Committee advances ordinance on council staff appointments and design-build authorization for Canoe Run CSO tank

The Governmental Operations Standing Committee advanced two papers to the full council and approved several board appointments during its meeting.

Ordinance 2025-136: The committee considered an ordinance to repeal and amend portions of city code concerning classification and appointment procedures for council liaison, council policy analysts, council budget analysts and council public-relations specialists, and to amend the duties and appointment authority for the council chief of staff. The chair explained the bill would align the council chief-of-staff appointments with other appointee offices and remove the need for some public appointment sessions when standard HR procedures suffice. No members of the public spoke during the hearing. A committee member moved to advance the ordinance to the full council; the motion recorded Vice Chair Aberbacher Aye and Chair Jordan Aye and was approved. The committee's vote record (as recorded in the meeting) showed the two named aye votes; no other recorded votes were entered into the transcript.

Resolution 2025-R031: The committee considered a resolution authorizing the use of the design-build procurement method for construction of the Canoe Run Park combined-sewer-overflow (CSO) storage tank. Robert Stone, deputy director of public utilities, explained the city has a combined sewer system and that recent 2020 General Assembly action and the resulting special order by consent require acceleration of the CSO control program. The state appropriated $100 million in grant funding that the city intends to apply toward advancing an unfunded CSO project (Canoe Run tank). Stone and procurement staff said design-build accelerates schedule, improves early price visibility and can reduce change orders; staff noted the Commonwealth now requires council approval for design-build delivery. No public comment was received. A motion to advance the resolution to the full council was moved and seconded; the recorded committee votes were Vice Chair Aberbacher Aye and Chair Jordan Aye and the motion passed.

Board appointments: The committee received a vacancy report and recommended appointments to the audit committee, the Clean City Commission and the Sustainability and Resilience Commission. The committee voted to approve the recommended applicants in a single block vote; recorded votes in the transcript show Vice Chair Auerbach Aye and Chair Jordan Aye and the block appointment motion was approved.

The committee instructed staff to forward the ordinance and resolution to the full council with recommendations to approve.