Amendment Adding a New Subsection (c) to Section 600
The City Council may vet, through an informational item at an open session meeting, the appointment of any new head of any department or other administrative agency with primary responsibility for: housing production, regulation, and preservation; human and social services; planning, zoning, land use, and building permitting; fire response and emergency medical response; and public parkland and recreational facilities.
The Council shall, by ordinance, establish the procedures for the vetting process, which may occur promptly before or promptly after appointment, at the Council’s discretion. Informational items under this subsection (c) are mechanisms to promote transparency and public participation and do not empower the Council to unreasonably delay or prevent appointments.
In the case of a pre-appointment informational item, the Council shall hear the item within 30 calendar days after the appointing authority’s request for the Council to schedule the item in accordance with applicable Council Rules of Procedure. If the Council fails to hear the informational item within the prescribed time, then the person may be appointed without a pre- appointment vetting.