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Commissioner questions whether City Council should rehear Historic Preservation Commission cases
Summary
A commissioner said City Council has revisited commission decisions on at least two occasions and is researching whether council is acting as an appeals body or deciding cases anew; staff said they will report back.
A commissioner (Speaker 4) raised concern that City Council has, on at least two occasions, revisited decisions made by the Historic Preservation Commission and questioned whether council is functioning as an appeals body or deciding cases de novo. "One of the things that I have asked to be looked into is how the lower bodies in the city function as it relates to city council and whether city council should be, basically relitigating cases that are decided at a lower court," Speaker 4 said.
Speaker 4 said the issue has produced misunderstandings and that, on two occasions, City Council voted 6-1 with the speaker casting the sole negative vote. "So, I'll report back later should that go anywhere," Speaker 4 said; another commissioner (Speaker 2) expressed support for the inquiry.
Staff did not provide a legal conclusion during the meeting but said they have people looking into the matter and will follow up with commissioners. The discussion was presented as a request for research rather than a formal motion or ordinance change.
