Discussion on
Recommendation to Amend
City Council Policy No. 105
ITEM 11.2
4/15/2025
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Issues to solve
- Minimize introduction of proposals that are under-developed, underprepared, and that create significant impact on resources, budget, and staff time
- Encourage collaboration with colleagues
- Support proposals that fit into the City’s strategic plan - Talking about it before talking about it (we don’t follow the current policy)
2 Fully-formed ideas
- Justification Statement requirement
o What is the need
o Who is proposed to do the work
o Why is the timing appropriate
- Impact Statement requirement
o Demonstrate consideration for
staff time,
cost and budget,
existing projects
3 Fully-formed ideas (continued)
- Collaborate with Mayor or another council member for cosponsorship - If urgent, then address significant consequences if not addressed immediately
o describe potential financial loss
o describe legal implications
o describe safety risks
4 Consideration of Resources
- Priority Alignment Evaluation by City Manager and Mayor o to confirm the alignment with the City’s Strategic Plan and the council’s adopted goals
o to assess impact to high-priority issues (i.e., financial stability, public safety, economic development)
o for thoughtful timing around ongoing city initiatives - Cap the number of 105s per councilmember to 2 ongoing projects at a time
5 Consideration of Resources (continued)
- Mandatory Cost-Benefit & Staff Time Analysis for significant project* o A proposal that would require staff research, legal opinion, or financial evaluation must include:
Estimate of staff hours per department
An expectation for associated costs
(e.g., consultant fees, legal review costs)
*we’ll need to agree on a definition for “significant project” 6 Incentive for fully-formed ideas
- Option 1: the 105 request is placed under consent calendar for approval - Option 2: move directly into discussion of the idea (not just the merits) NOTE: Not all 105 requests need to be fully formed ideas - We can continue the current method of presenting 105 requests for ideas that don’t require extensive work, for example:
o Changes to existing policies or municipal code (i.e., operating hours for commercial cannabis operations)
o Amending the ordinance for permissible lot size for chickens 7 Evaluation of Merits
- Option 1: Quarterly special council meetings to evaluate the merits of proposed 105 requests
- Option 2: Explore formation of an evaluation committee to review the merits of 105 requests
o Committee members TBD
- Option 3: Use existing method, and
o Enforce 1 minute limited councilmember discussion
o Allow 1 minute public comment
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