Special Committee of the Whole Meeting on the Goal 4 Report

On Thursday, November 10, Council held a special Council Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting to discuss the Goal 4 Workgroup Report and took public comment. As we have covered in past newsletters, the Goal 4 Workgroup has been working towards a recommendation on how the upcoming Comprehensive Plan update should consider the expansion of the Urban Service Boundary (USB).

This meeting’s purpose and the resulting steps are a bit complicated, so bear with us... 

What's the status of the Comprehensive Plan and the Urban Service Boundary?

• As of now, the Planning Commission has heard all of the Goals and Objectives for the Comprehensive Plan update except for one related to the Urban Service Boundary as they wait for the Goal 4 Workgroup report.

• No pieces of the next Comprehensive Plan have been formally adopted yet.

So what's this meeting all about?

• This meeting gave the Goal 4 Workgroup an opportunity to present its recommended process for expanding the Urban Service Boundary to the entire council.

• This is the first time the whole council had an opportunity to give feedback on the plan.

• The workgroup asked for a resolution from Council supporting the recommendations. This will likely be adopted in Tuesday, November 15th’ Council Work Session.

What happens next?

• After this meeting, the Planning Commission may either reject, amend, or adopt the recommendations from the Goal 4 Workgroup for inclusion in the next Comprehensive Plan.

• Once the Planning Commission makes its determination regarding the Goal 4 Workgroup recommendations, all of the Goals and Objectives for the Comprehensive Plan will be considered by the full council for adoption.

And then?

• After the Goals and Objectives are approved by the Planning Commission, they go to the Council, who has the ability to modify them or adopt them as is.

You can read the Goal 4 Workgroup Report here.

Council was largely receptive to the Plan, complimenting its thoroughness and detail. The biggest theme in the Council’s questions was that the plan made sense about how expansion would work once it was voted on, but that the beginning steps of how to initiate looking at expansion were still unclear. Vice Mayor Steve Kay reminded Council that this Report is a framework, and Planning Division Staff will be working to fill in a lot of gaps that exist in the Report.

Council will likely pass a resolution expressing support for the Goal 4 Report in tomorrow’s Work Session.