'I think a levy is going to be a difficult sell but not an impossible one'
EUGENE, Ore. - Pat Farr has served twice on the Eugene City Council, with time as a Republican lawmaker in the Oregon House inbetween.
On Monday, Farr will be sworn in as a new member of the Lane County Commission. The consultant said he is ready to tackle the challenges of his new job - including the dilemma for public safety and the Lane County jail.
Farr defeated one-term incumbent Rob Handy last May for the seat representing North Eugene on the county board.
Since his election win, he has been going to commissioner meetings and getting his office space ready.
Farr said county budget cuts and the crunch on public safety are utmost on his mind. He said he could get behind a public safety levy for the ballot this year if the money is focused on the county jail, rural sheriff patrols and juvenile detention.
"I think a levy is going to be a difficult sell but not an impossible one if people understand - if people believe - that they're getting the right bang for their dollar, so to speak," he told KVAL News.
Farr said the board should lease empty office space in the Serbu Youth Campus and use that money to open more bedspace.
Farr will be sworn in officially this Monday as commissioner, along with Lane County Sheriff Tom Turner, who ran unopposed for re-eleciton.
I live in Marcola and recently I had an opportunity to call upon the Sheriff's Dept. I was told that unless someone had been shot or otherwise mamed, that they would not be responding to my call for help.  I was told that I should be considered lucky that at least there was an officer that was assigned to my area although my current complaint was going to go unheard. That as of Jan. 1st, 2013 that the 3 Sheriff's that patroled Lane Co. would be going away and the only drug enforcement officer had been let go. Then I read in this Fri's paper that the last of the crime scene specialist have been let go. What in the hell is more important than police protection I ask you? Lane Co. commissioners (who ever sets this budget) might as well have opened the doors to the prisons and jails and said "have at it!" By-the-way!, I was reporting a break and enter, theft and $4,700 worth of property damage not to mention the person was selling large quantities of drugs, but this wasn't important enough for them to respond to my complain.  I was angry over the whole thing and mostly due to the fact that the officer taking my call thought the whole thing was funny and was laughing at me  And you people that want gun control think that we others should give up our guns-NOT! Without protection from our local and state government we will all need to be more diligent in our own protection
Republicans wanting more tax increases? Why am I not surprised? Bunch of spineless authoritarian looters, just like their fake opposition on the left.
They are getting the cart ahead of the horse again. If they want more money they must demonstrate to the people that support them a responsible use of the money. They have failed to do that. They have failed to reform. They have failed to be accountable. They have coerced, and bullied. I need to see responsible government before I will vote for any tax increase.
If we vote for a law enforcement levy the county will just use the levy for law enforcement (if required by the legislation), and take the money otherwise available for law enforcement  and spend it on other useless costs, i.e., benefits for illegal aliens, more conveniences for jail birds, better furniture for bureaucrats, etc.  I am a retired police officer and until I see more criminal arrests, prosecutions of criminal offenders, more time given offenders, and fewer benefits and comforts for criminals - no more dough!
No. Manage what is given to you. Â I do.
Do you expect the few remaining deputies left to walk across Lane County? Oh, I know maybe they could ride bicycles, you know from Cottage Grove to say Low Pass, that seems reasonable. Cars wear out, especially when 100--200 miles a day are put on them, so new cars have to be purchased.....
The Sheriff's Office hasn't bought new cars in over a year? Perhaps the other police departments in the area have, but that is not what the article was about. As for the encrypted radios, that is already in place (and has been for several years), as a result of Federal legislation mandating any radio frequency that broadcasts protected information (ie: full names, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, and social security numbers, all of which are used to correctly identify people) must be encrypted, to protect all of our identity information from identity thieves. you don't think criminals (ID theives or otherwise) don't regularly use police radio scanners to try and get information they can exploit? The encrypted radio network has nothing to do with "hiding" police activity, and has everything to do with protecting ID information, oh wait is that a silent black helicopter I see over my shoulder?
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 @Reality The article was bout a new City Council member deciding that he can âget behindâ a new tax to support Law Enforcement and to keep jails full. We here, most of us, are objecting to this because Law enforcement, just like all other branches of government, canât seem to âget behindâ the idea that we, the public, arenât made of money, and that we are all just about tapped out. We are objecting to the idea that Law enforcement, like all other branches of government, canât âget behindâ the idea of taking what they already have, and making do, like we all have to do when our paycheck doesnât cover everything we need or want. We, the public, have NO options to get more money, when we canât afford all the necessities we need each week, and canât afford to have Law enforcement coming to us time and time again, just like every other governmental office, asking for something we donât have, when they are mis-using money like buying new vehicles every year or two. Maybe Lane county LEOâs didnât buy new vehicles, but two other counties did:Â
http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2012/07/washington_county_sheriffs
_off_27.htmlÂ
Friday, July 20, 2012, 3:18 PM
 http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/05/multnomah_county_sheriffs_offi.html
 Monday, May 21, 2012, 10:15 PM
These are both Oregon, and my taxes along with yours pay for these new vehicles. Those are the only articles I could find, but I know there were others regarding the purchase of new vehicles by Leoâs this year. Another article said that EVERY YEAR new vehicles are purchased by Leoâs, and I think most of us here would like to see LEOâs, just like ALL OTHER BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT LIVE WITHIN THEIR MEANS, LIKE ALL OF US HERE HAVE TO DO.Â
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Ask them why they are spending so much money for an encrypted radio system that locks citizens and the press from monitoring and oversight. If they can afford radios that are around $3000 to $5000 a piece they need better budget management. Remember they are public safety and we have a right to know what is going on in the county, we do not need secret law enforcement that will breed corruption. JUST VOTE NO ON TAXES
Put it on the ballot, I will vote no... No to your fascist police state...
Oh, you wouldn't believe all the "toys" they have bought in the last 4 years. The stuff you see, like the new cars are just the tip of the iceburg!
I am voting "NO" on any new levies for our law enforcement (that lets criminals go free in order to scare the populace). How about less NEW things like computers, offices, and cars/trucks??!!
You see here's the deal Mr. Farr. NO MORE TAXES, NO MORE TAXES got it? GOOD!!
We have new payroll taxes. We have several new taxes in Obama Care. We have new charges on our electric and water bills. We have higher food prices since 2008. Nope not going to work with any new taxes. Suck it up baby!!
I tell people to install a burglar alarm sustem instead. I'll vote NO on ant new tax measure, levy, or bond.
Oh know not another one living in la la land, what part don't they not understand about NO!NO!NO!NO! Guess you can't fix stupid.
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I think what the public could âget behindâ is a few cuts in non-essentials like the new fleet of police cars they just bought. How can they justify that when criminals are being released every day? It is things like that: wasteful, careless, unnecessary spending that cause us to defeat pleas for more money. Again, I ask: WHEN will ALL you politicians realize WE DONâT HAVE ANY MORE MONEY TO GIVE YOU!!!! Â WE HAVE TO BUDGET AND GO WITHOUT IMPORTANT THINGS EVERY PAYDAY, YOU NEED TO STOP SPENDING, PERIOD. Â