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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, March 30, 2009 Page 13 Gated that the Comprehensive Plan had received an initial analysis by the Metropoli- tan Council, with several insignificant items missing and being provided for their analysis in the next few weeks, with anticipated wrap up by the end of spring. Ms. Radel noted that adoption would initiate the nine-month clock, as mandated by State Statute, for bringing the City's official controls (i.e., zoning code and Master Plans) into compliance with the updated Comprehensive Plan. Ms. Radel noted that that the City's zoning code, initially adopted in 1959, had been altered and amended many times over the last fifty years, and was no longer efficient, making it difficult for staff, decision-makers, property owners, and developers to ade- quately interpret it. Ms. Radel advised that staff was seeking authorization tonight to seek qualifications from consultants to assist with the preparation of revisions to the City's Zoning Code. Ms. Radel noted inclusion in the report of a draft Request for Qualifications (RFQ); and allowance for atwo-step process; role of Planning and City Council throughout the process in segmenting the review into more manageable sec- tions; and the formal Public Hearing process at the Planning Commission and City Council levels. Discussion included staff's recommendation to hold off reintegrating Master Plans into the Comprehensive Plan until it was formally adopted, and the need to continue working off the existing Comprehensive Plan until formal adoption, then undertaking amendment to integrate applicable Master Plans as appropriate. Further discussion included public input process as recommended by consultants; po- tential neighborhood meetings to gather public input in a less formal setting prior to Public Hearings; whether a complete rewrite was necessary or whether only those portions inconsistent with the updated Comprehensive Plan were indicated; and dif- ferent land use categories and the need to reshape zoning districts to be consistent with those categories. Councilmember Pust provided her written comments and preliminary recommenda- tions related to the RFQ to Mr. Trudgeon. Klausing moved, Roe seconded, authorizing staff to seek qualifications from consult- ants to assist with the preparation of revisions to the City's Zoning Code. Councilmember Ihlan cautioned about the need for rewriting the zoning code rather than simply making minimal changes to meet legal requirements. Councilmember Ih- lan advised that she was willing to support the RFQ, as long as the action was not au- thorizing hiring anyone or fixing the scope of the proposal; and urged the City Coun- cil to have those discussion before significant consultant funds were expended; and that minimal requirements be addressed until larger policy questions were defined.