CCMIN070296 - Laserfiche WebLink

Mr. Pico indicated his sense of what should be asked is whether the citizens want to vote on any changes to the Urban Growth Boundary line and any changes to the housing cap. Ms. Michelotti felt Council was doing what the public wants and if the public is not happy, they can go through a referendum process. Ms. Dennis suggested language that says the line is permanent in nature and not to be substantially changed without the concurrence of the electorate. What they are really voting on is the ability to vote on the changes as opposed to setting the original line. The same is true for the housing cap. Mr. Pico felt Council needs to take action to adopt a General Plan. It seems the most reasonable thing is not to ask the voters to ratify the action taken, but to ask them whether they want to add another layer of protection, which is the right to vote on these two issues. That could be in the form of an amendment to the General Plan, and if they vote it down, we still have a General Plan that is in effect. Mr. Roush indicated that was his question. Council could adopt the Urban Growth Boundary line and the housing cap by resolution and in the adopting resolution, there could be language to provide that if the voters did not ratify the provision, it would be repealed automatically. Alternatively, the question could be phrased so that those sections would stay in the General Plan and simply ask the voters whether they want to vote on changes to the line or the cap. Mr. Pico did not want to ask the voters to repeal anything. He believed the best way to protect these cornerstones of the Plan is to have the voters approve any changes to them. He felt that would narrow the issue to the voters. That makes it simpler and easier for the people to understand. Ms. Molar felt that if you are going to ask the voters, you should do it before a decision is made. Why only trust them to vote on potential changes and not vote on whether they support the plan in the beginning? Mr. Tarver referred to his survey questions: Do you support an Urban Growth Boundary line and do you want to vote to change it? Do you support a housing cap and do you want to vote to change it? Do you like 350 units a year or do you want to change it? It is that simple. Ms. Michelotti did not think the population cap was the question; it was whether to have a maximum of 29,000 housing units. Mr. Pico responded to Ms. Mohr that Council has made the decisions. He just wants to make sure those decisions are protected and reinforced. 07/02/96 -30-