Version Change (Substitutes and Alternates)

Once a file has been published on an agenda, a new file version is required if any of the following changes:

• Title
• Body text
• Attachment(s)

New file versions are either substitutes or alternates. Substitutes are version changes that are supported by the lead sponsor; substitutes follow normal legislative processes in how they can be introduced. Alternates are for version changes that are not supported by the lead sponsor, and therefore have more limited functionality in how they can be introduced.

See also Substitutes, Alternates, and Amendments within Legislative Process on the City Attorney's website.

Instructions

Follow the steps below to change the file version in Legistar. It is important to complete the steps in order, and all steps must be repeated for every subsequent version change. 

Step 1: Create a pdf of current version

Prior to making any changes to a file, you must create a pdf attachment of the current version to attach to the file.

NOTE: If the current version is unpublished, it is unnecessary to create a new file version as you can simply edit the existing file. However, before you create a new version of any file, you must attach a pdf copy of the existing version; this rule applies regardless of whether or not the previous version was published.

1. Select Reports in the top right corner of the file and select Master.
2. Select Run In the top left corner. Legistar will generate a pdf of the existing version
3. Save the pdf and label the file as the current version (for example, V1 for version 1)
4. Attach the pdf to the file in Legistar

Step 2: Create the new file version

1. On the Text File tab, select New and enter the new version.
2. Edit the title and/or body text of the file, making sure to apply the correct font style to both new text and text to be removed so that the changes between revisions are clear.
   • underline new text
   • strikethrough text to be removed

NOTE: If the change includes editing the title to remove text, additional steps are required for updating the title; refer to Editing out text from the title below.

NOTE: If change is to attachments only, add a note to to this effect at the beginning of the body text, for example "Version 2 includes changes to attachments only". See also Changing attachments below.

Step 3: Determine if substitute or alternate

New versions are either substitutes or alternates, and the lead sponsor's support (or lack thereof) is the deciding factor.

• Substitutes are supported by the lead sponsor
• Alternates are not supported by the lead sponsor

Edit the beginning of the title to include either "substitute" or "alternate" (in all caps).

Step 4: Notify sponsors

Notify any additional sponsors that a new version has been created, to determine if they wish to remain a sponsor of the new version.

Step 5: Route for fiscal note

Send the new version to the budget analyst for fiscal note review.

Important: This step is required for every new version of a file, even if the change does not affect the fiscal impact.

Method of introduction

While substitutes have the most flexibility for when and how they are introduced, alternates are much more restricted in how they can be introduced to the Council.

• Substitutes can be included on a Council agenda, consent agenda, or introduced from the floor
• Alternates can only be introduced from the floor

Note: If a substitute is to be introduced from the floor (i.e., is not included on the agenda), notify the Council Office of the new version. If the Council Office receives the information by Tuesday morning of the Council meeting, the substitute will be included on the consent agenda document. If not, the lead sponsor must introduce the substitute via a motion from the floor during the meeting.

Changing attachments

Anytime an attachment is modified, both versions of the file - existing and new - must be attached in Legistar. Both attachments should have the same file name with different version number.

In some instances, a file version change will consist of a change to the attachment only. Such is the case when the attachment is an item being acted upon (such as the final report accompanying a resolution accepting the final report). The steps for version changes above must still be followed, along with these additional steps:

• include both versions of the attachment to the file, using the same file name with different version numbers, such as V1, V2, etc.
• note in the resolution body text that the new file version is for the changed attachment (for example, “Accepting Final Report version 2”)

Editing out text from the title

Whenever a new version requires edits to the title where text must be removed, a special process must be followed to ensure that the correct title shows up in the new version. Because Legistar is unable to accurately show strikethrough text in the Title field for files, the resulting title shows both the new and the removed text unless the special process below is followed. 

Follow these instructions to add a marked-up copy of the title to the body text, and update the title to the new, complete version. Refer to the image below the instructions for an example.

1. Add the following note at the beginning of the ..Body section:
   EDITOR'S NOTE: The title of this legislative file has been modified as follows:
2. Add Title: to the beginning of next line of the body, and paste the existing title after Title:.
3. Edit the copy of the title within the Body section, making sure to apply the correct font style to both new text and text to be removed so that the changes between revisions are clear.
   • underline new text
   • strikethrough text to be removed
4. Update the original title (under ..Title) so that it shows the complete new version without any edit marks.
5. For ordinances, add a line of asterisks after the marked-up copy of the title within the body and before the drafter's note. (Refer to file 90554 for an example.)

File 92748 in the image below is an example of the updated title and body text after following the above steps.

By title only files

Files that are introduced by title only are incomplete files. Such files do not require a version change to add in the information that is missing from the file. However, once the completed file (i.e., no longer “by title only”) has been published on an agenda, it follows the regular requirements for version changes as described above.