05.04.21 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Meeting Minutes May 4, 2021 Lumbreras mentioned having discussions at the Council level provides the clear direction of what should be discussed and agendas can be set accordingly. He stated he has began having discussions with staff on how to start scheduling time to bring all of the purpose statements for council committees forward for a similar review. Council Member Baker stated as the Chair of the Criminal Justice Reform (CJR) Committee stated the committee has an important on-going role in the community. Mr. Baker stated at the last meeting, members of the committee discussed the mission statement "continuing to work the Hays County towards city and divert and bring transparency to the policing processes in San Marcos as allowed by law." Mr. Baker mentioned the need of a broad scope for the committee to help the community heal and have better understanding of the implications of police action within the community. He hopes Council will approve the proposed CJR mission statement that state "Work with the county toward implementation of Cite and Divert and to bring transparency to the policing processes in San Marcos as allowed by law." Mayor Hughson expressed concern with the limitation of working with the County on only cite and divert as there are other issues that can be addressed. She noted that she had watched the meeting at which the CJR committee was formed and noted the discussion from them was mostly about supporting the county on such topics. A public defenders' office was another topic. Mayor Pro Tem Derrick suggested adding "Work with the County on all criminal justice reform issues" to the purpose statement since there are likely to be more issues in the future. This would include concerns for those that do not have representation of a lawyer. Council Member Garza would like Council to approve the mission statement and is open to the County's initiatives. Upon a question by Mayor Hughson, Council Member Baker provided examples of what `bringing transparency to the policing processes in San Marcos as allowed by law" means to him. He noted how police activity is reported and actions taken by the San Marcos Police Officers Association during the last election. Helping citizens file complaints is another item. He noted that Police Chief Standridge has asked that the phrase "as allowed by law" be included in the statement. Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Scott stated the committee originally had a beginning City of San Marcos Page 19