Council removes downtown ordinance items from tonight's agenda and delays freestanding ER ordinance to April

At the start of the March 24 meeting, Mayor Singer and council members debated whether to proceed with a group of ordinances touching downtown land development regulations that had been on the agenda. Staff noted two of the ordinances specifically tied to the failed government campus referendum no longer applied. After discussion, the mayor moved to delete the group of downtown ordinances from tonight's agenda and the council approved the motion.

Separately, council members considered ordinance 57-67, which would create rules allowing freestanding emergency rooms in specified parts of the city. One council member said a stakeholder who previously opposed an application reported progress toward a global settlement of outstanding litigation and asked for removal of the item to give parties more time to resolve matters. Staff said the city is party to pending legal appeals related to a prior application and explained that an unresolved appeal can leave an application in limbo; the council can, however, direct the city manager to accept and process substantially different applications.

After debate about whether postponement would be political or practical, Mayor Singer proposed rescheduling the ordinance to the second regular meeting in April to allow time for potential settlement and further staff review. The motion to postpone passed by voice vote; councilors asked staff to return a noticed item on the date certain and to confirm any legal or procedural steps required to process or re-notice the matter.

The council emphasized that the decision to remove the downtown items from tonight's agenda was not a final policy choice but a procedural step to let the incoming council and staff continue the work with full public review.

The actions change the immediate agenda but do not foreclose future consideration of the ordinances; staff will provide updated materials for the next noticed meeting.