Board of County Commissioners Business Meeting - Regular Meeting

County Commissioner's business meeting for Tuesday, June 9th, 2026. Let us please come to order. And starting us off today for the purposes of an invocation, Reverend Darren Kessler.

Thank you. St. Francis of Assisi prayed, Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. And where there is doubt, faith. Father, we do pray this for this meeting today. We pray for these public officials that they would seek your wisdom in decisions and how they rule and how they manage things in the county, realizing they serve under your authority and we pray for them. We pray for each one who will be speaking from this public that we can unite around Douglas County for the well-being of the people. We pray for those of the least of these here that we would take care of the widows and the orphans as you commanded us to do. We pray and thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen. Thank you once again for your words of grace and peace to begin our meeting today. Very much appreciated, Darren. If everyone will please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

All right, turning to the county attorney for certification of the agenda.

Yes, sir. The county attorney's officer reviewed all items on the agenda. You have appropriate jurisdiction over these matters.

Thank you, counselor. Commissioners, do we have any disclosures or any items on this agenda?

I have none, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

No. Nor do I. Thank you, gentlemen. Going into our first item is ceremonies and proclamations. We have recognition of Dads of Parker and Dads of Castle Rock. And... I am not sure who is presenting this.

Thank you. Who's presenting this?

All right. Okay. Looks like I'm presenting this. And actually I'm really glad I am. It was several years ago that we did consider doing something to honor both of these groups and I'm very glad to have you guys in here to do it today. Every one of us serving on the Board of County Commissioners is a proud father. We know all too well that it helps a family to be successful, to have the strong love and guidance of a dad. It's much the same for a successful community. We need dads to serve as role models, teachers, protectors, and leaders. That's what we're here to recognize and celebrate today. We are honored to be joined today by two powerful groups of men, the Dads of Castle Rock Nonprofit Organization and the Dads of Parker Nonprofit Organization. These are two distinct groups but with similar missions to strengthen our community by strengthening the bonds of fatherhood, brotherhood, and giving back in any way possible. These organizations are a force in Douglas County. They host events, donate to local causes, and support one another and truly are pillars of our community. We are honored to recognize these as we prepare to celebrate Father's Day on June 21st. And because June is Men's Mental Health Month, both of these groups are absolutely improving the lives and well-being of men in our community. Before we hear from our esteemed guests, we'd like to welcome Douglas County Sheriff's Office employee, Alexander Lin, who nominated a member of the Parker Dads for recognition. Alexander, tell us about your nomination, please, sir.

Thank you for commissioners for inviting me to speak about the nominations for these fine groups. Both these groups over the years have become instrumental parts of the community we all reside in. I remember when I moved back to Castle Rock after my time in the military, I remember seeing a group of dads that were called in the middle of the night to help a community member that had a horse that was stuck in the mud during blizzard conditions with the snow continuing to fall. No payment, no trophies, just community members helping community members and only accepting a simple thank you return. I thought to myself, those are the kinds of dads I want to surround myself with. After that, I learned that they do so much more within the local communities and for other dads. Within these groups, the dads have a place where they can ask the hard questions to other dads about navigating life, being the rock to provide stability in hard times, or just being social butterflies of who wants to get together. These dads are there for each other day and night. They serve the community, and it's nothing short of amazing. We've seen fundraisers put on by these groups that have endured family tragedies that go well into the six figures for support. We've seen them put on countless free community events where thousands of people attend with their families Just to name a few, the Trunk or Treats, the Easter Egg events, and adopting families in need for the holidays that can't provide financial means to their families. These dads and these two leaders that stand here today have never thought of what's in it for us. They're available at all hours of the day and are always trying to come up with solutions for the community when it needs assistance. So I felt that they deserve the recognition for their continued efforts to this community as they're a pillar within it.

All right. Thank you, sir. Okay. So I want to hear from John Brusco, please. Please come forward, sir. Give us your name. Tell us where you're from.

Good morning. I guess it's afternoon now, isn't it? Good afternoon. I'm John Brusco. I'm founder and president for Dads at Parker. I'm up in the Parker area, as we are from here. All right, so public speaking is not one of my more exciting efforts, so I do have to keep these things written down, or else I start going down some very strange rabbit holes. As we've talked about, we have a couple great organizations here, both Dads of Castle Rock and Dads of Parker. People often ask me, what is Dads of Parker? And as you'll hear a lot today, these organizations, we're a community of men who believe that being a father, a husband, a mentor, or a neighbor really matters. Dads of Parker started with a simple idea that too many men are trying to do these lifts alone. We're carrying the weight of providing for a family, raising our children, supporting our spouses, building careers, and navigating life's changes or challenges. Some of the important, we don't have to be perfect dads. We don't have to have all the answers. And we don't, And that's what this organization's about. It gives us an ability to reach out, to have those friends, to build those connections, to ask the questions without fearing the ridicule of, well, John doesn't know everything. Your kids look up to you, and you're just supposed to have that ingrained information of you have the answers. It wasn't until I got older that I started realizing, wow, You know, my dad was making it up. With Dads at Parker, you don't even have to be a father in order to be here, right? We're here to make good men better. We do work to make sure that the families are taken care of, our communities are taken care of, and by which we ensure that we make a difference. We're gonna continue to grow and to be the kind of organization that people point to and say, hey, you know what? That's what community should look like. A place where children create lifelong memories, a place where families feel supported, a place where men find purpose, friendship, and opportunities to serve, and a place where Parker becomes stronger because people choose to get involved rather than standing on the sidelines and hoping for things to happen. I appreciate your time today, and I appreciate the recognition.

Thank you very much, John. Very much appreciate all the work you guys do. If you have other members of Dads of Parker present, please invite them up.

Sure. Well, Alex, as you've already heard from, is one of our great members. Dwayne McHodgkins, if you guys want to come on up. This is Dwayne McHodgkins, he's our resident tech guru.

I have nothing to say, just, you know, I've been in this organization for, what, five years now, and it's just great to be a part of something that's making a difference in the community, it really is.

Awesome, awesome. Any members of Dads of Castle Rock who would like to come forward?

I'm gonna go sit down.

All right. Appreciate that. Sir, give us your name, and I guess you can kind of tell us where you're from, even though it's sort of inherent in the name.

Just a touch, yeah. It's Brad Langrock, Dads of Cass Rock. So in lieu of the mental health month, I typed up a little something about Dads of Cass Rock. So good afternoon, and thank you for the opportunity to speak to you guys today. Every day in Cass Rock, a man silently fights a battle you may never see. And far too often, he loses. My name is Brad Langerich. I'm the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Dads of Casserole Community Outreach. Today I have the privilege of sharing the stories of a grassroots organization that is quietly saving lives right here in our community. Rather than tell you about the things our organization does publicly, I want to give you a glimpse into what happens behind the scenes. We don't chase headlines. We don't seek recognitions. Instead, we show up. We show up at hospital beds, on suicide response calls with local law enforcement, in the middle of snowstorms, at funerals, and during life celebrations. We are a brotherhood committed to the well-being of men, and as a result, the well-being of families, children, and our entire community. Here in Cass Rock, too many men are struggling in silence. Suicide remains the leading cause of death among men in Colorado, and in Douglas County, more than 80% of suicide deaths are men. When a man is in crisis, has no one to turn to, the impact expands far beyond him. The well-being of a father affects the entire household. Children with involved fathers are more likely to graduate, less likely to struggle with substance abuse, and less likely to become involved in the criminal justice system. This isn't simply a dad issue, it's a family issue, a community issue. an issue that affects every mother, wife, son, daughter, friend, and neighbor in this room. DAS at Cass Rock exists to strengthen and support men in our community through connection, purpose, and action. Our mission is simple, to serve and support men in Cass Rock area by building community, providing purpose, and responding when tragedy strikes. We serve all men regardless of background, belief, and circumstances. Over the years, we've helped launch and support numerous groups, including sober dads, divorced dads, business leadership groups, dads with special needs kids, men of faith, first responders, and rescue volunteers. Dads of Cass Rock is not a social club. It's a lifeline. Today, my goal isn't simply to brag about all the amazing things our organization does. It was to ask you to truly see the men in our community, the men carrying silent burdens, the men trying to stay strong for everybody else, the men who don't always have space, support, or permission to fall apart and heal. These men are our husbands, brothers, fathers, sons, coworkers, and neighbors. They are the men our boys are becoming. They need community, they need purpose, and they need support, and that's exactly what Dads at Castle Rock provides. Castle Rock is more than an organization, it's a movement, one that is quietly changing lives, strengthening families, and supporting the very foundation of our community. We thank you for your time, you guys' continued support and commitment to Castle Rock and Douglas County. Thank you. And then with me today is Curtis Anderson. He and I both been serving with Dads that Cast Rock Sun Formation in 2019. And Brett Miller, one of our executors.

Gentlemen, we'd love to hear from you.

We're here to help anybody who needs it. Any struggling dads,

with whatever it is, get in touch with us, we'll help.

That's it.

All right, thank you very much, gentlemen. Appreciate it. Don't go very far, because we'll have something for you here in a minute. But board, how would we like to respond to this request for recognition for these fine organizations?

Mr. Chair, if I may, I want to really recognize the incredible effort of dads of Castrock and dads of Parker. I think to your point, all three of us are dads. I've got three kids. My oldest is already a junior in college. I cannot believe it. But I also have an 18-year-old and an eight-year-old. And there is no more important thing I will ever accomplish in my life than being a father to those three kids. And I know the dads know that and how important that is. In my time here, we've done a lot of work with the mental health initiative, substance use disorder, healthy families, and the statistic that is always so stark to me is that the number one population for suicidal ideation and actually taking that next step is suburban white males between the ages of 45 and 64. It's unbelievable and most people aren't aware of that, but we see that, right? We know demographically in Douglas County, Healthy wealthy and wise with the most prosperous in the state You know and you have a really high degree of education many of these dads are closing their garage doors when they come home and You know, they have no connection to anybody else. They're keeping up with the Joneses trying to pay their mortgages Trying to survive get their kids through school It's brutal and I think as men were told to internalize and keep that in check and you stay strong and do what's right and take care of your family and And you do, the dads in Douglas County do take care of their families and make such a massive difference. But we often say who's caring for the caretakers, right? You have to care for the caretakers and the dads are that. I'm really pleased to be serving with a member of our military here. I was in a military fraternity in college And those 120 guys, I mean, it's ride or die. It was social on some level, and I think there's a lot of value in that. But it is now, you know, 30 years later, we've had people that have died and committed suicide and struggled with substance use disorder. And having one another to lean on in those really dark times is crucial. It's important. It's important for me as a commissioner, it's important for me just as a human man on this planet. And when you say that your organization is here for those who are struggling, I think my comment is everybody's struggling. Everybody is fighting a tough battle. And so being there for one another is huge. I love the Oscar Wilde quote that most men are living lives of quiet desperation, right? And finding purpose and meaning in your life can make such a difference. And what I've experienced from both groups is you support each other, but you also support the county. You support the community. You raise money. and you make a difference while also connecting with one another. So huge congratulations and thanks for the work that you do.

All right. Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And let me echo those same sentiments. Thank you so much for coming here today. Thanks for allowing us to recognize you. But a much bigger thanks for what you do in our community. It is really a truly new model of kind of community impact of A fellowship in kind of not your traditional civic club that I've seen before is Dads of Parker and Dads of Castor Rock. It seems like it kind of, there were some visionary dads that saw a need and led with it and are now finding a lot more other dads that need that fellowship and need that ability of somewhere to go and friends to talk to and not just that but providing tremendous community service outwardly. which is so important. I remember even the tornado that hit Heinz Ranch, it became really a function of the dads on the street to kind of step up and kind of take a leadership role. And that's what the dads of Parker, dads of Castle Rock are doing every day. So when something comes up, it's not a call center in New Jersey or another country or far away. It's the dad that is your neighbor that can then rally the troops of all the other dads. and come to the rescue of whatever the situation is, financial health, depression, whatever it is that falls upon families on a daily basis. And really, I think it is important, the strong family foundation. We wouldn't have the great county we did without our great families. It leads to lower crime, tremendous county benefits, benefits for all, especially the kids and the wives and the dads, so... I guess my greatest sense of gratitude is the sense of, and the encouragement for dads to show up. I think it's, there's something, I don't know if it's generational or what, but we dads, it's probably, frankly, just that we're pulled in 15 different directions every day. and there's always something to do and there's always a to-do list that we are behind on, it feels like. So the sense of showing up and providing that outreach, providing those services to neighbors is tremendously important. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you do. Keep it up and just keep growing. It's important.

Thank you, Commissioner. In my personal life, I've had the honor to be a part of a lot of really neat things. And what always surprises me is how many of those number of things turned out to actually start as jokes. And that's actually how I enlisted in the Army. It started as a joke. Ironically, my marriage started off as a joke, and then it stopped being a joke yesterday, I think. I think my marriage stopped being a joke yesterday. And I really do believe I was there the evening sitting in front of my laptop on Facebook when I saw Dad's Casserole start. And you know this, Brad, because I remember you were there as a joke. It was a joke. And it stayed a joke. And it was all just a running dad gags on Facebook for like months. And then once again, Brad, I think you're one of the guilty parties that said, hey, we're all talking to each other. We're all together. We all want to do things. And it stopped being a joke. And it started becoming something real. And it started becoming something real in our community that many people have had the opportunity to rely on. And so, again, really glad to see you guys here. Really glad I got stuck with the job of introducing this one. Because I'm really glad that we have Dad's Cass Rock and Dad's a Parker. And I don't think I'm the only one who's really glad about that. I think there's a lot of us. And not all of us are dads. Well, in order to properly recognize you gentlemen, we need every one of you who came up, and maybe more, to speak just a second of a go. You gotta come on forward, because we have a couple things for you. Yeah, we'll prompt it once we snap this.

Thank you. Come on up here, guys. Come on over here, come on over here, guys. Some of you over here, some of you over here. If everyone could please join us in a round of applause. Thanks fellas, very much appreciated.

You know, there was a lot of talk about that a couple of years ago and then it just kind of fell by the wayside. So that'd be awesome. It's leadership. All right, next on our agenda for today is the consent agenda. Consent agenda is items that are taken under one vote. If any member of the board would like to remove an item from the consent agenda for additional discussion, presentation, and public comment, that will be entertained by the board chair. Is there a motion pertaining to the consent agenda?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move to approve the request on items A through N of the consent agenda. And I'll second that motion.

All right. There is a motion and a second for all items on the consent agenda. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye. Consent agenda is adopted and passed. Turning to our regular agenda. We have adoption of ordinance number, O as in Oscar, 026. And ordinance for the regulation of low-powered scooters and off-road vehicles in Douglas County, repealing all ordinances and resolutions in conflict therewith and providing penalties for violation thereof. First reading, presented by Commander Alan Stanton, Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Commander.

Commissioners, thank you for having us today. First of all, giving us the opportunity to talk about a public safety concern that the Sheriff's Office has. Our goal today through this ordinance is to make sure that our roadways in Douglas County, and that has to do with those that travel, those that walk on sidewalks, that go through our community, that we make it a little bit safer. Unfortunately, we've had a growth or an increase in certain types of vehicles that are on our roadways. And right now, the state law under the 42 code that usually deals with that, it really has not kept up to standard with these new vehicles, and when I say these new vehicles, we're talking about off-highway vehicles and low-powered or low-speed scooters. First, I'd like to go ahead and have our division chief for Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Chief Joe White, say a few words.

Hi, good afternoon. Appreciate you gentlemen having us come up. For about the past six months, everywhere we go, everywhere we speak in Douglas County, this is the number one concern is our off-highway vehicles. Vehicles go on our major thoroughfares, Highland Trench Parkway, Santa Fe or Highway 85, University, all the way into Lincoln. On all of our paths and all of our open spaces, they travel upwards around 40, 50 miles an hour. And there's little regard for our pedestrian traffic to include our regular traffic. What we really set out to do was not only get this under control but protect the youth that are operating them. The last thing we want to see is somebody get hurt. We watch the videos. We talk to the public and we see it on our own in our patrol vehicles. the kind of outrageous behavior that goes on on these major thoroughfares. So we were tasked to set out a county ordinance, which we've done, and we're here to present it in front of you. When we speak, this is our number one issue that's being brought to us by the public. So this is our first reading to try to get this adopted. Thank you.

And commissioners, if there's any questions during the presentation, please feel free to stop me and ask and at the end also. Again, we'll try to make this brief because I know you have presentations after us. Technical difficulties. Hold on one second. Okay. Okay, so specifically today we're going to be talking about what the ordinance is and what it's not. The ordinance, again, what we're dealing with, again, the Sheriff's Office took the stance of less is more. There are a lot of areas in the state of Colorado and also within our own community where they have over-regulated and our role from the Sheriff's Office is not to over-regulate this issue. We want to make sure that we're taking care of the concerns that are happening within the community. to make sure that our community's safe and those that are on the roadways are safe. And so we have started off on the minimal side when it comes to ordinances specifically for the issues we'll talk about today. Knowing that down the road if other things come up that are specific to this ordinance, that we could always ask for amendment for that. So really quickly here, why are we doing this? So in Douglas County, right now the state statutes we talked about doesn't really address the issues. If you can see here, for a violation under the 33 code, which would be for those off-highway vehicles, a violation is a $50 fine. And I'll be honest with you, that is not changing behavior when we see these, a key phrase, e-motos. Now, e-motos, there are electric motorcycles that are actually legal to be on the roadway. That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about off-highway vehicles that are intended for off-highway use only. So the dirt bikes, electric dirt bikes, that kind of thing, those are never intended for the roadway. They're a safety issue for the community and we have some videos to show you that. But the law does not clearly cover that concern. And also here again, just the increased traffic accidents that we've had or traffic complaints that have occurred. It's almost a common practice now to see these vehicles on the roadway, whether it's driving in traffic, whether it's wheelies, you name it, we're seeing an increase. I want to point out also to the commissioners that this ordinance is not specific to teens. I think sometimes the community gets a thought process that the sheriff's office is focusing on teens. That is not the answer here because we have adults too that are also violating the proposed ordinance if it passes. We don't want adults or teens on these vehicles. They are not intended for the roadway nor they should they be on the roadway. They're off-road vehicles so that's under 18 years of age and also over. Again, we want the roadways safe. We wanna make sure that we have reasonable and necessary restrictions in the county through ordinance to take care of this. So I'm gonna show a video here real quick. I'm sorry, this mic keeps, I keep the right distance, I'll be okay. Here's a video of one of the OHV vehicles that we're talking about. This is a recent, you see here it's a 2426. This happens on a daily basis in Douglas County. This is actually captured by one of the intersection cameras in Douglas County. So go ahead and play that. So as you can see here, this is gonna be an OHV, clearly not authorized to be on the roadway. Luckily for this teen, this is a teenager, they were not killed or seriously injured. But if that would have been a split second earlier, that probably would have had a different thought process. This is what we're talking about and this is what we wanna stop, we wanna change this behavior. The next video I'm gonna show you here is another circumstance. Again, it's gonna kinda show you what our authors see on a daily basis, so I'll go ahead and play that video. If you see in the far upper left of the corner, you can see two little images that are actually in the far left lane. I want to point out real quick that the Sheriff's Office is not going to place the public in danger when it comes to actually getting behind these vehicles to stop and apprehend. We have other technologies such as drones and that kind of thing. We're not going to pursue these vehicles in our neighborhood. We believe the ordinance will allow us to come down with a firm approach to stop this behavior. We're not going to put the public in danger for us pursuing these individuals. So we're going to kind of give you an idea. This is a normal occurrence in Douglas County. These would be considered OHVs, so they're off-road vehicles that are not authorized to be on the roadway. And that applies to both electric and gas. So we're not specific on this. You could have a dirt bike that's made for track purposes, same ordinance.

State Grid 8204, have anyone? Six seven, I'm traffic.

waterton at least that person was gracious enough to put his hand out for his turn

So that kind of gives you an idea of what we're looking at. Here's some photos here to kind of give you an example of the items that we're talking about on OHVs and low-powered scooters. So on the upper left, you can see an OHV. These are commonly purchased off places like Amazon. Even motorcycle dealerships sell these, but they are specifically for off-road only. This one has three riders on it, clearly out of specs with the guidelines of riding that even on an off-road capacity. Below is the one we most typically see. There's multiple companies, so I won't have to pick anyone out, but some of these vehicles in their standard state are 45 to 50 miles an hour. That's the standard speed of a stock. If they modify those 70 miles an hour, so they can actually pick up speed very quickly. What we see in the lower right-hand corner there is basically that low-powered scooter we talked about. They may or may not have pedals on them. Now, those are authorized on the roadway, but there are certain specifics that have to go along with that, like a driver's license, 16 years of age or older, that has to be insured and be registered. It's very important on this that we point out that the ordinance does not apply to e-bikes. We are very lucky in the state of Colorado right now that there is 42 code in the state of Colorado. That's the laws that apply to traffic that actually fairly decently deal with e-bikes. They're class one, class two, and class three e-bikes. This ordinance does not apply to e-bikes, and it does not apply to electric scooters, and we'll give you a definition on that. But you see a class one is a pedal assist only, 20 miles an hour. A class two is a throttle or pedal assist, 20 miles an hour. A class three, these are the faster ones, pedal assist only, and those reach 28 miles an hour. Now just for the commissioners, which I know you're aware, one and two are generally allowed as conventional bicycles. Three is the one that you typically see restrictions because of the speed. So some trails may have signage that say you can't use those, and so there are restrictions with that. This one comes up a lot, and this is some conversations that we've had with the community since this was put out public, so we thought it'd be important to put this on here. This does not apply to electric scooters. There's a difference. I know we didn't pick the names the state put for definitions. These are all state definitions. You would think that a low-powered scooter would be slower than an electric scooter, but no, it's the opposite. So an electric scooter shows that it's less than 100 pounds. You show that it's powered by an electric motor. It's really typically 300 to 350 watts to put that in perspective. I mean, it's 15 miles an hour. These do have the capability and are allowed for class one, class two areas. So they could ride those on roadways, bike lanes, and sidewalks. They are legal to do that. So for the citizens that are concerned that we're putting something in an ordinance that we're gonna not let their kids or teens or even adults have these electric scooters in our community, that would not be true. This is not about electric scooters. So it's important to point that out. And as on the top there, you can see the commercial versions. That's gonna be kind of like the Lime or the ones you see down in Denver where you rent. The bottom one is more of a civilian type model you'd buy on Amazon or that kind of thing. Here's a definition of low-powered scooter. This one is covered under the ordinance. That's a self-propelled vehicle used on the roadways. Again, these are legal as long as you meet the requirements. It's less than 50 cc's and a maximum output of 4,476 watts. And then you're gonna say, what's 4,476 watts to put in perspective 30 to 35 miles an hour. These vehicles are specifically made or intended for the roadway, but the rider needs to make sure they have their driver's license, registration, insurance. It is not for anybody to be riding those on the roadway. Off-highway vehicle, the definition's there. It talks about any self-propelled vehicle that's designed to travel on wheels or tracks. Bottom line to save everybody, it is meant for off-road only. It's not meant for the roadway. It's not meant for the trails. It's not meant for the sidewalks. It's specifically made for off-road use only. There are some exceptions under the OHV statute or under the definition. It does not cover snowmobiles. It doesn't cover golf carts. There's a reason for that because the 42 code does cover golf carts. That's why it's not in here. It also has some other exemptions that would not apply to OHV. Under the statute, again, if we look at areas within the community and within state, a lot of agencies are putting in clauses in their ordinances or legislation that deal with parent responsibility. Parents do have a big play in this when you have teens that are out there riding these, especially if they are knowing that it's occurring. So under this ordinance, we do have the ability to charge a parent if they know and they allow a teen to ride one of these prohibited items in violation of this ordinance. To give you a perspective on that, the parent can be charged with a minimal $250 fine up to $1,000. But again, you have to show knowingly. So a child or a teen who goes in the garage and takes something that should be for off-road and rides that in the public without parents' knowledge, that would not meet this statutory requirement. Here's our goal. Parents, they come down when the kid's contacted, adults are adults, parents are made notified of the circumstance, and then in the future if it happens again, then they are knowing. So we want parents, it's really kind of let's let them know, we're looking at advising them to give them knowledge so they can learn from this. I'll be honest with you, if you look at the definitions the state provides on all these type of vehicles, It's kind of convoluted. I mean, you almost need a degree to figure out what you can ride and what you can't. And I think that's what's kind of important about this ordinance. It's simplified. We are picking out two areas that are of concern. We're not doing other things that other counties or states are doing. We're only hitting the areas that are safety issues within our community. Eluding is another section under here that actually does have a definition under the ordinance. If someone is found to be eluding, whether adult or teen, that can be handled through the ordinance or it can be handled on the criminal side. Reckless driving. Again, it shows anybody who operates an OHV or a low-powered scooter in a manner that would be a will for a wanton disregard to public safety. There is a section in the ordinance that talks about that. That would be a $500 fine, maximum $1,000 fine. Careless driving, there's a section in the ordinance that talks about that. Again, it's based off of if there's property damage or no property damage or injury or no injury. On the low end, it's 150 to $300. On the high end, it's 300 to 1,000. Again, I wanna make sure we're clear also to the commissioners, our goal with this is not to penalize families or penalize teens. The Sheriff's Office has a thought process. We wanna have a public campaign to make sure people are aware of this ordinance. Again, we want people just to do the right thing, make sure their kids are safe, make sure the community's safe. But there are times, unfortunately, that even through education, it continues with the violations, and we have to be more stern with that, and that's when you see these violations or when this ordinance would take place. Safety equipment, so if you're under 18 years of age, you would be required to have a helmet and you can be charged with that. A first-time violation would be $75 up to a maximum of $250. Just so the board knows, every one of these violations is a mandatory court appearance. So if it's a teenager or juvenile, they would have to go with parent to court. If it's an adult, they would go by themselves. Impoundment, there's a section specifically in the ordinance to talk about impounding. Again, we're finding out a lot of these vehicles that I'm sure the board is aware. A Saran vehicle is probably in the range of $3,000 to $5,000 is the average, is what the cost of those. And so what we wanna do is make sure that if we need to impound that vehicle, that there's gonna be consequences for riding that on the roadway. Again, we're not trying to, again, be stern or hard with this, but we wanna change behavior so the vehicles can be impounded. Low powered scooters. Again, we talked about that they are licensed or they're okay to be on the roadway, but you have to meet certain requirements. A driver's license is required. You got to make sure that you have registration insurance. They do have prohibitions. You can't ride those on the sidewalks. Sidewalks are meant for other things, people, bicycles, that kind of thing. So low powered scooters are not authorized on the sidewalks. And here's just a quick comparison of other agencies to show where we span with our violations. We are actually low in the county compared to other jurisdictions. Castle Pines and Castle Rock PD are the only two that have anything additional to state law. We are on the low end when it comes to penalty assessments. On a off-highway vehicle violation, it's anywhere from 250 to 1,000. Parent responsibility violations, 250 to 1,000. Reckless driving, 500 to 1,000. Careless driving without injury and no property damage, 150 to 300. If there's careless driving with injury or property damage, 300 to 1,000. Safety violations, 75 to 250. Here are the other jurisdictions. I'll make it real quick. Off-highway vehicle, up to $2,650 for the other jurisdictions. For parent responsibilities, 250 to 2,650. Reckless driving, looting, 2650, that's the high end, 364 days in jail. I do want to point out that our violations under the ordinance are infractions. They are traffic infractions. They are not criminal citations. We thought that was important because we're trying to change the behavior and not charge somebody with a criminal sanction. Careless driving for Castle Pines, same as our ordinance, and same thing with the safety violations. That actually concludes the presentation. Questions from the board? Questions from the board.

Thank you, Chair. Commander, thank you so much for that presentation. Obviously, as elected leaders, we've been approached by thousands of citizens about this issue, and there is no finer law enforcement department, in my opinion, than the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. I'm a bit biased, but you guys do a wonderful job. So thank you, and thank you to Sheriff Weekly for your leadership on this issue. I think I'll just speak as one commissioner. What I'm weighing in my mind is a balancing act between modern technology and public safety. I know that a lot of families and a lot of citizens like scooters. They like e-bikes. They like these different modes of transportation. But the inverse and the challenge is making sure that those terrible incidents that you just showed us don't happen again. And we're getting reports of that all the time. And I'm sure you all see it far more than we ever would. So public safety does come first. I know when you came into the briefing for us, the question really landed in my mind around bifurcating between vehicles that exceed 28 miles an hour and below 28 miles an hour. so because again you know like and we we talked a little bit about this when we were kids it was all about the bmx bikes and people were kind of up in arms about bmxing i don't think that the new technology with bicycles is going to be something that goes away i don't think e-bikes are going away this isn't about e-bikes But I do have concern about any sort of electric vehicle that's exceeding 28 miles an hour. So whether it's an e-bike or not, I think that's important that we are restricting any sort of electric vehicle in excess of 28 miles an hour may be consistent with that statute. And that's why this is important. This is a first reading. We're not passing this today. This is for the public, for citizens, other elected leaders to weigh in and provide additional input. We have to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater and not slice bread with an ax, but just be really precise legally with all of this. So we'll rely on smart attorneys to help us with this. I guess one of the questions I have is about the low powered scooters. And I know that there are a lot of families and young people that have scooters that probably go well below 28 miles per hour. They've purchased those vehicles, they use those vehicles. Are you asking us to outlaw all of those vehicles today?

No, we're not. And that's why the distinction between electric scooters and the state got a little bit convoluted with their definitions. It's opposite of what you would think. So electric scooters, the ones that most families are buying for their kids, getting around, going to the park, those are electric scooters, they're illegal. They're allowed to be on the sidewalks, they're allowed to be in the bike lane. They're safe and there's no issues with those. It's the low-powered scooters. Again, definition-wise, it's going to be increased speed. And they want to make sure the people that are riding those, that they actually have a knowledge of traffic, knowledge of what you're doing on the roadway. So again, using the Lime scooter or the Amazon scooter you buy, or even going down to Target and getting the Razor scooter, those are legal. They don't meet the speed requirements you talked about, Commissioner. And they're safe. We see those being used safely in our community. So we're not trying to outlaw those. And that's not what the purpose of the ordinance is. It's not even in the ordinance. That's why it's exempted. What we're talking about in low-powered scooters, those are going to be the ones that do the 35 mile an hour ones that are made for the roadway. They're not made for the sidewalk. And what's happened is Amazon and other distributors sell those very cheaply. and you have young teens getting those. They have no thought process of safety. They are just maybe some learning how to ride a bicycle, and they're using those on sidewalks, and it's only gonna be an inevitable matter of time that either a teen or an adult or somebody's gonna be seriously injured or killed. We've had other incidents within the county, and I throw this out here, and the board is well aware of this. About two years ago, year and a half ago, at one of our parks in Highlands Ranch, we had one of these surrounds that we're talking about these ohvs in the park which then would have been a violation of park violation but an older person in their 50s asked a young teen if he could use try his ohv in the process because the person was not trained and did not have training on a motorcycle or anything similar to that because of the high power and the revving capability went over an embankment at that park and was killed. This is an adult riding this. These are dangerous items that are not meant for people that don't know how to ride them or have not received proper training. So from a sheriff's office standpoint, from safety, we take this really serious that we're not opposed to low-powered scooters in this case, and it's in the ordinance, but you need to know what you're doing. If you're gonna be riding this in the roadway, I mean, a bicycle has the right to be in a roadway, but we teach people riding their bicycles that you follow the laws of the road. And if someone's not taught that and you give them something that they don't have that capability of riding, that's where we run ourself into a problem. And what we're trying to prevent is someone that is unknowing, and I'll be honest with you, parents, most parents have good intentions. They're trying to find something fun for their kid to keep them out of trouble. But unfortunately what's happened is technology has increased to such a degree that these are accessible and the power. So an example of one of those surrounds, zero to 35 miles an hour in 2.1 seconds. That's a stock. That's extremely fast and if you are young and you don't have that capability, there's high probability you're getting hurt or hurting somebody else. We're trying to prevent that.

Well, no kidding. And our motto is oftentimes we don't wait to do great here. And I'm really pleased that we're coming together to get on top of this quickly. But what I hear you saying is the low-powered scooter is really a high-powered scooter. It is.

The definition doesn't really make sense. It's opposite of what we think. Electric scooters are illegal. And so that's why we added the definition from our meeting is because we had some citizens reach out and they were concerned that we were going to make regulations that would make those prohibitive. And we're like, that's not what the intent is, that's not what we meant. And so we wanted to make sure that people know that that's not what this is.

yeah and i we like to use the neighbor test you know if you have somebody down the street that's not involved in public safety or county government and you just say hey here's what we're doing are they going to understand it is it intelligible so so part of what i would just ask is one is a way in which we can communicate this to citizens so that it makes sense because i do think when you start talking about Wattage and low power versus high. It's you know, you start losing the thread I hope there's a simple way we can communicate this so that we're really getting that citizen compliance that we're looking for

Commissioner, you bring up a good point. So we're very fortunate the Sheriff's Office to have a pretty full-fledged public information. Same thing with the county. And I know that they have scheduled this week and in the coming weeks to make sure the community is aware of what we're trying to do, what we're trying to accomplish. Because it all comes down to public safety. This is not a way for us to look for new regulations to regulate. We're in a time and age that minimal regulation sometimes is best. And so I think, I feel very confident between the entities, between the county and the sheriff's office with their public information teams, we'll make sure the community is well aware of where they stand, what they can and can't. And quite frankly, when this first comes out, we're looking at education. We're not out there to say, hey, here's the hammer. But there will be a time that once we get the education out and people are aware of it, just to say, hey, I'm gonna do it anyway, that's where we find ourselves in an issue. And we just don't want anybody hurt.

Yeah, thank you. Chair.

Commissioner. Any questions?

No questions for me. I do know we've talked about this because we've probably all either just been at King Soopers and someone walked up to us and said, what are you doing about this? But really appreciate the Sheriff's Department, you and Sheriff Weekly taking the lead on finding a solution. It sounds like Castle Pines already have past ordinances. They do. kind of going to be similar to provide county-wide similar enforcement. Has Lone Tree and Parker had discussions on the topic as well?

Correct. Both Lone Tree and Parker are looking at options right now. We just happen to be, like I said, they're not too far behind us. Because you're right, we want to make sure the county is similar in our thought process and when it comes to public safety. Again, I think it's one of those things that's always tough when we bring out regulations because we're kind of in a society that are we over-regulating Unfortunately, sometimes the laws don't keep up with technology, and Castle Rock was the first to get that, then Castle Pines just recently in May. And so Castle Rock has had great success with changing the behavior in their city. Again, they find themselves more warnings than violations because the citizens understand the public safety.

Okay, thank you.

Very good. I have no questions. I very much appreciated the briefing. It was pretty substantial. So thank you very much, Alan. Thank you. Appreciate you bringing this before us. At this time, I'm going to go ahead and open it up for public comment. I do have somebody signed up at this time, Rudy Lukes.

I'll get out of your way here.

I'd tell you to shove him, but I think he's armed, so don't shove him. But sir, please give us your name, tell us where you're from.

All that good stuff. Yeah, no, no, again, thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Rudy Luquez, first name R-U-D-Y, last name L-U-K-E-Z, as in zebra. I live at 1315 Meyerwood Circle, Highlands Ranch, zip code 80129-1817. So I am almost a 30-year resident of Douglas County, just a few months shy at this point, retired senior citizen. And by way of background, my family and I ride bikes, human-powered kind, almost every day. Really, only snowstorms stop us, and when there's a snowstorm, we go skiing. Our residence in Highlands Ranch borders open space, and we have a great view of one of the major trails in Highlands Ranch Metro District. So we see this problem firsthand every day. And this problem is getting bigger every day as well too. These electric dirt bike style e-bikes are really impacting not just safety issues but our overall quality of life. And it's not just the roadways, as the videos were noted today, as well as the videos that were shared with Nine News a couple of days ago. It's happening across the trails and also on the East-West Trail, which is a major recreational trail, of course, now that's starting to traverse the northern part of our county. And there's sections now where you can start to see the impacts of these motorized dirt bikes where the damage is starting to look like things you see up in the Pike National Forest off of Rampart Range Road. It's really become kind of an epidemic and it's something that I know the county really doesn't have a lot of money to spend on anyway to fix trails and all the other stuff that needs to be done in the recreational spaces. Just last week, I was on a ride coming home, and I encountered two teenage boys who had set up a race course for e-bikes behind Stone Mountain Elementary School. They were racing up and down the trail that is behind that school in the HRMD property, and as they were doing that, they were swerving off, creating additional trailside damage, and one was yelling at me to get out of the way. It's not an untypical situation anymore, and it's really becoming, I think, a serious problem. So again, I know my time is up, but I do want to encourage the Board of County Commissioners, as well as the fine work being done by our Sheriff, to continue to rein in these things and really start to bring some sense of order out there before somebody seriously gets hurt or killed. And it's, again, something that I think is a growing problem, as you've also noted yourself as well, too. So thank you again for your time.

Thank you, sir. Very much appreciate your comments. I have no one else signed up to speak in public comments. Is there anyone who would like to speak in public comments? Sir, please come forward. Give us your name. Tell us where you're from.

Hi, my name's Mark Golly. I currently live in Englewood, but I moved from Douglas County. And... I have three bikes. They're all class two. But these class three bikes, they go up to 28 miles an hour. And the trails that I ride is in Douglas County. I go to Chatfield Lake and go around. And there's kids out there. They're walking on the path. And people come through with their bikes. like class three, they're going 28 miles an hour. I think that's a little fast. I think we should put it at 20. And that's just my opinion because I've seen them. I wanted to boost my bike up at one point. I talked to the owner of the store and he's like, please don't do it at 28, leave it at 20. I broke my collarbone. And I've heard a lot of these stories. Just think what will happen to a kid if they crash on a bike that's going 28 miles an hour. But I do believe you said in your thing, class three, they're not gonna be allowed on trails? Okay, I agree with that. But the class three, I believe, shouldn't be on any of these trails at all. So that's my opinion. Thank you very much.

All right, thank you, sir. Appreciate your comments. Is there anyone else who would like to speak on this matter? Ma'am, go ahead and give us your name. Tell us where you're from.

Hi, my name's Bridget McEwen, and I live in Highlands Ranch. And you said... Ma'am...

Just let's make sure you're directing comments to the board.

Okay, he said I'm gonna be real quick but he shouldn't be quick because this is a big deal and I keep thinking about the TBIs or the traumatic brain injuries that Craig is gonna see because there are kids that are gonna have traumatic brain injuries because they don't even put on their helmets properly and parents need to make sure and get those kids helmets that are, I can't remember the certification of it. You probably know. But I can't remember the certification of it. But I think that should be in part of the verbiage as well. It's just, I mean, these kids are flying. And they don't get it because, I mean, They're kids and I understand that. AI is a whole different animal than riding on a trail and hurting yourself or being killed.

All right, thank you very much, ma'am. And ma'am, I did see you wanted to make public comment. Please come on forward. And when you're ready, please give us your name and tell us where you're from.

Sure. It's Julie Orr from Highlands Ranch. And it's mostly just a question. I support this as well. But I did have a question because Nine News reported in December about the Supreme Court ruling that said that the court found that state law supersedes local ordinances in these cases, that you have to cap penalties at the same levels as a state court. And so that article, I didn't know if these penalties would be civil or criminal, and I'm not a lawyer. So I just, since it's first reading, I just wanted to ask you to consider that, that there may be issues with assessing higher fees or higher penalties than the state does. And I don't know if the state does assess penalties. So just a question for consideration. Thank you.

All right, thank you, ma'am. Is there anyone else who would like to give public comment on this matter? Sir, come on forward. And Julie, we'll get our county attorney to answer that question once we wrap up public comment.

Yeah, yeah, we'll cover it, I assure you.

Sir, please give us your name, tell us where you're from, and begin it when you're ready.

My name is David Mangus, I'm from Parker. I had two hopes. One is that Douglas County set up a web page for reporting problems like Parker has. The second hope is that enforcement include not just bad behavior, but also the presence of e-motorcycles on trails. That's my concern. I was out for a short ride a couple days ago in Parker and saw 15 e-motorcycles. No pedals. Most of them going estimated 40 miles an hour. Thank you.

All right, thank you, sir. So anyone else would like to give public comment on this ordinance? And seeing none. All right, Commander, can we ask you to come back up to the podium and let me start off with... Oh, yeah, don't forget your glasses, folks. County attorney, can you help us out with Ms. Ord's question pertaining to state law versus local law, state law taking precedence, these penalties. Did these look to be more harsh than state law?

I actually have no problem with the penalties at all. In fact, they're within the scope of what the authority has granted to the county to enforce this as a traffic infraction. However, the sheriff's office has worked closely with my office. We've reviewed these. I believe Kelly Dunaway from my office has worked with the commander, so we are aware of the situation. We have no problem with these lawsuits.

Okay. And Commander, is that your research as well? That is accurate. Okay. So good to know. Vis-a-vis the other question that came up from the public in terms of protective equipment, namely helmets. Didn't we see something in the presentation in the ordinance that addresses that?

That is correct. Commissioner, is there safety sections within each of the sections of the ordinance that it's a $75 fine up to $250? It doesn't specifically say regulations on the helmet. Typically, motorcycle helmets are dot rated or have something similar to. I can look into that to see specifically or be more specific on the ordinance, but it does not specifically say certification of the helmet within the ordinance.

Okay, and then one of our final residents brought up the fact that it sounds like we're getting trail riding with these higher powered off-road vehicles. Wouldn't those be covered by the adoption of this?

So I can clarify, and again, I apologize if it wasn't as clear as it should have been. The new ordinance actually does cover trails, it covers sidewalks, it covers parks, public lands within Douglas County unincorporated. So it covers all those areas. OHVs are prohibited in all those areas. So they are only allowed to be off-road. I'll give you an example, Rampart Range, those trails there, because you pay for a sticker through the state of Colorado. There are actually private entities that allow you to pay a service or pay a fee, like the track that's over in Jefferson County, or someone's private property they own, but it's not allowed anywhere else. Those are off-road vehicles, so I hope that answers the question.

All right, thank you very much. Commissioner, did you have an additional question?

No, but in public testimony, you covered it already, but just cover it one more time because it came up in public testimony. The criminal penalties versus civil penalties versus traffic infractions.

I'm glad you brought that up. So depending on the severity, quite frankly, the ordinance is going to be on the lighter end. We did have the option when we looked at this ordinance to make it criminal in nature. Again, we're trying to look at the least amount of regulation, the least amount of penalties to correct the behavior. If something goes to the extent of eluding or... someone seriously injured, we would not handle that circumstance under the county ordinance. We would handle that under criminal statutes because of the severity. So the officer would have that discretion. But for minor violations that would be ones of just changing behavior where you don't have serious bodily injury, death, that kind of thing, it would be under the ordinance.

Okay. All right. Commissioner Layton.

Thank you, Chair, and thank you again, Commander. I want to compliment you and also really all of the citizens that commented. This is an opportunity to work well together, and I think all of us putting our heads together on first reading and really identifying those holes and gaps and ways in which we can make the ordinance better for all 400,000 citizens is really important. One thing that I noticed, well, two things. We heard in public comment a request for a webpage for reporting, and I think that makes a whole lot of sense, and I think our communications director is in here. I'm sure we could probably make that happen. Caroline, I don't know if you wanna speak to that. We do have her in the gallery here. I don't wanna put you on the spot, but how hard would it be to set up a webpage for reporting? And Commander, is that something that you all would support?

So we would, and right now on the Sheriff's Office webpage, we do have a traffic section where those can be reported and actually cycled to the appropriate divisions for complaints, whether it be traffic, whether it be criminal. So we have that on our webpage now. But we can always be more robust. I think this is gonna have a lot more from a public information standpoint where you'll have a page dedicated to that showing the different types of vehicles, restrictions, general question and answer, but we would love to work with the county on that and I think that's already in the process.

Well, we have the best communications folks. I mean, Deb and Caroline and your teams are just amazing. And if it's maybe just a direct to the sheriff's office. I mean, Caroline, have you guys given any thought to that?

Yeah, Commissioner, we have. And thank you for the question. We've worked really hand in hand with Deb and her team at the sheriff's office to get the information out about this beating. For the online reporting, I was going to punt to the sheriff's office because that option already exists on their website to report, I believe, any crime. within reason on their website. I didn't want to miss an opportunity to let the public know that we already have a form on the Douglas County website where they can provide feedback on this ordinance that will make sure that the board gets directly.

Awesome, yeah, please let us know if you have additional thoughts or comments about this ordinance before we get to second reading, and that's typical Douglas County, you've already accomplished what we're asking you to do, so that's wonderful. Another item that I saw in the proposed ordinance is just bicycle helmets for people under 18, and part of me, so I do e-bike, I actually e-biked all the way to my gym in Centennial, so I was up in your neck of the woods and then went all the way back to Lone Tree, But my three kids and I, we all do the e-bikes. I think I need a helmet just as much as they do. I mean, has thought been given to adults wearing helmets?

I think it was talked about in the state of Colorado, you can even ride a motorcycle without a helmet if you so desire. And I'm not saying I agree with that, but I think the concept is adults can make their choice whether they want to or not want to wear any type of protective gear on their head. And we could put that in the ordinance, Commissioner, if that's something that was deemed the commissioners would want or the public would want.

But the thought process we were trying to mirror state law with what the regulations were currently if you were an adult versus a teen Well, we're very freedom oriented here and believe in you know, the rights of free citizens to make decisions for themselves I always weigh that with public safety and I think to your point I mean that vignette you shared about the older adult that got on a low-powered technically high-powered scooter and died I wonder if he knew, and I wonder had he had more education, would he have chosen to wear a helmet? Would that have made a difference? I'm tempted to encourage our board to consider helmets for everybody, but that's up to these guys, maybe further discussion.

It's been a long debated subject in the state of Colorado. It is first reading, so the public has plenty of time for input.

Yeah, I'd be more interested in probably going the extra yard, like we heard our resident, of mandating the safety standard, the helmet standard. Thank you. For youth. And so maybe going and doing that additional research and talking about actually annotating the safety standard for youth. Adults... I think adults do have the right to do stupid things when they so desire. I've never ridden a motorcycle myself because I thought it was safer to jump out of airplanes and handle high explosives in the Army. So I guess I'd be less likely to go with the helmet requirement for adults. For youth, I agree with that being in the ordinance now. and then going the extra yard and seeing if we could put some annotated safety standards on the helmets required for youth. That I do support.

Yeah, and maybe it's just a education and recommendation campaign that we do in the county in coordination with the sheriff's office. I mean, we do have a seatbelt law that is for both youth and adults. So maybe more to think about.

And commissioner, maybe that's a education campaign for our health department.

Yeah.

In terms of overall safety and health for adults in the county.

That's a great idea.

All right, gentlemen, any further discussion before we get to action? We do have a ordinance for first reading before us. How would we like to proceed?

Well, Mr. Chair, again, really want to thank everybody for this collaborative effort to balance public safety with modern technology. If there is no further discussion, I will make a motion to approve an adoption of an ordinance for the regulation of low-powered scooters and off-highway vehicles in Douglas County, repealing all ordinances and resolutions in conflict therewith and providing penalties for violation thereof on first reading.

And I will second this, or second the motion made by Commissioner Layton. It's clearly an emerging and growing safety concern in our community. Appreciate the Sheriff's Department for taking the lead and putting pen to paper on what looks to be a very well thought through ordinance. So first hearing today and we'll give the public, just like we always do, plenty of time to respond and react.

All right, there is a first and a second. Any further discussion? All right, this is a no-brainer for me. I mean, thank you, Commander, once again, for showing the motion picture shots. I mean, I saw that and I knew exactly what we were talking about here. This seems very much like when I was a teenager and America was going through the whole regulating dirt bikes. And suddenly the phrase street legal came into parlance in America. I'm not saying I agreed with those laws back when I was a teenager. However, obviously we've seen them for the betterment of our society. So no, I just think where technology got a little ahead of ourselves in the way we were defining those dirt bikes, And so I think it's great. I'm all in favor and I speak in favor of the motion. There is a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. And that passes on first reading. Thank you, Commissioners. Thank you. Appreciate it, Alan. Our next item up is an ordinance adopting the 2024 International Fire Code with amendments as set forth in attachment one and appendices B and C, and repealing all ordinances and resolutions in conflict therewith. Matt Dubansky, Chief Building Official, Douglas County, Colorado, presenting. And hopefully I get that right, Matt.

Yes, thank you commissioners. Good afternoon. Matthew Jubinski representing for the building division. Joining me today are several representatives from the fire protection districts throughout Douglas County. The item before you today is the first reading on an ordinance adopting the 2024 international fire code along with the proposed amendments and appendices B and C. This adoption has been recommended for approval by the Douglas County fire chiefs and marshals acting as the fire code adoption and revision commission for Douglas County. The purpose of the code update is to align with current adopted 2024 building codes, provides flexibility for designers and builders by incorporating updated code provisions that address new materials, technology, and construction methods. It provides consistency with neighboring jurisdictions, It enhances public safety and firefighter safety. It also maintains the county's and our fire district's ISO ratings. As part of the fire code adoption process, we met with all Douglas County Fire Protection Districts and stakeholders to review our current 2018 code amendments. You'll notice that the proposed amendment changes are very limited. Our goal was to keep the amendments to a minimum improving usability and relying on the model code whenever possible. This approach makes it easier for designers, contractors and owners to work directly from the adopted code as written while maintaining the level of safety expected within Douglas County. The first amendment change adds clarification to section one Oh 5.5 point 40 regarding operation permits thresholds for outdoor assembly events. This language provides clear direction on when permits are required for outdoor events. We also added inflatable amusement devices to section one Oh 5.5 point 51 as these attractions have been becoming more common at community events and gatherings. This amendment clarifies permit requirements for inflatable amusement devices exceeding 400 square feet and helps ensure necessary life safety measures are in place. Another change adds an exception to section 6 0 9.1 for hyperbaric facilities. This provides flexibility for unique hyperbaric installations when a certain NFPA 99 requirements are not applicable. while maintaining necessary safety standards. Finally, we removed the amended table B105.2, which addressed fire flow requirements for buildings other than one and two family dwellings. Eliminating this amendment increases alignment with the model code, allowing users to rely directly on adopted IFC provisions. Throughout this adoption process, we work closely with the fire protection districts and stakeholders to develop and review the proposed amendments. This collaborative effort helps ensure consistency across jurisdictions and that the amendments address local needs while remaining business friendly, reducing unnecessary complexity, and maintaining the intent and safety of the International Fire Code. The proposed amendments were also reviewed and supported by the Douglas County Fire Chiefs Association as well as the Regional Fire Code Board of Appeals. That concludes my presentation. I'm available to answer any questions.

All right, thanks Matt. Board, any questions for staff?

I don't think I have any questions other than I noticed you said that there's an amendment to inflatables. What is that amendment about?

So the code currently addresses temporary structures, temporary air supported structures over 400 square feet. We just wanted to clarify large inflatable structures like the bouncy houses. We've been seeing a lot of big basically amusement parks that are inflatable. We want to make sure they have proper exits and they're strapped down properly.

Okay. That makes sense.

Thank you. You're just worried you're going to get sweated down by your youngest resident at your home, aren't you?

Yeah, there's a citizen in Douglas County that loves those inflatable amusement areas at Park Meadows, and I think him and thousands of other kids in Douglas County enjoy those. But, you know, it's probably pretty dangerous for a 50-year-old to be running through. I mean, I've seen some kind of near misses in those where people get lost in the cracks and crevices, so probably wise to have some safety measures in those larger inflatables.

Correct.

Yeah.

All right. Any other questions, gentlemen? All right. I have no questions, Matt. Thank you very much. Let's open it up for public comment. I do have a member. I do have someone signed up for public comment. Mark Gallagher. Gallagher. Someone named Mark. All right, no problem. At this time, is there anyone else who would like to make public comment on this first reading of this ordinance? Okay, seeing none, let's bring it back to the board. Board, we do have a first reading on this ordinance adopting international fire codes. How would we like to dispose of it?

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to our staff who thoroughly went through this, the building departments, the fire districts, fire marshals, everyone that's been involved in it. I appreciate it being kept rather minimal, the changes, allowing for incorporation of new items, new products, things like that, without providing large disruptions or extreme expenses to new construction. With that, Mr. Chair, I move to approve an ordinance adopting the 2024 International Fire Code with amendments as set forth by Amendment 1 and Appendices B and C, and repealing all ordinances and resolutions that conflict with them.

Okay, that is heard.

And I will second that motion.

Second. Okay, we do have a motion and a second. Any discussion? Well, Matt, I think we went through three meetings with the board when you brought this forward to us before we put this ordinance together. So thanks very much. I know we really got into the weeds on a couple of those discussions with you. So I have no questions at this time and I speak in favor of the motion. I'm very much in favor. And just for the record, I did not actually call up for public comment and volunteer my old neighbor who's the fire chief of Casrock in the back. I let him slide. So we do have a motion and a second. Board, if there is no discussion, all in favor say aye. Aye. And the first reading of this ordinance passes. Our next item is a resolution establishing expedited review policies for affordable housing projects. DJ Beckwith, Principal Planner, Department of Community Development presenting.

Good afternoon, commissioners. The request before you is for the approval of a resolution establishing expedited review policies for affordable housing projects to comply with Colorado revised statute section 29-32-105. I am DJ Beckwith representing the Department of Community Development. In 2022, the voters of Colorado approved Proposition 123, to increase affordable housing throughout Colorado. This established the State Affordable Housing Fund, which provides participating local jurisdictions with funds for the purpose of developing affordable housing. In 2023, the Board of County Commissioners approved the county's participation in Prop 123, which includes a commitment for the county to increase its affordable housing stock by 3% each year for a total of 9% over three years. and by January 1st of 2027 establish a fast track application process. The adoption of a fast track approval process is for expediting applications for developments with 50% or more affordable housing units within 90 days of the counties receiving a completed application. This will include applications for site improvement plans, building permits, special use permits or variances that meet the 50% threshold of affordable housing units. Current county processes allow for applications to be processed within 90 days within the 90 day period upon receiving all completed application materials. This resolution recognizes that the current application process of the county will meet the statutory requirements for the participation in the affordable housing fund and adopts current processing for the county as its fast tracks policy. Staff recommends approval of the resolution establishing expedited review policies for affordable housing projects. This concludes my presentation. I and other Douglas County staff are available for questions, as well as a representative from the Douglas County Housing Partnership. I will also stand by to read the resolution if the board so desires.

All right, thank you, DJ. Board, questions for DJ? I have none. No. Nor do I. Maria, would you like to come forward, please, and make a couple of comments? Well, ma'am, please introduce yourself and the vital role you play here in Douglas County.

Hello, my name is Maria Chado. I'm the Executive Director of Douglas County Housing Partnership. Thank you, DJ, and thank you for having me here today. I think that the expedited review process provides the county the opportunity to take advantage of some upcoming good faith commitment opportunities. So if we fall short on our commitment goal for developing housing units, it gives us an opportunity to still meet to waive those requirements and be able to participate in upcoming funding cycles if the county so chooses. So I think that it is something that would be potentially beneficial.

All right. Thank you, ma'am. Appreciate it.

Thank you.

All right. Board, any questions? Actually, hang on, Maria. Board, any questions for Maria? You know, I figured who would want to listen to a Navy veteran, but who knows? You know, you guys might want to, you know, ask her a question or two.

Well, I love that you're a Navy veteran, and I know Navy and Army have to fight every once in a while, so I'll accept that, but more just wanted to thank you for your incredible service to the county and primarily in workforce housing, obviously such a massive need, and hopefully streamlined regulations will help you in your role as well as ours.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Commissioner, any questions for the Director of Housing Partnership?

No, but ditto on all the kind words.

Okay, well, Maria, you're my favorite Navy veteran in the entire world, only because Dan Dertz is not present in the room right now.

I will quote you on that.

Thank you, ma'am, appreciate it. Thank you very much. Thank you for lending your comments. At this time, I'll go ahead and open a public comment on this matter. I did not receive anyone signed up for public comment. Is there anyone who would like to make public comment on this resolution? And hearing none, board, let's bring it back to the board. Board, we do have the option of having D.J. read the resolution for us. It was in our packet for this meeting and that packet was also provided to the public. Do we wish to waive reading of the resolution?

I do. I've read the resolution. I think that was available to the public, and we've been appropriately briefed. DJ, thank you for that presentation. I don't have any additional questions, and if the board has no further discussion, I will make a motion to approve a resolution establishing expedited review policies for affordable housing projects.

I'll second the motion. When the state legislature passed this law, I don't think they really had Douglas County probably in mind. We aim to move all applications in a very timely and in a manner that has very little red tape. I think the state legislature when they passed law saying that every county had to pass Resolution that says this very thing they probably had some bad actors in mind I don't think Douglas County is one of those we move our applications very speedily and are working to even further reduce red tape For the process, so I think we're well ahead of the curve. I

Yeah, I thought so too. I mean, once Prop 123 went through, as I dropped my pen for the second time, once Prop 123 went through, I mean, I had opposition to some provisions within it. Personally, I did vote against it, and yet this was not one of the provisions. I figured this was sort of a no-brainer, and after further analysis, it didn't appear that we had much disruption to our current process anyhow. So I speak in favor of the motion. I'm all in favor. Board, how would we, well, excuse me, any further discussion? There is a motion and a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. And the resolution passes. All right, at this time, turning to commissioner comments. Commissioners, any comments?

Well, go ahead, Commissioner. Did you have one?

Okay. Well, it really was a pretty special week we had this last week, and I'm always so impressed with the work of my colleagues and all of the efforts we do to try to honor our statutory charge for the health, safety, and welfare of all those we represent. But I know we got to attend the ribbon cutting for Tepfer Park, which was really special to me. I know it's certainly special to Kevin. That's his district. But being able to save a park, make the school district whole and see park equipment installed for future generations is really pretty great. I think at one point there was a desire for that to be developed into townhomes and multifamily, and that's nice when it's appropriate for this community. Tepfer Park is just so special, and their family members were there, members of the Tepfer family, and they couldn't have been more pleased with the work. So just wanted to thank the board for the great work on preserving that park for our citizens. And then, of course, the passage of Senate Bill 2615 around human trafficking was really significant, and you know, this notion that previously you could get probation in the state of Colorado for solicitation of a child just seems unfathomable. But really want to thank this board for its dedication on advancing that legislation, working with great nonprofit partners Private sector certainly all of the the victim advocates and the victims to get that across the finish line I think we've said this last week and we'll say it again if you come here to Buy a child you'll get caught and if you get caught you're going to jail So just again want to thank the board for its commitment to public safety All right.

Thank you commissioner commissioner any public um or any commissioners comments at this time?

I

Well, like Commissioner Layton, you said last week was a big week. One of the things that I had the real honor of doing was speaking at the opening of the second Wellspring Community Building. that provides residence to members of the individuals with developmental disabilities community. That was great. We heard from the mayor of Castle Rock. We heard from several of the leaders of that board. We had, gentlemen, I am the conveyor of well wishes from those who attended who were profuse in their thanks to our board and the support that we have given to Wellspring over the last few years. I was quick to remind them that it was, for me at least, the people of Douglas County who made it a priority to throw an additional tax on ourselves in order to provide for individuals with developmental disabilities. And I know that when that, having been friends with one of the organizers of that ballot initiative, I know the idea of independent living residence halls for the developmentally disabled here in the community was probably a bridge too far. and not what they were thinking. But that's where we are now. That's what we got. And so Commissioner, you and I were obviously there a couple years ago. We got the great sales pitch asking us for the key of the community. and where we did our first tranche of funding for the first residents with Wellspring at Unity on Park. But I do believe we owe a great, great debt of gratitude to our new colleague because once we got the pitch from Wellspring leadership, to help them with the second residence building. I know you and I had a kind of attitude about how we wanted it to go, but I need to remind you that it was our colleague who came up with the idea for the actual solution that we got. So Kevin, with your board membership on developmental pathways, you took the problem to them, co-opted them in partnership, to helping us solve this great community need. And again, everybody was very thankful to the three of us for continued support of the individuals in our community with developmental disabilities. And that was kind of the big deal for me last week. Good job, good job team. Moving along to other business. Gentlemen, do we have any other business to introduce tonight? Today? I see none. Going to the county manager for the county manager report. Nothing today? Oh, great. Thank you, Doug. All right. Well, let's go ahead and adjourn. Our next business meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026 at 1.30 p.m. We are adjourned. and I know we've got some folks here for the land use meetings, I apologize,