Councilors on Sept. 15 debated whether recommendations in the Natural Resources & Conservation Committee (NRCC) work plan labeled as FY27 "for consideration" should be included in the council-approved committee work plan or held for a separate discussion. The council approved the work plan but moved the FY27 consideration items onto the council's "bike rack" for future review.

Councilor Elizabeth (full name not specified in transcript) said she was impressed with the NRCC's work plan but worried that some FY27 recommendations were being presented without committee outreach or council education. She asked whether the Parks and Open Space Master Plan would address meadow-management policy detail and suggested NRCC engage on management strategies earlier if the master plan would include implementation-level direction. "If the plan will specify management plans ... I would think it would be actually really good for the NRCC to move that discussion up this year," she said.

City Manager Jesse Baker explained the NRCC had not submitted its work plan on the normal April-May schedule and had adopted its recommendations later; his guidance to NRCC was not to lock preliminary FY27 recommendations in until the regular cycle next spring. Councilor Andrew (full name not specified in transcript) and others questioned whether other committees had placed FY27 recommendations in their submitted work plans; staff confirmed other committees use a "bike rack" for future-year items.

After discussion the councilor who moved it proposed to treat NRCC items labeled "for consideration" as bike-rack items and to approve the remainder of NRCC's work plan for the coming year. The council adopted that motion by voice vote.

The discussion preserved the council's approval of a robust NRCC work plan while deferring certain future-year policy recommendations for additional education and a later council discussion tied to the Parks and Open Space Master Plan and other citywide priorities.

Details: council pulled item 6C from the consent agenda for discussion and approved it after moving FY27 "for consideration" items to the bike rack. Staff and councilors emphasized the need to align committee recommendations with the parks and open space master plan and to educate council prior to making FY27 policy commitments.