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Mayor schedules 10 town halls ahead of March 11 vote; commission declines to require pre‑approval of outreach materials
Summary
Mayor Castillo said staff will hold 10 informational town halls to explain bond/budget issues ahead of the March 11 vote and promised non‑advocacy presentations by professional staff. A later motion to require commission approval of all election‑related education and financial materials died for lack of a second.
Mayor Castillo announced on Jan. 15 that the city will hold 10 town hall meetings to provide residents with information before a March 11, 2025 vote on a bond or other city measures.
The mayor said staff will make presentations on the projects and that the meetings will be informational and non‑advocative: "There will be no advocacy whatsoever. And at any of these official city meetings, they will be run in an organized and respectful manner. It is about providing information to the residents so that they can cast an informed vote on March 11th," Castillo said. He added that staff would be available to answer residents' questions and that additional meetings could be scheduled at the invitation of community groups.
Commissioner Schwartz subsequently moved that "the City Commission approve all education and financial requests related to the March 11, 2025 election prior to being posted, published, printed, procured, and or presented at town halls by the city administration" so the commission could vet materials. That motion failed for lack of a second.
Context: The town halls were presented as part of an effort to provide detailed project information to residents in advance of the vote. Commissioners emphasized that the gatherings would be informational and run by professional staff; the city manager and staff will prepare materials and presentations. The mayor said he would attend a national conference in Washington but that the local town halls would proceed upon return.
