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Committee holds ordinance D-2741-24 for revision after members press to preserve council approval authority
Summary
The Finance, Utilities and Rules Committee agreed Jan. 6 to leave ordinance D-2741-24 in committee so staff can amend language that members said would otherwise transfer approval authority from the council to department heads. Staff will return a revised draft that preserves council approval while addressing operational needs.
Committee members said Jan. 6 that ordinance D-2741-24 includes provisions affecting department heads' transfer authorities that require more work before any recommendation to the council.
The presiding officer summarized feedback from council members and staff: while some changes in D-2741 would provide operational flexibility and oversight at the department level, members were not willing to cede any existing council approval authority. The chair asked Zach, the presenting staff member, to amend the ordinance to preserve the council's approval authority and to bring the revised draft back to the finance committee for additional review. "If the committee's okay, we will have Zach go back, amend this ordinance with language, that doesn't change the approvals or authorities of the council," the presiding officer said.
Zach acknowledged that the ordinance contained changes "that are functional and provide more oversight from department heads' ability to transfer," but he and members agreed those changes should not remove council approval in the short term. The committee left D-2741-24 in committee and will revisit it at a future meeting after staff revisions.
Ending: The committee took no formal vote to advance D-2741-24; instead members directed staff to revise the draft to retain council approval authority for transfers and to return the amended ordinance to the finance committee.
