Council debates downtown task force while moving forward with master plan RFP

Mayor Thompson presided over a lengthy discussion about how the city should gather public input for downtown planning, as council confirmed it will pursue a request for proposals to hire a professional firm to prepare a community master plan and debated a separately proposed civic task force.

City Manager Mr. Sohaney told the council it had directed staff at a workshop to proceed with an RFP to hire a private planning firm and that the RFP timeline gives the council more time to decide how to select a downtown civic task force. "We can open up that to discussion this evening," he said, adding the firm will prepare a scope of work and return with a timeline for council review.

Council members split over the task force concept. Council member Grau said she is increasingly concerned the task force "is limiting participation to only a select few appointees" and warned it risks creating division by excluding interested residents who signed the Save Boca petition. "I believe that everybody who signed the Save Boca Petition is a stakeholder and deserves a seat and a voice at the table," she said.

Mayor Thompson and others defended the task force as a complementary venue for public input, saying task force meetings could be held at different times and give residents more opportunities to participate beyond three-minute public comments at regular council meetings. "The task force has the ability to have meetings that everyone is allowed to come and have an opportunity to provide feedback outside of a 3 minute public comment experience here," Thompson said.

Council member Perlman proposed a motion to revisit the council resolution creating the task force with a possible repeal or amendment. City Attorney Mr. Koehler advised that "a resolution can be amended or repealed by a majority of the council" and noted procedural requirements for notice and due process. No final repeal or amendment vote was recorded at the meeting; the motion to revisit was introduced and the council discussed next steps.

Why it matters: The choice between a professional planning process (RFP) and a small appointed task force affects who shapes the downtown plan, how widely residents can participate, and what kinds of advice the council receives before making land-use decisions.

What’s next: Staff will continue the RFP process and return to the council with the scope and timeline; the council may formally place reconsideration of the task force resolution on a future agenda for public notice and hearing.