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Committee delays vote on ordinance to remove fee-disclosure requirement for permit consultants after public pushback
Summary
An ordinance that would remove a requirement for permit consultants to disclose fees to clients was continued after testimony from permit consultants, engineers and ethics advocates who raised concerns about competitive harm, unintended consequences and the need for more outreach.
Item 2 proposed amending the campaign and governmental conduct code to remove a requirement that permit consultants disclose income received for their services. The sponsor said the line was inserted in error and intended to be corrected; several members of the public urged delay and further discussion.
Speakers included Ryan Patterson (land-use attorney), who said fee disclosures could expose confidential attorney-client pricing and provide no public benefit; Larry Bush of Friends of Ethics urged postponement so consultants could be consulted and said fee transparency could be important where consultants also fundraise for candidates; several permit consultants and contractors (Pat Buscovich, Eric Jacobs, Ahmad Larizadeh, Pam Harris) said the provision would create competitive disadvantages, raise privacy issues and was drafted without understanding of consultant business models.
Given substantial public pushback and the sponsor—s acknowledgement that the line may have been added in error, the committee moved to continue the ordinance to the call of the chair for additional outreach and negotiation; the motion passed without objection. Committee members noted the item will likely return next year with more stakeholder engagement.
