Committee moves revisions to Fire and Emergency Services Commission code to full council for drafting and review

Councilmember Lukey, sponsor of Bill 3,626, said the measure is intended to "give greater guardrails to the work of the commission" by clarifying timelines, who reviews what, and how interim emergency orders function. The bill would amend the county code section governing the Fire and Emergency Services Commission (FESC) to require at least a 30‑day public comment period for FESC reviews, maintain a 60‑day review window after which matters may be deemed approved if not acted on, and require disapproval notices within five days.

Staff and panelists described how the bill would differentiate between county policies and regulations under the Administrative Procedures Act, preserve an emergency interim‑order process (limited to 90 days while a fuller review proceeds), and ensure FESC comments and public testimony are transmitted with regulations when they go to council. Committee members asked staff to incorporate several executive‑branch drafting suggestions (including geographic representation, CBA exclusions, and removing ECC dispatch language) and agreed to place finalized amendments in the full‑council packet for a later vote.