Budget committee adopts municipal ID amendments, schedules special meeting to move program forward

The Budget & Finance Committee on Nov. 7 adopted substantive amendments to a proposed municipal identification ordinance and scheduled a special meeting to advance the program to the full Board.

A sponsoring supervisor summarized outreach to banks and said participating banks had indicated they would accept the municipal ID if the card were produced in an acceptable format. City Attorney Miss Gessner outlined four amendments on the legislative digest: allowing a parent or legal guardian to verify residency for applicants age 12 or under (if the parent or guardian is eligible for the card), expanding acceptable forms of proof of identity or residency, adding a fee waiver for low‑income applicants who provide proof of income, and removing a prior provision that would have allowed law enforcement to ask for additional identification during a criminal investigation. One amendment adds grounds on which a city department is not required to accept the card, including reasonable belief a card is counterfeit or that the presenter is not the cardholder.

Speakers representing educators and community groups testified in support, saying the card would help immigrant families feel connected to schools and city services. The committee adopted the amendments without objection and scheduled a special Budget Committee meeting for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 13, and the sponsor asked that the item be sent to the full Board as a committee report for that day's Board meeting.