City Council - Regular Meeting

The formal meeting of the Richmond City Council will now come to order. Madam Clark, if you will invite the Spanish interpretation announcement speaker.

Thank you. This evening, we are pleased to have Pastor Emma Marshall of Second Presbyterian Church as our invitation speaker. And after she provides the invocation, we will have the Pledge of Allegiance.

Amen. Amen. Thank you. We will now have the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mr. Clark, if you would provide the emergency evacuation plan followed by the public speaker guidelines.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. At this time, let's proceed with the appointments and reappointments.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. At this time, we will proceed with our public comment speakers, and I will just alert you that the public comment speakers will have three minutes to speak. Because of the number of persons who have come out this evening and desires of speaking during public hearings on papers that will be before us, that time frame will be one and a half minutes. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Esmeralda. And someone from the administration will meet you as you walk up that aisle to have more conversation and follow up.

Thank you. I just would like to say thank you to all the public comments period speakers, and at this time we'll proceed, Mr. Clark, to present the amendments to tonight's agenda.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Can we get a motion to accept the agenda as amended? One second. I'm sorry. Councilwoman Auerbacher?

Okay, so we have a motion on the floor to accept the agenda as presented. I'm going to need guidance and then we have a second amendment motion.

That's second. Madam City Attorney, we should dispose of the first, is that correct?

What I ask is that they would present the amendments to tonight's agenda. And then based on that, I ask for a motion to accept the agenda. That would have been the amended agenda. Then subsequent to that, I have Ms. Auerbacher asking for a continuance of items, that block of items that pertain to the solar projects. And I have a second for that. so i will proceed madam city attorney do i proceed with the first item on the agenda on the table rather and then on to the second motion should i just withdraw my motion then i didn't hear you again i thought the question was whether there was any ame

That was not the question. No, I asked the clerk to present the amendments to tonight's agenda. Then I asked if there was a motion after they were presented, if there was a motion to accept the agenda as amended. There was a motion and a second. Then Councilwoman Auerbach made a motion to continue, and that was seconded by Councilmember Gibson. So now I have two motions.

Okay. So the first motion on the table was to accept the agenda as amended. As the present... Okay, let me be clear. After the clerk presented the amendment to tonight's agenda and then asked for a motion to accept... that agenda as amended. I got a first and a second. And if I hear you correctly, City Attorney Drury, we need to dispose of the first, correct? Yes, ma'am. Okay. Let's call the question on the first.

Okay. I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED ON THIS AND I THINK SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES ARE TOO. MY VOTE IS NO.

I STILL THINK SOME PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.

Each session prior to proceeding with the items on the agenda, we asked the clerk to present the amendments to tonight's agenda. Then based on that, I called for a motion to accept the agenda as amended. That's where I received a first and a motion and a second. And then what came after that was another motion to amend with a second. And so then that put two motions on the table, the first that was made and then the second. And I've consulted with the city attorney who said I needed to deal with the first motion on the table, and that was to accept the agenda as amended, which we just did. My

Okay. Each council session, the clerk presents the amendments to the evening's agenda. Then after that, I asked for a motion to accept that amended agenda. Then I asked for a motion and a second, which we got. Then I got another motion come forward with a second to amend. So I've consulted the city attorney who said the first motion on the table has to be addressed. And that was the one to accept the amended agenda.

RIGHT. THE AMENDED AGENDA, THEY ARE ON FOR THIS EVENING ON THE AMENDED AGENDA. THOSE ITEMS ARE ALL ON FOR DISCUSSION.

That would take them off the table if we went to that motion. That would take them off of the agenda. Right, that's correct. They would get continued. But we have disposed of the first motion, which would then allow the opportunity for a public hearing on those papers this evening.

So you do not want a public hearing on these papers this evening?

Okay, and so what is the number? I'm sorry? I was just trying to get the number of members who had said yes.

And before we do that, I'd like to have some idea when you say continue until when.

Thank you, Councilman Brighton. Councilwoman Albuquerque.

Thank you, Madam President, and I want to extend my thanks to Councilmember Abu Bakr for working on these amendments. Ultimately, the approach is to establish a contract that has a framework that mirrors what was done in Fairfax, Virginia. Fairfax had a master service agreement that ensured that there is broad indemnity that ensured that there are decommissioning bonds in place so that if the solar panels needed to be taken down that there are funds available to do it, similar to a security deposit. I don't believe that there's anyone in this room that doesn't feel that doesn't support solar.

Ms. Gibson, if you would really address the item before us at this moment.

I hope you support it as well, President Newbell. So to that end, when it comes to making decisions that span beyond our terms and some of our lifetimes, the notion that we would get a paper seven days ahead of the vote, I don't believe that serves the best interest of residents, period. As part of our process as a democratic board, there's a timeline in place that allows standard amendments as part of our governance process. That's the way that it works. And so when a paper is introduced that doesn't allow that, we should ask ourselves why. Prior to my being on the body, the council adopted a

I appreciate this conversation. It's a conversation that would be best held when we address the paper on the agenda. And I think it's just galling that we have individuals who are pushing this off the agenda when we have people in chambers to speak to it. Our norm has always been, please, you know, let's remain decorum. I can think of so many instances where we have had things that folks knew they were going to continue, but they still allowed public comment. So I urge the body, if you want to have questions, this is the forum for administration to respond. And I was in the GovOps meeting. The

Vice President Jordan, let me say we are going to have public comment on these papers this evening. Folks have come down for that purpose. So we are going to do that, even if the paper is continued. So I just want to assure everyone who made it here that that will be the case and certainly yourself. I'm just trying to get to closure in terms of and there's some clarification that will be needed and I will look to the administration subsequently. I am going to go on and proceed with the public hearing. We'll bring it back to the body for discussion, as we do at the conclusion of public hearing,

Okay. I would ask for a point of clarification in terms of the motion relative to the date to if it is going to be continued, that it would be continued in a way that we could still meet the deadline and allow us to have this opportunity relative to solar in our city. I'm sorry, Councilwoman, would you repeat?

Thank you. Madam City Attorney, I believe I'm at the point of having to call the question. Again, I am not clear on And as long as we still have room once the administration talks to us after the public hearing has been conducted, that we can talk about any kind of date or timeline that would allow us to still accomplish the goal.

Okay. Madam Clerk. Clearly doing reverse order here.

So that's even if I've asked for that clarification Councilman Breton in terms of the date was willing to go forward with the public hearing but when it came back to council for discussion that clarification about the date to which it would be continued and we would need feedback from the administration to ascertain when that would be. But I'm fine with if you want to proceed with

Vice President Jordan, and then I'm going to ask the administration for some assist here in terms of a date so we can try to get this right.

The motion on the table is from Ms. Abu Bakr to remove this agenda item, the solar items from tonight, pending amendments that she has described as friendly, which are not the same as the amendments that the solar company put forward and offered as friendly amendments. We can't have that discussion if it falls off the agenda. So the item before us right now that we're supposed to be voting on is, do we want to change the agenda to remove these items and forward them to a future date? So a vote no, if I'm correct, keeps the agenda as is. where it will be on the agenda and we can discuss it. We

Thank you, Vice President. Again, the public hearing, as well as the feedback from the administration, for me, was all pertinent and would not preclude us going forward. But Madam City Attorney.

Thank you. And so at this point, I would like to make sure we're clear in terms of the vote on the floor. The question is going to be called, but I want to be clear. that we still are wanting and needing clarification, public hearing, dates, and we need to hear from the administration. And so having that opportunity with a vote that would allow us to do that would be critically important. Madam Clerk, let's proceed.

Excuse me. Madam President, he just said that he's voting no so that we can discuss it. Well, you already said that you're going to give the citizens an opportunity to speak tonight.

But it is in addition to— We're not on that part yet. Is that— There will be a public hearing either way, but also we'll need to hear from the administration in decision— whether or not this is something that can be continued and still be accomplished for our city. Madam Clerk.

To be clear, if we do not have this on the agenda tonight, we will miss the deadline, and this will be a ruse of a conversation. But...

Okay, let's press pause here. Let's just press pause here. I want to make sure we're making an informed decision. Decision in terms of this vote, I'm going to ask the administration to whomever is going to be about the deadline and if this is moved in any manner.

Just clarification in terms of the date by which we need to have finalized the agreement.

in two days. Any other questions, members? Yes. Council Member Alba Barker.

Thank you, Mr. Donald. Councilman Breton.

Ms. Thomas, don't sit yet. Councilwoman Gibson.

Thank you, Madam President. I just want to highlight how highly unusual this is. Oh, absolutely. We have a motion and we have a second and we're now in discussion. We actually started to vote. And there was a majority of council members on this body who agreed to amend this agenda by voting against keeping the agenda as is. And so we started that vote, and now we are being interrupted time and time again from moving forward with this vote. We have all agreed that there will be public comment. I'm thankful for that. So that is not the question. The question is whether we can allow an opportunit

I appreciate the comment. I wanted to make sure we had clarification sufficient to make an informed vote. That's why I stopped it, so that we could get some sense of the implications of a continuing this without having a date to which we would continue, without having specificity in terms of the implications of continuing it. Those kinds of things work and are critical from our perspective. Council Member Ababaker.

I appreciate the recension and Madam City Attorney does that take us off the table? Okay, I still want to be absolutely clear even with first thank you because the concern for me is not having the specificity in terms of date and the implications of continuing for us being able to take advantage of this opportunity. That was the major thing from my perspective.

With that, Madam Clerk, I think we are proceeding.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. At this point, I'm wanting to go on and reverse the order.

Madam Clark, after slight deliberation here, I'm willing to go with the consent agenda first, and then the next item we will take up will be this item, okay?

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. We'll now proceed with a public hearing on the consent agenda. I would like to ask those desirous of speaking in opposition to any item on the consent agenda if you would come forward.

thank you that's your time thank you thank you next speaker seeing no others desires of speaking opposition are there folks present desires of speaking in favor of any item on the consent agenda if you would come forward

Thank you. Thank you. And before the next speaker, are there other persons' present desires of speaking in support? If you would line up, please. Okay, thank you.

Okay. I've asked if there were others' desires of speaking in favor. I see you coming forward, but I am asking if there are any other persons that you come now, otherwise this will be the last speaker to speak in favor of any item on the consent agenda. Okay, thank you.

Thank you. The public hearing on the consent agenda is now closed. Bring it back to council for any discussion. Councilwoman Jones.

Councilwoman Gibson. Thank you, Madam Chair, Madam President. I too want to thank, sorry, sometimes the school board comes back to haunt me. I wanted to also thank my former colleague on the school board and colleague here, Ms. Jones, for her leadership on the trust policy paper and I appreciate everyone coming out. I know coming to City Hall is not easy. And I also wanted to formally request that the administration come and present the trust policy as they are drafting it to the body in our organizational development meeting so that there is ongoing visibility to how this piece of important l

THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I TOO, I'M NOT GOING TO ADD TO THE WONDERFUL COMMENTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE AND THANK EVERYONE FOR COMING DOWN TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF RESOLUTION NUMBER 34 ON OUR DOCKET. THIS IS A RESOLUTION THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE DONE. RIGHTS THAT THIS RESOLUTION ADDRESS should be something that no one would have to challenge our local governments to put in place. So I'm grateful, Councilwoman Jones, for taking the leadership on this. And I am grateful for all the persons who came down to speak in support of this. I'm more than honored to be a co-patient on this paper. And Ma

Thank you, Councilmember Robertson. Councilwoman Trammell.

President, I would like to thank my colleague for her hard work because she and I know that We've been working together with different things because our district combines together. And I'd like to add my name to the paper, too. And I'd like to thank all of you. We've been working together, I know, for at least 10 years with some of the ones that have spoke tonight. So thank you.

Thank you. I'm just adding my thanks to those who came out and who have been pushing on this issue for a while. New Virginia majority advocates who have invited us out to town halls, who've come to council, the residents, our neighbors who have shared their stories. Thank you for continuing to show up and work with Council and Councilmember Jones on this. We had a good conversation on it at GovOps. I'm proud to be a co-patron of that and proud to be in a city that uplifts all of our neighbors. I was in a discussion with a business constituent who was feeling worried about the direction of thin

Thank you, Vice President Jordan. Councilwoman Gibson?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I apologize. There was another paper that I mentioned in informal that I wanted to speak of, and that is also on our consent agenda. It is the item regarding the data sharing with Ernst & Young as part of the AI project proposal. Look, this just... Given all the discussion that we're having as a country right now about access to data, I want to express concern with an arrangement in which we provide the private company access to data in exchange for a project that they valued at over $200,000. It's unclear to me why they would want to give away $200,000 worth of work. i

Thank you, Councilwoman Gibson. I would like to thank everyone who came to speak to certainly all of the papers on the consent agenda, but also especially the item number 34. And in that regard, I'd like to thank my council colleague, Ms. Jones, for listening to the community's concerns and translating that into legislation that hopefully will mitigate the impact and fears that so many are experiencing throughout our city and communities. I've already joined on as a co-patron of that paper and look forward to its implementation. Thank you. With that, Madam Clerk, if you would please call the q

So I'm voting yes to the consent agenda, but opposed to item 13, 2026-195.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. We will now proceed to the regular agenda item that includes items 44 through 82.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Are there persons with the administration's desires of speaking at this point relative to the paper, the 39 papers, any person from the administration? Seeing none at this time, we'll proceed with a public hearing on those papers, items 44 through 82. Those persons present desires of speaking in opposition to those papers. If you would come forward and if you would line up in the aisle there. Desires of speaking in opposition. Seeing none, I will then invite those desirous of speaking in favor of those papers if you would begin to line up and come forward.

I am going to, ma'am, I need you to speak to these papers, item 44 through 82.

You should be asking about the insurance and the termination fees and what happens if something goes wrong.

Thank you. All persons' desires are speaking in favor of the papers. If you would line up, please. So the young lady in the back, is that? OK, thank you.

Excuse me. Yes, ma'am. I really do need you to speak to the paper, not any comment that would suggest that we had some challenges at other meetings. No problem. From your perspective, at least.

Thank you. Thank you everyone who have come and stayed and provided your comments on these papers. At this time, the public hearing is closed. Bring it back to the body for discussion. Councilwoman Oppenbacher.

Thank you. Any other advice? Oh, okay. Councilwoman Lynch?

THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I FIND IT EXTREMELY TROUBLESOME TO BE IN A POSITION WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW. Let me just say up front, solar energy is something that I think is very important to the city, and we should definitely find a way to make sure that we are taking full advantage of opportunities to provide solar energy in the city for a multitude of reasons. However, I am looking at... So, you know, it's very important that I'm very clear on that. And I was asked to be a patron on this paper, and to be honest with you, the first thing I said is, I'm fully supportive of SOLA, you know? And I am. W

Let's not pass the opportunity to do what our risk management advisors are telling us straight up. that this would be a mistake. Thank you. Madam Chair, I apologize if you think that I went over. But this is a poor enough deal, and I'm sorry, unless you cut my mic off, I'm not going to stop speaking. I did not cut your mic off, ma'am. I appreciate the time. Thank you.

No, I did not. Thank you. Ms. Thomas or Ms. Oleski, any further information, comment? I see Mr. Donald walking down as well to address some of the concerns that have been articulated.

Thank you, Ms. Robertson. Ms. Thomas, if you'd go further, and then we'll come back.

So Mr. Donnell, the concessions that were delineated, I want to be clear. You've had conversation with the entity. They've responded, and those have been codified. They're in writing their response favorably to those items.

Okay. And so I want to be clear that when you say come back and have a conversation, if I heard correctly... Within two days, we need to take action, which would require our voting this evening.

OKAY. JUST MAKING NOTES HERE. YES, MA'AM. DON'T LEAVE. I'M SORRY.

Thank you. And I just want to really appreciate you guys continuing to interact with the questions we've had throughout this time that our city has been working on this process, going all the way back to when we were first briefed, what, in June, July?

I've never not had a prompt response to a question. Someone brought up Fairfax, so I asked, why aren't we using Fairfax? Okay, I got a response. It's not renewable. The rates are higher. It doesn't provide property insurance. Why would we choose that? Time and again, I really appreciate how you guys, when you are asked a question, have provided a response. In the document with the risk assessment as an attachment, I'm just going to read out the conclusion part. While no transaction is completely risk-free, the benefits of the proposed transaction are significant and include the known risk of t

Thank you. Thank you. Council Member Trammell.

Thank you, Madam President. I want to say that, you know, we're all non-council members, and I know that Cynthia and Ellen and I, we three are the longest council members here. I can remember all of us in this chamber screaming and talking about I think it was the Crestar deal. They threatened to move out of Richmond. They were going to go to Henrico if we didn't give them $25 million in incentives. That's what they wanted. We were being threatened that, hey, you've got to do this right now. We need it today, today, not tomorrow, not next month, right now. There was a lot of misinformation tha

Thank you. I don't want to be redundant. I want to really go to what I think is the core of the matter here. There have been concessions. They've been codified. I'd like to go on and move that we approve these papers and that we schedule a special meeting to come back to discuss the amendments that you have gotten through the discussion with the vendor and codified so that we approve, so that we do not at all hold up our progress or opportunity, but at the same time, we are clear because I think the questions have been valid. Our city attorney and our council colleagues, I've I was talking on

Aye. No, I would like to have a discussion for the item.

That is fine. The motions on the table to, I just want to be clear, to approve these items this evening so we can take advantage of the opportunity here, but to then also call a special meeting. to address the amendments that the administration has indicated have been responded to and codified, and then we'd have the opportunity to also ratify those. So, yes. Councilmember Gibson? Thank you. So discussion is where we're... on the motion.

Thank you, Madam President. My suggestion is that the body go into closed session so we can have a discussion with our legal counsel about the motion on the table and what our ability is to vote on this and then see amendments made after the fact. I appreciated the comments that we've heard and echo much of the sentiment from my colleague Councilmember Robinson. I too have spoken to our legal counsel who has clearly expressed significant risk with the deal and it's unfortunate we're not supposed to talk about what our legal counsel says, but at the same time, we're in a position where we're tr

Thank you. My motion takes seriously the concerns that have been raised by members. And had it not been shared that there were conversations with the entity such that concessions were made and there is codification of those concessions, that we would then also have opportunity to, in special meeting, go forward and understand, I would not be making the motion. but that is what I heard, the concerns, they're real, and that we've addressed those with the vendor, not necessarily 100%, but major ones of those. Is that correct, Mr. O'Donnell? Okay. Any other comment before, because we've now, there

Thank you, Mr. Donald. You may want to stand there for a moment. We have a motion, a second. We're in discussion. Any further discussion? Councilman, well, okay, I have a line up here on this screen. So, Councilman Breton?

The motion was to approve the papers on items 44 through 82. And then we went into discussion. And again, I'll be redundant. The only reason I've pushed to go on and approve the papers is because the concerns that were articulated, as I understood, were discussed with the entity, then codified, and we have the opportunity in special meeting to review those, not to 100%, but the majority of those items. MR. DONNELL, YOU MOVED OVER, SO I'M NOT ABLE TO LOOK DIRECTLY AT YOU. BUT THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING.

OKAY. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? BECAUSE OTHERWISE, I'M READY TO CALL THE QUESTION. YES. I'M SORRY.

WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE COME DOWN TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THIS, AND THAT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE CITY OF RICHMOND THAT WANTS TO SEE US EXERCISE SOLAR ENERGY IN THE CITY IN THE MAXIMUM CAPACITY. WE SHOULD DO THAT. WE SHOULD DO THAT. WHEN WE HAVE A REPORT, I APPRECIATE MR. You know that I call you and I ask you tough questions, and I have all the confidence in when you tell me something that I can trust it.

Other experts in the city of Richmond, when I call you and ask you questions, I trust your leadership as well. We have a major report in front of us from our risk management that's telling us to take certain actions we have not taken. We do not have our risk management standing before us to retract what is in this report. I firmly believe A closed session can resolve this issue and we will be a unified city, both city council and the administration, and provide the citizens with solar energy. That's all they want. They want us to put together a great, they don't want to mess up with the contra

Thank you. Council Member Albuquerque, did you have? Okay. Mr. Donald, did you have something else?

Thank you. Madam Chair, I'd like to make a motion to go into closed session.

It was voting to approve. to adopt them, and that motion did not carry.

Madam President. That is not my understanding.

Madam President. We can do that once that happens, Ms. Robertson.

I'm not understanding what you said. City Attorney Drury, some guides here.

To what end? There would be no I think that I am looking at what's been shared with us in terms of a date that we need to be compliant with and so I would ask that someone would bring the papers back up so that we can go into a closed session because it failed initially but if somebody on the prevailing side.

You should finish the motion on the table.

Madam President, if I may. Ms. City Attorney, I want to hear from the City Attorney.

And so you're saying that motion cannot be revisited at this meeting such that it goes back, those papers go back?

Madam President, I'd like to make a call of order to finish the motion on the table.

I'd like to get clarification first from the city attorney. Ms. Drury?

What is the question on the table? Madam President, my motion was that the body go into closed.

Yes. We have discussion. Yes. I think the question has been raised. We cannot go, we have to have a topic to go into closed session on, and if these papers have been voted down, that's not, what is the business we're discussing? So is it the

And Council Member Lynch, you're directing that question to

City attorney, jury, any response at this point relative to that inquiry?

Response there. Okay, at this point, I'd like to have a 10 minute recess and then reconvene. Thank you. Okay, members, if you would come back onto the dais so we can reconvene. Members, if you will return to the dais, the recess is concluded, we will now reconvene our meeting. Okay, I understand that there may be a desire to move to reconsider

Madam President, yes. I just want to share, I convened with our legal counsel who advised, and I mean, I don't need to speak for her, but that because the contract had already been signed, FOIA laws allow us to go into closed session for certain reasons, and we could go into closed session if there was a pending contract. But because the contract was signed in what, July, whenever the contact was signed, we're not able to go into close to discuss it, right? So I want to express I would fully support a revised approach that included our legal vetted and endorsed contract language as part of thi

Thank you. I hear you. I would like to proceed slightly differently. I'd like to ask for a motion to reconsider, which brings the papers back onto the table. I understand we can't do a closed session, but we could have a discussion right here and review what were the concerns that have been addressed and codified by the entity. and get it resolved.

Yes, Ms. Oleski, it looks like you're trying to come forward.

Okay, so... Trying to get to the place that's workable if we bring the papers back on Okay, and then to your point I'm trying to get to a place as Gibson that allows us to still to bring the papers back on But still get to a place that we're compliant with that time frame if that is that that can be a meeting Tomorrow when I don't know the answer then That would be a possibility.

I guess I'm trying to get clarification. If we don't have the papers back on, we're going into close to do what? Because we would not be able to take advantage of the timeline. So I'm trying to, if we put the papers back on, press pause with that for a moment and either have a fuller discussion. Yes. Well, I believe we are...

I suspect that's true, but we still don't have the papers on the agenda in a timely manner such that those discussions can then dovetail. So I'm just trying to make, if we can get the papers back onto the tape, then we can proceed, I'm assuming, Madam City Attorney, to go into close to discuss the individual items that Mr. Breton's raised, the 39 items.

I'm clear about that, and I am asking that we consider bringing the papers back on, which then has these items attached to them, because then there's no point. We wouldn't be able to get the papers back in front of us in a timely manner with these items attached to even take advantage of the resource. That's all I'm saying. So I'd like to ask that we at least consider bringing them back on, and then we can, whatever we're needing to do, if there's enough, do we have a window that we could then, I'm looking at you, I'm sorry, that we could then, even if there's a meeting on Wednesday, of the it

Okay, so let me make sure I'm hearing you correctly. If the papers are on for this evening and get reviewed and... approved, that is what you would need to be able to go forward tomorrow.

And so then the leases would then have the codified concessions attached that have been raised to address the risk

Okay. So again, if we are able to proceed with the agreements this evening, we still would have to have leases that are signed no matter what that still need to come back to the body?

Okay. Since they're here and you're here and the city, could you all talk? Let's press pause here and go to the rest of the agenda, and I'll come back.

That's correct. And I'm asking for a vote, a motion from someone on the prevailing side to bring them back. So that at least would put them on the table, which allows us to look at the agreements and then still come back for the leases that would have these concessions that have been raised and the risks that have been raised, but as I understand it, that have been mitigated and codified. You're saying they have not been.

You're not willing to do it, is what you're saying. I've not heard that from everyone. And it's, again, I'm just asking we put them back on the table. So city attorney, you were saying something. I'm sorry.

No, there's still discussion going on. That's why I was trying to clarify what it was by when, because we're talking about pushing out another date, bring them back, trying to find that opportunity to get to the when in this that we're all looking for. Okay, and I have a motion to rescind and bring this back so that we can address the agreements, dispose of those, but then have a special meeting to deal with the leases and the special and the conditions that we have raised to mitigate the risk as we understand them have been codified, the responses.

OK. We have voted on this. And what I'm hearing is that the administration have the authority to proceed with the contract that they negotiated with Out. Counsel's action to approve the lease. The attorney's saying no. That's not true. That's not my understanding. Go on. I want some answers, please.

OK. So the recommendation at the present time is can we recall the paper that we just voted on tonight?

Yes. The answer is yes. That's correct. And then we can have and schedule the meeting that would allow us to answer the questions and the concerns relative to risks that have been raised. before the leases are finalized.

Sitting up here for about 26 years, I have never, ever seen nothing like this. Never. I am getting, I'm not going to go there, but anyway, this does not look good at all. This looks like we are trying to reverse the votes that five of us just took And it didn't pass. Now it looks like, and they're not calling you out specifically, but it looks like we're trying to do something that's not legal. We have all these reporters here listening to us and others that are listening saying, what are y'all doing? I mean, this doesn't look good. Madam President, I know you and I have not always got along,

And we have in the past. We have in the past with.

Not like this. Not where you got the mayor involved in it.

But we have in the past recalled papers with the prevailing side coming back to ask for a rescinding vote. We have done that in the past. Mayor, I mean.

Oh, no. I know you're not the mayor. He's probably listening. But anyway, he's listening. He's not in here. He should be in here. Well, let me just say this. This does not look good. It does not look good. I don't ever remember going back and forth. Here it is, 1030. We've been talking about this paper since, what, 7? And now we voted it down. That's correct. We have. So now we're trying to... We were going to go in closed session, which I knew that couldn't... I mean, I'm not... I knew that couldn't work. Now we have a city attorney that... that is telling us that, hey, It's over. We voted it

I understand the city attorney has indicated that the papers can be called back by an individual from the prevailing side who would vote to bring it back, and then we'd have to take a vote.

Well, why would you do that when we already voted no?

I understand that we have done that. Why do you want to do that again? papers back on such that the agreement can go forward.

All I can say, it looks like corruption is right here in this council chambers.

I will say that right now openly. I really feel that tonight. I feel it tonight. Okay. And I appreciate your feedback. Yes, I just don't see that or agree with that. Okay. I understand. Thank you. If there is no... Say again? Oh, Councilwoman Gibson.

Thank you, Madam President. If it's possible, I'd like to move to adjourn and to hold a special meeting on Wednesday if the administration and the vendor is amenable to the contract amendments that have been proposed by Councilmember Abu Bakr. On Wednesday, if there is support for the amended contracts, I would be more than happy to make the motion to rescind the offer, but I don't know that we're going to get anything else accomplished this evening. It's unfortunate that we're here. Both Council Member Albuquerque and myself expressed strong concern about the deal in GovOps. She went on to su

Okay, so we have more of an agenda to address this evening. Yes, so we cannot adjourn, though I hear you in terms of this matter, and so... What was that? No, okay, so I hear you in terms of this matter.

If that is the last item on the agenda, yes. I believe it is. Madam Clerk, so we're pressing pause on the papers to do with the items 44 through 82 at this point, and then I'll come back. So there's a motion to continue, and that paper is... Is there a second to do that? It's the metal.

Are we going with my motion to continue this? That's correct, to continue that one item. And I'm not sure what date is that, Councilwoman Lynch.

In terms of which date you want to continue your paper?

Okay. Let's call the vote. Madam Clerk, call the question.

Let's go on to the next items. The other papers on the agenda other than items 44 through 82.

So can we continue the other items on the agenda? That was the motion that I put on the table. Okay, we just dealt with that single one, so that's fine. My intention was to continue the remaining items on this evening's agenda, adjourn this meeting this evening, and then have a special meeting on Wednesday should there be support for the proposed amendments on behalf of the company and the administration.

The patron of the paper asked for it to be continued, so that's why I dealt with it. Now, if members want to address the other papers for continued, there's a motion. If there's a second.

Second. Point of order. Don't we have to have the papers back on as active items before we can consider a special meeting to discuss them further?

That's after. I'm going to dispose of these two remaining papers, I believe it is. Is it two? Two remaining papers, and then I'll go back to bringing it. Yes.

There's a motion. There's a motion, and it's been seconded. Can I second call the question?

No, because to me that sounded like the motion was not to put the papers back on so that we could have a special meeting.

We are not adjourning. Let's be clear. We're voting on the papers at this point. I've not called for the adjournment of the meeting. We're dealing with the other papers.

I understand, but I also want to make the point that what I was proceeding with was the request to continue those papers, not to adjourn at this point. But I hear you if you're saying that was included as a part of the motion. That is correct.