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City Council Special Meeting

Council convened a Wednesday night special session—its second meeting together—to sort out litigation strategy on the UGB referendum appeal and review the ongoing relook process. Ultimately the body opted to postpone the executive session so every member (and the lead city attorney) can participate at the Jan 21 regular meeting.

Highlights

  • 🧑‍⚖️ The meeting was called primarily to decide whether to continue the city’s appeal of Judge Johnson’s referendum ruling. Councilors debated the fairness of holding the executive session without Councilor Fage (who alerted the city weeks ago that Wednesdays conflict with work) and without the lead attorney, Chris Crean, who was out of state for a family emergency.
  • 🤝 After hearing public criticism about transparency, reviewing Councilor Fage’s written comments (supporting settlement in the $70k range), and confirming that Frisner-Marcker’s attorney would not extend the current $72k offer beyond Jan 22, the council voted 4‑2 to delay the executive session to Jan 21 when all parties can attend.
  • 💬 The appeal item will now be part of the Jan 21 agenda. Staff will re-notice the executive session, ask both Crean and Chad Jacobs to attend, and confirm opposing counsel’s availability for the rescheduled hearing.
  • 🗺️ With the legal discussion tabled, council spent the remainder of the meeting checking in on the Urban Growth Boundary “relook.” Members acknowledged the extensive community outreach RAC and 3J Consulting have already completed and agreed a joint work session (council + RAC + consultant) is the best way to digest findings before any decisions are made.
  • 💵 Councilors asked for a transparent accounting of the relook contract: total cost-to-date, deliverables still outstanding, and the remaining scope that was authorized via the December contingency resolution.

Follow-Ups

  • City Staff & Attorneys
    • Add the UGB appeal executive session to the Jan 21 agenda, notice the public, and secure attendance from both Chris Crean (if available) and Chad Jacobs; notify opposing counsel of the new schedule.
    • Prepare a clear summary of the pending Frisner-Marcker settlement offer (amount, expiration, cost comparisons) so council can act quickly on Jan 21.
  • Council
    • Review Councilor Fage’s written analysis ahead of the Jan 21 executive session so questions can be resolved efficiently when the full body meets.
  • Planning / 3J Consulting
    • Schedule a relook work session that includes RAC members, council, and the consultant team to walk through community feedback, scenario modeling, and recommended next steps.
    • Provide council with the relook budget-to-date, remaining contract balance, and a checklist of deliverables still to come so expectations are aligned before the work session.