City Council Meeting
Council approved Administrative Order 2025-01 creating the grant-funded Department of Public Wellness and referred the FY26 operating budget (2025-001) to a newly created Ad-Hoc City Council Budget Committee of the Whole for further hearings (second reading and public hearing set for June 10). Several mayoral orders and ordinances — including 2025-045 (No Parking on Lafayette St median), 2025-046 (Go Slow Children signage at Riverfront Dr), 2025-047 (Free Cash appropriation for FY26 capital), and 2025-053 (accept easement at 12 Elizabeth St) — were referred to the appropriate committees for review.
The City Council heard a FY26 budget presentation from Mayor Kassandra Gove and CFO Marisa Batista and then moved the operating budget (2025-001) into an Ad-Hoc City Council Budget Committee of the Whole for further review, scheduling a second reading and public hearing on June 10. The Council formally approved creation of the Ad-Hoc Budget Committee of the Whole to handle budget deliberations. A public commenter thanked staff for the FY26 budget presentation and Council requested the budget book be made accessible on the city website.
Councilors voted on a mayoral administrative reorganization (Administrative Order 2025-01) creating a grant-funded Department of Public Wellness, which passed 7-1 after the Mayor clarified it would be entirely grant-funded and would not add general-fund positions. The Council also handled several ordinance and order referrals: parking and signage proposals (2025-045 and 2025-046), appropriation from Free Cash for FY26 capital (2025-047), revolving fund spending limits for FY26 (2025-048), equipment/lease and grant acceptances (2025-049 through 2025-051), property transfer and easement matters (2025-052 and 2025-053), and revisions to wetlands/floodplain regulations per NFIP (2025-054). The monthly license list for May 13 was approved unanimously.