The president of the League of Women Voters claims that the city already has an auditor. And that is true. But that is a financial auditor. And it is required of a city to have one. The numbers balance, and money is spent legally.
A performance auditor gives advice to the council — and manager — on ways that they can do their job better and maybe even save money in the process. How the city can give citizens better service is the real question.
For instance, should the police department have more officers, or could they do as good a job with the present staff? Could a performance audit by an outsider assist them to do a better job? Or should they “audit” themselves?
Should a police audit simply count the number of people in the city and its relation to number of staff? Should we just compare ourselves to other different cities? Are there new ideas that could be implemented to police the city that they haven’t thought of yet?
It’s like hiring a consultant. But our elected auditor would know all the city departments, not just the police department.
Bob Cassidy
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519