Council holds first reading of ordinance setting timeline for city legislative agenda submission

City staff presented Ordinance 20-file-25-50 for a first reading, which would revise the Administrative Code to establish a schedule and content requirements for the city’s state legislative agenda. Tim Greenfield, the city’s chief policy officer, explained the ordinance would require the mayor to submit the legislative agenda to the City Council annually “no later than the first Wednesday prior to the commencement of the regular state legislative session.”

Greenfield told council members the ordinance also requires the council to act on the submitted agenda within 30 days after the legislative session begins, and that the council may amend an adopted legislative agenda by resolution no later than 30 days prior to the end of the session. He said some technical definition changes and a consolidation of federal agenda language were included.

Councilmember Joest moved to replace the publicly posted version with “version 2” to correct a title mismatch; that procedural amendment passed 7-0. Councilmembers expressed support for the ordinance in principle and suggested additions: Councilmember Bowie asked whether the ordinance should require a post-session update reporting how the session outcomes matched the city agenda; Greenfield said he was not aware of an existing ordinance requiring that but called it a reasonable suggestion.

This was a first reading; the ordinance will return for public hearing and subsequent council action. Staff uploaded a policy summary to the agenda to explain the substantive changes and the expected timetable; council members said they hoped to approve the legislative agenda before session commencement but appreciated some flexibility in the draft language.