Audit and Finance Committee changes

With Council Member Ellen Troxclair out on maternity leave, City Council will be considering adding Council Member Alison Alter to the list of appointees to the Audit and Finance Committee. In order to do that, the seven Council members expected to be in attendance at today’s meeting will waive the section of city code that limits membership of the committee to four persons. The new section is expected to state that the limit on membership is waived temporarily “to permit the appointment of five Council members on the committee.” It is unclear whether the ordinance will include language stating that the waiver is in effect only during the term of Troxclair’s absence. Council Member Leslie Pool objected to inserting her colleague’s name into the ordinance and initially objected to making the waiver temporary. However, Mayor Steve Adler said some other members of Council had wanted the word “temporary” in the ordinance. Pool said, “In the spirit of massive cooperation on (the Audit and Finance item), I’d split the baby,” and drop her objection to the word “temporary” if Adler would drop the reference to Troxclair’s absence. At any rate, the mayor said he expects that there will be a new ordinance on the makeup of committees at the April 26 Council meeting. The next Audit and Finance Committee meeting is currently scheduled for April 25. With Troxclair gone, Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo will become chair and Pool will be vice chair.