After the public hearing on the proposed 2026 budget, the Common Council spent much of the Oct. 30 session in repeated procedural debate over how to handle the two-dozen-or-so ordinance changes bundled with the budget book.

Some aldermen pressed to refer most bill drafts to subject standing committees — public safety and licensing, public works and services, and finance — arguing those panels have subject-matter expertise and give the public more chances to comment. "When these items appear on a committee agenda the public has the ability to come in because it's on the line item," Alder Mac said.

Other aldermen argued the committee of the whole is the most efficient venue and that sending items to eight different standing committees would duplicate effort and lengthen the calendar. Several members expressed frustration with inconsistent practices from year to year over how the council handles ordinances embedded in the budget book.

The disagreement produced a stream of motions to refer individual ordinances and repeated roll-call votes; some referral motions passed, others failed. The debate also influenced the councils schedule: administration staff said budget amendments were due to the finance office by the next day and that final budget votes were planned for early November.

Why it matters: The procedural question affects how much public input and expert testimony an ordinance receives before a vote and how quickly the council resolves budget-embedded policy changes. Council members repeatedly cited past practice, the councils procedural resolution for the 2025 budget timeline and the citys ordinance code in arguing their positions.

Outcome and next steps: Council members split on multiple referral motions during the session. Several aldermen said they would pursue standing-committee hearings for contentious items in the coming week; others said they would use the committee of the whole to finish debate the next Wednesday. The mayor and administration told the council that amendments filed by the close of business the following day would be scheduled for the committee-of-the-whole debate on Nov. 5 and final action the week after.

Sources: Council debate Oct. 30; city clerk and city attorney comments recorded on the meeting transcript.