Postponements spark talk of examining Council work sessions

The lack of City Council work session meetings in recent weeks appears to have played a large role in the postponement of a trio of programs pushed by the Economic Development Department that had been up for a vote at last week’s full Council meeting.

The three programs in question were: a place-based economic incentive initiative aimed at small businesses; a broader expansion of the city’s application of the state’s economic incentives; and a long-planned framework to standardize the creation, funding and operation of cultural districts around the city. All three programs were given full presentations by EDD staff on Thursday and allowed time for Council discussion prior to three separate postponements led by Council Member Zo Qadri that were approved without objection.

Qadri, who asked no questions on any of the items, made similar comments when suggesting postponements that centered on the need for Council to have more time ahead of full Council meetings to consider and discuss measures that could involve complicated requirements and rules on substantial amounts of money.

“I know there’s been a lot of hard work, and it’s been a long time coming. I believe that this item could provide great resources and tools for our cultural districts,” he said regarding the cultural district framework item. “Since this is a citywide issue, I’d like to postpone this item just for one meeting so we could have further conversations with staff, with stakeholders, to get any potential revision.”

In an unexpected move, the city has canceled its two most recent work session meetings that are typically scheduled for the Tuesday morning prior to a Thursday full Council meeting. Those sessions don’t include any actions or decision-making and allow staff to give updates on upcoming Council agenda items that may require substantive discussion and direction from the dais.

The recent cancellations came after a Travis County court ruled against the city in its rules regarding public comment during meetings. One specific nuance of the ruling could require public comment to be included in work session meetings when items intended for future Council action are discussed.

Prior to a scheduled Aug. 27 work session, Mayor Kirk Watson suggested – via a City Council Message Board posting from his staff – cancellation of that meeting because there were no staff presentations scheduled. Last week’s work session was also canceled, with no message board post beforehand explaining the move.

On Thursday, Council Member Alison Alter said staff and Council will need to make decisions soon about how to best conduct city business in the aftermath of the court rulings covering public participation.

“At some point we need to have a further conversation as a dais about, under the new regime, how we want to approach things like this. I think that this is a case where it would’ve been very valuable to have a briefing to the full Council and then had a couple weeks to process it and then vote on it,” she said. “I’m a big fan of work sessions. I know there’s some shifts in rules, but I think they are valuable.”

In discussion on the postponement of the cultural district framework item, Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison said the delay could lead to the perception that the city isn’t prioritizing helping cultural groups in her district and elsewhere.

“I appreciate the request for the postponement, but I also appreciate the frustration from members of the community that I represent. It feels to some folks like we’re waiting on the west side again,” she said. “I just want to make sure to put that out there for my colleagues to recognize that while I appreciate the desire to be thorough and to make certain that we produce something that actually benefits the community, that actually does something, I really wish that we could have done this in the way of an amendment.”

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