Council grants narrow waiver under Responsible Business Ordinance to allow tax‑incentive project to proceed; administration to streamline waiver notifications

The council reviewed early implementation of Ordinance 6 (Responsible Business Practices) tied to a recent tax‑incentive award and granted a specific waiver to Chester's (the project’s named general contractor) for one apprenticeship reporting requirement.

City staff and the building commissioner explained the practical problem: a general contractor that will manage the project on behalf of an owner but not perform on‑site trade work may not meet the apprenticeship metric as written in the ordinance. Staff asked the council to grant a waiver for that condition so permits could be issued and site work proceed in a timely way.

Councilors debated the policy and process. Some members said waivers should be rare and the ordinance language clarified; others urged flexibility to avoid construction delays that would push work into winter. Staff proposed a streamlined administrative path: circulate waiver requests and supporting documentation to all council members and allow the council president to sign a waiver when no council member objects within a short window, with any substantial or contested requests returned to the full council.

The council voted to grant the Chester's waiver for this project and accepted the administration’s proposal to implement an expedited notification process so minor waivers can be handled quickly while preserving full‑council oversight for significant matters. Council members asked staff and legal counsel to draft clarifying ordinance language for future cases to reduce ambiguity (for example, clarifying whether the apprenticeship requirement applies to managers who do not perform on‑site trade work).