Council adopts budget‑priority matrix rubric in pilot form

The council adopted a budget‑priority matrix and rubric designed to score and rank department requests. Speaker 3 presented a revised scoring sheet with definitions and an FAQ intended to reduce questions when departments submit requests. The proposed pilot will include administration, the mayor’s office, city hall HR and selected operating functions; capital projects were excluded from the initial pilot. Council agreed to approve the rubric in pilot form with the understanding it will be refined after pilot feedback. The motion to adopt passed by voice vote.

Speaker 3 described the rubric as a working document and said staff expect to solicit feedback during December and return results in January or at a work session if information is available earlier. The rubric adds an alignment‑with‑existing‑planning criterion to help ensure requests align with master plans and other city plans.

Next steps: complete the pilot, collect feedback, and bring revised rubric for broader adoption if warranted.