Garden City council adopts ordinance creating Department of Governmental Affairs and Strategic Initiatives

The Garden City City Council on June 1 adopted an ordinance to establish a Department of Governmental Affairs and Strategic Initiatives and a director position, and directed that the city’s financial reports and annual budget be amended to create a separate operating budget for the new department.

The ordinance, read aloud at the meeting, outlines duties for the director and the department’s legislative and intergovernmental responsibilities. The city manager described the role as “to establish a governmental affairs and strategic initiatives department and director position. This position will manage the legislative and inter government relations and initiatives for the city,” according to remarks at the meeting.

Council members moved and seconded the ordinance on its first reading and then voted to take the first reading as the second reading the same day; the council then voted to adopt the ordinance. The clerk called the roll for each vote and the council carried the measure by unanimous vote. The ordinance text requires that the city present an amendment to its financial reports and annual budget to establish a separate budget for operations of the new department.

No amendments to the ordinance were recorded at the meeting and council members did not cite specific budget figures when voting. The council had met in executive session earlier in the meeting on a personnel matter and reported afterward that no decisions were made in executive session.

The ordinance was adopted; the next procedural step is for city staff to prepare the required budget amendment and related financial documentation for future council consideration.