December 4, 2025 — City Council Regular Meeting

Transcript

Captions from City of Boulder YouTube recording.

[5:08] Evening everyone and welcome to the Thursday, December 4th regular meeting of the Boulder City Council. Uh Elicia, can you please do a roll call? >> Yes, sir. Good evening and welcome everyone. We'll start the night's roll call as usual with Council Member Adams >> present. >> Benjamin, >> present. >> Mayor Brackett, >> present. Council member Marquis >> present. >> Shuhart >> here. >> Spear >> present. >> Wallik >> here. >> And Winer >> present. >> Mayor, we have our quorum. >> Thanks so much, Elicia. If we could start please with a motion to amend the agenda to remove item 4B, which is appropriating funds to defay 2025 operating expenses for the Nullwood Metropolitan District. Please. >> So moved. >> Second. Have a motion and a second. All in favor, please raise your hands.

[6:01] Okay, that is unanimous. 8-0. City agenda has been amended. So, we will now proceed to the swearing in of council members. And Elicia, city clerk Johnson, I will turn it over to you. >> Thank you, Mayor. And if I would again say thank you everyone for joining us, and I'd like to invite the newly elected and reelected council members to join me on the deis.

[7:03] All right. Can everybody hear me? Okay, great. First uh order of business is to announce the results of the election votes. I will read the statement of votes for the top five candidates. Matt Benjamin first with 20,276 votes. Mark Wallik second with 17,476 votes. Nicole Spear third with 16,165 votes. Mr. Kaplan, Rob Kaplan la uh fourth place with 15,867 votes. Our fifth place person was Jennifer Robbins with 14,781 votes. Again, congratulations to all of you. Now, for the swearing in, I would like you all please to raise your right hand. This is a group swearing in. And if you would, when I say state your name, that means state your name. Thank you so very much. I So again,

[8:03] repeat after me. I state your name. I >> do solemnly swear or affirm >> swear >> that I will support the Constitution of the United States Constitution of the United States >> and the charter and ordinances of the city of Boulder >> and the charter and of the city of Boulder >> and the Constitution of the State of Colorado >> and the Constitution of the State of Colorado >> and that I will faithfully and impartially >> And I will faithfully and impartially perform all the duties as city council member >> perform all the duties >> for the city of Boulder, Colorado for the city of Boulder, Colorado. >> As now or hereafter required by law >> as now or required by law >> to the best of my ability to the best of my ability. >> All right, congratulations.

[9:02] Thank you so much. >> I do want to note for the record, your oaths are located here to my right. And when you get an opportunity, if you would sign the top copy and the bottom copy is for you that's in the folder. Okay, you will now take your seats unless you want to have photo opportunities with anyone. But Mr. Kaplan, if you would sit in the open seat, we would certainly appreciate it. You can do as many pictures as you want. Photo opportunities.

[11:27] Okay. And Alicia, are you going to wrap us up with this portion or >> I'm sorry, sir. >> Shall I take over? >> Yes, sir. >> Okay, I will do that. >> We appreciate it. >> All right. Well, um, well, a huge congratulations to our returning council members, uh, Matt and Mark and Nicole and Rob. Welcome to city council. >> Thank you. >> Yeah, congratulations to all. All right. Well, if we can move to our next item, please, which is a consideration of a motion to approve the election returns from the 2025 coordinated municipal election, please, Elicia. >> All right, sir. Thank you. And this

[12:01] process is a little detailed but it is will go I have it scheduled where it will go rather quickly I hope. I am Alicia Johnson the city clerk and records manager and I serve as the also the clerk to the general canvasing and election board. Emily if you would pull up our presentation please. Now, in accordance with the city of Boulder Charter Section 32 and Secretary of State Rule 10.2.4, members of council will sit as the general canvasing and election board and I, as the city clerk, will serve as the secretary of that board and as the designated election official for the city. The board will consist of members of council that were not running in this year's election. So to begin, may I have a motion to convene as the general canvasing and election board for the November 4th, 2025 city of Boulder coordinated

[13:02] municipal election. >> So moved. >> Second. >> And this is the point I think where I would like to recuse myself. [laughter] >> No, we'll we'll get to that. Yes, ma'am. We would now need to take a vote to convene as the board and the whole council needs to vote on that convening of the board because the council is currently sitting and then after we vote to convene we'll note the motion passed and then I will take a roll call of the board. >> So all in favor of the motion to convene as the election board raise your hand. That's unanimous 90. >> That motion passed unanimously. Thank you everyone. Now again, the board will consist of the five members that were not included in this year's election. So I will now take a roll call of the canvasing board members. We'll start with council member Adams.

[14:01] >> Yes. >> Present. Mayor >> present. >> Present. >> Council member Marquis >> present. >> Shuhard >> here. and Winer >> present. >> All board members are currently present. Now, if those five you can leave if you'd like if you're not participating. If those pi five will now raise your right hand and please say I do once the oath of office for the canvasing board is completed. No need to repeat the oath. We the undersigned do solemnly swear or affirm that we will perform the duties of the general canvasine and election board for the November 4th, 2025 coordinated municipal election held in the city of Boulder, county of Boulder, state of Colorado according to the law and to the best of my ability. >> I do. >> I do. >> Thank you. Now, we will ask for a

[15:00] nomination for a person to serve as the board chair for this meeting. Normally, the mayor is nominated and selected. I nominate Mayor Brockett. I'll second that. >> All in favor? Mayor Brockett has been designated as the chair of the canvasing board. Thank you all. Now, you will now see the election returns on the screen. Next slide, please, Emily. For the 2025, the city of Boulder had 71,340 active voters. There were 34,19 ballots counted. Again, the following are the results of the city council candidate races for the four available seats. Again, Matt Benjamin had 20,276 votes. Mark Wallak had 17,476 votes. Nicole Spear 16,185

[16:00] votes. And Rob Kaplan with 15,867 votes. Those are your current winners. The following ballot measures, next slide, please, Emily. The following ballot measures were presented to the electors at the November 4th, 2025 election. We had ballot issue number 2C related to the CCS tax extension. It was a taber measure. >> Elicia, I believe that was item 2 A. >> Was it 28? Thank you. See, I always have one thing go wrong. Ballot [snorts] issue 2A is the CCRS tax extension. It is a Taber measure. There were 24,7 votes yes for that measure and it did pass. We have ballot measure number 2B and it was the CCRS tax extension debt authorization. It also was a taber measure and that measure passed with

[17:02] 21,082 votes for the measure. I also would like to present the following documents to you included in your packet. We included the notification of the approved ballot, the certificate of the public notices of the November 4th, 2025 election, and the official summary of votes. The official results as well as historic information are also available on the Boulder County Elections website. Could I now have a motion to approve the election returns for the city of Boulder 2025 coordinated municipal election that was held on November 4th. >> So moved. >> Second. >> I didn't hear the second. >> I think I said second. Oh, you said it was a little quiet. Sorry. >> Oh, perfect. Perfect. All right. All in favor? Thank you. The November 4th, 2025

[18:02] municipal election results are hereby approved by the candid board unanimously. So the certification of the election results is now complete. With the chair, please present a motion to adjourn the meeting of the general canvasing board for the city of Boulder coordinated municipal election and reconvene as the city council. >> So moved. Second. >> We have a motion and a second. All in favor, please raise your hand. That carries 5-0. >> Thank you everyone. I will now turn to Mayor Brackett to reconvene the city council meeting. >> Okay. I hereby reconvene us into the meeting of the Boulder City Council. And I will take a moment to go fetch our absent members.

[19:04] Okay, welcome back folks. So, if we can go now that we have the election certified, if we can go to item 2B, please Elicia. >> Yes, sir. Thank you. Our item 2B on tonight's agenda is the designation of a council member as mayor prom for the 2026 year per council rules of procedure 1D1. And in relation to those procedures as outlined in the in the uh BRC, it was required to have a person that was interested, the council member that was interested in serving submit via hotline their letter or notification of interest. Council member Winer submitted that letter of interest and she will be designated as the mayor prom for the 2026 year. Congratulations, ma'am. [applause]

[20:01] Tara, would you like to say a few words? >> I have a very long speech. Just kidding. Thank you, council, for allowing me this privilege of serving as mayor promp and I will do my best. >> So, Tara, I I love you as a colleague. I will say you do tend to go on a bit long, [laughter] but I'm very excited to have you serving as the mayor prom for the next year. You've been a phenomenal colleague and I know you're going to do an amazing job as mayor of Protown. So, if you want to scoot one seat over to the left. >> All right. So, Tara Winer is now officially designated the mayor prom for the year 2026 for the Boulder City Council. All right. All right. Well, our next item of business is open comment, but that does have a published start time of 5:30. So, I'm going to go ahead and uh

[21:02] recess the meeting right now, and we 30 for open comment. Thanks everyone for being here.

[35:05] Please, Alicia. >> All right. So, if you could um if you can read our public participation guidelines, please. >> Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you for being here today and your participation at tonight's council meeting. We ask that you abide by the rules of decorum found in the Boulder Revised Code which includes participants are required to sign up to speak using the name they are commonly known by. Individuals must display their whole names before being allowed to speak online. Only audio testimony is permitted during open comment. No attendee shall disrupt, disturb, or otherwise impede the orderly conduct of any council meeting in a manner that obstructs the business of the meeting. This also includes failing to obey any

[36:00] lawful order of the presiding officer to leave the meeting room or refrain from addressing the council. Our remarks and testimony shall be limited to matters related to council business. No participant shall make threats or use other forms of intimidation against any person. And lastly, obscinity, other epithets based on race, gender, or religion, and other speech and behavior that disrupts or otherwise impedes the meeting will not be tolerated. Thank you again for joining us and thank you for listening. Thanks for that, Alicia. We've got 11 people signed up to speak in a mix of virtual and in-person speakers. Each speaker will have two minutes and I will be strict about that time limit in the interest of fairness. And our first three speakers are Elliot Flayton virtual, Carolyn Beninsky virtual, and Colin Spear in person.

[37:00] >> May May I begin? >> Yes. >> Recently, HBO produced an award-winning series on Chernobyl. It depicted not only the 1986 disaster, but how bureaucrats were motivated to lie to each other to advance their careers, thereby harming millions. The show's key quotes, "Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later, that debt is paid." That captures exactly what goes on at this council meeting after meeting on Israel. As I pointed out in a previous speech, the other side operates under a delusion that if they repeat a racist, bigoted lie often or get a seemingly reputable institution to print that lie on fancy letterhead, then the lie somehow becomes truth. And in response, some have claimed that identifying this lie as rooted in racism and bigotry is, but instead quote unquote bullying. But truth does not depend on consensus, branding, or letterhead. And no matter how offended these bigots become by the fact that

[38:00] genocide is a legally defined offense with elements that are not met, the truth remains. It remains despite lies printed on UN stationary by International Association of Genocide Scholars Dog and cookie monster genocide scholars or by Amnesty International burying its change definition of genocide on page 101 of report. All so it can slur Jews. And that gets the problem. The racists and bigots here are not the ones paying the debt to the truth. In their circle, lying about Jews advances them or at least protects them from being ostracized in environments where the truth itself is treated as a microaggression. Instead, the people who pay the debt are the most historically targeted and discriminating against minority on earth, the Jewish community. So, I urge this council, do not continue to sit silent while these racists and bigots repeat their lies yet again. Stand for truth and turn your back and walk out on those who spread racist blood liels. Thank you. >> Thanks. Now we'll go to Carolyn Beninsky

[39:00] virtual, then Colin Spear in person and Elliot How in person. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Okay. Um yeah, I'm Carolyn Beninski and I'm here to talk about the local authority over um broadband. Uh both the Federal Communic Communications Commission and the US House of Representatives are pushing forward policies that would preempt local authority over public rights of way and land use in broadband and telecommunications infrastructure deployment. Yesterday's US House Energy and Commerce Committee votes pushed a slate of broadband and energy bills one step closer to stripping local governments of authority over the placement of cell towers, pipes, and major infrastructure.

[40:00] Taken together, these bills shift power from city councils and county boards to Washington and corporations that profit from permanent buildout. And on in a November 17th letter to the US House of Representatives and the Federal Communications Commission, four local government associations, United States Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors strongly opposed uh I'm sorry, expressed strong opposition to proposed federal legislation and FCC actions that would preempt local authority in broadband and telecommunications infrastructure deployment. I have sent you a link to this very informative document and hope the council will weigh in on this with

[41:01] Congressman Nagus and our US senators. Key points from the document. Opposition to federal preeemption, the essential two, the essential role of local governments and broadband deployment. Uh, three concerns with federal. >> Thank you for your testimony. >> All right. Our next three in-person speakers are Colin Spear, Elliot How, and Lynn Seel. Hello. Thanks for having me. I'm here to express my disappointment in the relocation of the Darkhorse in the development of Wheelville 2. The Darkhorse is uh a pillar of this community. It's more than just a restaurant. And if you're not born and raised here and grew up go going there, then you probably don't understand and it's probably hard to communicate what it means. but um was born and raised here. Spent a lot of my childhood there.

[42:00] Met some of my best friends there and uh actually had a memorial for my brother who passed away there because of what it meant to him. Um the dark horse is part of a growing trend where we see our local pillars of Boulder being pushed out. You have Sonchos, you have Cosmos on the Hill, you have Bread Works, all being pushed out by these large complexes that are just here for bottom dollar profit, not for preserving what Boulder is all about. These institutions are what people come to Boulder for. Outside of our natural beauty we have here, the unique experiences you get here are why people come. These are why things like Sundance come here. These are why we have tourists. This is why we have visitors. And if we keep demolishing them, we're not going to have visitors and we're not going to have festivals. I try to mitigate my anger around this subject by understanding that this is for affordable housing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've seen that none of these homes that are going to be built are deemed affordable housing, but instead there's a one-time payment to the affordable housing fund. I'd love some

[43:01] transparency around that of how much is being paid and what those funds will be allocated to. If affordable housing was a true issue that we were worried about in Boulder, I think it's something we maybe would have considered when we let Google build here. I think it's something we maybe would have considered when we built those hotels on the hill. And I think it's something we would have considered when we took down Macy's and built offices that are seemingly empty on 29th Street. There's no upside that I can find to this project. And one of the biggest issues I see is the infrastructure. We continue to see the development of these projects across Boulder, but we don't see any sort of development in infrastructure that can your time is up, but thank you for your testimony. >> All right. >> All right. Our next three speakers are all in person and they are Elliot How, Lynn Seagull, and Rob Smoke. Do we have Elliot How here?

[44:00] Not seeing anybody. So, we'll go to Lynn Seagull, [clears throat] who I also do not see present here. Next, we have Rob Smoke in person. [laughter] There we go. >> Mayor, I do see Lynn online. >> Um, okay. Well, let's go to Lynn online then and then we'll go to Rob Smoke in person. >> Lynn Seagull. Um, agree with the last speaker. There's um planning board meeting this week including sorry it's I'm at 45 degrees in my house all winter um after the city of Boulder offered me a retrofit so that I can fund Excel Energy which I won't do um on Tuesday they approved project at Boulder Dinner Theater, A Rapo and 55th.

[45:02] That's going to be a rock monolith with a bunch of commercial that's not going to be um filled in, you know, at the Olive, which is basically student expensive student housing. $2,500 for 297 square feet um at 15th and Canyon. Um no commercial there. $60 um for five feet of storage, 5 by 5 by9. Um it's outrageous the prices here. That equates to $12 a foot for storage and $8 a foot for the living space. A microefficiency apartment for $2,500. Um, it just doesn't make sense. And we keep on I mean Boulder, let's say,

[46:03] unfortunately I live here, but Boulder keeps on producing these and more high-end student housing at the Darkhorse and the Millennium. And I want to start seeing by the person, not by the unit, because they're doing six-bedroom apartments, and that works out really well for the developer. Free Palestine, free Gaza. Now, >> thanks. Now, we'll go to Rob Smoke in person, then Evan Rabbitz virtual, and Jeff Price in person. Good evening. My name is Rob Smoke and I live in Boulder. And um I feel honored to be here this evening and witnessing the uh swearing in of

[47:00] people uh running for the office that I also ran for. Um, in doing so, um, I made it clear to a lot of individuals, um, that I really wanted to make a point about the, uh, significance of divestment for the city of Boulder. And an example of that was just driven home this past week. If you get online and you look for um video from Janine, um you can see caterpillar excavation equipment knocking down the wall of a building and the soldiers lining up on one side and uh two men coming out with their hands raised and promptly being beaten and then uh shot and killed. And uh it'd be one thing if that was just some rare, you know, incredible incident, you know, like a war crime. You know, Israel has certainly the right to investigate itself for such a thing. Well, no, that's not the case. And

[48:01] that's why there are organizations like Human Rights Watch, which has been around since 1978 and is respected globally for their work. by they and a whole string of other very significant human rights and humanitarian agencies. Um don't pass sentence on Israel but pass sentence on what is actually happening in Gaza which is genocide and uh yes sure anyone can say hey you're anti-semitic because you're speaking against Israel. Well uh I'm Jewish. I grew up in a Jewish family. and uh never thought I'd be here uh speaking out on behalf of uh kids who are voiceless and are um being killed in Gaza. >> Thank you. >> Thanks. Um and we've got someone standing in the aisle here. We're just going to need you to sit down.

[49:02] >> Are you up next? >> This is Elliot. How I was online, but the person didn't promote me when I was online. So I was fourth, but I'm here now. I've got a two-minute speech for you all. Boulder >> content [snorts] warning. Co current going ons in US funded Israeli torture persons. >> Did you know the city of Boulder has 38 million invested in Israeli apartheid? You must disclose and divest from all groups committing genocide including Israel and the UAE who is funding genocide in Sudan. We need to cut the umbilical cord between the US and Israel. Starting by divesting from complicit companies including but not limited to Chevron, Intel, Palanteer, HB, Airbnb, Black Rockck, Caterpillar, Hyundai, Microsoft, and Amazon. All of who are funding Israeli apart and genocide as detailed in Franchesca Albanese's UN special report from occupation economy to economy of genocide. There are some who lie and say that the genocide is over. To those people, we clarify our demands divest from apartheid, including Israeli genocidal apartheid. Israel is currently holding over 9,000 Palestinian hostages without trial or charge whom they illegally abducted. The hostages include medical professionals, women, children, and those prisons are notorious for

[50:00] torture and sexual assault. In the past year, we've seen video from one of these torture prisons in which Israeli guards surround a prisoner and repeatedly insert an object into them. Despite this video being shared all over the world, these soldiers in this terrorist state have faced no consequences. By now, we know the names of the individuals directly involved in the killing of Hindab, including a US Navy Seal Shawn Glass. We need to hold these murderers accountable. By now, we have heard the testimonies from least Palestinian hostages who testify that Israeli guards trained dogs to rape them. If you feel worse for the dogs than for the humans, you have a lot of thinking to do. We've heard from released female hostages that Israeli guards come in and rape them while more Israelis on the outside of the prison make as much noise as possible to drown out the screams of the women. More than a year ago, we saw footage of Israeli officials discussing whether or not is it okay to rape Palestinian hostages, and they said it was. Around the same time, we saw mobs of Israelis break into their own prison to release the nine Israeli rapists who were charged with rape. Then had speaking tours on Israeli television. If you're not already convinced that this group is a terrorist group, know this. Israel has literally been building tunnels under the compound of Alaka mosque and under holy Christian sites in East Jerusalem as well. They are attacking the West Bank as we speak, the part of Palestine Bethlehem is in. I call on all who call themselves Christians to do all in your power to divest from Israeli apartheid. You are

[51:01] funding rape, torture, kidnapping, tunneling, bombing, and mass starvation. I now know that my and your ancestors did much the same thing when they stole the land we stand on from the indigenous nations of Turtle Island. But we have to do better than our ancestors for the future of the earth, humanity, and our own eternal souls. All >> right, your time is up. Oh, quiet in the audience, please. Quiet. Okay, quiet. Quiet. Okay. So, our next three speakers are Evan Rabbitz virtually, then Jeff Price and Eric Gross in person. Now, I got to switch to this. Hello. For years, people have objected to the city spending our money on so-called push polls, where questions are phrased to deceive and manipulate. A couple of months ago, council member Spear sent her newsletter subscribers to a useful

[52:01] paper helping people distinguish honest from dishonest polling. But she also included a link to the recent city survey about housing. The very first question asked what kind of housing we wanted more of, but didn't include single family homes, tiny homes, or none of the above. So, it's not actually asking what we want, but to support what you have already decided. This sets a very bad example. And now the opposition in the form of bolder action in their current poll asks, quote, "Do you approve of rank choice voting or do you think the person who gets the most votes should win? I emailed their administrator, but they refused to make the poll honest by saying with rank choice voting, the person who gets the most first choice votes wins." So the city's repeated de

[53:01] dishonesty is now spreading. Congratulations stupid, [snorts] childish, destructive leaders. You bring about what Hana Arent said propaganda results in. People who can't tell the truth from lies so the city can keep lying about some rule preventing you from reconsidering our investments in genocide, etc. Thank you. Thanks. All right, the rest of our speakers are in person. The next three are Jeff Price, Eric Gross, and Josh Maynard. >> Um, first I'd like to thank the council for giving me an opportunity to speak tonight. Um >> if if you can speak directly into the mic, please. >> Yeah. Okay. How's that? Is that better?

[54:00] Okay. Sorry about that. Um I'm here tonight because there seems to be a rumor swirling around that if and when the South Boulder Community Center um is either rebuilt that there won't be a lap pool. So, I'm here on behalf of that. Um, I've lived in South Boulder, uh, Shanahan Ridge area for the past 27 years. I've been a mediator, volunteer mediator for the city of Boulder and restorative justice for 17 years. Um, when this was brought to my attention and some of the other people that are members of the uh, community center in South Boulder, I just thought of all the positive reasons to have a a lap pool there. Um, I'm a strong believer in exercise.

[55:03] Um, it's such a positive thing physically as well as cognitively for people who are seniors like myself. In particular, since we're talking about the swimming and the lab pool, I just want to remind the council members that the swimming is such a positive endeavor for people of all ages. for kids to learn how to swim. They can do it through their whole lives and especially for I'll speak personally here for seniors. Um it's a great way to get a cardiovascular cardiovascular exercise 40 50 a minutes hour. It's local neighborhood. No matter where you live in South Boulder, the rec center is probably no more than Oh, >> your your time is up. Thank you for your testimony. >> Excuse me. All right. Thanks very much.

[56:00] >> All right, our last three speakers are Eric Gross, Josh Maynard, and Aaron Brooks. >> Been a while since I saw any of you. >> Does it will be a normal life after this war end? >> Okay. What about the people that I lose? I lose my brother, my aunt, my friends. I lose many things in this world. When this end, h how how I will I don't know. But this is so difficult to think that everything will be normal. We have a memories, bad memories from this world. And I want to speak about my brother, my

[57:02] friends, everyone that I lose in this world. I want to tell a whole about them because they are not just a number. They are have a stories and so beautiful stories. They was have many dream. Some of them have a children. Some of them have a life. Some of them don't have good things to do but they cannot they murder [snorts] for that I wait I will wait I will wait this war finish and know my destiny surviving or dying if I will survive I will be strong to tell the stories about the people for the world. If I

[58:00] don't survive, I want to from all of you to speak about me and remember me. >> I send you all pictures and videos of this almost every day. It's not going to end until people like you [ __ ] end it. Your time is up. Okay, our last two speakers are Josh Maynard and Aaron Brooks. >> Hi there. My name is Josh Maynard. Uh lived in Boulder for 14 of the last 19 years. Um and today I'm here particularly to talk about rank choice voting and uh better election methods for representative democracy. Um three of the four newcomers to the city council I voted for. So, go me and go you. Um, that said, I'm a registered independent and not a Democrat. And it's because I don't find either party really

[59:00] represents my values anymore. And I am not blaming you all for that at all because the party is on a national level. But I am saying there are more independents than there are either major party at this point. And there's a reason for that. Um, and so pretty much I would urge you all to look into and or uh call a study session on proportional representation for the city council elections. Um, I've done a little bit of research myself and in a minute I can definitely do no justice in explaining the concept so I won't even bother to do that. Um, but I would urge you to come to the community conversation on proportional representation uh on January 14th at the Longmont City Council Chambers. Um, Longmont is looking into electing the city council as rank choice voting. Uh, Fort Collins just did so and had their first election which was fantastic. Um, rank choice voting in a single member district or single member candidacy like a mayor

[60:00] kind of defeats the point of rank choice voting because the whole point is to elect the most liked candidates and you rank them. And if you only have one candidate that you're going for, then it's still a very much first pass the post system where it's a winner take all uh system. So, highly urge you to educate yourselves on rank choice voting and come to the uh community conversation on proportional representation um and and perhaps even team up with the city of Longmont because they're doing a study session right now on rank choice voting. Um and with that, I appreciate your time. >> Thanks. Our final speaker is Aaron Brooks. >> Good evening. I want to address a pattern that has become impossible to ignore in these chambers. A tiny but very loud group, less than onetenth of 1% of Boulder and some that do not even live in Boulder, some of whom are here this evening, repeatedly demanding that the city quote unquote divest from companies that do business with Israel. This premise collapses the moment you

[61:00] look at the facts. I recently watched a pre-occtober 7th documentary on campus anti-semitism called Blind Spot which focuses partly on the City University of New York, which is one of the worst systems in the country for documented anti-semitism even prior to October 7th. In it, New York City Councilwoman Ana Vernikov asks the colleg's senior vice president whether what excuse me, senior vice chancellor whether she's seen boycott, divest, or sanctioned campaigns against Russia, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, or North America. All of these are nations with clearly documented severe human rights abuses. Her answer on all five, no. Then she asked about BDS efforts against the state of Israel. Her answer, yes. and her explanation was very simple and very honest and the only logical answer one can give and that is because some people are simply anti-semitic. Now this selective outrage obsessively argue targeting the world's one Jewish state while ignoring every other one

[62:00] committing documented atrocities is not human rights advocacy is actually discrimination dressed up as activism. Now here in Boulder we see the same pattern. A sitting S council member has shared by my count over 850 anti-Israel posts on her Instagram since October 7th. When you put that level of one directional targeting next to these repeated divestment demands, the intent becomes obvious and frankly it's disgusting. So I'm asking this council to recognize what this really is. stop legitimizing a prejud pre prejuditial and selectively applied campaign and stand with the overwhelmingly majority overwhelming majority of Boulder residents who reject anti-semitism in all its forms including when it's disguised as political advocacy. Let's get back to taking care of what the the issues that you are all elected to do here in Boulder. Thank you. >> Your time is up. >> Okay. >> Thanks. So be quiet. Quiet. >> Quiet in the audience. >> Seriously, >> this is your last warning. you need to be quiet.

[63:00] Okay, that's the end of open comment. I'll turn to uh city staff to see if there are any responses. >> Thanks so much, mayor. Uh there was one operational uh point that was made in terms of um recreation um in South Boulder. And I just wanted to say uh I appreciate the comment. Uh we do not yet know uh and I know there's a lot of interest in this community about aquatics. Um we've had a lot of conversation uh with community about it. We just finished the um recreation center needs assessment that went to PRA uh in October. It will be the foundation that we use as we go into next year with our fund our futures conversation uh as we think about and talk with community about um what we can fund uh for recreation across the city but in particular uh in South Boulder. And so we will be using that as foundation. We will be talking about it as we move forward. Um but we have not ruled

[64:01] anything out or in as we continue to have that conversation with community. >> Thanks Teresa. >> Nothing from me. Thank you. >> Any questions for city staff? >> T you have a question? >> Yeah. Um I just more uh more of just a general entry on the broadband question. Um, one of the speaking people were talking about a recent thing that could potentially impact local uh, local control related to broadband and I just wasn't aware of that. So, I just I don't need to have the answer at this moment, but just wanted to make a flag. Thank you. >> We're aware of it and following it. Um, happy to provide an update. >> And finally, does do any council members want to use up to 30 seconds to respond to open comment? Um, I want to thank those community members who continue to come in spite of council majority being unwilling to use

[65:00] the authorities that we have to call for a ceasefire resolution and to align our investments with our values. Um, as uh someone who has recently returned from Alabama and was reminded that our government was never able to pass an anti-ynching law ever, ever. and it took 400 years to end cattle slavery. So, keep coming back. Our systems only work when we work them. Thank you. >> Thanks. All right, that ends the open 00. Um, the rest of the business meeting will start at 6:30. So, I will go ahead and recess and 30.

[95:21] as the Boulder City Council. And Elicia, can we do the consent agenda, please? >> Yes, sir. Thank you. And thank you, Council Member Benjamin, for that. I needed that laugh. Our consent agenda is item number four on tonight's agenda, and it consists of items 4 A and 4 C through G. Item 4 B was removed. Great. Any uh questions or comments on the consent agenda? Brian, >> thank you, mayor. On item E, that's the uh policy statement one. Um I I know we have a few items from the [snorts] November meeting that IG is going to be

[96:02] looking at and bringing back. Can can staff give a sense of when we're likely to have the updated policy statement coming back to us? Thank you, council member. Uh, I am looking ahead to the calendar and we have a Whoops, excuse me. We have I thought it was 18th. >> Was it 8th? Oh, we have an IG meeting scheduled later on this month and I was just trying to figure out when that is. We do have time available um to bring this if uh the IG um committee uh is finished with its work and is able to and we are able to move it forward. We have time available on the calendar to bring it forward on January 8th, which would be

[97:01] your first meeting. >> Super. Thank you. >> Not seeing any other hands. Perhaps a motion. >> I just all of a sudden went there and I couldn't see it. >> Rob, do it. Go for it. >> Oh, there it is. >> I move the consent agenda. >> Do his first. Break it in. >> I move to approve the consent agenda. >> Second. >> Nice. >> We've got a motion in the second. Uh, Elicia, can we have a roll call, please? >> Yes, sir. Thank you. We'll start tonight's roll call on the consent agenda items 4 A 4 C through 4G with council member Shuhar. >> Yes. >> Spear. >> Yes. >> Wallik. >> Yes. With the exception of I believe it's paragraph 22 of the policy statement. So Mark, I think procedurally you need to either vote yes or no on the entire policy statement.

[98:01] >> Yes. >> Thank you, sir. And it's my pleasure to say Mayor Pro Tim Winer. >> Yes. >> Council member Adams. >> Yes. >> Benjamin, >> yes. >> Mayor Brackett, >> yes. >> Council member Kaplan, >> yes. >> And Marquis, >> yes. The consent agenda items are hereby approved unanimously. >> Very good. Thanks so much. All right. Our next item is our one public hearing for the evening. >> Yes, sir. Our public hearings are item number six on tonight's agenda. It is 6A and it is the consideration of a second um excuse me, I had something in my throat. My apologies. It is the second reading and consideration of a motion to adopt by emergency measure ordinance 8733 appropriating money to defay expenses and liabilities of the city of Boulder

[99:01] for the 2025 fiscal year and setting forth related details. >> Thank you so much, Miss E. Uh council members, as you know, we um generally bring to council uh two adjustments to base in our budget uh twice a year. This is uh an end of the year mostly reconciliation. There are uh some other items that may come up. Uh but for that and a more thorough discussion, I will pass you on to our lovely CFO, Christrista Marson. >> Well, good evening members of city council. Krista Morrison, chief financial officer, and I'm joined this evening by Stacy Polyova. Stacy is a budget analyst with the budget office. Um, we will walk through tonight a brief 10-minute presentation of the adjustment to base, uh, answer any questions that you may have prior to public hearing, and provide motion language for council consideration and approval this evening.

[100:01] So this chart shows the city's annual budget cycle with the fiscal year concurrent with the calendar year from January through December. As indicated by the two red pens each year, at least two budget supplemental approprio appropriation ordinances known as adjustments to base are presented to city council for review and approval. Supplemental appropriations brought forward to council consider criticality of items such as emerging needs or mid-year emergencies or funds received midyear such as grants and donations. Staff carefully reviews supplemental appropriations prior to bringing forward for council approval, which come forward annually at least twice a year with the first adjustment in June and the second and final budget adjustment in December as shown in this chart. Adjustments to base are generally presented as one-time

[101:02] budget adjustments to support unplanned investments, voterapproved changes, emerging community needs, and mid-year grants and donations. The adjustments to base are classified into three categories. The first being fund balance. These are unbudgeted unanticipated um expenditures supported by fund balance. The second is additional unbudgeted revenue. So these are un unbudgeted anticipated expenditures supported by additional revenue. And then the final category is um our grant supported. These are unbudgeted anticipated expenditures using revenue received from grants. In this ATB2, staff is recommending a total of $16 million in budget

[102:01] adjustments, including 6.2 million from fund balance, $2.5 million in mid-year grants received, and 7.2 2 million from additional unbudgeted revenue, including revenue from donations, interlocal agreements, and additional revenue above forecasted amounts that were not captured in the original adjust or in the original budget. Adjustments to base are necessary in standard practice to support the appropriation of unplanned expenses. Support additional unbudgeted revenues of fund balance and mid-year grants received but not yet appropriated for the fiscal year. As shared with council earlier in the year and within the staff memo, staff is bringing forward planned citywide bud budget adjustments in this adjustment to base to support the 2025 budget shortfall which was identified earlier this year and now brought

[103:01] forward to city council review and approval as part of the adjustments we need to make to close this fiscal year. As shared recently during the 2026 budget discussions with 2025 department savings targets, the hiring freeze, and support from inner fund transfers included in this adjustment to base, staff anticipate shoring up the budget shortfall for 2025 um that stemmed from the flattening revenues and unplanned expenses. For context, while the $16 million in the adjustment to base appears uh as a large number, it's important to note that this amount, the total draw for fund balance represents 39% of this total. Almost half of that amount is um supporting a planned acquisition in the open space fund and zero dollars from fund balance are being requested from the general fund.

[104:01] This adjustment to base rep represents the lowest in fund balance draws brought forward to city council in the five most recent adjustments to base. I share this for context of the constrained environment due to flattening revenues. Overall, this adjustment to base represents the financially constrained position of the city with adjustments limited to only those necessary for unexpected expenditures, new mid-year grants, and year-end close adjustments. As standard practice, the budget staff will continue to monitor major revenue sources to understand any changes in forecasted revenue against the original budget and we'll continue to bring forward updates to this city council. Now to present um highlights to the adjustment to base, I will pass this over to Stacy Palakova. Good evening everyone. Um, we will be pulling forward several items from the ATB to highlight. We've and we've

[105:01] organized these highlights by overarching themes. And the first is capital infrastructure and acquisition investments. Um, the first item is a mineral mineral rights acquisition for mineral rights under city property. And this is an anticipated expense that is planned for in advance and is a draw from fund balance um from a reserve specifically intended for acquisition. And this purchase was recommended by the open space board of trustees. The second item is appropriation of revenue from the sale of the dairy art center which will be used to offset some capital investments including Sundance Film Festival future expenses. Um the city's also requesting to appropriate reimbursements from Boulder Regional Telephone Service Authority for the radio infrastructure project replacement project that Bre Brettza recommended the city complete. And there is also requests for additional appropriation for the street light acquisition project uh due to unanticipated increased expenses in the project this year.

[106:03] The next section covers public safety and wild line wildland fire reimbursement appropriations. Um one is the reimbursement of wildland deployments by fire rescue and open space and mountain parks of $1.2 million. And these are reimbursements from the state and uh expenses associated with deployments are offset. Reimbursements for additional police overtime are also requested for appropriation. These are reimbursements for overtime associated with special events. We have also highlighted certain city-wide items. These are primarily related to balancing the general fund and shoring up the gap. The first is a transfer of interest earnings from several internal service funds and we are leaning on the flexibility of revenues to support balancing the general fund and closing that gap by 1.2 million. And the second is the cost allocation subsidy reduction. Four funds

[107:00] were subsidized by the general fund for their cost allocation transfers and we've reduced the subsidy to balance the general fund. And the final item is the administrative closeout of several funds. The intent of this is to align the expenses from these funds to more appropriate funds to comply with accounting standards. And finally, we've highlighted several grants this evening. Um, ATB2 consists of 2.6 million of requested appropriations due to additional grants and awards the city has received midyear. Some of these include Boulder County Emergency Services Sales Tax Grant Program, which provides funding for equipment, the Colorado Strategic Wildlife Action Program funding, which supports the reduction of fuels and protection of water and infrastructure, the history Colorado non-competitive grant um which provides funding for an ethnographic education report on tribal history in Boulder County, and the strategic fuels mitigation grant, which provides support to the Wonderland Lake

[108:00] cross boundary risk reduction project and unifies other pilot projects um for efficiency. And now that we've given an overview of some highlights um we'll this concludes our presentation. We'll transition to questions. >> Great. Thanks so much. Any questions for city staff? Tina? Yeah, thanks so much. Um, just a quick question on the reimbursements to the police department. Were those reimbursements for dollars that have already been spent or is it forward thinking? >> These reimbursements were for um events that already occurred like Boulder Thawn and Boulder Boulder and some other events. >> Okay. And so where did that money originally come from? >> Um, I'm looking. One moment, please.

[109:11] We're using existing appropriation. That's what I thought. Uh from the general fund and now it's being reimbured by the uh events and businesses that receive those services. >> Okay. I was just curious how that worked. >> Any other questions? Seeing none, we'll go to the public hearing. We have one person signed up to speak. And so Lynn Seagull, you get three minutes. >> Mayor, I do not see Lynn online tonight. >> In that case, we will go ahead and close the public hearing and bring it back to city council for deliberations. Who would like to get us started on the subject of our adjustment to base?

[110:02] >> Nicole, >> may I just make a motion? >> You may. >> Um, and also say thank you to staff for all of the work that goes into this. Um, I uh Oh, see. Um, I move that we adopt by emergency measure ordinance 8733 appropriating money to defay expenses and liabilities of the city of Boulder for the 2025 fiscal year. Second. >> Uh we have a motion and then a second from Council Member Wallik. Uh this should Can we do a roll call, please? >> Yes, sir. Thank you. We'll start the roll call for ordinance 8733's adoption by emergency measure with council member Spear. >> Yes. >> Wallik, >> yes. >> Mayor Pro Tim Winer, >> yes. Council member Adams, >> yes. >> Benjamin, >> yes. >> Mayor Brockett, >> yes.

[111:00] >> Council member Kaplan, >> yes. >> Marquis, >> yes. >> And Shuhar, >> yes. >> Ordinance 8733 is hereby adopted by twothirds vote as an emergency measure. >> All right. Well, thanks so much. appreciate all of your hard work on this and the efficient presentation as well. Okay, we got one item left. Elish, if you can take us to that, please. Yes, sir. Our next item on tonight's agenda is item number seven, matters from the city manager. 7A is the city council 2026 retreat touch point. >> Thanks so much. Uh and as our assistant city manager gets settled uh into place, I'll just say um a big thank you to our council members who were part of this committee, Mayor Prom uh Winer, Council Member Spear. Really helpful as we were

[112:00] thinking about what the retreat will look like for next year. We know this is an unusual year with a one-year um sort of council priority setting as we move forward. And with that, I believe Pam, I have bought you enough time to proceed. Just enough. Thank you very much, Nuria. Good evening, council. My name is Pam Davis and I use she her pronouns and serve as assistant city manager for Boulder. We are here tonight for a brief touch point on preparation for the city council retreat in January of 2026. And in a few moments, I'm going to turn to our newly appointed mayor, Prom Winer, who is going to represent the retreat committee this evening. Uh, but first I'm going to go over some of the retreat preparation activities. You have seen this before, but given that you are now officially the newly seated council that will be setting 2026 priorities, we wanted to ensure that we were all on the same page about our next steps as we prepare. And so with that, we are midway this

[113:02] winter into you all doing your initial brainstorming and connecting with staff related to potential ideas for your priority projects for 2026. In the coming weeks, we have several milestones for you to keep in mind. One is that on December 19th is the deadline that we gave to boards and commissions to provide their final letters to you all as you consider upcoming priorities and prepare to assess what those are for the retreat in January. We're asking by December 21st that we receive your final priority proposals. Uh those can go directly to Nura by email. Uh we do ask if you're able to copy Meg's Valier, our council program manager, because she's helping to coordinate those things behind the scenes. Uh we will then do some work kind of over the holidays in conjunction with our facilitator to present back to you a list of all of the individual council priority ideas and

[114:01] provide a survey for you to essentially do an individual ranking of what priorities you believe will rise to the top for 2026 action by the city. We will then provide you back the results of that survey and you'll have about um just over a week before the city council retreat to kind of take a look at that collective ranking of priorities as we think about where to maximize our time during the council retreat and finalize those list of priorities for you all as a body next year. Um, so we'll I'll feel free to include me in your questions when we go to discussion. But for now, I will now turn it over to Mayor Prom Winer to chat with us a little bit about the retreat days itself. First, as you know, our retreat facilitator is the wonderful Do I turn this way or this way when I talk to everybody? >> Both. >> Both. Okay.

[115:01] Heather Bergman will be the facilitator and you all know she's awesome and also a lot of fun. So she gave us a lot of guidance and if you don't agree with whatever we did I don't know what to tell you because you have to listen to us. Right. Right Nicole. Okay. As of now we are planning to hold the retreat Monday January 12th and [clears throat] 30 to 4 with a half an hour of meal break built in. However, um as we discuss our proposed agenda tonight, we can address adjusting that timing, shortening the retreat on either or both days. For instance, should we do 9 to4 and then just the morning the next day, etc., etc. Pam, are you going to give us those options or what? From a staff perspective, we're open. We believe that having time allocated both days is important to give us a chance to sort of navigate the prioritization conversation, but beyond that, if you

[116:01] all think that you can wrap up priorities and a few hours on day two and so forth, we're happy to accommodate whatever you think is best as a council. >> Okay. So, it's I feel like we won't even know till that those two days. Do you agree or No. >> Yeah. I think it would be great for planning purposes to have a sense of kind of what your preferences are as a body here tonight. So when we get to those questions for council is when we would discuss that. >> Okay, great. Okay, next. As a reminder, even though you've heard this many times, council, the retreat will begin first of all with a fun time of council relationship building. Now, I know you think you all know each other, but I guarantee you there's something you don't know about each one of us or however I say it. Um anyway, it's going to be like speed relationships. So, you meet with each person, each and every person for a little bit of time, and you get to know what their communication styles are

[117:01] and how you can most productively work with each of the individuals. It's going to be fun. I promise. Then, we're going to work for the remainder of day one and the beginning of day two on the priority setting exercise. As you are aware, we only have one year to set and complete our priority work plan. As a reminder, the committee has provided the following guidance. First of all, select problem projects that could be completed within 3 to six month time frame, which is really short. So, nothing like save the planet, even though we all want to do that. >> We're not. >> Oops. [laughter] Next thing. No, we all do want to, but it's not a three to six month priority is what I'm saying. Yeah. Okay. Just in case anybody is out there. [laughter] I'm sorry. I'll be serious. Okay. To the extent possible,

[118:01] align your work priorities, your work plan priorities with the existing items in the citywide strategic plan. If you haven't read that document, it is awesome. And there's so much happening there that I'm we're hoping Nicole and I that you can align your priorities with something on that PDF document. Okay. The number of priority projects would be flexible depending on the anticipated work plan impact associated with each item. Um day two will conclude with a very very brief council process improvement discussion. Due to CMO staff capacity, this exercise will be very small. So, we are asking council members to submit these with their work plan priority proposals and that they are brief and super important. Okay, Nicole, what did I forget? I think you got it all. I think you got it all.

[119:02] Pam, did I forget anything? >> No, I think you got it. I think the one thing I would add that wasn't in your script was that you have also received some preliminary information from our city manager regarding the 2026 work plan from all departments and you'll be getting kind of a finalized version of that next week as well to help you in your final thinking. Okay. Finally, does city council have any questions about the 2026 retreat plans or expectations for preparation? Which I'm not really sure what that means. Pam, >> the Pam wrote Pam wrote this for me. >> It was the way the question was phrased, Mayor Prom. It was simply, do you have questions on the preparation timeline or on the retreat itself? >> Any questions, please ask Nicole. it. I saw Tina Ryan and Matt. >> Um, thank you very much, Mayor Prom, for

[120:01] that overview and Nicole for your work. Um, and clearly Pam. [laughter] So, um, will the work plan that you're giving us a revised um, copy, will that be publicly available on the website? So, we continue to work on a dashboard that puts our work plan externally. We have one for council. Um, we will continue to think to figure out how to put our um all of our work. And I'll say that this is um as I mentioned in the email, this is not the entirety of the work that staff does, but we are figuring out how to put all of that um as an external uh placeholder for everyone to see. Um it is not at the moment, but we're working on it. >> Okay. Will it be available before the retreat or >> I do not know. Well, I do not know. >> Okay. Um, >> sorry. Point of clarification.

[121:00] >> Point of clarification. >> Are you talking about publicly available before the retreat? >> Yes. >> Um, I can't make it. >> Great. And then the other piece I am so I I went over that rough draft and we had a lot of ambitious priorities that we started two years ago that are still in progress. And what I'm trying to understand is how can we be um be clear about really what staff can reasonably take on for the next 12 months in a way so that we maintain good progress on the other priorities um and don't distract from that work. So I'm I'm just concerned how this is going to work. >> Yep. So and I appreciate that and and to clarify, while we may want to make it perfect and make it into a pretty dashboard, if there is an interest of council to have that be external facing, we can certainly make that so without the prettiness of it and not let perfection be the enemy of good when

[122:00] that is finalized. So we can certainly do that before the retreat. um as to how does that how does that translate into when um you bring forth priorities, we will have uh what has been now kind of I think a productive conversation about trade-offs. We will talk about it. We will we hope in giving you this that you see what the major initiatives are because that is not by any means the entirety of the work but we wanted to give you a sense of the major initiatives that are consuming staff's time and as you can see in that document I also tried to include the departments that are impacted for example the city attorney's office you will see is pretty much listed in most of those although they are not a department that leads a particular initiative they are involved in almost every initiative And so as you think about um some of the priorities that you may be bringing forward, if there is a component that requires legal analysis, that is going to be a conversation that we have. So we will be

[123:01] prepared to talk through it. One of the reasons that we ask that you speak with me and or staff as we're thinking through it prior to your submission is that we can have that conversation ahead of time. If it is a big enough lift, I will let you know this is going to require staff to stop doing something or it can fit into or let us help into what they're doing or let us help you scope it in a way that can be timed or is small enough that it can fit into the work. But that is the ask of let us help you think through some of the things that you may be thinking about. >> Okay. >> If you're not done after you're done. Yeah, I I just brought up the work plan piece because if you look at the council priorities on the website, it's outside of the context of the everyday work that we do to run a city with infrastructure and all that. So, I I think it's really important to look at them together >> and for the community to be able to see kind of what that whole picture looks like. I thought it was great. So, thank

[124:00] you. >> So, are you going to say if it's too much, no, we can't do that or are you just going to say there are tradeoffs? It depends. If your priority is larger than what can be done in a year, we will say it is larger than it can be done a year. And that's a no. >> So when will you say that? When we talk, >> we will tell you as we're talking um if you bring it to us conversations that you have with us. Okay. >> If we're having conversations early, I will let you know that. If we're having if you if I don't know about it prior to the retreat, then we're going to be talking about it at the retreat. Um if there are if as we're talking about um your priorities either with me or with staff and it is possible that we can scope it within a 3 to six time frame but it impacts other work then we still will have that conversation. You may choose to still want to bring that forward and that is absolutely council's prerogative, but then we will have to have that conversation on how this will impact current work and it will be a

[125:01] policy discussion for you to see whether or not you want to delay or pause or whatnot. That is totally within your prerogative as we move forward and we will have that conversation. I have a question, but first I I want to appreciate um the committee's work on this. Um I really like how this creates quite a bit of transparency and deliberation ahead of the the the the meeting. Um I think it's great. So thank you. I know this has taken quite a bit of work. Um my question is excuse me [clears throat] thinking back to last year part part of the the process we saw was um a look I look at this work work in flight I think was the term then um and then a consideration of items on counselor's minds that might fit in which wouldn't add work

[126:01] substantive or wouldn't wouldn't add work materially because it was you know maybe topical or substantive additions. Um, and so we had that discussion and then we went to the um, okay, the the new work plan items um, discussion. So I'm wondering does that sort of taxonomy hold for this time around or are we thinking about it differently in terms of those two categories of things? Um I mean that's an interesting question. I think this time around and it's one of this last year if you recall we gave you um the strategic plan so you can really think about the priorities in the context of that um as we were moving forward. this time uh we're really I think more sophisticate and I and I really appreciate staff every year we're

[127:02] getting more sophisticated and advanced in work planning and aligning it with our strategic planning efforts in general. This year we're really more thoughtful about giving you our work plan priorities so that hopefully that can be um sort of a leading thought. It can be that your priorities fall outside of that. Our ask is please think about the strategic plan because that is work that is currently in flight. The work plan is currently in flight. And if you're thinking about a priority that takes three to six months and we're advancing a strategic plan, then that is where you want to put your efforts. Other things fall outside of that. But I certainly would not have the hubris to say um you cannot bring something outside of that. It may be that your interest lives outside of that and then you have to see what votes you get. So that is a different um perspective. I would um add to that that there are

[128:01] items that some of you may bring forward. For example, I have heard an interest in continued work on wildfire. Certainly that is something that our staff is working on. You may choose to elevate a particular aspect of that as part of your your work plan priority. that aspect could be the thing that jumps to the top of the priority list for staff in terms of how that is um being um accelerated or not. And because there's a lot of things that we're doing in terms of wildfire, some of them may happen this year, some of them may happen next year. And if your choices to accelerate or prioritize that, that is what we want to know, right? So, um it's things like that that will make a difference. >> Great. Thank you. That's good. Yeah. Thank you. >> Thanks, Ryan. U again, Nicole and Tara, thanks for the great work on this. Um it's nice to have continuity on the retreat planning because I think it sort of shows the continued evolution. So, thank you. Uh question about just sort of these this actually this slide here

[129:01] is actually where I want to settle on a little bit. Um so, we would submit priority projects to Simo. That's straightforward. And then we would get this survey. And I'm just a little curious about what do we do with this survey? Because in some when in past retreats, [clears throat] we would bring everything to the table and then for those of us that weren't maybe cultivating a particular priority would actually that would be our learning opportunity to hear the why, the how from staff when we get to ask those follow-up questions. And so I I'm worried a little bit or just maybe and maybe I don't need to be. But my question is I I'm not sure how I could fill out the survey without that staff context because I would be blindly just looking at a title of something and go I mean sure like that sounds great but not having all that extra context. So in the survey will there be that context from staff attached to it? So I'm just trying to understand how what I'll be equipped with with information to then be able to rank it appropriately. >> Yeah. No, thanks for the question, Council Member Benjamin. And frankly, that's a perspective that I think we

[130:00] needed to hear tonight. I think what we can do with that is ensure that we do that thorough review of the survey. We're going to do that in partnership with Heather through she's going to sort of provide that to you um as a third party. We can work to make sure if there are like really critical staff notes on a particular thing that we sort of include that in a description box for you. I think that's very doable. Um, and I would like to add the survey is not the beall endall of the ranking. There will be plenty of time during the retreat to continue to discuss. You will have the opportunity to say, well, maybe it appears at first glance that these top eight are the clear winners. But as we get into the retreat environment, if there's something lower down that there was there someone wishes to have further discussion on and elevate, like I think there's going to be that opportunity. So, I don't think it will be uh 100% [snorts]

[131:00] every possible thing that we can preemptively provide to you, but I think we'll have enough description that then in the retreat any of you could flag. I'd like to have more discussion on this piece, even if it was lower down in the ranking. >> Okay, fair enough. What I might add to that is that what helpful from you all for the benefit of your colleagues is the more specificity in your proposals the better off that will be because we will that survey will include the description that you give us right and so um that will be helpful as you provide us with your proposals. >> Okay. >> Can I call [laughter] >> Jinx? >> You go first. Um, when we get this survey, will there be any way for us to know what the staff's opinion of the time commitment is? Whether it's it is a 3 to six or will only three to six monthers get onto this survey or will it be everything? And will there be a way for us to know whether it's more of a threeyear, one year, three month?

[132:03] Hopefully, you will have talked to us before your submittals. uh which is why we were asking for you to talk to um me or folks in my office by the 19th prior to your submitting that on the 21st. So please avail yourself of us so that we can have that conversation and we can help scope or help give you a sense of that timing. Um so there's still time to do that. Um if we don't have that then we will try to get to you and um figure that out. But if we get all of your proposals on the 21st then that's going to be a hard thing to do. So, the earlier you work with us, the the easier it'll be to try to provide you with a little scoping of time. >> And will we include the scoping in the survey? >> Um, we haven't thought about that, but I think we figure that out. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, absolutely. We'll work with the facilitator on she creates the tool for us. So, we'll work with her on a little matrix for you on each one or something. If we want u more information on a

[133:01] specific priority from somebody on the list, is it appropriate to find who they are and ask them questions or should we not do that? >> My understanding of how we intend to put the survey together is not to specifically associate each priority idea with a person. Part of that is because some of the priority ideas coming our way are of already of interest to several of you. um and so forth. And so um to your point, we we wouldn't attend intend to associate names. I think as you all have these relationships that you're building with one another, if you want to have those one-on-one conversations, you're welcome to. So, one of the things that um we had talked about maybe the last time we were talking here um was how we would sort of use the survey results. And for me, what I'm remembering is there was an interim

[134:00] step between the January 5th and the January 12th retreat, which was that um we would each just bring two uh two proposals to the retreat. Um and that was partly in response to everybody's wanting a a slightly shorter retreat this year. Um because that that was the way that we could fit it in versus having like 45 different ideas that we're talking about there. Um, so I was wondering, you know, is that um is that something that that we're still interested in? Is that something that we just decided that it just doesn't work for this year? Um, I'm curious about that because I I think that is a way that it's going to help us get this done um in a in a shorter amount of time than usual. So, and and I think the survey results were intended to sort of in help each other inform um what it is we're bringing forward. You are correct about that, Council Member Spear. We did talk about the survey being informative for you all to think about sort of what do you then want to bring forth and really push for

[135:00] with your colleagues at the retreat. So, we'd be happy to sort of clarify that as we approach the retreat of how do we want to show you to show up that day and use the information we've provided with you. So, how Yeah, you're exactly right. We did talk about that. Matt, did you have something else? >> Just to follow up for a second. We we would basically just be doing like a short list. Um we would be talking about a short list of items for the retreat was the thinking. >> Matt, did you have something else? >> Yeah. Yeah. I hadn't finished my line of questions, but I because I thought you were calling, but that that's okay. No. >> No. All good. All good. No, all good. Um so just to finish off um Pam you said something that was of interest in terms of that you've kind of already maybe gathered that there's some communal interest on some certain things and maybe that's then not a reason to associate any particular name because it's maybe some group think on that with regards to submitting priority proposals you know do you want us to list a bunch of our priorities or really two because I think to some extent there's already some Darwinism occurring in some of our pre-con conversations where I'm hearing

[136:00] a colleague say well I'm liking this like oh good I'm going to cash my chip in on that. But it sounds like that might be helpful for you to know that that is of high interest to me. But how would you then know that if I've self- selected before, you know, emailing you if I'm like, hey, you know what, maybe I am one of those wildfire folks, but how would you know that unless I gave you a list of 10 things I'm interested in knowing two are really going to be mine? And then there's that. Again, that's how you'd sort of sus out those common threads. So, I'm just sort of curious where's that balance point and what you would prefer. So, as I'm hearing them and collecting them, uh, and some of you have heard me already, and I'll be circling back because, um, now I think I've heard from most of you, and I know some are still working on your priorities. Uh, I've encouraged some people to go speak with other council members individually, uh, not to have serial meetings or violate open meeting laws. Um, because I'm sure my colleague here would, um, have something to say about it. Um, but where you have common interest, I've encouraged you to go talk to each other about what that looks like

[137:01] precisely for that reason. Um, because I now have a collective knowledge of some interest and where there has been crossover, it um, it has been a suggestion to say you might want to speak to this colleague about X, Y, or Z. So, and >> and also I think uh, the survey will sus out where there's common interest in in items as well. So, we got that too. It was a to me. >> It was a call on Nicole's um thing about the two items and I excuse [clears throat] me. I think I'm imagining how this will work and I'm supportive of the the the two items concept. Um, but I'm but I'm also thinking um about again hopefully I'm not being redundant, but um last year there was there was a part of the discussion that that centered on focusing direction of things already happening that weren't about um I think added or additional

[138:00] bandwidth. I don't remember exactly what all those items were. Um, so I'm just thinking that would ideally we would have space for that. Um, in addition to the two items thing, I it's a little abstract and it's hard to sort of do it generically. Um, but I'm just thinking like I would I would hope and expect that we, you know, I would be able to weigh in on more than two things, you know, in in total. um especially if those um beyond two things were just about providing focusing direction and not adding new um you know need for capacity. >> Can I call it there? Yeah. And and you know I think with this retreat what what we've been talking about a lot in retreat committee um is how much work is already ongoing and how much staff has in their in their strategic plan. And I think in the citywide strategic plan, every time that we are asking for, you

[139:00] know, something to have special attention or something like that, right, we are adding to the work of that item. And so that was where in sending out the the citywide strategic plan goals for 2026 in advance. Um the idea was if there are things there, those would be the things that that that you're bringing forward and and um lifting up for that extra attention um and touch versus um having uh you know putting forward five five things and then also um asking to elevate some of the citywide strategic um plan [snorts] goals as well. But I Tara if you're remembering different or staff if I'm not getting this correctly from our conversations. No, I think that's right, council member. Um, when we when you choose council priorities, it means that staff comes before council. It means that we prepare memos. It means that we do study sessions. It means that we do staff um we get direction from you all in one way, shape or form. Right? So, being mindful of the things that you are

[140:00] asking us to come forward and the agenda that you have, right? because there is that conversation about um what are the many things that you have come before you and what um what is the uh what is on your schedule in terms of the things that we have to calendar as well. So I would just ask that you be mindful of what is um highest on your priority list and again knowing that this is an unusual year because we do not have uh an a usual year where there where you're so limited. [snorts] >> Thank you. do I although I appreciate the um concerns around having more than two I I would prefer to not be limited to two um because it assumes also that the two that you're saying is the same scope and that's not necessarily the case. So um although I I wouldn't want to have you know 10 or 15. So I'm fine with some parameters but I think that two is too tight.

[141:04] Rob, do you have something? >> Yeah, thank you. With our priorities, is it helpful if we've had meetings with staff and they encourage our scope and it fits within three to six months to include that in our um submitt? Um, I I would say um we I I would say a couple things for all your submitts. We will try to be, how do I say this? Be neutral about what you bring forward. So, we will try to find a way if it is a a priority that can fit within a three to six or a one-year priority setting, we will find a way to say this is something that can

[142:00] be brought forward. So, whatever it is that you bring forward, we will work with you to to bring it. So, staff technically will be supportive of your policy idea. Uh so everything that you bring forward hopefully that fits within that time frame will be supported if it is the will of council. So to say that staff supports or doesn't support is going to be a misnomer because we are going to work with you to make sure that whatever council priority you lift up can be worked within the within the time frame. So all of the priorities hopefully that you bring forward, we will work to scope it in a way that could work if if that makes sense. >> Okay. Good enough answer on that. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Nicole, >> um yeah, I I just wanted to kind of get into this point. I think I if if what um what council is looking for is for us to

[143:01] talk about more priorities at the retreat, I think we really do need to think about the time that we are committing. Um because I don't know that we're going to be able to get through um in a a more condensed time scale if we're talking about more priorities. I think then we're back to uh where we were in 2024 where we're really needing to put everything out there to talk through everything to do like some sort of dot exercise. So, I think if if that's something that people want, I think we really need to know that tonight. Um, I expect we need to give some feedback to to Heather as well. Um, and just think about how to how to do that. >> To Yeah, go ahead, Tesa. >> Um, I'm fine. You know, I would be comfortable with, you know, setting some kind of limit around five. I can't remember how many there were last year, but I feel like there were more than Was it five last year? Um, you know, I this is one of the most important opportunities we have as council members. Many of us work with different

[144:00] community members and staff for months to prepare and to be told less than a month before it's due or you know to make this type of decision a you know with very little time even though there's many of us who have already been working on this for a long time. um just seems like not I would have appreciated more time. I I would have appreciated having this conversation much earlier. Um because there are things that we some of us have in play. Um and I just don't feel like we've been given enough time. I I would have just appreciated having this conversation earlier um in the process um as far as how many how many um proposals that we were going to put together. So, my preference is to is to stick with what we have and see and I also appreciate this added step with the survey um and into some of the other components to help with preparing us before we even get there. So, and Heather is a great facilitator. I feel

[145:02] confident that we can get to where we need to go, especially since the compressed timeline, you know, there aren't that many that are really going to be able to faithfully fall within a 3 to six month span. Thank you. >> Yeah. And and I think that is I think the the reason why you all have proposed a smaller number is that that we have a more limited amount of things that we can get done in the one-year time frame. I think so you you look like you're bursting to say something, Nicole. >> Yeah. Um I just wanted to say I mean the the part of the reason that we headed in this direction was because the last time we were here talking about this that that was at least what I took away as what council was looking for there too. Um, so I I don't remember when when it was last, maybe months, two months ago, something like that, but um but but we did talk about it then. And so I mean if if if people want to change it, that that is we can probably move forward with that. Um but I I don't I don't know that we didn't talk about this before.

[146:01] >> Council, I believe it was September 25th was the last touch point during that study session if I'm not mistaken. It was a process meet colloqui. It was a process meeting and we voted on that. >> We voted on two. >> I voting on two. I think more of a general discussion. >> It was a discussion. Okay. Thank you. I was wondering did we vote on two? And that's where I was saying I would have appreciated having that conversation if we were going to vote or make a decision at that time. I remember having a conversation but I don't remember us saying we are all going to submit two. I didn't see it in the preparation documents that you are only only required to have two. >> Yeah. So I my memory of the discussion which is imperfect was that it was more of a direction that we have a limited scope with the one-year council and so therefore we have a limited number of priorities to take on. >> Correct. >> But not but there was not a specific like there will be two yes or no everybody vote. >> Thank you. >> If if does that sound about right for the scope? >> I don't remember voting. >> I think we all kind

[147:00] >> oh we don't vote on matters. We all kind of love to nod it and like that sounds good. >> Okay. >> No, we could do that now. >> Go ahead and clarify and then we'll go. >> And and that the idea is that for the 21st, right, we each have five as we usually do that we can do there. And then when we're getting to the retreat because it's a shorter um timeline because uh we are trying to um because we just don't have as much time next year with everything else that's already going on that that that would be where we would then be um kind of callulling our own list or maybe we decide you know yours is so much better than mine I forget mine. I'm gonna you know I'm really interested in one of yours. So, so that we would do that step um after kind of having the survey results to see how things ranked and then decide from there. >> So, Nicole to clarify that on the by the 21st we could submit up to five which would then be go into consideration in the survey and then at for the retreat we would need to self-wow down to no

[148:01] more than two per council member. >> Yep. That that is correct. And also, right, but I mean you all direct this so like tell us tell tell us what you're looking for. We're just going based on our last conversation. >> So, and I got I've had Mark here for a little while, so let's >> No, it's all right. Um Nicole answered my question. >> Okay. Yeah. Did you have something else to do now? Thank you. >> Okay. >> Yeah. So, okay. I think with that clarification, I think we're probably good. >> Great. Well, we're while we're still early in the evening, we are kind of >> So, let's be really clear, right? >> Was I not? >> Well, five recommendations because we previously said come with two. So now we've expanded to five to down select to two at the retreat. >> Council, I'd love to restate the cascade if I >> Now I'm confused. >> Between now and December 21st, continue working with us to refine your priorities, up to five of them. Make sure we get those by email to Nuria with Meg's copied. Those theoretically 45

[149:04] things will go into a survey that you will receive. You will force rank that entire list of 45. We will aggregate those responses, send that back to you. That will be a piece of information for you to understand where the general energy of council is. Using that plus your own priorities, you will decide which two things to then drive forward and advocate for at the retreat. >> Thanks for that clear statement. All right. >> If anyone needs that in a full equation, let me know. But still in all though, sorry, can I >> quick? >> Yeah. So, but still in all, even if we all have two, we're going to narrow down to under 10, are we not? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Yes. Happy to have three and five. Yes. So, we're going to take all of our two, which is 18, and get down to three to five. And it'll honestly it'll depend on

[150:01] which departments are impacted, what type of priority it is. So we'll see. Yep. >> Okay. And that is where the very talented Heather Bergman will assist us in winnowing that down. Okay. So we have one more question for council. If you can just read that again, Tara. I don't think we've heard that second question. >> We can skip this one, but it does say here from Pam. Does city council have any final feedback for the retreat committee and staff as we they us finalize arrangements for the retreat including timing of each day? I I do actually have one just that I hear the desire from staff to keep the scheduling block uh there in case we need it. Um but I think with the one-year scope of um this council, I don't think we need two full days. So, I would encourage us to look at maybe ending a bit early on day one and maybe even a lot early on day two if we're able to get through it all.

[151:01] That's my one piece of feedback. Anything else? All right. Yes, just a small thing. Um I am just thinking about you. we've got limited limited time to to to try to package initiatives for um and we're going to have to really you know ultimately be condensed. So, but I I also think that, you know, this is this is the the one time in the year when we do a a general stock taking or we have a chance to um and we've got this whole longer list of of priorities for the city. Um, and so I think it would be appropriate to give council members a some small amount of space to just do some stock taking on their, you know, in their own words if they have things they want to say about, you know, look like this. I didn't have a way to put this into my priority or, you know, this

[152:01] isn't this not fitting into the priority discussion, but as I look forward to 2026, these are some things I'd, you know, like us I'd like my colleagues to consider with me. I'd like I'd like to be known. That might just be obviously already built into the agenda. Um, but if it's not, I'd ask for consideration that there's a little bit of just open-ended space for council members to [snorts] look look ahead and talk about that. So >> just a a clarifying question on that, Ryan. Um so that we understand what it is that you're looking for. Are you basically asking, you know, can everybody kind of have some time to give a little speech or something like that? Like an introduction or what what a what what what would that look like? >> I don't I mean, yeah, it could just be you each have three minutes to say whatever you want. You don't have to say anything at all. Um, I don't know what I would say, but I just, um, as I began to look across the many things the city is doing, um, I am one really energized and

[153:01] excited about what we're doing. Um, but also I have thoughts coming to me about, oh gosh, I hope when we get to this one thing like, you know, we're have this in mind. um not not that I intend to do an inventory of all of our projects, but just that um there are patterns and connections across all of it um that I might want to say something about um that that won't make it into the um the official priorities. So, yeah, I think if everybody were given a couple a few minutes to talk to the future, that would be great. Something like that. >> Yeah. I did. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it it was just a wondering um you know would would that be an opportunity for a hotline or something before um or you know or or would people like some time? I guess just having some direction from council would be helpful here. >> Well, I mean I might say that I mean I think we we generally have the ability to offer a few thoughts when we're

[154:01] talking about a topic. So if you at some point say well as part of our retreat priority discussions I have a few thoughts about connections between these things. and it feels pretty doable um as long as it's scope is not too large. And then also with the caveat of thinking if you make certain comments about like hey I'd love for us to take this tack on this initiative one council member can't direct staff to to do things in a certain way. So but if you want fine um if this isn't making sense to others we don't have to. It just seems like this is the stock t this this if there's a time when we do a stock taking in a general sense without a lot of um rules about how we want to analyze how things are going and looking at the future. Um if there's interest in that I'd support it. If not um we don't we don't have to. >> I guess my just thought would be that we don't necessarily have to have a formal part of the agenda in order for you to make some comments about connections between work plan items. >> Okay. Thanks. I'm happy then with whatever the committee decides fits in

[155:01] the agenda. I don't need anything particular on this. >> Thanks. >> Thank you. Not quite a qualue, but I I can see like for example um this is supposed to be a staff uh council retreat, not just priority setting, do you know what I mean? And and get to know and team building, which is also I still val I I do value that. Um, but one thing that came up when when you were talking about things that aren't a priority, but something that we rarely get to talk about as a full council together outside of a meeting, like I'm thinking about the budget process. Like there's many of us that talk about different things in different ways and just and I, oh, that's a really great time to kind of it's not necessarily a priority, but it's something we don't really ever have time to really talk about it collectively before it starts rolling. Um so that's one example or um the calendar like we approve the calendar dates but you know in my two years here I've noticed and although I

[156:00] appreciate the six months in advance and all the ways there as somebody who's been doing strategic planning for a very very long time you know I would love us to have a chat about like you know hey let's make sure we have um convers uh section on public safety or whatever it is like you know it doesn't have to be a surprise I I think that, you know, for example, we didn't have a big session on public safety this year and there was I've had a lot of community questions like why didn't we have that? Like we they were expecting that, oh, this is an annual thing that we do or you know that there's just certain things that happen on in certain times of year. I just would like to us I would love for us to be able to look at the calendar and really think more strategically about study sessions and some of those things. I know a lot of that comes sometimes comes out of the priorities, but since a lot is already baked, I'm less, you know, concerned around identifying those three to five very small 3 to six um month priorities and really seeing this

[157:00] as an opportunity to do some of the, you know, for the I'm looking at the folks on the council uh procedures um committee. There's so many things on that list that we could get solved in a very short amount of time and we're all in the same room at the same time. So, to Ryan's point, I do think because there are less things for us to have to talk about this year, it does open the door to oo um additional conversations um and opportunities for us to brainstorm. So, again, I'm more so just saying I would like to stick to the time that we have and and continue to have a more robust time frame. Even though we have less priorities, I do think sincerely there are several things that we conversations that we could have and I could see Heather coming up with a very cool way to come up with like conversations or whatever and maybe that's a part of the of the team building work, right? Are there topics or things um that we can discuss that also would help us to get to know each other better. So again, I'm not suggesting that I would like to revise the thing, but more so offer that this

[158:02] is a very valuable time for us to come together and brainstorm on a variety of things beyond council priorities which are very important, but there's a lot of other procedural things that I think we could have the time to clean up while we're there. Thank you. >> Point taken. All right. Anything else in this item? Well, >> should we take a straw poll on because if we're going to do that, we're definitely going to extend the retreat to the full two days. So, I guess my question is is do we discuss that now or Pam, do we discuss it as a retreat committee later or what do we do? >> I would say at this stage in the planning process, it would be helpful to understand the will of council as much as possible tonight. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Um and and what I would say I think you know we are we are including some time as we always do at every retreat for thinking about process improvement kinds of things. Um I think that and you know staff please correct me if this is the

[159:00] wrong way to think about this but you know if we were looking for um deeper dives into certain topics or things like that um that I think might this for this year count as its own priority u because of the time I think that would go into preparing something like that. But um so so you know I think in in that kind of case like if you know wanting to talk about um the budget process and like council's role in that and something like that that might be a priority for this year as you know something to to put forward um versus something that would necessarily happen at the um the the retreat itself. Uh, I don't see that that budget discussion as a council priority and I think that the conversations that we could have could inform the process for this year. I don't want uh and that was just one example. Um, I guess maybe there could be even in the survey, you know, are there discussion areas or topics of interest that are outside of the priority as something for the

[160:01] council procedures or maybe a tea up to the council procedures? Like we had that survey that was asking us, do we have, you know, desires to change particular procedures or issues or challenges with procedures in advance so that we know what the some of those topics would be. I guess, you know, I um appreciated that council procedure conversation, but I thought that it was not long enough for the amount of things that we proceed on. So, I would actually strongly I spent the whole day today on lunchons and very important take my photo. I can certainly I'm willing to take two full days to do strategic planning um and and have a have a longer retreat. So, um thank you. >> Okay. So, I guess what I might ask, Taiisha, it sounds like you would like to have an additional discussion that's not kind of currently on the agenda. And so, um, maybe if you could say like a specific proposal for an agenda item ad and then we can see if council would be interested in

[161:00] >> I don't have anything at this time, mayor. I'm fine with uh I guess I thought the question was do we wanted did we want to have the retreat timing be a day and a half or two days? And I'm advocating for 2 days recognizing that I'd rather have more time to talk about the agenda items that are currently there particularly if council procedures is already there. I would rather extend the time so we have more time than try and add on more agenda items. Thank you. >> Fair point. Yeah. And so we are blocking out the two full days. Uh to my earlier comment was that if if the what was on the agenda was uh did not need all of that time that we could end early. But if we do need all of that time, we will take all that time. All right, Pam, do you have what you need? >> I believe I do, mayor. Thank you. >> Okay, great. Thanks so much. Thanks as well to Tara and Nicole for your hard work on this committee, and I'm sure it will be a very productive retreat in January. And with that, we come to the end of our agenda. Do we not, Elicia?

[162:00] >> That is correct, sir. >> All right. Any final thoughts before we wrap? >> Welcome, Rob. Thank you very much. It's truly an honor to be here and the short time I've spent with everybody in this room. This is one hell of a team. I'm really excited. Thanks. >> No question. Just don't get used to us 37. [snorts] >> Got spoiled. >> Super spoiled, my friend. >> All right. And with that, I will gave us 37 p.m. Have a good night, everybody.