Council pauses on Phase 2 business-license hires; staff to hold placeholder and return during budget work sessions

The council revisited Phase 2 of the city’s recently implemented general business-license ordinance, which had previously identified three part-time positions to be funded by anticipated Phase 2 revenue: a public-records assistant for transparency support, a business-districts and neighborhood advocate, and a citywide homelessness navigator. Council members expressed different views on the merits of each role. Discussion and outcome: Several council members said they did not support immediately funding the three part-time positions; concerns cited included scope overlap with existing staff, the potential for unequal advocacy across neighborhoods, and the city’s limited near-term budget capacity. One councilor requested a placeholder line item for Phase 2 revenue so council could allocate funds during the formal budget work session if the revenue projections materialize. Staff confirmed Phase 1 revenue is being collected and that Phase 2 allocations were to be conditional on future receipts; a motion directing staff to create a line item for anticipated Phase 2 revenue and present options for how to allocate it during the budget review passed. Related staffing preference: Councilors favored prioritizing a general government project manager (a single position proposed to help move capital and general projects forward) if grant funding could be identified; the council voted to include that position contingent on grant funding and to prioritize grant searches for the role. The general-government project-manager position was characterized as focused on coordinating and managing city projects (parks, civic projects, grants) and possibly assisting with grant identification and administration. Why it matters: The Phase 2 discussion highlights tensions between creating new, targeted part-time positions to provide direct outreach and services and directing limited municipal resources to core project-delivery capacity. Council asked staff to preserve Phase 2 revenue for later allocation and to bring more detailed budget options forward in October when the preliminary 2026 budget is distributed.