Following on her pledge to make city government more accountable and transparent, Mayor Lucy Vinis has convened the independent Eugene Performance Auditor Study Group to develop an objective, factual matrix of models for a performance auditor position. This matrix will inform discussions by the public and the City Council as they consider different approaches to improving city government.

“We need to restore the sense that the city is being responsible with tax dollars.”

— Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis, Eugene Weekly, December 22, 2016

“Communication is the key to everything else. We face a wide array of challenging issues, including neighborhood planning, downtown development, transportation, climate change, homelessness, economic growth, and jobs. Our best path forward will be built on clarity and trust about our goals, our choices, and our investment of public funds. …

“My goal is to improve our framework for communicating and accounting for our decisions so that everyone feels informed, heard, and is comfortable with the decision-making process. This begins by taking the public’s concerns seriously; and taking the time in my first year in office to see from the inside where and how we could improve.”

— Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis, State of the City address, January 9, 2017

I have acted on my commitment to expand our community discussion about an independent performance auditor. The council has been polled and has agreed to a work session to review the options for how the auditor role can be structured and funded. I have also gathered a group of citizens in a review committee to work independently to create a matrix of possible auditor structures and costs based on the experiences of cities of comparable size to Eugene.

I believe an independent auditor would benefit our city government. Whether or not the current ballot initiative gathers enough signatures, we should have this discussion—not solely as an up-or-down vote for one option, but with understanding of the array of options from which we can choose.

— Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis, Register-Guard, August 2, 2017