The Open Space Board of Trustees finalized edits to its annual priorities letter to City Council on Dec. 10, urging council attention to several items for 2026 including an expedited multimodal access assessment, a review of prairie‑dog management restrictions, and explicit charter recognition of wildfire resilience.

Trustee Michelle, who led the letter subcommittee, said the draft lists five priorities and that the board aimed to be inclusive of co‑trustee input. The first priority reads as a request to advance City strategic plan priority 7c: ‘‘OSBT plans to work with staff in the community this year to daylight a thorough assessment process to consider the opening of bikes on an existing trail or a new trail development …’’ Michelle and other trustees discussed strengthening the language to emphasize completion of an assessment within 2026.

Trustees debated prairie‑dog language. Some members sought to soften wording from ‘‘reconsidering current city policy’’ to referring to ‘‘current city plans’’ and to frame council action as a review of limitations that may prevent year‑round lethal control, rather than an immediate removal of seasonal protections.

The trustees also discussed asking council to consider amending City Charter section 1.76 to explicitly include wildfire resilience as a recognized open space use. Staff noted the charter already provides general public‑health and safety functions; trustees agreed wildfire language should be added to the letter but postponed adding explicit flood‑mitigation language until it can be studied more thoroughly.

Board members said they intend to send the finalized draft to council next week and to follow up with individual conversations as needed. The board did not take a formal vote on the letter text during the meeting; staff agreed to circulate the final draft and the secretary will distribute it to council.