,” Mortensen said. “Things are very slow with any of that waterfront development.”

Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson’s Downtown Housing Goal

In her State of the City address, Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson set a goal to build 1,000 housing units in Downtown Eugene in the next five years. 

“This is double our current housing production and a huge challenge,” Knudson said in her address. “Zero units of housing have been built in the Downtown core in the past five years.”

Claim 52 Brewing General Manager Jeremy Zollman said Knudson’s goal could have a positive impact. 

“Mayor Knudson’s initiative to attempt to improve Downtown housing could have a positive impact. But the efforts so far to make Downtown one of those areas where there’s enough affordable housing … isn’t really yielding any significant results that I can see,” Zollman said. “There’s some new housing, and that’s cool. But is it affordable housing? I don’t know about that.”

Authentica Wines Owner Steve Baker said more housing units in Downtown Eugene could bring “positive developments” to local businesses as more full-time residents move to the area. 

Brown, Eugene’s downtown manager, said more housing units Downtown could help improve safety and sanitation.

“It brings people to the streets,” Brown said. “It brings people who will start to have a sense of ownership over the sidewalks and a real stake in how Downtown looks and feels.”

The post Eugene pushes forward with downtown revitalization appeared first on Daily Emerald.

As of mid-December 2024, Oregon’s state courts have cleared roughly 47,000 residential evictions thanks to a law that state lawmakers passed two years ago. 

The law, passed under House Bill 2001 in 2023, requires state courts to set aside or seal past residential evictions that meet specific criteria. Under the law, evictions that meet the criteria will no longer appear on a person’s publicly available record.

How the Eviction Record Clearance process works

Under the law, Oregon state courts are required to review and dismiss all residential eviction judgments prior to Jan. 1, 2014. In addition to those evictions, later evictions may be removed. 

Oregon state court officials said the law may also dismiss other residential evictions. These evictions include eviction judgments without money awards that meet specific criteria. Court officials added that other residential evictions with money awards can also be cleared under the law. They said that if a money award for an eviction has expired, been paid or been discharged by a bankruptcy court, it may be eligible to be cleared under specific criteria.

But court officials said that if a money award for an eviction after Jan. 1, 2014 remains active, it is ineligible under the criteria.

Officials said that residential evictions involving money awards where a court ordered someone to leave a property more than five years ago are eligible to be cleared under the law. In addition to those evictions, they said that residential evictions with stipulated judgments that happened at least 12 months ago are eligible to be cleared under the law. According to the Oregon Judicial Department, a stipulated judgment is when two parties agree to resolve a case in a written agreement that a court approves. 

Court officials said they are actively reviewing eligible evictions, starting with the most recent ones on people’s records. They said they are only at the beginning of the process. 

In late January 2025, court officials reported a backlog of roughly 50,000 cases. Court officials said the goal is to finish reviewing all cases by the end of the year. After that, cases will be cleared annually. 

Individuals can search for their eviction records using the Oregon Judicial Department’s free online records search tool.  

Impact of the Eviction Record Clearance Program 

Kevin Cronin is the director of policy and advocacy for Housing Oregon, a statewide association of housing nonprofits, organizations, companies and governments that advocates on the state and local level for policies and programs to expand affordable housing. Having experienced a no-cause eviction before himself, Cronin said the eviction-clearing program is a “big deal” for tenants who have faced similar challenges.

Before the law was enacted, Cronin said that the only way people could get evictions cleared was through the courts, a step many renters were hesitant to take. Now, he said the eviction-clearing program does it “automatically.”

“Now, people have an easier time in the screening process,” Cronin said. 

Cronin said the impact of the law goes beyond getting housing. 

“Evictions can bring down someone’s employment chances,” Cronin said. “Evictions can also affect your credit.”

Tim Morris is the executive director of the Springfield-Eugene Tenant Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting renters’ rights. He echoed a similar opinion to Cronin’s on the prior process that required people to go to court to clear an eviction from their record. 

In the past, Morris said that he has heard stories of people who had tried to go to court to get evictions cleared but, for “whatever reason, just didn’t go through.” 

“But they moved on with their life … and it was challenging,” Morris said.

Morris said the eviction clearance program also helps remove barriers for tenants with old evictions on their records, some of which they might not even know about. 

“Sometimes, we heard on our hotline from tenants who weren’t even aware that they had an eviction that was 7, 8 or 10 years old,” Morris said. “They were denied over and over again for housing because of this extremely old eviction that they forgot about. They didn’t even know.”

Lane County Property Owners Association President Tia Politi commented on the impact of the eviction-clearance program in relation to tenant screening. She said it doesn’t significantly change how landlords evaluate tenants since they already could not consider older or dismissed evictions.

“This doesn’t really affect landlords at all,” Politi said. “But I think it does affect tenants … It’s a positive impact for a renter who’s had an eviction in their past. It’s kind of like the scarlet letter.”

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On Jan. 16, Oregon joined more than a dozen other states in defending two lawsuits against the federal government that seek to overturn gun regulations implemented during the Biden administration.

The move preceded Donald J. Trump’s inauguration as President on Jan. 20. During his campaign, Trump vowed to undo all federal gun regulations enacted during the Biden administration. 

One of the lawsuits Oregon joined as a defendant concerns the classification of forced reset triggers as machine guns under federal law. A forced reset trigger is a modification that increases the rate of fire in semi-automatic firearms. 

In 2021, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives under the Biden administration classified forced reset triggers as machine guns. This effectively banned the use of the triggers under federal law until a federal judge ruled in July 2024 that forced reset triggers do not qualify as machine guns, denying the Biden administration’s request for a summary judgment. The Biden administration later appealed that decision. 

In court filings, the states argue that forced reset triggers should be classified as machine guns because the device allows a person to automatically shoot more than one shot without manually reloading. The states also argue the decision by a federal judge not to classify forced reset triggers as machine guns threatens public safety. They say that without federal law enforcement enforcing the ban, the states would incur higher costs to enforce and implement state laws. 

The second case that Oregon joined as a defendant centers around another rule enacted during the Biden administration that requires anyone selling firearms to undergo background checks. The ATF enacted the rule following the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in 2022. The rule aims to close the “gun show loophole” by requiring private sellers to perform background checks, ensuring that every firearm transaction is subject to the same background process performed by licensed firearm dealers. 

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said the actions taken by Oregon and other states are proactive steps that aim to protect the federal gun regulations if the Trump administration abandons the defense of the two lawsuits.

“I am proud to join (the effort) to defend the modest gains our federal government has made on gun safety,” Rayfield said in a statement. “Community safety is one of my top priorities, and I will continue to do everything in my power as Attorney General to protect Oregonians from gun violence.”

The two federal lawsuits unfold as Measure 114, an Oregon gun control measure, remains stalled in court. The measure, which voters narrowly passed in 2022, would require a firearm safety course and a permit to purchase a firearm in Oregon. It also would ban the sale or transfer of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds and end the “Charleston Loophole,” which allows firearm dealers to release a firearm to a buyer after three days if their background check has not cleared.

“We applaud the Oregon Attorney General in defending policies that can save lives and keep our communities safe,” Alliance for a Safe Oregon Executive Director Jess Marks said.

Oregon Firearms Federation Director Kevin Starrett called the three lawsuits Oregon is defending in court a waste of taxpayer money. 

“(Rayfield) has no idea what he is up against and will continue to spend millions of Oregonian’s dollars to promote an agenda,” Starrett said. 

Dr. Kathleen Carlson is the director of Oregon Health and Sciences University’s Gun Violence Prevention Research Center. She studies the epidemiology of gun violence. 

“The more prevention mechanisms we have in place, the fewer deaths we see. Science supports that,” Carlson said. 

The lawsuits follow a recent federal court case that saw 40-year-old Springfield resident Andrew Rogers sentenced to six years in federal prison for illegally manufacturing more than 100 semi-automatic firearms and silencers. Prosecutors said that investigators found a 3D printer with a partially printed part for an AR-15 rifle in Roger’s possession. 

“In 2023, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2005, which prohibits the sale, manufacture and possession of unserialized guns or gun parts … (Prior) cases like Andrew Rogers’ motivated this change and show how important meaningful gun violence prevention laws are,” Marks said.

Marks said that the law has helped law enforcement keep ghost guns off the streets but stressed the need for more work to stop illegal firearms from entering communities.

Oregon State Shooting Association President Kerry Spurgin commented on the issue of background checks in relation to the two federal lawsuits, stressing that responsible gun owners back background checks.

“I don’t have a problem with background checks,” Spurgin said. “Background checks were bought by responsible gun owners.”

Spurgin also addressed the Roger case, emphasizing the importance of legal compliance among responsible gun owners.

“As responsible gun owners, we follow the law. In the Springfield case, laws were broken, and the ATF caught and prosecuted (Rogers),” Spurgin said.

On Feb. 7, Trump issued an executive order that aims to protect Second Amendment rights. As part of the order, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was directed to review all federal agency actions that may infringe on Second Amendment rights and present a proposed plan of action to Trump within 30 days. 

It is not clear yet whether the federal government will stop defending the two federal lawsuits as part of Bondi’s plan of action. Court records still list the ATF as a defendant in both cases.

The post Oregon joins multi-state effort to defend federal gun laws appeared first on Daily Emerald.

Eugene-Springfield residents have watched local news coverage decline since 2018. This has impacted in-depth news coverage, weakening the transparency and accountability of local government and public institutions.

One digital news outlet believes it has the solution to the decline. Set to launch in early spring 2025, Lookout Eugene-Springfield aims to provide in-depth nonpartisan news coverage to the area.

Lookout Eugene-Springfield follows the model of Lookout Santa Cruz, which launched in 2020 under the leadership of Ken Doctor, a former journalist and media analyst.

Lookout plans to have 20 staff members, five of whom will work on the business side. Doctor said he anticipates starting with a 13-person newsroom and expanding to 15 later. The 15-person team will consist of 10 reporters, three editors, one photographer and one opinion columnist. 

Decline of Local Journalism Since 2018

The Baker family owned the  Register-Guard newspaper from 1927 until its sale in 2018 to GateHouse Media. In 2018, the newsroom staff shrank from around 80 to 40 people, according to The Oregonian. In 2019, the newsroom staff was reduced to 20 people when Gatehouse merged with Gannett. 

As of February 2025, The Register-Guard has a full-time staff of 12, including two editors, eight reporters and two multimedia journalists. The Register-Guard did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon has seen the decline up close.

“When I started on city council in 2011, there was a print press person here every Monday,” VanGordon said. “Every Monday you saw them and they followed all the meetings so that they had the context behind it.”

VanGordon has watched as once-daily coverage of city government has dwindled, leaving major policy issues underreported.

“When I ran my first city council campaign in 2009, The Register-Guard sat down with me for an hour and a half and just grilled me,” VanGordon said. 

Now, VanGordon said he cannot remember the last time he had a “lengthy” interview with The Register-Guard. 

VanGordon, though, doesn’t blame The Register-Guard’s journalists for the changes.

“The Register-Guard does the best it can with the capacity it has,” VanGordon said. “They have a lot of good reporters, but there’s just not very many of them anymore.”

A Call to Action

Doctor had not necessarily planned on bringing the Lookout model to Oregon. But that changed one day when he got a visit from a University of Oregon journalism professor. 

The professor, Peter Laufer, who has been at UO since 2010, lamented to Doctor about the reduced coverage at The Register-Guard.

“Laufer said, ‘I think somebody needs to do something,’’’ Doctor said. 

Laufer floated a bold idea: What if Gannett donated The Register-Guard to UO, allowing students and professors to run it like a teaching hospital? Laufer said the idea could allow Gannett to have a tax write-off. Gannett, though, ultimately rejected his idea because they were still making a profit, Laufer said. 

Doctor had his doubts about Laufer’s idea. He didn’t think journalism students could run the paper alone and maintain the quality of a professional newspaper.

Laufer, who teaches reporting and storytelling courses, said he disagrees with Doctor. He said students can do amazing things. 

But that conversation planted a seed for Doctor. Not long after, he visited the Eugene-Springfield area and spoke with UO Journalism faculty and residents. He began hearing the same sentiment over and over again: The area missed strong local journalism. 

“It became clear that people understood what they lost — how good The Register-Guard was as an independent paper,” Doctor said. “And that’s what they wanted again.”

For Doctor, a UO alumnus and former Daily Emerald features editor, the move to Eugene-Springfield is personal. All three of his children were born in Eugene and his wife is from Oregon. The family still has friends in the area. 

“It’s an arc for me,” Doctor said. 

Pulitzer Recognition and Community Engagement Drive Lookout’s Expansion

In 2024, Lookout Santa Cruz won the Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Reporting for their coverage of catastrophic flooding in Santa Cruz County in January 2023. 

Beyond publishing stories, Doctor said that a key part of the Lookout’s strategy is “showing up” and being connected to the community. He said that it is important to him that people in the community know who his reporters are. 

“Lookout team members are part of the community they serve and that has always been a core part of why local news is so special,” former Lookout Santa Cruz Assistant Managing Editor and Enterprise Reporter Mark Conley said. He now works as an editor and writer for the Stanford School of Medicine. 

Doctor said the Eugene-Springfield newsroom plans to engage with the public through Lookout Listens Sessions, which they will hold at least twice a month. At the sessions, community members can tell newsroom staff what topics they want to see covered more.

Another way Lookout plans to engage with the community is by working with local school districts. Through their Lookout in the Classroom program for local high school students, they will provide in-class workshops led by newsroom staff, news quizzes, discussion guides and free access to Lookout stories. 

Lookout also plans to collaborate with other news outlets. According to Doctor, Lookout will be the exclusive distributor of Oregon Journalism Project content in Lane County. They will also partner with Oregon Public Broadcasting and KLCC, leveraging OPB for statewide and non-local content.

Community Support and Funding

So far, Lookout Eugene-Springfield has raised $3.5 million of its current $4 million goal, helped by a $1 million challenge match grant from the Tykeson Family Foundation. Other donors include former Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, the Chambers Family Foundation, former UO SOJC Dean Tim Gleason, the Ford Family Foundation, former State Representative Phil Barnhart and the Baker Family Foundation, the same family that used to own The Register-Guard.

“Their fundraising success just speaks to the fact that we are a community that cares a lot about having strong local media,” Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson said. “We as a community really miss the extraordinary capacity of The Register-Guard.”

Mayor VanGordon echoed a similar opinion. He said the support Lookout received shows that residents want more consistent, in-depth journalism.

“We have seen the decline since around 2017,” VanGordon said. “We have been hit particularly hard.”

Community donations are not the only way Lookout Eugene-Springfield will achieve financial sustainability. Lookout Eugene-Springfield is a public-benefit corporation. Unlike purely for-profit or nonprofit models, a public-benefit corporation is a hybrid structure that allows for a mission-driven company purpose while also being a profit-making business. To ensure long-term financial sustainability, Lookout will operate using both subscriptions and advertising. 

To get unlimited access to all Lookout stories and digital features, readers must buy a membership. Currently, memberships at Lookout Santa Cruz cost $17 a month, with lower rates for annual memberships. 

Doctor said Lookout just started to provide stock options for employees, which it could not do if it were a nonprofit. Under Oregon and California law, public-benefit corporations must file annual reports documenting their public benefit contributions.  

Potential Local News Sustainability Challenges

Professor Andrew DeVigal is the director of UO’s Agora Journalism Center, which studies local journalism and its sustainability. While he acknowledged that new players like Lookout could help fill existing coverage gaps, he said there could be unintended consequences.

“I worry about the impact when a new player enters a local news ecosystem, like in Eugene, and competes for the resources that existing organizations also rely on. That is kind of problematic,” DeVigal said. “We already have deeply rooted newsrooms like Eugene Weekly, KLCC and The Register-Guard.”

DeVigal has more than financial concerns for Eugene-Springfield news outlets. He worries about how outlets will approach serving communities in the future. 

“Are we duplicating efforts? Are we fragmenting audiences? Are we strengthening what’s already here?” DeVigal asked.

On the other hand, Professor Laufer said there is a need for more news outlets in Eugene-Springfield. He said the area used to have many more professional reporters than it does now. 

“There’s always room for more,” Laufer said. 

DeVigal believes local news is a “public good.” He said the less it is about making a profit, as is the case at Lookout, a public benefit corporation, and other nonprofit news outlets, the better local outlets can serve communities. After five years, Doctor said Lookout Santa Cruz is “on track” to start making a profit. 

Impact of Lookout Eugene-Springfield

What success looks like for Lookout Eugene-Springfield is not clear yet.

Doctor said the goal is to reach 50% of adults in Eugene-Springfield in two to three years. In Santa Cruz County, he said the newsroom has reached roughly 60% of adults.

But more than clicks, Doctor said that he wants Lookout’s work to have an impact and create positive change.

“When things go wrong, which is often, we call them out,” Doctor said.

Doctor said he will announce an official launch date later this month. The current plan is to launch sometime early this spring.

The post Lookout Eugene-Springfield plans to restore in-depth local news appeared first on Daily Emerald.

On Feb. 28, the Eugene School District 4J announced a proposal to reduce the district’s budget by $25 million next fiscal year.  

Interim Superintendent Colt Gill will propose the cuts to the district’s budget committee in March. District officials say the cuts are necessary to ensure the district will operate within its means and prioritize funding for student learning. 

The $25 million in cuts accounts for roughly 4% of the district’s nearly $601.8 million annual adopted budget. The proposed cuts come as other local governments, including Lane County and the City of Eugene, face budget deficits.  

The proposed cuts also come as the district dips into its reserves this year. Projections show the district will spend more than $30 million in reserves this year, which accounts for roughly 14% of its $208 million reserves. 

While district officials acknowledge that the proposed cuts are “substantial,” they say they do not anticipate having involuntary layoffs at this point. They say most staff reductions could happen through attrition, which could include the district opting not to fill vacant positions left by planned retirements and resignations. 

Officials say more than half of the proposed reductions will not come from reductions in force. Those reductions could include things like supplies, contracted services and operational costs. 

The proposed reductions will impact schools. Some employees may have to transition to new roles, potentially in different schools or programs. 

“We know these reductions will have an impact, and we do not take them lightly,” Gill said in a statement. “As we navigate this challenge, our commitment remains to keep student learning, well-being and equity at the center of our decisions.”

The proposed cuts come as the district, despite having fewer students than it did five years ago, has expanded staff in recent years, helped by temporary COVID-19 relief funds from the federal government. The temporary relief dollars have helped the district reduce class sizes and provide students with more mental support and instructional coaching.

According to district data, the district has more than 1,000 fewer students and 400 more employees than it did five years ago. Projections show the number of students in the district will continue to decline further. By 2029, the district predicts it will have 600 fewer students than it does now.

Further complicating the district’s budget problems, officials say, is uncertainty over federal funding that supports their most vulnerable students, including students with disabilities, homeless students and students from historically marginalized communities. Programs funded by federal dollars include school meals and after-school and summer learning programs. 

It is not clear yet whether the school board will follow through with Gill’s proposed cuts. 

In either May or June, the school board will vote on the final budget before the 2025-2026 fiscal year starts in July. There will be opportunities for the public to weigh in when the district budget committee starts meeting in April. 

The post Eugene School District 4J Superintendent proposes multi-million dollar budget cuts appeared first on Daily Emerald.

On Feb. 26, the Eugene School District 4J joined a federal lawsuit that seeks to block recently issued guidance from the Trump administration relating to racial discrimination in education.

The guidance came in a Feb. 14 letter to local school districts, public universities and other educational institutions that receive federal financial assistance. According to the guidance, schools must eliminate the use of race in all decision-making processes relating to all aspects of academic life, including hiring, scholarships, administrative support and discipline. If they do not do so, the letter says they will be in violation of federal law and may lose federal funding. 

In court filings, the plaintiffs argue that the guidance is “vague” and exceeds the federal government’s authority. 

Eugene School Board Chair Jenny Jonak said the guidance puts the district in a challenging situation. 

“Our equity programs are part of our board and district goals to make sure our students have fair access to achievement and that our schools are effective in reaching all students, including our most vulnerable,” Jonak said in a statement. “The recent agency directives not only hamper these efforts, but they are so vague and ambiguous that it makes it challenging from an operational standpoint to know what will risk the loss of federal funding.” 

The Eugene School District receives more than $3.4 million in federal funding annually. 

According to the district, they are the first school district to join the lawsuit. The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit include the American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association.  

It is not yet clear yet if the lawsuit will succeed. No court dates have been set. The plaintiffs have requested a jury detail. 

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