Waiving its own rules that call for a two-week-later, second reading of any ordinance before voting yes or no, the City Council agreed on May 18 to spend $200,000 to kick off its Downtown Storefront Improvement project.

But not before one councilmember expressed unease at her peers for once again setting aside their own rules to fast-track legislation.

“I have a hard time — unless we are in an emergency situation — suspending the rules and voting on something and moving it fast forward,” Largo Wales said. “A couple of weeks ago we tried to do that with the Communal Housing (ordinance), and it turned out that we decided not to put it on the fast track, and time worked for us. And we got input from another agency, which was very pleased that we took the time to reflect and take action.”

The vote was 6-0, Wales abstaining.

The façade project is a component of the Mainstreet Conceptual Design Project, and both are related to the larger Community Renewal Plan for Downtown Auburn. The recent action amends the financial component of the CRP to include the Downstore Storefront Improvement Project.

City staff developed the CRP to “provide programs and approaches for addressing conditions of urban blight in downtown Auburn.”

Councilman Bill Peloza asked about one particularly tired area.

“Would the B Street Plaza be under this ‘blight?'” Peloza asked.

“The short answer is yes,” said Community and Public Works Director Kevin Snyder, noting that the CRP covers Main Street, and the B Street Plaza and B Street Plaza parking lot are part of Main Street.

“I hope with some priority,” Peloza said of anticipated action.

“I think I speak at least for staff that we all feel that the B Street Plaza is in need of some serious refreshing, and we are looking at reprogramming of that space,” Snyder said.

The recommendation to waive the second reading came from City staff.

“I am totally, totally in support of this (ordinance),” Wales said, “but I don’t see this as a situation where it’s imperative that we move forward and can’t wait another two weeks. I’m worried about our protocol, and our rules of order and everything else.”

Snyder explained the recommendation.

“You raise a very good point. As staff, we do not like to rush things forward, but we are interested in launching the storefront façade improvement project in the first part of June,” Snyder said. “Finance Director Shelley Coleman and City Attorney Dan Heid recently brought out that we needed to create a stronger relation with our current community renewal plan. That did come later in the process than we had hoped for; nevertheless, it’s an important and valuable thing we need to do.”