Centennial council to form subcommittee to update code of conduct and moves to executive session on housing litigation

Centennial’s mayor proposed that council create a two-council-member subcommittee, supplemented by a few citizen members and city attorney support, to review and update the council code of conduct that has not been revised since 2012. Councilmember Dwiggins volunteered to serve and another council member agreed; council gave staff direction to form the subcommittee.

The mayor told members the code and related bylaws have not been reviewed in many years and that other municipalities typically revisit these policies annually or biennially. The mayor said citizens on the subcommittee would help ensure the review reflects both how council members work together on the dais and how they interact with the public.

Council members asked procedural questions about timing and packet materials. The mayor said the subcommittee would set the cadence of meetings and that staff expects the review could take a few meetings over a couple of months, similar to a prior bylaws review.

Later in the meeting, the council voted to enter an executive session under Colorado law for the purpose of receiving legal advice on specific legal questions concerning 2024 housing legislation, executive orders from the governor, and a related lawsuit filed by home rule municipalities against the state. Council moved and seconded the motion to enter executive session and the meeting adjourned so the council could meet in closed session with the city attorney.

Next steps: staff will contact potential citizen members and finalize the two council members for the subcommittee; the city attorney will lead the closed legal briefing in executive session.