PORTLAND — City Council committees and leadership remain largely unchanged as the new council year begins.

Committee appointments and leadership were approved Dec. 3 following the swearing in of Councilors Nick Mavodones, Belinda Ray and Spencer Thibodeau.

Councilors also added Councilor Pious Ali as a fourth member of the Economic Development Committee, making it the only standing committee with more than three members.

The votes to create and appoint members to a new ad hoc Recode Committee to “offer broad policy guidance to the Planning Board” as the city rewrites its zoning code were postponed to the Dec. 17 council meeting.

Ray moved for the postponement.

“It is still unclear to me what the committee would be doing and I would like that defined,” Ray said, while also wondering if a fiscal note on potential cost to the city should be included.

The new committee was proposed by Council Kim Cook, and will meet as needed, according to the council order.

While Cook thought its role was clearly set and a definitive meeting schedule unnecessary because it is not a standing committee, councilors agreed it best to hold off on a vote until lingering questions are addressed.

Mayor Ethan Strimling nominated Cook to lead the committee and to be joined by Councilors Justin Costa and Brian Batson. That vote will also take place Dec. 17.

Standing committees will retain the same leadership in the coming year, with Costa leading Economic Development, Mavodones leading Finance, Ray leading Health & Human Services and Public Safety, Councilor Jill Duson continuing to chair Housing, Ali leading Legislative/Nominating, Strimling leading Rules and Reports, and Thibodeau continuing as chairman of  Sustainability & Transportation.

The process of determining leadership and committee membership proved far smoother than Strimling’s efforts last year, when councilors balked at two of the mayor’s proposed lists and resisted his attempts to lead the Finance Committee.

Committee memberships have changed somewhat, with Thibodeau replacing Ali on Housing, Strimling replacing Cook on Legislative/Nominating, Cook replacing Ray on Rules and Reports, and Duson replacing Batson on Sustainability & Transportation.

The most notable change to council rules of procedure is a new requirement that any item introduced with a fiscal impact of at least $50,000 include an explanatory note.

David Harry can be reached at 780-9092 or dharry@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidHarry8.

Portland City Hall, 389 Congress St.