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Council debates requiring broader citizen consent for "large" projects; feasibility questioned
Summary
Councilmember Aramelli proposed a policy that would require expanded citizen input or approval for large capital projects (examples given: $5M initial cost, $25M cumulative), but several members questioned the practicality of strict thresholds and asked staff to explore options and sampling methods.
Councilmember Aramelli presented a draft policy to require broader citizen consent on "large projects" — he suggested thresholds such as an initial cost of $5 million or cumulative costs of $25 million or projects that create ongoing costs of $5 million per year for five years. Aramelli said the goal is to ensure "consent of the governed" on projects that impose significant financial burdens on residents.
"So the bottom line, what I'm trying to say is here, we need to think through getting citizens' input on something which will burden them financially in the long run," Aramelli said. Councilmembers raised feasibility questions: referenda are already required for general obligation bonds; land purchases can present timing and confidentiality constraints; turnout in local elections may be low so sampling and random surveys were suggested as alternatives. The council did not adopt any policy tonight and asked staff to explore realistic implementation options, sampling methods and legal constraints before returning with recommendations.
Why it matters: the proposal would change how the city solicits and weights citizen input on major capital decisions and could affect future land acquisitions, bonds and large projects.
