Councilor Zotti asked the City Council to authorize staff to contract for a data analysis of Westminster's housing ownership, to be used in the city's strategic planning retreat.

"I sent a series of questions, 4 questions, and staff came back with it's gonna take more than 3 hours," Councilor Zotti said, asking council to direct staff to proceed and contract with an outside firm if necessary.

City staff told council they do not currently gather ownership-origin data and that the work would likely need an external vendor. "If council directs us to do this, we could put together an estimate," a staff member said, adding staff could structure follow-up work into a base contract so the firm could respond to later questions.

Councilors asked whether the final dataset would be published on a dashboard and whether vacancy breakdowns by owner type could be added. Councilor Johnson suggested adding vacancy-rate breakdowns by ownership type; Councilor Haack said the data could show whether companies are buying whole neighborhoods and pushing up rents.

The mayor called a nonbinding poll on directing staff to investigate consultant options and report cost and scope back to council. The mayor announced six "yes" responses, and staff said they would contact firms and return to a regular council meeting with a recommended contract and cost estimate. City staff indicated they would aim to have materials in time for the Feb. 28 strategic planning retreat.

The poll taken in the study session is nonbinding; a formal contract would be scheduled for approval at a regular council meeting with a clear scope and final cost.

What's next: Staff will solicit bids and return to the council with a scope and cost for a contracted study; councilors may refine the four questions and request additional breakdowns once an estimate is available.