The City Council engaged in an extended debate over adopting local updates tied to the 2023 National Electrical Code, focusing on whether to include five carve-outs that would reduce upfront construction costs but potentially omit some nationally recommended safety or appliance‑protection features.

Councilmember Roe introduced an "amendment of the whole" to sync the city's code with the state but to retain five exceptions; he said the carve-outs were intended to avoid imposing items that would increase home prices and limit access to affordable housing (SEG 1712-1760). Council members highlighted differing estimates of added costs: speakers referenced ranges from roughly $110 to $2,000 for particular items and argued the cumulative effect could remove hundreds of potential buyers from the market if passed without modification (SEG 1767-1776, SEG 1811-1816).

The Firefighters' Local 385 president (letter read into the record and summarized at SEG 1878-1914) urged keeping an exterior electrical disconnect because it provides a safety benefit to firefighters entering burning homes. Council discussion centered on life‑safety tradeoffs versus incremental cost to new construction; supporters of maintaining more of the 2023 code said exterior disconnects and GFCI provisions materially improve firefighter and occupant safety (SEG 1878-1914, SEG 2148-2156).

Several procedural amendments were offered. An initial "amendment of the whole" failed on a 3–4 vote (SEG 1978-1979). Council later advanced a floor amendment (79 C) removing the whole‑house surge protector requirement while keeping other life‑safety measures; that floor amendment passed 4–3 (SEG 2241). Councilmembers said they intended to balance cost savings to homebuyers with firefighter and occupant safety.

The action: the council moved the code changes forward with the approved floor amendment; staff will incorporate the council’s vote into the ordinance language for final adoption. Councilmembers asked staff to provide additional support material on the cost estimates and to continue outreach to affected stakeholders.

Representative quote: "This really is just it's a rehash of the discussion we had last November concerning the 2023 National Electrical Code... I put the amendment of the whole in there so that we would align with the state code," Councilmember Roe said (SEG 1712-1719).