Good morning,

Just a reminder for commuters: Watch your speed, even if Lane County deputies aren’t in sight. 

In Lane County, only three deputies and a sergeant are on patrol duty on every shift, meaning drivers, especially in rural areas, often speed without worrying about getting pulled over. 

Lane County Sheriff Carl Wilkerson did patrol duty on Thanksgiving Day and wrote out a ticket to a driver who didn’t expect to see a cop. 

“They were just completely surprised that they were getting stopped for going 86 miles an hour, because that is just where we’re at,” Wilkerson told county commissioners in a presentation last week about the need for more law enforcement funding. 

Then again, when do speeders ever expect to get pulled over?

County commissioners are still weighing options — and plan to gather public input in 2026. A proposal could eventually go to voters, officials said.

In other county-related news, commissioners visited with Eugene planning officials about the city’s comprehensive plan and land-use planning. Both the county and city recognize the need to build more houses — an effort that will take years.

Cities part ways with Flock. Springfield activist running for office.

Late Friday, Eugene and Springfield police departments both announced they’re severing ties with Flock Safety, a controversial Atlanta-based company that provided cameras with license-plate recognition technology.

Ky Fireside, an archaeologist and Springfield-based activist, has filed campaign paperwork to run for Oregon’s House District 7, the Oregon Capital Chronicle reports. The seat is currently held by Rep. John Lively, D-Springfield. Lively, who was first elected to the seat in 2012, told Lookout Eugene-Springfield in September that he is retiring at the end of his term. Springfield City Councilor Kori Rodley has also entered the race for the seat, which covers all of Springfield. 

Jim Edmunson, a former state legislator who was chair of the state’s Democratic Party, passed away on Thanksgiving. We profiled his life and impact on Oregon.

We’re always up for profiling people in government, including people who work behind the scenes like commercial property appraisers. Email us with any suggestions — and other tips, of course. 

— Ben Botkin

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Inside Eugene City hall with Grace chinowsky

Budget: Eugene’s reserves are dropping amid the double whammy of inflation and declining revenues, per an updated city financial forecast presented last week. A panel of technical advisers convened this fall to help improve Eugene’s fiscal stability will discuss its progress at tonight’s City Council work session. 

Later tonight — during the council’s last regular meeting of the year — councilors will vote on Eugene’s 2025-27 supplemental budget.

So long, city manager: Sarah Medary, who has for six years led the day-to-day operations of Eugene’s government as city manager, is retiring this week. She sat down with Lookout Eugene-Springfield for a wide-ranging interview reflecting on her tenure. 

Fire governance: As one of her final actions before retiring, Medary will recommend on Wednesday, Dec. 10 that Eugene Springfield Fire adopt an intergovernmental entity as its future structure of governance. Read up on the ongoing debates over fire department governance ahead of the discussion.

Checking in on Springfield With lillian Schrock-Clevenger

ICE activity: Residents filled the Springfield City Council chamber last week to ask councilors to declare a state of emergency over ICE activity and pass a Springfield sanctuary city resolution, among other requests. Mayor Sean VanGordon told commenters that Springfield police do not cooperate with ICE, in accordance with Oregon’s sanctuary law. The mayor said some of the residents’ requests may be doable while others may not be legal under federal law.

Library funding: The Springfield Public Library director last week provided the City Council a proposed example of how a $500,000 general fund budget reduction could be implemented while maintaining essential services at the library. The scenario includes cutting three staff positions, five operating hours and $89,000 from the book budget, as well as trimming programming.

Payroll tax: The City Council will conduct a public hearing tonight, Dec. 8, at 6:30 p.m. on a proposed payroll tax and will vote on whether to pass a resolution directing staff to develop a payroll tax for City Council review and deliberation. The tax is intended to help balance the city’s overburdened general fund, which is facing a deficit. A “Save Springfield Library” campaign is calling for community members to attend and ask the City Council to set a rate that maintains library funding if it chooses to go forward with the tax.

beyond lane county

Kotek running for reelection: Our media partner, Oregon Capital Chronicle, reported on Gov. Tina Kotek’s announcement that she’ll run for a second term. The move sets the stage for a possible rematch between Republican Christine Drazan, a state senator from Canby, who ran against Kotek in the general election in 2022. 

Making Oregon business-friendly: Coincidentally — or perhaps the timing was planned — Kotek last week released a “prosperity roadmap” intended to make the state more business-friendly. The Capital Chronicle reported details of Kotek’s approach. Another coincidence: Kotek’s likely opponent in the 2026 general election — yes, Drazan — said Kotek first needs to stop making things worse. 

Homeland security dollars in limbo: Oregon Public Broadcasting published a deep dive into the state’s struggles to secure federal homeland security funding, even after winning a court ruling against the Trump administration.

Rescue helicopter will stay: Looking for uplifting news out of Washington, D.C.? U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden served up some to his constituents in Newport, with a post on X. Wyden said he was reassured during a phone call with the U.S. Coast Guard that its rescue helicopter will stay in Newport. “This is a big win to keep fishermen and the Newport community safe,” Wyden posted.

Public Meetings this week

Monday, Dec. 8

  • The Springfield City Council will have a work session at 5:30 p.m. for planning commission interviews, among other things.
  • The Eugene City Council will hold a work session at 5:30 p.m. to hear from the city manager’s Technical Advisory Group on Fiscal Stability, followed by a regular meeting at 7:30 p.m., where it will vote on the city’s 2025-27 supplemental budget.
  • At 6:30 p.m., Springfield councilors will conduct a public hearing on a proposed payroll tax.
  • At 7 p.m., the Springfield Economic Development Agency will have a regular meeting with time for public comment.
  • At 7:15 p.m., the Springfield Economic Development Agency will hold an executive session to discuss downtown real property.

Tuesday, Dec. 9

  • Lane County commissioners meet at 9 a.m. for updates and presentations on homeless services, the Eugene Airport expansion, public safety funding and waste management. That meeting has an 11:30 a.m. closed-door executive session planned to discuss labor negotiations.
  • This one will make the sheriff happy: At 1 p.m., the Oregon Speed Zone Panel will consider a reduction in the speed limit from 40 and 45 mph to 35 mph on River Road in Eugene and Lane County from Azalea Drive to 0.31 miles north of Beacon Drive. The changes are requested by the city of Eugene and Lane County. To join the meeting virtually, go here.
  • The Springfield Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. to discuss a memo with proposals to improve active transportation between Springfield and Eugene, among other things. 

Wednesday, Dec. 10

  • Lane County commissioners meet at 9 a.m. and discuss potential locations for the CleanLane recycling facility and hear an update on the possible replacement of an antiquated methane collection and electric generation facility at the Short Mountain Landfill with newer technology. Another executive session is planned: This one is for the discussion of records that are exempt from public disclosure.
  • The Eugene City Council will discuss the city manager’s recommendation on Eugene Springfield Fire governance at noon.
  • The Willamalane Park and Recreation District Board of Directors will meet at 6 p.m. to review Americans with Disabilities Act improvement projects and discuss a potential tax levy increase, among other things.
  • The Springfield Utility Board will have a work session at 4 p.m. to discuss recruitment for a new general manager and a utility affordability analysis, among other things.
  • SUB will also have a regular meeting at 6 p.m for public hearings on proposed water and electric rates for 2026, among other items.

Do you have story ideas or tips? Send them our way — ben@lookoutlocal.com | grace@lookoutlocal.com | lilliansc@lookoutlocal.com

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Dann Miller is the executive editor of Lookout Eugene-Springfield, bringing decades of leadership experience in both traditional and digital newsrooms.

Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.

Grace Chinowsky graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in journalism. She served as metro editor, senior news editor and editor in chief of the university’s independent student newspaper, The GW Hatchet, and interned at CNN and MSNBC. Grace covers Eugene’s city government and the University of Oregon.