On December 18, 2017, Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis blogs:
Our final week of council meetings for 2017 was packed with important conversations and decisions. On Monday, the 11th, Council reviewed their commitment to implementing an auditor function in principle, and specifically their concerns about the auditor initiative that is on the May ballot. Of the seven councilors present, six stated their support for the creation of an auditor role. As for the initiative, there are concerns about the cost, the lack of a residency requirement, a run-off provision, or citizen oversight for this role. They made no decision to act on those concerns and I have left it to them to determine if they would like a follow-up discussion. The discussion is critical – both for council and for the public — to scrutinize and understand the choice before us. The initiative proponents have described our discussions as “interference.” To the contrary, it is the job of elected leaders to discuss policy in public meetings. The proposal to create a third branch of government with funds that are not subject to review by the citizen budget committee has long term consequences. Responsible decision-making is based in deliberative, thoughtful discussion, and I will continue to lead that conversation, whether or not council brings it back to a work session. …