Mayor and council clash over SafeBuilt contract and Housing staff posting; administration seeks closed-session review

Council discussed the upcoming SafeBuilt contract renewal and related staffing in the Building and Housing departments.

Sponsor Councilmember Winifred Weizer asked that the SafeBuilt contract be referred to the Building & Housing Committee for review ahead of the end-of-March renewal deadline, so Council could examine contract language rather than receive a last-minute packet. She said the committee started consolidating multiple amendments into a single contract and wanted time for two readings if necessary.

Mayor Brennan responded that the administration seeks to change parts of the draft but cannot finalize contract terms until Council acts on a salary band for a Housing and Community Development Coordinator position that has been pending for months. The Mayor said staffing decisions affect how the administration would negotiate with SafeBuilt and said some aspects of the discussion involve confidential personnel matters better suited for executive session; he criticized the committee process for leaving the administration little time to coordinate.

Council members exchanged procedural points: some argued the committee had old business to address; others said the administration had ample opportunity to request longer committee meetings earlier. The Mayor said the council’s repeated delays left the administration unable to post and fill a needed position in a timely manner; Council replied that prior open job postings had been visible and some vacancies had been filled. The back-and-forth ended with Council planning further committee review of the SafeBuilt contract and the administration reiterating it will negotiate but needs the staffing decision resolved to finalize contract terms.

No contract was approved at the meeting; both committee and administration follow-up was scheduled.