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Lakewood council forms ad hoc sustainability committee; councilors to self-select members
Summary
Councilors agreed at a July 21 study session to create a council-only ad hoc sustainability committee to prioritize sustainability policy work. The committee will be formed by resolution, limited to council members while ad hoc, and authorized through January for reauthorization or conversion to a permanent committee.
Lakewood City Council agreed on July 21, 2025, to create an ad hoc sustainability committee composed of council members to prioritize sustainability policy and to develop recommendations for the full council. The council directed staff to draft a resolution creating the ad hoc committee and authorized the committee to operate through January, after which councilors will reconsider whether to reauthorize or establish a permanent committee.
Mayor Anne Sinks opened the discussion by tracing the idea to the council's annual planning retreat and said the committee would help the council's ability to "look deeper" at sustainability issues and to advance policy proposals. Council members debated the committee's purpose, size and relationship to existing advisory bodies including the Lakewood Advisory Commission (LAC) and the Housing Policy Committee (HPC).
Councilors discussed whether the group should be council-only or include community members. Allison McKinney Brown, City Attorney, advised that ad hoc committees created by resolution are limited to council members and cannot include citizen appointees; permanent committees formed by ordinance can include community members. She summarized the practical tradeoffs: ad hoc committees are "nimble" and allow interested council members to self-select, while permanent committees established by ordinance require pre-established membership rules.
Councilors debated committee size (three versus five members) and scheduling concerns. Several councilors voiced support for a small, nimble working group; others said they would be comfortable joining if they had the capacity. Mayor Pro Tem advocated starting as an ad hoc committee to allow the body to refine goals before creating a permanent committee.
Four councilors raised their hands to join the initial ad hoc group during the study session: Councilor Nystrom, Councilor Isabel Cruz, Councilor Furman, and Councilor Labure. Councilors emphasized that non-members of the ad hoc panel could still influence work and that the ad hoc committee should coordinate with LAC and HPC as needed. The mayor asked staff to draft a resolution setting the committee parameters and timing; staff member Vicky Hodgson (city staff) said she would draft the resolution and coordinate with the city manager to place it on a regular meeting agenda.
Councilors agreed that the ad hoc committee should operate through January and then be reauthorized or converted to a permanent committee when council committees are reviewed in January. The council did not take a formal roll-call vote during the study session; members indicated agreement by voice, nods, and raised hands. Next steps: staff will prepare a draft resolution reflecting the council's direction and present it for formal approval at a subsequent regular meeting.
