Appointed auditor position saves money and gives direct oversight

In the April 29, 2018, issue of the Register-Guard, Joy Marshall and Laurie Trieger, who are Eugene activists in the fields of health care, workers’ rights, public education and good government, write in a guest viewpoint:

On May 15, Eugene voters will decide whether to establish a city “performance auditor.” A performance auditor would review, well, performance; these audits, if done well, could help the city figure out ways to improve and streamline services. Here’s why we care about it.

Background: In 2002, the Eugene Citizen Charter Review Committee unanimously recommended establishing a city performance auditor appointed by the City Council and overseen by a citizen audit committee, but the council declined to refer that proposal to voters at that time.

We have different people in office now. Lucy Vinis, our current mayor, supports an auditor — as do seven of our eight city councilors. Last summer, the mayor convened a study group to research multiple options. There is a clear opportunity to do this well.

Unfortunately, instead of working out a good proposal in public, a group led by some former city councilors crafted their own proposal, now known as Measure 20-283. Their extreme proposal departs radically from the Citizen Charter Review Committee’s recommendations. Measure 20-283 is fatally flawed. …

Read full story…