City Council hears progress updates on strategic priorities including pensions, climate actions and housing goals

City Manager Robert Bellman presented the second progress report on five of the city council’s 2024–25 strategic priorities, covering Goal 6 through Goal 10: financial health, environmental stewardship, community inclusions, housing, and relocating utilities underground.

Bellman said the city will form a financial health review team and move forward now that Audrey Kinkade is chief financial officer; he reported the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System (MERS) pension plan was 67% funded as of Dec. 31, 2023, up 4 percentage points from 2022, and the other post-employment benefits (primarily retiree health under GASB 75) showed a funding ratio of 64.51% as of Dec. 31, 2023, an 8.95-point increase from an interim prior report. "We are making sure that we're meeting the annual required contribution and looking at ways of making additional contributions to reduce the unfunded liabilities," Bellman said.

On economic development and housing, Bellman summarized pilot and partnership work: the council-backed pilot ordinance for PK Companies’ Emerald Point affordable housing project at 333…