Council asks city attorney to draft ballot/ordinance language to protect City Hall parcel

During an off-agenda discussion while the city attorney was present, a councilor asked City Attorney Sabatini to draft ballot or ordinance language to ensure the parcel currently used for City Hall cannot be transferred without voter approval or explicit direction. The councilor framed the request as a clarification to avoid vague language that could allow unintended conveyance of municipal land.

"I'd like to give Mister Sabatini direction to draft ballot language for question 10 requiring voter majority before parcel x y z... can be transferred or conveyed in accordance with the original deed," the councilor said, asking that the draft specify parcel identifiers rather than a shifting street address.

City Attorney Sabatini and staff explained the procedural options: the matter can be presented as an ordinance (which takes two readings) or put on the ballot with proposed language; either approach allows the council to refine wording at subsequent meetings. Sabatini confirmed timeline constraints connected to the supervisor of elections filing deadlines and that proposed language can be edited between first and second readings if the council so chooses.

Council consensus and next steps: Councilors expressed support for specifying the parcel by parcel ID (or phrasing such as "City Hall as of 2026, parcel ID X") to preserve clarity and permanence. Staff said proposed language will be drafted and returned for review at the next scheduled meeting, with the council able to decide whether to place the question on the ballot or adopt an ordinance consistent with notice requirements.

This discussion was procedural and advisory; no final ordinance or ballot language was adopted at the workshop.