City Council - Regular Meeting

I'm jumping in. We're ready. I will now call to order the regular city council meeting of April 13, 2026. Members of the public are invited to attend in-person meetings in council chambers. Public access is also available by telephone by using the call-in numbers posted on the meeting agenda. And tonight's meeting will be broadcast on the city's YouTube channel online. Will the clerk please call the role? Mayor Lightidy here. Mayor Prom Lukeman Hiroasa will be absent. Council member Burns here. Council member Severs here. Council member Condo here. Council member Roer here. Council member Gooff here. Council member Noiki

here. Council member Lighty here. Thank you. Please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance 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.

City Manager Guy, are there any responses to resident inquiry? Nothing this evening, Mayor. Thank you. Thank you. Are there any additions or deletions to tonight's agenda? Nope. All right. Public invited to be heard. This is an opportunity for public comment on any item not set for public hearing. Statements are limited to 5 minutes per speaker. Statements must be related to city business and limited to matters of community interest. City clerk Small, is there anyone signed up to speak to council?

Yes, Madame Mayor. There are three individuals who signed up in advance. The first person on the list is Mary Bickl. Hi, welcome. Is Mary here? Hi. Can you come on up to the podium? I heard that. All right. Uh, please state your name and address or ward and provide your comments to council. Difficulty hearing you.

Oh, I'm turned on. I wonder if I need to be turned up. Um, please state your name and address or ward and provide your comments to council. Okay. My name is Mary Bickl. I live at 1180 Grant Drive, number 106, and I'd like to address the issue at the senior homing. I live across the street from that facility. Okay.

And I see a lot of things because I'm right on Grant and it's not safe. We have an entire community of vulnerable people who are elderly. I myself am 80. Um I saw a little boy get his bikes. They tried to steal his bike. My friend and I ran them off. Um they come over on our property and they loiter where the mailbox is. Um one day I went down there and they were laying on the grass smoking pot. It's that's bad enough. But you're putting this this the state wants to put sexual predators in there. It should be just not allowed. There's three schools on that block. Three. I watch those kids walk to and from school every day. Some of them are with parents, some of them aren't, and it's just not a safe idea. And I would like to know, does the state have the authority to override city regulations and laws?

In this case, yes. Oh, that's wrong. That is wrong. That is Well, that's all I have to say. Thank you for coming tonight. The next individual on the list is Tom Lampo. Welcome. Please state your name and address or ward and provide your comments to council.

All right. Hello to everyone. It's good to be here in front of you. It's good to be in front of North Glenn again. Um, I'm Tom Lampo, 3951 Jackson Way, and I'm here to lift Northland up to the Lord in prayer. So, please join me in prayer. Heavenly Father, in Jesus name, we invite you here to the city of Northland. You are always welcome here. This is your city. We honor your name because you are a creator and the an authority by which all goodness is revealed. There is nothing equal to you. We desire a city where all people can find comfort in calling North Glenn home. You've given us leaders. Now give them the wisdom to lead the city in your righteousness. Proverbs 11:14 states, "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors, there is safety." We all want a city we can call home, a city where we can lay roots and enjoy the abundance you have given us. Make North Glenn a city where your holy nature and just character is our standard. Let this guide us as we move forward. Heavenly Father, we know that areas of our military are working to end the corruption that has guided our nation for many years. Their fight is real and goes mostly unnoticed. Comfort these troops with Psalm 35:1, which states, "Plead my case, O Lord, with them that strive with me, fight against them that fight against me." Let all those who engage in this battle have the confidence in those around them, and give them the knowledge that you go before them in their battles. Holy Spirit, come into our lives. We give you permission to work in our city to keep us from areas we should not go. Galatians 5:16 st says, "But I say, walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. You were given to us to lead and guide us. Left to our own understanding of our lives, we will choose what we desire. Help us to desire desire greater things that will produce fruit where there is no condem condemnation. guide us to your everlasting peace. You are our God and

we are your people. In your precious name we pray. Amen. Thank you guys. Have a nice night. Thank you. The last person on the list is Melissa Ryan. Good evening. Please state your name and address or ward and provide your comments to council.

Yes, Melissa Ryan and I am W three. Uh nice to see you all again. Um, I came here today to read what I wrote for the joint town hall meeting yesterday, but they weren't doing public comment. It was more of like a Q&A session, but I feel it was important enough for the representatives of the House to understand exactly where I'm coming from. So, for the last 15 months since Trump began his second presidential term, Democratic politicians have been saying on repeat, release the Epstein files, or something very similar. I've heard it from Polus, Bennett, Hickin, and Looper. It's all over their social medias anytime. Trump does pretty much anything. Until the last election, I myself was a registered Democrat and voted Democrat for every seat, every election. Then I started to pay attention to the policies and the real everyday effects they were having on my life. I started to get more involved in my local community and realized some things that changed my stance with the Democrats and I switched to unaffiliated. But then I really wanted to send a clear message and a few months later I changed my voter registration to Republican. The reason for the change, the hypocrisy of the Democratic representatives directly here in Colorado. You claim to represent the people, to care about the people, to listen to your people. I have never in my political life felt more betrayed by the state and my representatives than I did when Colorado announced the takeover facilities and then turned them into mental health transitional living facilities with the intention to house registered sex offenders. The state originally decided two years ago that they were going to place registered sex offenders at the MHTL facilities in North Glenn located on Grant about 9 852 feet from Stoie Elementary School. I am thankful that at the time North Glenn leadership, residents, and community all stepped up and said no. And at the time, Colorado agreed to a 2-year no registered sex offender placement. My stance two years later has not changed. I still want children, women, seniors, and all residents to feel safe in their homes and their community. Colorado and my supposed House of

Representatives, however, feel differently. You see, they have the opportunity with HB261 1285 to say we stand with our law-abiding citizens, our children, our senior citizens, and our constituents to pass this bill on the floor Tuesday and ban pedophiles from permanently living near the most vulnerable and innocent. I do not feel this will happen as this bill keeps getting pushed aside. Media attention, emails, phone calls have all gone ignored in this if this bill does not pass committee. If Lorie Goldstein and Kyle Malus bill does not pass the floor, I will blame Jenny Wilford, North Glenn District Representative because I don't think she has given this bill her utmost efforts despite the pleas from her constituents. This bill should be an easy pass, but since it will most likely fail on Tuesday, I hope someone will expose the money payouts from the lobbyists pushing this bill to die. Colorado needs someone to step up and expose the fraud and money abuse within our local government. I just cannot for the life of me understand how rapist and pedophiles are being prioritized over children and senior citizens. It seems like the biggest we hate you Colorado representatives could do to its law-abiding citizens. I understand the state has agreed to a policy to not house sex offenders. Now, a policy is not permanent. It feels like a band-aid to continue pushing us off until we stop speaking up and then you'll get rid of your policy and put in sex offenders. It's insulting how stupid you people think we are. And I want you to know I'm not going anywhere and I'm going to keep fighting for North Glenn and for the children of Colorado. So now my only question to Wilfford Polus and my and all the Colorado House of Representatives is how many incidents of kidnapping, rape, assault, murder, or attempted thereof have to happen for the state to actually give a damn about our concerns? Thank you. Thank you. Is there anyone on the phone who would

like to speak to council? You may press star six at this time to unmute. I'm just giving it a minute because I do see someone on and I want to make sure they have that opportunity if they want to. So, if you would like, if you have called in to speak to council, you can press star six. Okay, perhaps not. Maybe they're just listening. Um,

hello. Oh, hi. Yes. Did you join us for public comment tonight? Yes, I I I did want to. Yes. Great. Could you please state your name and address or ward and provide your comments to council?

Yeah, my name is uh Martina Martinez. I'm from Ward 3. Um we live within um walking distance to the housing facilities that are on Grant Street. Um I have been in contact with uh news media um as of now and two years ago when this started happening and I also put out um a petition for uh the transitional housing as well. Um I mean it's just becoming to the point where um it is frustrating because emails and phone calls are uh are going unnoticed. Um and um as of recently now there is a uh autism center for early childhood uh age children that is being put up directly across the street from um these homes which uh you know makes it even more vulnerable for um children. and um really just um I thank you North Glenn uh the people of North Glenn that um have been fighting for this um and just praying that God willing um that uh something would be changed here and um that these homes would actually just be completely canceled out so they would not be here um within our neighborhoods.

Thank you. I do see another phone number. Um, if you would like to speak to council, you can press star six to unmute at this time.

Hello, my name is Steve Musco. Hi. You want to Hi. Um, I'm in W three and um, I've been following this thing with the with the mental health facilities and I'm interested in finding out who exactly at the state level besides Wilford because I've already sent her some information. Uh, who else am I uh to contact at this time? The the judiciary committee or is there other representatives that should be contacted? Um I think we will share more information tonight with you. Um but yes, you are correct. The judiciary committee.

Okay, that's uh that's part of what I wanted to to chat with you about. So I'll I'll listen up for that information uh later on. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Is there anyone in the audience who did not have a chance to sign up that would like to speak to council at this time? Hi. Please state your name and address or ward and provide your comments to council.

Uh, good evening. Um, I'm off at Emery Road, North Glenn. I'm disappointed that we're doing this again. Um, I'm disappointed that we had such momentum going the first time around and the number of people that participated. And I felt like with the number of people that knew in the information that was out there made a big difference in what happened. So, I'm disappointed that the momentum isn't there again. Unless you're on social media, people have no idea this is going on. So, I guess my question would be, why didn't we have a town hall meeting? Why why are we doing this so late? It's not fair to all of us that have fought before on this and we're fighting again. and we just keep putting a band-aid on it. Um, I spoke before I spoke last year. I don't have an option to move. So, it scares me what the end result will be because it was cancelled about a month ago or a few weeks ago and I'm feeling like it's going to be cancelled again and things are just like not going anywhere. So, that's all I have to say. just disappointed. I'd like to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else that would like to speak? Welcome. State your name and address or ward. Rebecca Robinson, Ward 2. Good evening, mayor and city council. In regard to the town hall in Westminster yesterday, I didn't like the fact that state representatives confidently said House Bill 26-1285 won't pass on Tuesday. That's not how the process is supposed to work. So, at this point, by them saying that, to me, Tuesday is just a formality and the hearing is nothing more than a farce. Knowing that it will die in committee when the hearing hasn't even happened yet, it's concerning. But I also want to highlight the state's disingenuous plan to implement a policy to how to not house sex offenders at the North Glenn location. The state is trying to make one city happy without establishing permanent safety guard rails into law for everyone else. This was never just about North Glenn. I never wanted to see a facility housing sex offenders next to an elementary school in anyone's backyard. The governor's office is prioritizing broader housing goals over the safety of children in Colorado neighborhoods. State administration views this bill as a barrier when really it isn't. It's just a gu a missing guard rail that should have been included in the original House Bill 22-1303. Policy can be changed with the stroke of a pen by a department head or a new governor. It doesn't require any public vote, no debate, no oversight. It's just another gentleman's agreement if you think about it, existing only as long as it's politically convenient. North Glenn residents have waited two years for the first handshake to be finalized and put into law. Law or the passing of House Bill 26-1285 requires that legislative process. It creates a legal right for

citizens to hold the state accountable in court if those boundaries are crossed. By offering a North Glennon only policy, the state is trying to isolate our community. The state wants to fix the problem in North Glenn specifically so that we stop being the loudest voice in the room. If they kill the bill and replace it with a local policy, the state preserves their right to smuggle sex offenders into other facilities throughout the state of Colorado without any legal restrictions. They are trying to prevent a statewide president. We are not going to be told to accept a policy change instead of a law. Policy again, it's like a pinky. It's like a pinky promise that can be retracted the moment the cameras leave the room. If the state truly believes that sex offenders shouldn't be housed in North Glenn, 852 feet away from Stuki Elementary, then they should have no problem putting that into the permanent legal record. By fighting the law while offering a policy, the state is indirectly admitting that they want to keep the door open to placing these sex offenders near schools and other neighborhoods or possibly sneaking them into ours once the heat dies down. North Glenn should not settle for a temporary truce when we need a permanent boundary. The state needs to stop treating us like we're uneducated and can't see through BS rhetoric and political tactics. Also, I want to highlight yesterday at the meeting, we also heard a woman suggest that just because sex offender recidivism statistics are low, around 10% that we shouldn't worry about the facility's location. This is a dangerous and manipulative use of data. A low percentage is not a zero risk. In any other sector, whether it's a nuclear energy plant or aviation, we don't ignore a high consequence failure just because the probability is low. Placing a facility next to Stuki Elementary isn't risk management. It is inviting a

catastrophe. The lady also claimed that this bill prevents people from getting help. This is a false choice or an all or nothing fallacy. I don't know why she thought using a dumb fallacy in a room full of politicians would work. like they wouldn't recognize the dishonic tactic right away. So, shout out to Senator Malikica for shutting down that nonsense and setting the record straight. As he said, Northland isn't saying don't get help. We are saying don't provide it next to a playground. Don't provide it next to an elementary school. For her to suggest that treatment can only happen in a school zone is logically asinine. She conveniently left out that sex offenders have a much higher rate of technical recidivism. And for the sake of time, I can't go over that. She also left out the research statistics on how placing sex offenders in high tension areas where they are unwelcome or under constant police presence like the facility here that has already seen 72 911 police calls in a recent stabbing that actually increases the stress that leads to recidivism. And one failure in a school zone is one failure too many. We need to pass House Bill 26-1285 to restore the common sense boundaries that the state has abandoned. Thank you. Thank you. Is there anyone else in the audience that would like to speak to council? Come on forward. Please state your name and address or ward and provide your comments to council.

I'm Roger McCain. I uh live on Emory Road uh just less than two two city blocks from uh from this uh facility. And they uh I just want to state that I'm I'm watching again I'm watching again the uh the power of politics over common sense here. And I but I don't have the ability like most of the folks here to follow the money in this follow what's what really is going on that we don't hear about. Once something goes upwards and I use that term cautiously to the state suddenly the transparency is gone. That means to me that something else is going on here. I have no idea what it is but I can speculate. The other thing that irritates me so much is the state spends so much time impeding on the ability of residents to protect themselves in their homes. They this particular legislature has spent full time on it. They can't even fund fund the legislation that they've passed to make it inconvenient for law- abiding citizens to protect themselves. and protect themselves from a not so uh not so reliable judiciary. So at the same time they're putting more and more uh dangers in the community. That doesn't make sense to me and I don't expect it to make sense to the people who are passing these stupid

laws. But uh I don't have anything nice to say about this at all. Nothing nice. I've watched it. I've been in this community since 1971. I I've watched it happen. I've lived in that same on that same block. I've lived within a mile of this this building right here all the time I've been in Northland. All the time I've owned homes in Northland. So there we are. I know the police here do a great job. And the police that were here long ago, comprised mostly of Vietnam vets, did a really good job. And so back in those days, homeowners were able to defend themselves against against incursions by criminal criminals of any variety. So in this particular uh circumstance, we have we're talking about sex offenders, sexual uh uh misgrants. Well, um, anybody that they would house in those that facility guilty of any ridiculous crime would be a problem. I don't want anybody over there. As far as I'm concerned, they can empty them out. They can burn the buildings down and build something else or something reasonable.

Thanks. Thank you. Is there anyone else in the audience that would like to speak to council tonight? Okay. Thank you for coming. We really do appreciate it. We're going to move into our regular city council meeting. Um, we have some proclamations first and then we do have council communications. We do have an update tonight. Um, so please don't leave just yet. Okay. All right. Council would join me down front. I have to take some shoes. All right, our first proclamation tonight is Arbor Day. So, we have a city of North Glenn senior arborist Joel Samansky. If he could join us, that'd be great. Nice to see you here. Everybody whereas Arbor Day is observed nationwide to celebrate the importance of trees and to inspire individuals, communities, and organizations to plant, nurture, and protect trees for future generations. And whereas trees play a vital role in enhancing the quality of life in our community by improving air quality, conserving water, reducing storm water runoff, providing wildlife habitat, and

increasing property values. And whereas a healthy urban forest contributes to the beauty, environmental sustainability, and economic vitality of the city of North Glenn. And whereas for the last 36 years, the city of North Glenn has been recognized as a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation, demonstrating its commitment to effective urban forest management, tree care, and community engagement. And whereas this year the city will partner with Colorado Tree Coalition to host the 2026 Tremendous North Glenn Tree Sale, which offers residents the opportunity to purchase affordable trees to increase both tree diversity and density while maximizing the many benefits trees provide. And whereas in celebration of Arbor Day, forestry staff will lead an educational workshop on April 22nd for children in the preschool program at the North Glenn Recreation Center. And whereas the city of North Glenn recognizes the importance of maintaining and expanding its tree canopy through responsible planting, care, and community involvement. Now therefore, I, Meredith Lighty, mayor of the city of North Glenn, Colorado, hereby proclaim April 24th, 2026 as Arbor Day in the city of North Glenn, and encourage all residents to celebrate by supporting conservation efforts and helping to sustain our community's urban forest for generations to come. Dated at North Glenn, Colorado, this 13th day of April, 2026. So Joel, this is for you. But thank you for being here. Do you want to add a few things?

Tell us about you.

Well, you really said it all. The proclamation. Um, I'm happy to accept the proclamation for Arbor Day 2026. Uh, as well most of you know that it's one of the requirements for the Tree City USA award. Um, we have received it for 2025. It is the 36th time that we've received it. Um, our Arbor Day event will take place right outside here. We lost a huge spruce in one of the storms and the preschool is going to help us replace it with not just one but two trees. Um, it's also a good time to plug the tree sale. There's still a couple days left to purchase a quality lowcost tree for residents. Um, check out the website or visit the rec center and they'll lead you through the purchase process. Um, thank you, Mayor Lighty. Thank you, council. I'd like to thank the community because it really is a community thing that we prioritize and value our trees. So, thank you everyone.

Let's take a picture. Okay, I wanted to show off my shirt because that's what's coming next. Um, autism awareness month is April and I would like to welcome Celeste Jackson to come on down. She is part of our diversity, inclusivity, and social equity board. So, she is here to accept this proclamation.

All right. Whereas autism awareness month is observed each April to promote understanding, inclusion, and acceptance of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. And whereas autism is a developmental condition that affects how individuals communicate, interact, and experience the world. And it is estimated that 1 in 36 children in the United States is diagnosed with autism, highlighting the importance of awareness, early support, and community understanding. And whereas individuals with autism are valued members of our community who contribute unique perspectives, talents, and strengths that enrich the city of North Glenn. And whereas we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive community that supports individuals of all abilities and encourages access, equity, and meaningful participation in community life. And whereas the city's diversity, inclusivity, and social equity, DICE board continues to advance initiatives that promote accessibility and inclusion, including the introduction of sensory backpacks to support individuals who may benefit from sensory tools in public spaces and at community events. Whereas sensory backpacks provide resources such as noise reducing headphones, fidget tools, and other supportive items that help create a more inclusive and comfortable environment for individuals with sensory sensitivities and their families. And whereas though education, outreach, and thoughtful program design, the city of North Glenn strives to reduce barriers and ensure that all residents feel welcomed, respected, and supported. Now therefore, I, Meredith Lighty, mayor of the city of North Glenn, Colorado, do hereby proclaim April 2026 as Autism Awareness Month in the city of North

Glenn and encourage all residents, businesses, schools, and community organizations to foster understanding, embrace inclusion, and support individuals with autism and their families. Dated at North Glenn, Colorado, this 13th day of April, 2026. So, I'm going to hand this to you and I want you to add a few things, but I wanted to mention the statistic of 1 in 36 children. During the month of April, we have a lot of conversations and I would be really surprised if anyone was not directly connected to, supported by, or knows, or lives with an individual with autism. It is something that is more prevalent in our community and it's a very beautiful thing and I want to make sure that we're not listening to negative comments and stereotypes around um autism. So, thank you Celeste for being here. Would you like to add anything? you actually

she said what I wanted to say about making sure that we honor and support people who learn differently and see the world a bit differently and so thank you very much the city of North Glenn for this proclamation.

Thank you. And yes, the sensory backpacks were one example of an initiative that the DICE board came forward with, but also the sensory bus is one of my favorite things that we have at some of our events, and it's it's just a lovely way for our community to have the tools they need to celebrate alongside. So, thank you for your work. I appreciate it. So, we're going to take a picture. Okay. National Volunteer Week is next and I would like to invite our bike program volunteer Jerry Gvette to come up and also our community outreach coordinator Jenna Greg will also come forward. Thank you.

Yes, he does. I know I have terrible allergies right now. Anybody else? Just me. H I love the spring. I love our trees, but they don't love me right now. Okay. Whereas National Volunteer Week is an annual celebration that recognizes the invaluable contributions of volunteers and the positive impact they make in communities across the nation. And whereas volunteers strengthen the fabric of our community by giving their time, talents, and compassion to support neighbors, enhance quality of life, and advance causes that benefit residents. And whereas the city of North Glenn is enriched by the dedication of individuals who serve on boards and commissions, empowering residents to engage in civic life and community service, provide a voice in local government, and help shape policies and programs that influence the quality of life in our community. And whereas North Glenn volunteers give their time through community events, recreation programs, senior services, and partnerships with local nonprofits and foundations, demonstrating a shared commitment to service, creativity, and civic pride. And whereas volunteerism promotes civic engagement, fosters a spirit of unity, and inspires others to take an active role in building a more connected and resilient community. And whereas National Volunteer Week provides an opportunity to express deep gratitude for our volunteers and to encourage continued service throughout our community. Now therefore, I, Meredith Lighty, mayor of the city of North Glenn, Colorado, do hereby proclaim the week of April 19th through the 25th, 2026 as National Volunteer Week in the city of North Glenn. And I encourage all residents to recognize and honor the contributions of volunteers and to

discover additional ways to give back through service in our community. Dated at North Glenn, Colorado this 13th day of April, 2026. So Jerry, you must have this. You are one of our best volunteers. But also, do you want to add anything? Do you want to say anything? No. Okay, that's okay. That's okay.

Thank you, mayor, and thank you, council, for honoring National Volunteer Week. Um, for those who don't know me, my name is Jenna Greg, and I'm the community outreach coordinator. I coordinate many, but not all of the volunteer programs that we do here in the city. Um, and so this year, I wanted to honor our bike volunteers, which Jerry Gvette is one of eight, um, who work in the city. Um over the past year uh they gave away um helped refurbish and then give away uh 467 bikes in 2025. Um and that totaled to over,00 hours of their time. Um they spend mornings on Mondays and Tuesdays hanging out together and fixing up the bikes that are donated to the city that we can then give away for free to anyone who needs a bike. Um so these guys, how long have you guys been working together? How long have you been in there? at least 15 years.

These guys, they're a tight-knit community. Um, they come to hang out and take care of the community around them. Um, so I really value their time. I've enjoyed getting to know you and the rest of the guys over the past two and a half years. Um, so there there some unsung heroes that just show up and do what they do every day um to give back. So I really appreciate you, Jerry, and all of the eight guys who um who work. And we had one Dave who wanted to join us tonight. Um, and I wanted to share the words he wanted to share with council as well. He said, "My name is Dave Slowey and proud to use my bike repair skills in making a difference. And I thank the city of North Glenn for providing a place to refurbish these bicycles." So, they also appreciate the work that um the space that we give them as well. So, thank you all. Have a good day.

I changed my mind.

We are running really low on bicycles. to work on. So, if anybody here or you know of anybody that has bikes that they're not using anymore, uh that they want to clean out their base where whatever. Um we definitely need some some bikes and you can certainly drop them off uh out at the maintenance and operations building. There's a a um bike rack out front. you just have to drop them off there and and we'll take it from there. So, if you know anybody um please let them know and and uh get us otherwise we're going to be unemployed.

Thank you.

Can't have an unemployed volunteer. That doesn't work. 15 more years, brother. Thank you. And now I would like to welcome up our lobbyist Adam Berg uh who will provide an update to council on the mental health transitional living facility and HB26-1285. Welcome.

All right. Thank you, mayor. Uh Adam Berg with Foster Graham Milstein and Kalisher uh law firm based in the metro area and we are the contract lobbyists for the city of North Glenn. Uh so tonight I want to talk a bit about kind of how we got here. Uh obviously we have committee tomorrow, but kind of the history leading up to us going to committee in this bill. Uh so in 2022, the Colorado General Assembly authorized mental health transitional living facilities, MHTLFs, sometimes referred to as mental health transitional living homes. You sort of hear them interchangeably through House Bill 221303. uh it created a new level of care under a couple things or mounting pressures that the state was facing. Uh some of those were a backlog of individuals deemed incompetent to stand trial or IST, those who were held in jail awaiting state hospital placement in PBLO or elsewhere, as well as individuals discharged from state psychiatric hospitals and looking for a facility or care. HB221303 notably was silent on whether those required to register under the Colorado Sex Offender Registration Act could be placed in MHTLFS, even if some MHTLFs were located within distance restrictions in municipalities that would otherwise prohibit sex offenders from being housed in such facilities. In 2022, the state was facing a convergence of a couple different issues. They had increasing legal exposure over delays in competency restoration, capacity constraints at the mental health institute in PBLO, and mounting strain on local jails and law enforcement. And let's also keep in mind the state was flushed with ARPA dollars at the time from the American Rescue Plan Act, uh, which is one of the things that was used, uh, if not the primary fiscal component to open all of these

facilities with one-time funding. And the state thought of MHCLFS as their solution, right? A network of secure or what were thought to be semi-secure residential facilities intended to serve as a bridge between incarceration, hospitalization, and community living. The problem is from the outset that model was defined by urgency rather than by clarity. And I think our community has experienced that over the last couple years. So rather than establishing a definitive population, clear clinical standards, and well-defined operational guard rails, Colorado effectively created a catch-all placement option for individuals who did not fit neatly anywhere else in their system. So these facilities were expected to simultaneously relieve pressure on the state hospital, reduce jail populations, particularly among IST individuals, serve as a step- down placement from acute care, and then functioned as a form of structured community-based treatment. And by trying to solve all these problems at once and putting it into one program, the state created a model that lacked a clear identity and clearly they lacked limits. implementation moved rapidly after the authorization of this bill and MHTLS were opening under contracts with private and nonprofit operators. And that speed has come at a cost. It's coming at a cost to North Glenn. It's coming at a cost to other communities. And it will continue to come at a cost in communities where facilities are yet to open but are expected to. And the state began placing individuals in MHTLFS before fully resolving key questions. those questions around appropriate acuity levels, appropriate security standards, staffing ratios and clinical capacity, and lines of responsibility for safety and incidental response. As a result, MHTLFs quickly began serving a wide and complex population, more so than what a traditional

residential model is typically designed to handle. Many residents were presented with significant behavioral instability, co-occurring substance abuse disorders, and histories of violence, which resulted in an ongoing issue of violence within these facilities. Since the opening of the two MHTLFs in the city of North Glenn, located off of Grant Drive, these homes have generated 78 calls for police service within a 2-year period, substantially exceeding what is anticipated for comparable residential settings. And these calls, they were not limited to minor issues. They include disturbances, assaults, battery, and repeated welfare checks, collectively placing a sustained and everinccreasing burden on local law enforcement resources and the surrounding community. And then on January 7th of this year, a critical incident occurred in the North Glenn facility. As you know, a violent stabbing occurred at one of the homes and responding officers encountered a resident with a documented history of violence, including prior results on law enforcement, who attempted to then attack an officer with a knife. This incident was not one isolated failure. It was indicative of broader systemic deficiencies, including inadequate residential screening, insufficient on-site supervision, and an overreiance on law enforcement to manage complex behavioral health needs. And I think that January 7th incident and other visits to these facilities have exposed a fundamental flaw in the model's creation. MHTLFs were designed as a in quotes less restrictive alternative, but are populated with individuals who often require more structure, not less. There are blurred lines between treatment and containment and facilities are neither fully clinical environments nor appropriately equipped secure settings as would be expected in dealing with this population. And yet these

facilities are expected to operate as as both. And that ambiguity creates real consequences for staff. It creates real consequences for the communities in which they're placed. And it also creates consequences for those who are housed in these facilities and the care they receive. And ultimately, MHCLF's attempted to solve a capacity crisis by creating a new category of care with no clear purpose or limit. And instead of resolving a gap in the continuum, the state created a program that absorbs risk from every direction, clinical, legal, public safety without being fully equipped to manage any of them. And until those fund foundational issues are addressed at mental health transitional living facilities, they will continue to function as less of a solution and more as a pressure valve for a system that's already under strain, including local governments. So how did we get to the bill HP261285? So through the 2526 Colorado Municipal League legislation initiation process, North Glenn successfully advanced a bill that addresses the placement of certain individuals in state-run mental health transitional living facilities near schools. And that proposal, which has been introduced, HB261285, would prohibit MHCLFs located within a,000 ft of a school or a private K12 school, public or private, from admitting individuals who are registered sex offenders. It's very clear. It's a very clear standard that we're trying to set. And while we recognize, you know, I think all of us here, the community, this is not a comprehensive fix given all the problems we have seen, it does represent the most urgent and critical step to ensuring community safety, particularly for our most vulnerable residents and those residing near the facilities. That legislation is sponsored by Representative Lori Goldstein and Senator Mullica. I believe Senator Molica is actually in the room as well. Uh so thank you Senator for for being here and for your sponsorship. Uh

and it was initially introduced in fe on on February 20th of this year and it was assigned to House Judiciary Committee with the first hearing scheduled for March 18th. Uh House Judiciary Committee is made up of 11 11 members. It is seven Democrats and four Republicans. Uh those members are outlined in the memo uh in today's agenda. and FGMC and CML have both been actively lobbying this bill before introduction, post introduction, uh all the way up to today where I was having conversations with governor's office and others. Uh through ongoing engagement with lawmakers leading up to committee, it became clear that the vote was trending in a negative direction. Uh there was seeking of some really limiting amendments if we weren't to do that. Uh there was a threat of the vote of the bill not passing. Even with amendments, they're threatening that the bill may not pass. And in a pre-hering meeting we had with the Department of Human Services and the governor's office on the morning before the hearing, uh an alternative path was discussed, specifically discussing an extension of the existing agreement, but also formalizing that in a memorandum of understanding between the state of Colorado and the city of North Glenn. uh DHS and the governor's office, they showed interest in this conversation. Uh we believe this could be an approach to resolve our issues and also have legal standing and something that could be a long-term fix uh to address this, not a temporary moratorum, something that that enables this to actually at least to a degree give us more shity. Uh negotiation continued for several weeks. The governor's office eventually after delay did provide an initial draftou which the city of North Glenn reviewed and returned with red lines outlining necessary protections for the community along with additional parameters to ensure the agreement met the city's needs. And we believed all of those

revisions were reasonable. They were within scope and they were essential to the agreement for us to to be able to look at something we might sign. However, the state subsequently returned a revised draft with North Glenn's proposed changes removed, bringing discussions back to a point of disagreement and impass, both regarding whether theou would even function as a truly bilateral agreement and whether it would carry sufficient legal weight. Separately, this past Friday, the state had informed North Glenn that DHS's Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health intends to adopt an internal policy referrals and emissions 210A is the name of the document to extend the prohibition on admitting sex offenders within Colorado statute. Uh, specifically those defined as uh needing to register under the Colorado Sex Offender Registration Act into MHTLFS. I'm sure that the city attorney attorney can probably provide more specifics about what this document does and does not do uh or what it says and does not say. Uh but upon receiving that on Friday and and while we appreciate you know the state's willingness uh after many months and years of conversation uh to take administrative action and acknowledge this is a positive. We remain concerned that an internal policy does not provide the same level of durability and enforcability as a statutory solution does. Uh especially as it relates to a prohibition on housing registered sex offenders in the homes. An administrative policy is contemplated by the state could still be layer repealed or could be changed without stakeholder process or it could shift when it with a new administration in the upcoming election. And as a result of that and in light of our unresolved concerns with theou, the city determined it was necessary to proceed with going to the legislative hearing, uh, we believe this approach is

critical. It allows council to be heard. It allows our community to be heard and it's going to force lawmakers to listen to this conversation and hear our concerns. Uh, the bill is scheduled for tomorrow. It's being heard in House Judiciary Committee in room 0107. It is in the capital basement. Uh upon adjournment of the morning house floor session, uh for those interested in attending, adjournment typically is happening between 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. upon wrapping up their floor work. Uh this bill is the second bill on the committee agenda tomorrow. The first bill ahead of ours is listed for action only, which means there will be no testimony. It's just going to be amendments and a final vote. and then they will get into HP261 1285 uh fairly quickly after. But I am of course happy to answer any questions uh if any come up.

Thank you, Council Member Condo. Thank you, Mr. Berg. I I appreciate your willingness to kind of help the public understand this very long journey. Um my question is that if there are members of the public who would like to testify, uh how would they go about signing up?

Sure. Yeah. Thank you, Councilman. Uh online at the Colorado General Assembly website, there is a drop- down menu where you can sign up for testimony. Uh you do now have the option to come in person, you can sign up for a virtual testimony testimony, or you can submit written testimony. Uh and I believe the city has also shared a link out of that sign up as well. Thank you. Anybody else? Council member, I've just upgraded you. Sorry. Uh, city attorney Hoffman,

I do want to add one bit of history um that happened actually before um our current lobbyists were were working for the city that I think um for the community's benefit um drives a lot of this discussion and that is when the facility first opened, the state actually promised a policy with no time limitation. Um the time limitation of 2 years came later, but Senator Mullica and I were in the room when the state initially indicated it was going to be a permanent policy, a policy without a time limitation. So much of the city's concern about how the state has um acted in this is because frankly the state's um position has shifted frequently. And so we believe the only way to get a level of certainty is to get um the this issue into legislation.

Thank you, Council Member Burns. Thank you, Madam Mayor. I just wanted to say thank you so much to Mr. Berg for being here for this amazing update. Um because this has been a long process over the last two years, and I feel like we've been pushing and pushing and pushing and so to hear everything we've like sort of done condensed into a five minute speech feels like a lot. But I'm I'm am very helpful, very thankful for this update and just to further highlight sort of everything that goes on that maybe the residents haven't seen, you know, at every Monday meeting, but that we've been pushing as hard as we can for the last couple years. So, I appreciate that. Thank you, Council Member Condo.

Thank you, Madame Mayor. Just one other thought, Mr. Berg and that is uh you've heard some residents talk about and of course the city were very well aware of the number of calls for service by our police department, our crisis response unit, so on so forth. It it seems as though the city is basically taking on a lot of the burden of this and not receiving any kind of funding or underwriting to support that. So it leads me to wonder and ask, is this an unfunded mandate? Does this create a burden for cities? And so if this is not just an issue for North Glenn, this should be an issue or concern for all municipalities that may contemplate or be asked to take on a mental health transition living facility. I was wondering if you have any thoughts on that.

Uh, sure. Thank you, Councilman. uh as as you know a lobbyist I would certainly say yes this is an unfunded mandate. Uh this was put in your community without very no knowledge of it coming in advance and they have relied on municipal services particularly law enforcement to address issues they've seen ongoing. Uh and we all know the state budget situation. They're facing a $ 1.5 billion budget hole which they're attempting to close. Uh, I think it raises further questions about how they intend to operate these facilities, which were funded with one-time ARPA dollars, into the future. Um, where are they going to find the money to do this and and how is that going to impact additional potential pressure on the city?

Thank you, Council Member Lighty.

Thank you. Um, I was going to save this for my council communications and then it was a perfect time. So, thank you. Um, first I want to thank you for working so hard cuz that was all condensed into five minutes, but you are working very late nights and working really hard to make sure that this is getting pushed and that's amazing. Um, I also wanted to point out for our residents and honestly just a reminder for ourselves that and thank our senator and well not our senator. Let me make that very clear. He's not our senator and Rep. Goldstein is not our rep. So, I wanted to thank them personally and just say thank you so much for not forgetting where you came from, especially Senator Mullica. You served on council in North Glenn and you are not forgetting your people and so I really appreciate you. Thank you so much for all of your hard work. I don't see any other questions. Um, any comments, any further discussion on this topic? Oh, Council Member Goff.

Um, I I I'm hesitating because I feel like I'm just going to say things that I have said before that we've all said before. Um, this facility was dropped into North Glenn with no notification. No, it wasn't anything that we were willing or interested in having and um just from the very beginning in our interactions with the state officials, it seemed like there was a lot of confusion on their part. like you said it was this was a rushed um project I guess you would say so they didn't really know you know like they were sort of figuring out as they went they were building the airplane as they were flying and um we we have tried really hard we've been working the whole entire these whole two years well four years I guess or whatever but for a long time to try to make sure that this um protection gets put into place for our residents and our children and um if I hear frustration from our the residents that people who came up to speak and I just want to acknowledge that we feel the same amount of frustration and I just thank you all for coming and coming and speaking up and coming back and not giving up. Um and that's it. So and and you also um um Adam to to say uh putting all this together in such a very concise and and uh orderly way that helps people understand. We've been working hard on this. Thank you,

Council Member Roer.

Thank you, Madame Mayor. Thank you, Mr. Burke, for this for this wonderful update. Thank you, Senator Mullica, for being here. And thank you to everyone who came out to speak today. I want to start off by reminding us all that one in three women have experienced sexual violence. That comes out to a sexual assault every 68 seconds. This is a big deal. This is not okay for our community, for our schools, for our children. And we will continue to work hard for change to the legislation. Work hard for stronger, clearer uh polic not policies because those can be changed at will. Um but we're not giving up and we're ready to fight this. Thank you. giving a little bit of wait time to see. Um, yes, I'm going to echo a little bit of what has already been said because I think it's really important. I I've I've told you many, many times in the last two weeks how much I appreciate you because so thorough, so clear with your communication. you're up to speed to the the minute details of this whole situation and you've really been carrying our message forward in such a thoughtful way and I really appreciate that. But also um and I you know you may get a little embarrassed we keep shouting him out but um Senator Mullica is in the room and it says a lot that he's here. He knew that we were talking about it yesterday. Um, we did want our community to know. There was there was a comment about, you know, why was it last minute? Why didn't we know? And it has been hard to get anything scheduled. It has been hard. We did want to have another town hall for our residents and that was not wellreceived. The first town hall a couple years ago did not go well and they stated that like it didn't go well. We don't necessarily want to do

that again. Now, that's a problem because that's a process in our democratic process that should have been allowed to happen again. And so, while you didn't have it and we kept hearing about it, we kept asking and that's the piece some of those behind the scenes was our staff and our council and our lobby team was working really hard to get that done and we were hitting a roadblock every time. So, um, the steadfast push that we've had from Senator Mullica from the very first minute, he was at the very first town hall in the front row. He was listening as a as a North Glenn resident even though he had recently moved, right? He he often says that he brought all of his children home to North Glenn. So, he loves us and we love him. So, thank you. Um, but also the work that has been done is so frustrating. I'm getting emotional only because we should be represented by our people and we're not. And that's that's the biggest part of this. So, we have other legislators that are stepping up for us and we should celebrate that because they're doing really hard work. And what we're finding is they're they're getting kind of knocked down in the process. And that makes us feel a little bad, right? Like our our people should be fighting the fight for us. That's how this works. And I know that you're all so frustrated by that. We hear you. We're pushing. I will say we're not making friends in this process. And I don't think that's anyone's goal because our goal is to make sure that our streets are safe, that our residents are safe, that our children are safe, and that it's it's it's safe even for the people that live there and the staff that work there. And that's a piece that often, you know, we get sort of vilified that, oh, we're just against registered sex offenders.

And that's not it. Our primary focus is safety. our primary focus is to make sure that the people that work in the facility are safe, the residents that live in the facility are safe. That's currently not the case and that's a concern and as much as we push that out, we're not heard on that front and it's very frustrating. Um, I'm noticing I'm getting feistier with every media interview if you're noticing. Um, because it's it's kind of mind-numbing to me. Someone asked me today, why are they against it? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know that anyone up here or out there has the true answer. We don't know why because they haven't explicitly stated it. They haven't explicitly defended their side. This has not been a proper debate on this issue. It has been a super frustrating we're just going to sweep it under the rug, which is why the policy is not enough. So, yes, they did it. They did it at the end of the day on Friday. We had already sent out our community notice which we wanted you to have the information. We also sort of overtook a kind of charged into a town hall. Um the legislators in the region wanted to share with all of us what they were working on and we were like well they're going to be there. We need to talk to them. It was the perfect opportunity to have your voices heard and that was you know we got a little bit of traction. and I think they weren't necessarily thrilled we showed up. Um, but again, this is all part of the process. So, when I get feisty about it, I also get super proud of our residents because you guys are showing up and you're doing the work and you're communicating and you're fighting. And I know that Senator Mullica is not done either and he's here for the long haul. And so, we do have strategies for what to do next and we're going to we're not stopping. And so I

want to make sure you hear that and I can I know for a fact that uh Mr. Berg is not stopping either, which is great. So again, thank you for your work. Thank you for the summary. Um again, that was in the packet. So if you have questions, you can refer back to it. You can always reach out to council. Um I also wanted to leave it open if our city attorney had anything or if our city manager wanted to add on or not. You don't have to. The only thing I would add is that tomorrow is important. Even that um I think this community has not been heard as it should be and tomorrow is a great opportunity to hear not only from um elected officials and staff but from the community. This is our this is our chance. The piece that I would add, mayor and council, is every opportunity we've had to interact with the state, we learn how poorly designed this program is. And as a city manager, it's disappointing to see that this program came to fruition without the thought, the the time, the engagement with key stakeholders such as North Glenn and other communities that um could have been done to set the people up for success who live in the homes. Um, this is extremely concerning to myself, to Chief May. He's at another meeting tonight, which is why he is not here. And so, we will keep fighting. As the mayor alluded to, um, this has been about the short game and the long game. And we um are fortunate to have the team assemble that we have. And um dare I say, if I was a state lawmaker, I would

be taking a big step back and asking, "What do I not know about this program?" Because I don't think that question's been asked. And as city manager, when you rely on individuals in positions of power and trust to share information and to bring the best information forward and to do the right thing for a community, I think that's a big piece of what's missing here.

I agree with you. So, I would add on and and with a question um knowing that our direct legislators are Representative Wilford and Senator Lindstat and I wonder if they have toured the facility. I don't know. I think that would be an interesting um exercise is to see if that was an available strategy for them. I think that might help um with the messaging. I'm not sure. um they have both expressed that they would vote bill they would vote yes if it was in front of them and yet what we've been asking for is for them to advocate with their peers and to at least have the judiciary committee be open-minded when we come tomorrow and that's that's the hope I mean I will share the last bill that I testified in committee about was very frustrating the committee members were eating lunch and wandering off and on their phones and having side conversations. They didn't listen to anybody. And I really hope that doesn't happen tomorrow. We'll see if we can get a nudge there. I really hope that doesn't happen tomorrow. Um I I really hope our residents are heard. Thank you again for being here. We appreciate you.

Thank you.

All right, we're going to move into council communications starting with Council Member Burns. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Um, so the legis committee just had a meeting. Um, we just had a update obviously on our uh house bill. Um, I would just like to reiterate because it's kind of tied next to the next topic is the budget, right? Um, I think that is a very important, it just passed through the house, it's at the Senate, you know, $ 1.5 billion shortfall and as Mr. Ber alluded to um the mental health transitional living facilities have been funded through ARPA dollars and we've seen no clear plan on how these will be funded moving forward. Um just food for thought around the budget. Um and including unfunded mandates as well. We're waiting sort of to see how this all kind of shakes out. Um we have our budget track or not budget, oh my gosh, uh bill tracker on our website. Um y'all can check that out. Um, shout out to our new website as well. Check it out. We're still working out some bugs, but it looks great. So, thank you to the team. Um, and thank you to everyone who came and spoke this evening. Um, and who have been speaking out and continue to speak out. I really appreciate y'all. Um, all that you do for the community, um, makes all of this sort of worthwhile and doesn't feel like we're just smashing our head against the wall over and over again. Um, okay. Okay, so back to legislative committee update. Um, we have 30 days left. There's still like 300 plus bills left. Um, so we'll sort of see what's happening. Um, one bill of note that I wanted to bring out is Senate Bill 46. This is the property tax bill that was already signed by the governor. So, please keep a lookout from the county because that's where the main changes are coming from. So, they will be owning those communications and so just make sure we're all following that because that will impact us. Um we are monitoring various data center bills

that Senator Malikica is also running. So have a chat with him. Um and we are also monitoring um some uh RTD changes coming down the pike potentially as well as some uh self-driving vehicle changes. Um yeah, so follow along. 30 days left team. We can do this. Um, and just to uh speak build off of uh council member Roer's discussion earlier, um, it is sexual assault awareness month as well for the month of April. Um, so I think this is all just feeling very heavy in so many ways. Um, so again, just thank you to everyone who came out. Um, and I'm also on CC4CA. We are chugging along, speaking out against bills as well. City, you know, is obviously a crown jewel for sustainability in the state. Um, we keep pushing that as well. Um, and I was out of town for a while, so I'm happy to be back. It's much nicer here. All right. Thank you'all.

Thank you, Council Member Lighty.

Thank you. Um, well, I said a lot of my notes earlier, but I I wanted to thank our residents again just for coming and speaking out. You guys have worked really hard. You're putting a lot of effort. You guys are also working really hard and doing your research and making sure that these legislators aren't slipping through the cracks. They're not getting things past you guys. And it's really awesome. Um, last week I attended the Adams County Mayor Mayors and Commissioners Youth Awards. Hope I got that right. Um, it was really awesome to see all of our students and really amazing kids that are working through really hard challenges and adversity that they should not have been dealt with in or dealt in their life. So, that was really awesome to experience and hang out with those kids. Um, I would like to thank us again for the uh autism awareness month proclamation. I work in special education and I get to witness firsthand every single day how amazing these kids are and how amazing they become and the amazing people and things that they do. And so I love I love that we do that. Um yeah, that's it. Thank you,

Council Member Noiki.

Thank you, Madame Mayor. Um just a few updates here. Um, I too attended the Adams County Mayors and Commissioners Youth Awards as well. I think you said it very nicely, Council Member Lighty. Um, so I won't uh It was again really cool to see all the youth uh kind of overcoming and persevering. Um, we had our Ward 2 meeting over the weekend. Uh, thank you to the residents that came out for that as well. Um we had some really good discussion um about kind of the drought concerns and we'll be talking a little bit more about that tonight. And then uh Washington Point and Washington Center some going on there. Um beyond that CPCC meets tomorrow. Um so I'll uh look forward to that and that is all for me.

Thank you council member Severs. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Uh, it's been a busy time. Thanks for everyone for coming out and and speaking and everyone that will be able to make it tomorrow to the judiciary committee. I appreciate it. Ahead of time, on Wednesday, April 1st, I virtually attended the CML virtual seminar led by Mayor Prom Shannon Lukeman Heramasa. It was about individual safety and awareness, and it was it was good. It's a three-part series. There's two more coming. Um, on Thursday, April 2nd, I attended the business afterhour uh party get together at Bad Daddy's Burger Bar with the economic team and council member Condo and Golf and city manager and the economic team. So, thank you for all the work there. Uh, got had a lot of great conversations with some businesses. I feel like I still need to have a 3,000 more conversations, but it was a good another opportunity to interact with uh the businesses that, you know, provide the engine for our city. Um on Monday, April 6th, I was also here with multiple council members, the mayor and staff for the Adams County Commissioner award ceremony. We celebrated North Glenn's Pacific. I think 21 or something 20 students. Uh it's a lot easier to say dust yourself off and try again. as they say, but these kids really do do that and it's inspiring. On Wednesday, April 8th, I attended the ADCOG subregional transportation form meeting. Uh, a lot of conversations about C DOT's 10-year plan, the RTD uh comprehensive plan, which is in 18th month review and RTD partnership program. Uh, that's due by uh April 29th for $10 million. Uh it's uh basically the county helps match projects. So if your city can come up with projects,

they help match it. I think it goes up to 70 or 80% max. Um and uh on April 9th, I also attended the Adams County Mayor and Commissioner Youth Awards in Westminster. It was the bigger overall thing for the county. It was beautiful. Um, and again, lots of lots of inspiration, lots of kids that are fighting a battle they shouldn't have to sometimes, but you know, life's not always fair. So, uh, really proud of them for stepping up. Um, on April 11th, as council member Noiki said, we held our war 2 neighborhood meeting. It was pretty productive. Lots of good conversations. Thanks for everyone that came out. Um, and thanks for call and city manager for putting that together. I'll wrap up in a second. On Sunday, April 12th, I also attended the town hall uh with reps Lori Goldstein, Kenny Win, Jackie Phillips, Senators Maluca, and Lindstead. Uh some good, some bad. Uh and then, um tomorrow, actually, I had coffee today with uh Adams County Commissioner Steve Oricio, so that was good. and then uh tomorrow I'll be at the state capitol to testify for HB 1285. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Goff.

Thank you, Mayor. Um, a couple of things. Well, the Adams County Youth Awards, I'm going to do the short title, was very inspiring. Um, and uh, it just goes to show that the future isn't with our children and we need to do everything we can to support them and keep them safe. Uh, and then also the on April 9th, the parks and wreck advisory board met and um we got a report out on um what parks, wreck and culture um activities and events um they've been doing in the past I guess year. I guess it goes by year. Uh and I was kind of surprised to hear um well a couple of things of note is that the North Glenn High School students presented uh on civic engagement in youth with a focus on recreation, safety and volunteerism. Uh and uh I was told that 80% of the students those high school students had not been to our rec center. So the um the department decided to um provide 165 those students um the ones who presented with a free day pass so that they could come and check out our facility. And it's um it's just you know we try as much as we can to get people to know what's going on here and sometimes you just sort of miss the boat. So this was a great opportunity that they took advantage to um get that information out. And then um I'm going to be embarrassed because I don't I probably won't pronounce her um last name properly because I know her is Kimberly. She works for the North Glenn Youth Theater. Kimberly Jongajen, is that how you say it? Anyway, she I mean she's worked with for North Glenn Youth Theater for such a long time. She's retiring. I remember her at the very first Pride event that we had in North Glenn and she was so wonderfully supportive. She got some of the North Glenn Youth uh uh performers to come out and perform at that first Pridefest. And she also just in on her own recgnizance

at that very moment did a land acknowledgement. So I was very imp Kimberly. I'm going to very much miss her. The last show that she is going to be involved in here is the Wizard of Oz. So again, I'm going to um encourage people to come out and see our youth theater performing for the Wizard of Oz. Uh then just one other thing. Um on May 7th, the parks and wreck advisory board is going on a greenhouse tour. We get to see where all the plants are uh being grown that uh get planted in our um flower beds in throughout the city. And um I can't remember the number now, but I think we have 27 flower beds that get planted um throughout the city. So, that'll be a really a fun um event to take uh place to take part in and um uh report out on. And that's all I have for right now. So, thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Condo.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Um I do want to acknowledge uh and of course, Senator Mullica had to move on, but uh obviously he cares deeply enough about the city to show up and I very much appreciate that. I also want to acknowledge a number of residents who are here today who were there at Sunday's uh town hall that was organized by the state of Colorado elected officials. I know that um you know, Council Member Severs, you were there. Uh Council Member Roer, mayor, of course, and myself. Um I was a little bit disappointed. It sounded more like a one-way conversation than a dialogue. So, I'm glad that you all, despite the frustration, decided to come here and and express your thoughts and feelings. And I know it's hard. It's hard to go and relive your trauma. Um, and it takes a great deal of courage. And tomorrow, hopefully, you will be able to go and muster the courage to be able to do that again for the judicial committee. on a different topic, the uh North Metro Fire. Two items. One we just uh broke ground on station 68 that is not in North Glenn, but it is over by Skystone. Um but it will be the eighth station in the north uh Metro Fire Rescue District. And I think it's just indicative of the amount of growth that is going on and the investment that we make at the fire district. And these are your tax dollars, your your property tax dollars that go into this uh to make sure that we provide the level of service that allows our responders to show up at your home within 7 minutes. And it's because we're able to do that, we're able to have a cardiac uh survival rate of over 70%. And it's not just North Metro Fire,

it's the training that we we when I say North Metro Fire uh gives to the police departments as well. And so I want to make sure that the public is very much aware and and in most cases the first responders to a cardiac event is probably going to be a police officer. So nationwide in the United States, your survival rate if you have an observed sudden cardiac arrest or heart attack is about 33%. here in the district, your survival rate is over 72%. So again, uh, great work that is going on there. I would like to remind council that the fire district is offering a tour on Thursday, April 30th. I know it's going to be long from 9 to 4. If you can't stay the entire time, there is an option instead of riding the fun bus, you can drive and then peel off or join at will, but that that is open for uh city and county of Broomfield council members as well as North Glenn. So, I I think this is a great opportunity for you all to obviously get to know your other counterparts in Broomfield as well as learn more about what North Metro Fire Rescue District does. Lastly, uh, Denver Region Council of Governments, where I I sit as, uh, as a vice chair, uh, the Power Ahead Colorado is, uh, has opened up a second subawward grant, and I know that the city took advantage of the first, uh, round, which is great, and hopefully we'll be able to take, uh, advantage of that. It's $35 million of money and it's a small drop or a fraction of the $200 million that we have received in total for the next 5 years. Actually, now it's been two years. So, remaining three years left uh for conversion of traditional heating and cooking uh uh methods to more uh uh environmentally friendly electric heating and and cooking technologies. And with that, I will I will end. Thank

you, Madam Mayor. Thank you, Council Member Roer.

Thank you, Madame Mayor. Um, a lot of the same events um as my colleagues I attended as well. Um, but the youth commission had their art jam this past weekend. And then also I attended the town hall yesterday and the youth awards which I know this has been said but it was so inspiring to hear from our youth and and hear the stories about them and their challenges and how they've really overcome that. Um tomorrow we have historic preservation and then coming up um April 29th we have our ward for meeting and that will be at Aspenale. So thank you. Bye-bye.

Goodbye. Goodbye. Excellent. Thank you. Um, well, I will start by adding on to Aspenale. So, Aspenale is a new, uh, community for residents 55 and over. It's over near the marketplace. And so, um, I will also be hosting the coffee with the mayor on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. and that will be over there. So, please come out. Um, those are a little more relaxed. It's again, it's not a town hall, but we want to get to know residents, especially welcome new residents to our community. So, that's happening on Saturday. I want to give a little context to the Adams County Mayor and Commissioners Youth Awards. Um, we've been say it's it's a lot of letters. It's ACMCA. Uh, and so last Monday we held the award ceremony for our North Glenn awardees and it was so lovely. And then what happens is we take all of those names forward and there's a committee that narrows those down and selects um from for the commissioners more um basically it's the same people that win at North Glenn. They can also be selected again. So there's more of a county um event just right after that. And so, Council Member Severs and I were there. And so, we were able to celebrate and honor those youth from other municipalities, but all part of Adams County. Um, and we did sort of take ownership of one that actually lived in North Glenn. We were like, "Wait a minute." Um, but went to school in Thornton. So, we um we added another winner to our list. So, it is lovely though to honor the youth that are doing so much. they step out as leaders. They're doing really well in school. They achieve great things even though they've really had some challenges.

Um I did attend yesterday's town hall. We did crash that party as I mentioned earlier and we did that on purpose and it was lovely to see so many of our residents come out and listen and provide feedback and try to find an opportunity to get your voice in there. Um, we did get an update on all of the bills that the other legislators are working on and as council member Burns said, the budget is a big concern at the state. So, you want to watch that. Um, I had my Metro Mayor's caucus meeting a couple weeks ago, like a week and a half, and we had two key things. Senator Bennett came to visit with us. The Metro Mayor Caucus gave 30 minutes to any candidate for governor that wanted to sign up. Um, and so we have heard from quite a few of the candidates and Senator Bennett spoke for about 30 minutes and it was it was interesting. He shared a lot about his leadership and and what he would bring to that role. We also had a presentation from an organization called Agewise. And if you haven't heard from them, you can Google that when you get home. Um, Agewise is a a website essentially and it's a bunch of resources for all of us as we are aging into senior living. Um, but they had a request and I wanted to um, you know, officially ask council if they were interested, if you wouldn't mind when you have time take a look at it. Um, their ask was pretty simple. It was just would we add that resource to our city website? And so I would love for you to check it out. It's a clearing house of resources. They've all been vetted. It is high quality. We could also invite them to come present to council if you're interested in learning

more and they can kind of walk us through those resources. So I wasn't sure what you thought about that. Do you want a presentation? Should we invite them out? Yeah. Can we do that please? Great. Thank you. Okay. Um, final thing is I did meet um I meet once a month. The Adams County Mayors meet with our RTD directors. And so we did meet about Senate Bill 26-150. And I just wanted to share a couple of things. This is a bill that is recommending a lot of changes to the RTD board. And so the RTD current board has a position on this bill as well. And so they are hoping that there will be an increase in the number of elected board positions and a decrease in the number of appointed board positions. So right now the proposal is to have um quite a few positions that are appointed by the governor and a a significant reduction in the amount of positions that are elected by all of us. And so they really feel like they shrunk it too much and they'd like it to be um increased and so they have put forward these amendments. They also want the language directing the board director districts to be influenced by writership and not solely the number of residents when creating new district boundaries. So they had a whole bunch. I'm not going to read through this whole list, but they're very active in this. They're very thoughtful. They, you know, there was a committee that really assessed the effectiveness of the RTD board and came up with some pretty drastic changes that are in that bill. And so a lot of organizations are weighing in and saying, "Hey, that makes sense. However, can we can we not make it so drastic?" So they are in support of change, but they are

not in support of there's like nine or 10 of these and I'm not going to take us through it, but if you're interested in how the RTD board of directors is organized, definitely look into that Senate bill. And that is all I have. Yes, mayor. If I can just to add on to that point, we are currently monitoring that RTD bill from the legislative committee. So, Mr. Berg will be presenting us more information on it because we are looking at some of the other things specifically around unfunded mandates that will occur to the city and so that's why we're monitoring this as well. So, just an update to everybody

and I'm I'm guessing do you have the RT? Do you want this or do you have a copy of the RTD amendments? You're good. Okay, perfect. All right, city clerk small. Oh, wait. Before I stop, I want to say thank you again cuz there's so many people that have stuck it out with us this evening, but really I was so impressed and I'm going to call out two people because they come consistently, but I was blown away by your statements today cuz they were so thoughtful. So Melissa and Rebecca, thank you. Um I as you were reading, I was I wanted to applaud. I wanted to shout from this chair. It was so thoughtful, so well researched as has been stated, but it was just it was very articulate and you can tell how much you care about our community and and I'm just I'm really thankful that you came. So, thank you. All right, city clerk Small.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. I just have one quick announcement. The city clerk's office is getting ready to host our second special passport acceptance event. It's not until Saturday, May 9th. It'll be from 9:00 am to 3 pm. So, that's a couple weeks away, but we already have appointments available on the city's website. For anybody who brings in a non-p perishable food item or pet supplies, those donations will benefit Food for Hope and the Riverdale Animal Shelter. And in exchange for a donation, we will provide a free passport photo. And I wanted to mention just a bit of information for u members of the public who might not be aware. In addition to the traditional passport book that is required for international air travel, the city clerk's office can also accept applications for the United States passport card. And that is a federally acceptable um and recognized wallet sized ID card which proves citizenship and it's perfect for everyday identification. It's also much less expensive than the traditional passport book. So, if anyone has any questions about how that product could be used um or how to apply for that, please go online for more information at northclenn.org/passports. Give us a phone call at 303-4508756 or feel free to just stop by the office anytime. Thank you.

Thank you, city manager guy.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. As was briefly mentioned, we um have launched our newly refreshed website. It's not a complete overhaul. However, it is a refresh. So, you see new images, um new overall website design. Um we are working through some kinks, so bear with us. Um pretty common when you launch um a refreshed website. So, if you see anything that's of concern, please reach out to myself. I want to give a huge shout out to John Eisel, our senior public communications specialist, as well as 35 plus um website users throughout, website owners throughout the city um on staff who were part of updating pages really um making sure that the content's accurate and appreciate all of their hard work and effort in um providing um a more enhanced platform and overall greater experience for our website visitors. Thanks.

Thank you. City Attorney Hoffman.

Uh good evening, Madame Mayor, members of council. First, on a personal note, I wanted to thank you for the autism awareness month proclamation as the grandfather of a three-year-old who has been um diagnosed with autism. It it was especially meaningful. So, thank you. Um and I I wanted to give a quick update. As you may recall, in late September, there were um some properties on Aoma Street that were um the victims, if you will, of a sewer backup. The trial, as it relates to the um violation of our industrial pre-treatment standards that we believe caused the backup, was conducted today by my office in Northland Municipal Court. And I'm pleased to say the court found um the business, the upstream business guilty on three counts related to that. There's still another hurdle in this matter in trying to seek restitution on our residents behalf, but um for at least the first part went very well today.

Great. Thank you. Appreciate that update. Okay, moving to the financial report. We have our February 2026 update with our deputy city manager, Lovelind.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. Uh, this is our first finance update for 2026. Um, admittedly, this is pretty early in the in the year to get really too caught up on any particular numbers. Uh but I will start off with as we typically do uh an update on our sales and use tax. Um positive note uh sales and use tax were up 6.9% over the prior year. Um you can see on this uh chart uh on the on the screen right now that orange bar is representing 2026. It is up a fair amount. Uh however, you can see in 2025 that first reporting period were only collections uh for sales that were done in January. You can see how low that dip was. So when I reported this last year, uh I was reporting that we were down um 16% through one month. So we're back up uh which is positive uh overall. Um, but I wouldn't necessarily say that that's going to be the trend uh as we go to the for the next month. Uh, but for now, uh, we're we're in a better shape within that number. Uh, auto use tax was down 39%. Uh, food tax was down 22%. So indeed, an impact from the Safeway closure, uh, impacting, uh, our food sales tax. And then marijuana tax was down almost 13%. um in January uh for what's being reported. This is our tax collected by geographic code. Um kind of going out of order from uh the handout, but putting some slides together to try to have more of a conversation about the topics uh up front. Um, and you can see in 2026, uh,

on that far left hand side are out of state, that's out of state and online sales, uh, grew a fair amount. Um, other areas that were promising, the marketplace showed some some increase again because of the timing of January returns. Last year was reported very low. This year seen some gains. Um but overall um the geographic codes grew about 5 a.5%. If we take the online sales out of that we're about three uh 3% growth. So year-over-year first month um this uh information will change uh definitely next time uh I come before you uh in May. Um, but overall from the a quick snapshot, uh, positive things on sales tax. I'm going to skip ahead to just kind of going through the fund summaries. Again, we are two months into the year at this point. So about 16% of the year. Um, on these slides, it's just a summary of the of the report. Uh you can see total tax growth uh at the top there about 18% uh largely driven by that sales tax number about $413,000 that we see here as from the year-over-year growth. uh $250,000 of that is from the half percent sales tax that is now being redistributed or staying within the general fund and not being distributed to the to the water fund. Uh so we will see some on grow ongoing general fund specific uh sales tax growth. Um, and I'll be sure to point out and break out which portion of that is not necessarily

actual growth, but simply from the general fund retaining that half percent sales tax. Uh, so total revenues in the fund just over $3 million. Uh, that's up from 2.6 million uh in the pri in the prior year. Again, the majority of that driven by that half percent sales tax staying within the general fund and not going out. Uh on the expenditure side, we show this uh broken out by department level. Uh you can see total expenditures um of just over $6 million. That's down from the prior year. Um again, timing from January and February could be just uh large purchases uh or just certain timing of of payments that we make. Um, so nothing out of the ordinary uh at this point. We're at the 15% uh spend rate uh which is typical for this time of the year. Uh moving ahead to the water funds, total revenues of $893,000. And the water fund, you'll see the opposite of the general fund. It's down $250,000 due to not receiving a distribution from the general fund of that sales tax. Um and specifically that second line item where it says water resource revenue um not coming in that's on purpose uh as we had planned. Um total expenditures of $1.6 million. I will say for January and February uh water consumption was flat. Um so that's something that we'll see uh likely decreasing uh as we have further conversations uh throughout the night. Uh so we will expect to see uh water charge revenue. You can see that's down about 2.6%. We'll expect to see um that decline uh

throughout the year uh with tighter water restrictions. Uh in the wastewater fund total revenues of $765,000, total expenditures of 432,000. Um really at this point through the two months, uh nothing out of the ordinary from an operating expense side. Um kind of just plugging along as expected. Uh in the storm water fund, uh total revenues of uh just over $55,000, expenditures of 16,700, again consistent with uh what we expect for the budget through this point of the year. And then the last fund, the sanitation fund, total revenues of $271,000 and expenditures of 227,000. Um you will see on that top line the trash charges line uh up about over 22% and if you recall uh in 2026 um we made a change to that fee from $16 to $20 per month. Uh so we are we would expect to see uh that increased revenue uh which we're uh seeing right now.

That was a quick snapshot of just the first two months. Uh not a ton to report but happy to answer any questions if you have. So Council Member Barnes, I think I had your hand up from before. Is that correct? Yes. Okay. Council member Condo.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Um I wonder if we can go back to the water fund. So clearly the uh extension of the 1.5% tax going out from the water funding going into the general fund leads me to ask this question. Right. So if if now we are going to have at least up until this time year to date February a $240,000 hole where where do we expect to make up for that? I suppose with inbound cash flows now that there's no money going in that from the sales tax.

Sure. So that half percent sales tax was is was restricted for um water supply or water rights uh a lot of the time as as we collected um referred to it. Uh so with that restriction, there wasn't necessarily an ongoing operational impact to it. Um over time, uh and we'll report this when we do our annual audit, uh there's an accumulation of $17.9 million of that revenue. So we'll continue to use that revenue for uh ongoing um support. But from an ongoing operational standpoint, there's not necessarily a plan. There's not any revenue source that we're intending uh to offset that restricted revenue.

So, if I would kind of summarize what you're saying, it sounds like we do have a cushion or a margin, a balance, so to speak, to draw down off of uh until we reach a new steady state. It sounds like correct. Yes. Okay. Gotcha. Thank you, Council Member Noiki. Thank you, Madame Mayor. Thank you for being here tonight. Um, couple of questions with regard to as always, I think one of the things I like to hear is, uh, if you take out the online sales, where does that kind of leave the sales tax revenue as a percentage?

Sure. So, uh, with that with removing that, that leaves us about 3 up 3.3%. Up, um, up 3.3. Yeah. Okay. And overall, those geographic areas were up about 5 and a half%. Okay. And again, that was only January sales. Uh, and last year reported a large decline. Um, and we're we're actually seeing February kind of balanced themselves out at Last January was down quite a bit, came back up in February, and we're seeing kind of the opposite this year. Um, and I think a lot of that is just the timing of um of filers.

Gotcha. Okay. Uh, with regard to the the food tax being down 22 about 22%, a little over 22%. Um, is a lot of that related to the Safeway closure? It is. Yes. Okay. Okay. I think the grocery market in total is down. Uh but yes, a large portion of that is caused by Safeway. Ouch. Yeah. Okay. All right. Thank you, Council Member Severs.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Just for a resident and my knowledge honestly uh with our over our reliance on uh outofstate online purchases growing every year seemingly um how is sales tax sales tax is derived from where the seller or where the person bought it. So is it the same like what is the tax rate sales tax rate on that kind of purchase and Yeah, great uh great question. That uh sales tax rate is the same uh regardless of where that uh that transaction happens. So whether you go to Best Buy and make a purchase or you get online and order from best buy.com and deliver it to your house, uh that same sales tax rate applies. So for the it's within North Glenn, it's 8.75% but specifically 4% for the city. Have we ever looked at increasing? Can you increase it specifically just online sales individually or no

attorney? The the local sales tax needs to be uniform. So we could not do it just on online purchases. Well, there you go. That answered my question. Thank you. All right. I don't see any other questions. Thank you so much. Thank you. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? Motion to approve. Seconded. Please open the vote. No. Vote now. The vote is open. Please vote.

I will close that vote. And the consent agenda passes unanimously. Thank you. Okay. We have a public hearing tonight. CB 2035. Will the clerk please read the title?

A bill for an ordinance amending the penalty provision of the city of North Glenn Municipal Code to align with state law regarding the maximum criminal penalty that can be imposed for certain violations of the North Glenn Municipal Code. I will now open the public hearing on CB 2035. Comments are limited to five minutes per speaker. Is there anyone who would like to speak for or against CB 2035? Okay. Is there anyone on the phone who would like to speak about CB 2035? You can unmute by pressing star 6. Okay. Are we sure? All right. Hearing none, I will close the public hearing. Ordinances on second reading. CB 2035, penalty for municipal code violations. Is there a motion to approve CB 2035 on second reading?

So moved. Second. City attorney Cory Hoffman will provide a summary of this item.

Good evening, Madame Mayor, members of council. At the end of 2025, the Colorado Supreme Court issued a decision that essentially provides that penalties imposed by a local government such as the city of North Glenn for offenses that have identical elements at state law, the penalty for those offenses cannot be any higher in the North Glenn municipal court than they could be if they were convicted of the same offense with the same elements in county court. So, this ordinance recognizes that decision and brings the North Glenn Municipal Code into compliance with the laws set forth by the Colorado Supreme Court and specifically limits penalties on those offenses that have identical elements at the local level to the maximum penalty that could be imposed under state law.

Okay. Any questions or comments for City Attorney Hoffman? Uh, Council Member Condo. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Um, not to put you on the spot, but I'm just curious, uh, is this a trend that's going on nationwide where, you know, states are starting to say, okay, you you have to have kind of a unified sort of penalty or table, if you will. Can you comment to that?

I can't comment on statewide. I can comment that at the local level in the state of Colorado, um there has there has seemed to be a um bias might be too strong a word, but um local government autonomy has certainly taken a couple of hits in the last couple of years.

Yeah. you know, on that topic and obviously I talked about um home role and and um unfunded mandates. So, it it seems like the the whole reason why local government exists is that we're we should know best how to administer and um manage our area. And it just seems like it's yet another sort of steamrolling. I don't know. Uh, at least that's kind of how I feel about that. And I wanted to make sure that I put that into the record. All right. I don't see any other hands. Um, please open the vote.

The vote is open. Please vote.

I will close that vote. and CB 2035 on second reading passes unanimously. Thank you. Uh ordinances on first reading CB 2036. Will the clerk please read the title? A bill for a special ordinance amending the 2026 budget recognizing revenues and appropriating expenditures by supplemental appropriation for the payment of the costs and expenses of the municipal government agencies and offices of the city of North Glenn, Colorado for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2026. Is there a motion to approve? Motion to approve. Seconded. Thank you. Deputy City Manager Jason Lovelin will provide a summary of this item.

Thank you, Mayor, members of council. Uh I will not read that amazingly lovely title. Uh but uh this is a special ordinance on first reading to consider amendments associated with uh our capital improvements program or our CIP. Uh and then also 2025 appropriations um that were under contract for either through purchase orders or uh other means uh and also captures additional revenues largely through grant revenues that we have accumulated and been awarded uh and those uh related expenditures. So we will not necessarily run through the whole chart uh that is provided in the memo uh but I will highlight a few things um in the table on the first page. Uh we have the general fund listed um and also the departments that these dollars are associated with. So you can see a few items associated with uh communications uh through certain services. Um the communications assessment uh that was brought forward not previously budgeted in 2025 but something that we need to capture uh in the budget. Um you also see several purchase orders uh that were from 2025 on projects uh or programs that just needed to roll forward. Uh you also see on the police side of things, they received a Veil grant uh for just over $7,000. So we're capturing that revenue of the grant award from Veil U and the associated expenditure. Um so in total in the general fund uh the supplemental appropriation um is looking to increase revenue the revenue side of the ledger uh by $137,538

u and then increase the expenditure um budget uh by $472,617. Um, next on the conservation trust fund, there's some CIP carryover for projects which is detailed on uh page four of the memo. Uh there's a detail sheet uh that identifies all of the capital projects, what we estimated would be carried over from the budget. And this is truly just the reconciliation of when we make these uh assumptions as we go through the the process in July and August and September and then we get to uh reconcile at the end of the year and then this is kind of the true up of how how accurate were were those assumptions. So on those detailed CIP sheets you'll see pluses and minuses. Uh and that's just if we over or underestimated what we would carry over uh into the next year. Uh conservation I mentioned that uh CDBG uh Odell Berry Park um $779,000. Uh that was a decision that council had made regarding the allocation of accumulated CDBG funds. Um, also on the capital project side of things, $3.9 million in grant revenues coming uh to us in 2026. Uh, then a total of about $7.6 million of expenditures. Uh, one item on there is the civic campus remediation for 2.75. We've been talking about that for a few years now. Um and in the budget we did recognize the the revenue and we u mistakenly left out the expenditure side. So we're bringing that forward. Uh but that truly

offsets to to zero impact um to that fund. Uh water fund, wastewater fund, storm water and sanitation all have a small purchase orders to carry over or CIP. on the budget and time implications. Uh the chart that is shown uh shows what we adopted for 2026 as far as just the in total change to fund balance. So you can see in the general fund uh we budgeted to increase fund balance by $422,000. Um total revenues as I mentioned before $137,000 are going to be added expenditures of $472,000. So, the proposed amended change to fund balance in the general fund would be increasing that fund balance by $87,000. Uh, I won't go through the rest of the funds, but that is just in general kind of how that uh chart is is laid out. Um, so if approved tonight, there'll be a second reading uh on April 27th and staff recommends approval of a supplemental appropriation. Happy to answer any questions. Thank you, Council Member Condo.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. I I just want to make sure I heard what you said correctly in regards to the capital uh budgets piece. Did you Did you say that the Civic Center campus remediation of 2.75 million? Uh have we received that grant yet or no? But when and if if not when when do you think that we will receive those monies? So the brownfield grant right so the brownfield grant we have re we have been awarded the grant. Yes.

And so it'll be one of a reimbured style grant award. So, as we start doing work, uh we're expecting a reimbursement of up to that $2.75 million. Okay. So, we are expecting then that work will start in 2026 hopefully and probably likely carry over to 27. Yeah. Yeah. Um the timing on that, I don't have all the details, but the expectation is to complete the uh to the west of this building, the parking lot. Uh and once that's completed, we'll be able to get started on the remediation um of that of that.

And does the government kind of disperse all that money in one fell swoop or is that kind of a stream based off of Typically, it'll be based off of our expendit our speed and expenditures and we'll submit um our invoices for reimbursement. Okay, gotcha. Thank you. So, fun times. My computer just decided to reboot itself. all by itself. Um, so I see nothing. Um, so I think it's Council Member Burns.

Yes. Thank you. Um, serendipitous segue. Um, because I'm, you know, just watching the news and that sort of thing, and we're talking about forecasting, budget, that sort of thing. And I know Director Roberts was here, but I don't know where she went. Um, but, um, so what what is our plan from a life cycle management? Like I know he had talked about this like from a life cycle management process from our technology computer costs are skyrocketing at the moment with chips. What is our I know we had to talk about this briefly in finance committee as well. Um so what what's the vibe on that? What is our plan?

Well I I won't speak for the technology department on what that what that plan is. I know uh historically we have a four to five year plan to um replace and I believe that is going to continue. So apologies to hear that you guys are having computer problems today. Um no I just that was my question was like the planning of the rising in chip costs and general technology costs. Um yeah, and I think that we'll be tackling that as we

get into the this next 2027 budget cycle. Uh really identifying, you know, what are the replacement costs and also taking into account that inflationary pressure um which is uh definitely a thing right now and across a lot of materials. So yeah. Okay, cool. Thank you. Okay. I don't see any other hands. Does anyone else want to Oh, council member. I don't see it. Council member Condo.

I know, but she can't take it down. So, we're moving on. Whoa. Lots of fun things are happening over here. It's okay. It's okay. I think we're still ready to open the vote. Thank you, city clerk small. That was a whole whole thing. The vote is open. Please vote. I will close that vote. and CB 2036 on first reading passes unanimously.

Great resolutions. We have a few tonight. CR66. Will the clerk please read the title? A resolution approving a professional services agreement between the city of North Glenn and Fair and Pierce for the development of the city of North Glenn comprehensive transportation and mobility plan. Motion to approve. Second. All right. Welcome. Our director of planning and development, Becky Smith, will provide a summary of this item.

Thank you, Mayor Council. Happy to be here tonight. Um, I'm presenting CR66, which is a proposed resolution seeking approval of a contract for fair and peers to develop the city's um, uh, comprehensive transportation and mobility plan, also referred to as the CTMP. The CTMP will provide long range a long range data-driven framework to guide transportation investments over the next 15 to 35 years. It will guide decisions on roadways, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, transit, freight, and emerging mobility technologies. Importantly, it will build upon work that we've already done, including the comprehensive plan, connect North Glenn bicycle and pedestrian plan, and the climate action and resiliency plan. The project emphasizes inclusive public engagement uh ensuring input from residents, stakeholders and advisory boards throughout the uh planning process. Following a competitive RFP process, three proposals were received. Uh fair and peers was selected based on their technical technical approach, uh revolent experience and understanding of the project. The total contract is for $286,875. Sorry, $200,86. Let's try it one more time. The contract is for $286,875 funded through the city's capital improvement program, uh, CIP. The remaining balance um for the budget which is 300,000 will be allocated for the city to support um public engagement efforts. The CTMP is expected to be completed in 12 to 16 months and will position the city to better compete for transportation funding by providing a clear prioritized implementation strategy. Staff is recommending approval of CR66. And I'm happy to answer any questions.

Any questions? Uh, Council Member Condo. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Couple things. One, um, I'm assuming this work, this this assessment could potentially yield a recommendation, say for example, to widen 112th, right? Is that kind of what we're thinking? It it kind of looks at traffic flow and figures out where there are bottlenecks or what have you and then and then provide a recommendation. Is that correct?

That is correct. It will do um some of those more real-time recommendations. We do have it in the scope and we increase the amount of uh traffic counts in certain areas. Uh but it will also look at uh future technologies and make recommendations around that. So it will have a pretty wide scope around everything transportation in this community.

And I know I know it's expensive when we pay for external consultants. Uh that was a very large number, but um I'm looking at the timeline and the the times that the vendor is suggesting that they do public outreach. I I hope that um and I'm not telling you what to do, but I I hope that they will consider dog piling onto existing city events. Say for example, I see that there's a public outreach in August and one in December. Hopefully, there will be opportunities to identify some synergies there.

Yeah, thank you for that comment. We have been talking to them about uh helping us prepare materials to be at all of the um neighborhood nights events this summer to really get that community feedback. So staff will be manning those tables. They'll be helping us um through support and providing those materials for that engagement. And then just to connect the dots. So having a plan better positions the city to say for example uh apply for transportation improvement projects visa v na Dr. Cog is it and I'm asking that question for the benefit of the audience.

Yes. Uh one of the um intended outcomes of this project is to have a matrix of our capital improvement projects that identifies um what type of readiness needs to happen to be eligible for certain types of funding. Um it'll also tell us what it'll weight the important aspects of that project are achieving. Okay. Thank you. U really quickly, council, typically I can lower your hand after you speak, but I have a block on this new login, so we're going to fix it for next week, but um just lower your own hand when you're done. Uh Council Member Noiki.

Thank you, Madame Mayor. Oh, yeah. I'll try to lower my hand afterward here. Thank you, Director Smith, for being here. Um, real quick, I do see it in the uh under the scope for task three, public and stakeholder engagement. As always, I want to make sure that we're just uh prioritizing uh including the the Hispanic Latino voice given that we have over 30% of our residents there. So, really just making sure that we kind of star that as well. Thank you. Yes. Thank you, Council Member Severs.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Just to piggyback on what council member Condo says, uh, you know, we always hear about hiring consultants to come up with massive plans and what it costs, but uh, to piggyback again off condo is if we come up with a really detailed plan over uh, 12 to 16 months and we spend 280,000, but we get $5 million in grants, it it will pay off. I know people will get irritated with long timelines. I know when we were talking to Dr. Cog and they're talking about 36-month uh plans it takes to so some of the stuff moves slower than you want but as long as it's done well it will pay off and we will have a better situation going forward.

Council member Lighty, I kind of want to piggy back off of Council Member Noiki. Um, I was just reading their project purpose and objectives and I think it was a couple meetings back we had talked about is it is it fully accessible or is it does it follow the ADA guidelines and so I think that's also kind of something that I wanted to bring forward is it says that we will have accessible engagement but will it be fully accessible or will it follow your ADA guidelines? Will it be just enough to make it so that you pass all those the requirements or is it going to make it so that we can actually have all of our residents access this Yeah.

thing? I don't know how I'm losing my words today. Yeah, that makes sense. Um, I don't think I have the specific answer to that as a question, but I think I can say that with that feedback, we can make sure that we try to integrate making it as accessible as possible. I know when we did the um looking up North Glenn comprehensive plan, we did a special focus group for people with uh different abilities, and that is something we could look at doing for this, especially because transportation has such an impact on people with different abilities. Thank you. Thank you very much for presenting. We have no more questions. Great. Thank you. Appreciate it.

Please open the vote. The vote is open. I will close that vote. And CR66 passes unanimously. Thank you. CR67. Will the clerk please read the title? A resolution declaring a stage two drought and authorizing the city manager to implement rules and regulations for the conservation of water in the city of North Glenn. Motion to approve. Second. Director of public works Sarah Borgers is here to provide a summary. Hello.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council. It's always lovely to see you. I wish it was under better circumstances. Uh so tonight we have two resolutions in front of you. So, I I am going to do a presentation if I can um going over kind of current conditions, where we're at today. Um we will cover both of these resolutions in the presentation. As you can imagine, drought um implementing drought restrictions is like a multi-team effort. So, I also have Director Smith here who will help with some of the slides. I also have Tammy Moon, our environmental manager, in case there's any specific questions that come up. Um, yeah. Haha, it works. Uh, so tonight we're going to do an overview of what our current conditions are, uh, recommended drought declaration and, uh, discussion of drought enforcement. Um, so this is just our agenda of what we're going to go through this evening. Uh, so this is the drought monitor. Um, I did look up the latest greatest one and it looks not better. It looks a little bit worse than this one. The dark red D4 has gotten somewhat larger than it's shown here. Uh, so that's not a positive sign for us. Um, you can see the city of North Glenn proper is in a D2 severe drought. Uh, our watershed is in a D3 D4 situation. snowpack uh is lowest we have on record. Um there was a tiny little bump that came up that's not shown here and then it continued to dive back down again. So we are continuing to be well below snowpack uh well below average and below

uh kind of what our historic records even show. So um snowpack and where our water comes from up in the mountains is not looking great. Uh this I looked this morning. This is the latest greatest. It is from March 19th. Um they tend to update these monthly. Um so this is the best the latest information we've got from March 19th. It's showing uh May through July with the potential of above average temperatures and below average precipitation. So just recap current conditions, the condition, the actual climatic conditions are severe. Stanley Lake did not fill um our water rights turned off a couple weeks earlier than normal. Uh we are not expecting substantial inflow through the for the rest of the summer. Um so we are we are going to have to use what we've got in storage wisely. an update on what our neighboring some of our neighboring communities have done. You've probably seen on the news. Um there's like I think a running list of who has implemented mandatory restrictions. Uh included on that list is Denver Water, Aurora Water, and Thornton. Westminster is currently on a drought watch, which is voluntary restrictions. So, just a reminder, I know we've covered this a couple times now, but we have four drought stages ranging from voluntary restrictions to emergency rationing. Currently, we are in stage one voluntary restrictions and uh asking council to consider stage two restrictions tonight. Uh so, stage one voluntary restrictions. Uh the primary goal is education with increased focus on water conservation, communication, and outreach. And then the common indicators are potential for not filling Stanley Lake, US drought

monitor of D1 or greater, and below average snowpack. Um, so we've pretty well exceeded all of these. Stage two, uh, our goal here is to make some meaningful uh, reductions in what our average uh, water demand is. Indicators are strong indications Stanley Lake won't fill. Um, that's kind of pretty much done now. It won't. Drought monitor of D3 or greater. Drought conditions expected to persist and well below average snowpack and stream flows. So, I hate reading slides, but I'm going to read slides just to make sure I don't mess anything up here. Uh, stage two mandatory restrictions uh would include no irrigation of sod prior to May 1st. Currently, we've asked people not to do this. This would kind of make it um make it mandatory a two-day per week watering schedule based on the even odd of which what what your home is. So if the last digit of your home is an even number uh you would have Sundays and Thursdays if it were an odd number Wednesdays and Saturdays and apartments HOAs commercial would be Tuesdays and Fridays. Uh no watering between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. That's the hottest part of the day. throw water up in the air with your sprinkler, it's just going to evaporate during that time of the day. Uh repair any outdoor and indoor water leaks. New sod uh would only be allowed under very specific exemption, namely new development that hasn't been landscaped yet. No power washing houses, fence, sidewalks, etc. And a water sir charge. So that search charge would be an additional $2 for every thousand gallons above 18,000 gallons for our residential customers. For commercial customers, it's $2 for every thousand gallons above EQR, which is just an

equivalent unit for how many residential units um we've calculated that commercial user to be. So our recommendation tonight is uh to for a stage two drought declaration. Um with that we would also be implementing our communication plan. Um finalizing enforcement policy for implementation, implementing a city irrigation water reduction goals. I will say that our parks department is already working very hard on how to make sure we're keeping our ball fields healthy and our recreational areas healthy while also reducing our water consumption. and uh stand up some operational systems. So, we make some operational changes when we make this declaration. With that, I will hand it over to Director Smith. All right. So, I will present on some of our enforcement plans. Um this slide outlines our recommended tiered response. Um that includes a door hanger of education. So if someone is found to be violating any of the watering uh restrictions, watering on the wrong day, uh watering at the wrong time, they will receive a door hanger as their first notice. Um after that, we are proposing uh this penalty structure. Uh this is um based on what we've done historically or in recent past. So, um, the municipal code does allow for, um, up to a $999 fee for non-compliance, uh, which council can then approve the tiered structure. So, that is the second resolution that you'll be asked to consider tonight is this structure here. Oh, and I should oops, I should mention the door hanger looks like the example on the right.

Uh for the summer, we are not planning to enforce the majority of our landscaping regulations for residential and non-residential. Um we have a couple exemptions that were exceptions to that that we are proposing which include um that we would still enforce on noxious weeds and that's because that can pose um public health and safety risk to the community. And then the other is that we are proposing that um we still would give um a notice, not a notice of violation, but a door hanger notice for yards that are um falling into an egregious violation of grass and weed height. And the reason we're proposing this is because particularly in the summer, we get a lot of complaints from residents that become concerned when there are a lot of tall weeds that are going to seed in their neighborhood that they could migrate into their yard. So, um, right now we're defining egregious as over 75% of the yard exceeding o. So, at that point, uh, we're proposing that we follow our new, uh, code enforcement procedure for non-life safety violations, which we will be presenting next month, but it will include a friendly door hanger and then the, um, basically uh, letting the homeowner know what the violation is. And then after 7 days, the code enforcement officer would return and see if the violation had been taken care of. If not, the code enforcement officer would try to make contact to work with the resident uh through education and a timeline and um if there's any barriers they're experiencing to compliance. Um, we're also going to be encouraging residents to use the watering days that they have because we don't want plants to um or um people's yards to die this

summer and then they have uh code violations in the future. And then the exemptions that Sarah was talking about is really for um just allowed for new development and um it would not be to exceed 21 days. New developments can go apply for an exemption at the maintenance and operations facility um at 12301 Claude Court and then that customer would need to post um that exemption in a visible location for the duration of their exemption. Um, and uh, a property wouldn't be allowed more than one exemption this summer. Um, I will say that drip irrigation and hand watering is allowed any day at this point. So, so I think that's it for the enforcement slides, but I'd be

Should I do questions at the end? We sure I'll let Sarah wrap up and then we'll do questions at the end.

All right. So, our communication plan, we talked briefly about that last time we talked. Uh, we have an FAQ uh that's ready to go. It's getting translated into Spanish, so we will have that as well. Uh, we have the business cards. That's what's shown here on the right. Those will be also English and Spanish with a QR code that will bring them to our drought page. Um, so that'll be given to staff to hand out. we could make it available. Say if the clerk's office wanted to have or the utility billing office wanted to have those cards, we could we could provide those to them. Uh we've also got, you may have seen, we've made a couple of social media posts so far, mostly around water conservation. Um those would transition into more drought focused posts. Our website does have the front banner on the front pointing us to the drought page. Um and then the connection newsletter will have an article as well. So we of course uh would love for our customers to uh engage with us and you and help us um put these programs to use uh for conservation. We've got slow the flow which is a free irrigation checkup. Um with that checkup uh we can also provide smart controller and a rain sensor depending on what what the customer has and needs. We offer garden in a boxes which are zero uh landscape boxes that at a $25 discount. Uh lawn replacement up to $750 for free garden in a box kits at no cost if you do DIY sod removal. A lot of these programs are through our partner Resource Central. Um we really appreciate their support as well. Uh and we also have a number of rebates for toilets, washing machines, and rain

barrels. Uh Resource Central has a number of educational opportunities that are free to customers in the area. Uh so encourage folks to uh look at the resource central page. You can link to it off of our website. And um we are also looking into some additional education opportunities for Northland specific residents. Along the lines of education, um I do know there is interest in um making sure that we're approaching HOAs to make sure that our HOAs are informed um about what our restrictions are and what their requirements are going to be and what the the customers within their HOAs are going to have to be doing. Um so um M director Smith along with economic development have pulled together a good list of all of our HOAs and contact information for them. So we'll be working on a contacting those as soon as we get direction from you to move forward with uh drought restrictions. Um we also have our website northland.org org/roughout if folks have any other questions or information. Uh, one data point I was supposed to bring up and didn't is there was a request about the drought sir charge. Uh, 18,000 gallons is the cutoff and above that we start we will start charging $2 per thousand gallons. There's about a quarter of our residents that fall into that category of over 18,000 gallons. So, um, to the extent that that is meaningful, there is that data point. All right. Any questions?

So many questions. All right. Uh, Council Member Condo. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Uh, dire news, but I I try to be optimistic. And my first question, and I don't know if it's maybe Miss Moon that has to answer this, but if there is, say a huge rain that happens, is there an opportunity for North Glenn to open the gate and receive its aotment or pretty much that's done now and there's no opportunity?

Well, I mean, there's always that potential. um if if we are gifted with a lot of rain and the um state decides to administer Clear Creek a little bit differently or decide to change the the way that the call on the river is and we can take more water, we will absolutely take the opportunity to to bring more water into our system. The challenge there is that those uh precipitation events, if they're not um you know multi-day in a row, it's just one big day of rain, that's a a pretty short period of time. And so, um, likelihood that they're going to let us open up a a headgate and bring more water into Stanley Lake for North Glenn is is pretty slim. And if even if they do, it's only probably going to last a day, maybe um four to four to 10 hours at the um kind of on the typical time time frame that we've seen um those kind of actions happen from the state. So, love to see that precipitation, but it's it's probably um bleak at best if we were were able to take more water into to Stanley Lake.

And to do that, does that require council be Johnny on the spot if there's a text message to say yes or no or no? It just it all happens pretty much automatically. It all happens automatically. Um those kind of requirements don't fall through city council's approval. That is all done through the state. Um the division of water resources has their water commissioners and and they're the experts in how they administer um Clear Creek and the South Plat and they're the ones that make the decision and then tell us what to do. Okay, understand. Um probably this question for our city attorney. I saw rain barrels. Uh do we know how many are authorized per resident in Colorado? I don't. Uh two.

Two.

You know. Great. Thank you. All right. Group participation. I love it. Um, and then my last question, uh, you know, obviously we're focusing on residents and some commercial, but I I've heard anecdotally some municipalities are asking, uh, restaurants to not serve water unless it's asked for. Is that is that also part of our program? Not that I'm saying like not serving water is going to serve a lot of water, but just thought I'd ask. It is. It is. So th this is the summary of what will ultimately be a longer document that we will have available online. And there's some kind of smaller things like that of that I think really ends up being just more like helping us all be aware and responsible of with how we use our water supply. Yes, sir.

Okay. I continue to be a glass half full person. So thank you. Council member Goff. Okay. I have two questions. Um the first one is uh on the fees uh part of this which you know I understand what they're going in but going into more detail later but it says fees would be applied to utility bill. What does that mean exactly? How is that? Grab it. Yeah. Yeah. So the code enforcement officers would uh share once they start getting to the phase of citation they would share that information with utility billing and then utility billing would apply the charge onto the utility bill.

So in other words it's not really Oh okay. So so their penalty is added to their bill and and it will be an additional charge y shown as a separate line item. It just wasn't understanding the language I guess. And then my next question is I know we we have been working on aquafer storage. If we have that up and running right now, how would that affect what we're looking at now? I mean, how is that going to help us in the future?

So, we in the future it will be an asset um in the sense that it is another bucket for us to store water in. Um, one of the things we've got problems we've got right now is we don't have water to put in our bucket. Um but one of the nice things about having additional storage is um we are able to when there is plenty of water put that water away for a rainy day so to speak the opposite of a rainy day. Um there is also additional help in the sense that it is immediately adjacent to our water treatment plant. So if there's ever any issues with the pipeline between Stanley and our water treatment plant, we can pull water from there as well. Do you do we have an idea of when that storage is going to be fully operational or is it and we just don't have water?

So, we've got phase two to go. So, we've drilled the wells. Now, we need to do the vertical construction. Uh we are currently in negotiations with our engineering company um to come up with a a final uh contract with them to bring that forward and then we'll bring that to you and get that project moving. So, and just to clarify, so in if it was fully functional like has been for months, it pro it may not have helped in this situation because we just didn't get the water all winter or is that what you're saying? Yeah. Yeah. Yes, ma'am. Still need to hope for more snow and more. All right. Thank you, Council Member Noiki.

Thank you, Madame Mayor. Uh, thank you, directors Borders and Smith for being here. Um, couple of questions. Um and director Borgers, how much water uh kind of on average goes to lawn like lawn upkeep maintenance? So a general rule of thumb is about half of our water used in a year goes to irrigation. Wow. Okay. So when we say irrig I guess being from Arizona when people would say irrigation they would literally like make a pond in your lawn or something. So irrigation is just like sprinklers, right?

Okay. Excellent. Um, with the, uh, I'll try and ask my questions that way I don't have you both getting up. Um, the would car washing are residents still able to wash their cars or is that does that get ruled out? Now, we have it written right now to where they can wash their cars on the day that they can also irrigate. Okay. Okay. So that because the hand washing you can do anytime or I'm sorry the hand watering you can do anytime and so under hand when we say hand watering you can take a hose and water your lawn right

I'm sorry maybe I misunderstood your question what was your question again um so okay if I'm if if I'm allowed to hand water at all times that means I can like take a hose and go on my lawn and and do that right correct right so long as You've got a automatic like a a nozzle that'll shut itself off. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Is that spelled out anywhere for anyone? It will be in the rules and regulations. Excellent. Um and on those day I guess then subsequently if someone you know because sometimes I've driven around and see people kind of washed in their cars. Um so they'll only be allowed to kind of wash their cars on the days. Mhm.

Okay. Well, and that will be spelled out as well. that will be spelled out as well. And I think the key part of it is less to do with the days of the week, but more about use a bucket, don't leave your don't leave an open hose running if you you know have an automatic shut off nozzle, that kind of thing.

Okay. Um will we So I know the the kind of snowiest, wetest months, they're usually March, April, May, correct? Okay. Um will we kind of be back at some point cuz I know we had drought. Uh we had stage one a few months back and now we're kind of bad. We had talked about coming back for stage two. Is there any possibility? I mean if we just don't get any rain, uh you know, we're halfway through April now. Um got about 6 weeks left of our kind of rain period. If we don't get any kind of additional rain, are we possibly going to be back here in another two months looking at stage three?

That would be unexpected. Um, we do have a number of things going on through um through water court right now that's going to make more water available to us, we're hoping, at least for this season. Um, if that doesn't work out and we don't get any rain and it looks worse and worse, there's a chance we could, but that would likely be a next year thing.

Okay. Okay. And for those watching at home, if sometimes things get too lawyery, um, water court way too lawyer, it gets it gets into the weeds, you know. So, uh, just a little caveat there. Um, how do you know with the enforcement piece? Um, I noticed I'm looking at kind of the the enforcement thing. It says watering on the wrong day, watering at the wrong time, or overwatering. How do you guys know that if someone is overwatering? How do you know if I'm watering on the wrong day or watering at the wrong time? So that is largely if we see you watering at the wrong time or on the wrong day. Oh, so that's part of code enforcement.

Right. Right. And so staff will have will have the ability to document, take pictures, and let code enforcement know. Um, but yes, it has to be seen by um by a staff member in order for that uh fee to go into place. Okay. It's not based off like your water bill or your usage along those lines. Mhm. No. Okay.

Water waste. We will determine if it's water waste, like you're irrigating too much. If if you're seeing that your irrigation system is putting a lot of water across the sidewalk and it's flowing down the street and it's been doing that for more than a few minutes, that that would be water waste. But it is something that we have to see. Um I will say you'll hear others from other communities that have um different metering systems that allow them to see more granular uh what people are using and when. We do not have that kind of system here. So it is purely visual. Big Brother's not there yet. Not quite. Okay. We can't use flock to I feel like that without all kinds of complexity.

Right. Right. Um Okay. Uh I believe that is all of my questions. Thank you, Council Member Severs. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Thank you, everyone, for uh talking about this. Um just to clarify for residents uh when you say enforcement the door hanger and and education portion is that on the same visit as the first penalty or is it the first penalty is not the first penalty. First penalty is if you didn't listen to the door hanger and

Right. So there's going to be the communication that we're sending out to the whole city and then the first individual communication contact will be the door hanger which includes the education and awareness and it's pretty small on the screen or on the slide but it does outline the next steps as far as potential um citations moving forward or penalties. Um but that would be the second step then.

Thanks for clarifying that. Um, another thing, uh, as someone that's in property maintenance and management, uh, you know, there's a lot of things that waste water that you don't think about, uh, the most common thing I see is people with running toilets. Uh, the flapper or the handle doesn't sit set properly or it's worn out and you're just paying for water to go down your toilet for no reason. It's wasting it. Um, another thing, uh, obviously broken irrigation lines. A lot of people might have turned the irrigation on. Uh, it might get kind of cold in a few days. If it cracks and even if it's minor and you just see a wet spot in your yard, you should probably look at it closer. Um, also another item you had on here is a rebate for a washer. uh washers and dishwashers over time. I know a lot of people are annoyed with it, but they've got more efficient, which some people take as worse, but um if you look at old washers, you know, you can use 20 gallons in a wash pretty easily, 10, 25 gallons. A lot of the washers now, they sense kind of how large the load is in the washer and they kind of go off that. Uh they're also a little energy more energy efficient as well. So, there's lots of things. Uh, also, speaking of the automatic nozzle on your hose, I've seen that plenty of times. Someone throws some water down, waters a plant, they turn off, but they don't quite shut off the valve all the way. And now, because you don't have that one item for like five bucks, you've uh wasted 100 gallons of water before you notice it. So, there's lots of things. And I think another thing I wanted to bring up is I think everyone kind of had their brain broken from COVID. Uh but collective action is the only way to keep our situation from getting worse. So I really want to ask everyone to look at

this as we're in this together and please save water. Thank you, Council Member Lighty. Thank you. Um, I feel very much like Schoolhouse Rock over here. We're throwing back to 2009. Like, conserve the water, people. Let's do this. Um, I did have a question because while I was listening to a few people, there was some contradictions that I was listening to and so I wrote them down just because they're probably in my head. So, it says no watering between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. And then you mentioned the car washing. You can wash your car on that day. So, I have to I have to wash my car before 10:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. would be for irrigation only. Is that going to be communicated? We will write that in and make sure that that's clear.

Okay. I was like, as I'm reading this, I'm very confused and then answering the questions, I was even more confused. I'm also a little concerned just about the enforcement as the as visual only. It also kind of seems like it could turn into a neighbor battle. Like, oh well, my neighbor's watering, but my lawn looks like this. And so, I mean, my neighbor's yard looks beautiful right now and I'm jealous, but that's just because of the way that our trees are, so that's completely different. But that's also one of the things that I was a little bit worried about. It feels kind of like fireworks on Fourth of July. Your neighbors call over and over and over, and if a cop doesn't see it, they can't really do anything about it. So, is that something that is that a thing that we're going to face? And how are we going to combat that?

We will likely get calls from residents about people violating the rules. And if we hear from someone that wants us to go out and look, we will do that. And so if we see that violation, then we would move forward with the the steps that we have outlined. If approved tonight, um we're not going to be taking complaints that we can't field verify and issuing citations. So, if someone's like, "My neighbor was watering last night on the wrong day." We're not going to be able to enforce that because we won't have a visual confirmation. Okay. Okay. I've Some of these things I'm just a little worried about cuz I feel like then we're going to get calls after calls after calls from the same resident going, "Well, now they're watering. Hurry. Get over here. Get over here." And that just seems like a waste of our time. I don't know. Um, another question was, we jumped from $50 to $300 to $999. How did we come up with that? So, I'll just say we just used what we had done historically. So, I don't know if um Tammy was here if she can help out with this one. Um, so, uh, those numbers are kind of average in terms of what other our some of our neighboring communities are doing. Um, city of Thornton, theirs escalates from like $25 for the first one to I think it's 250. They get they get it more 250 and then it's 500 and then it's the 999. It's it's kind of just the standard way that our neighbors are are kind of handling it. We didn't want to be excessively um burdensome to residents understanding that um you know we not all of us have most of us don't have an extra $300 lying around. It also is intended to

kind of set a point. Um you know we understand you maybe you got the door hanger and you tried to fix your issue and you just couldn't get your sprinkler timer set the right way. And so $50 is just kind of like a hey, make sure that make sure you do this. But when you're talking about second and third violations, these are people who really just kind of don't care. And that's what we've seen in the past. And so this is really to kind of reiterate the importance of maintaining water supply for the entirety of the community and um really I guess putting an emphasis where it means a lot to people which right now is their pocketbook and and typically has been and we have seen success in making um and encouraging folks to change their behaviors when they start getting into that $300$500,000 um fine. Thank you. I also want to thank you guys for every all the research you're doing. This is a very well put together little presentation. I love it. Thank you,

Council Member Burns.

Thank you, Madame Mayor. Um, yeah, I mean, this presentation little bit of a bummer, not going to lie. Um, but it is very cool to see you like everyone like jumping up answering questions and just like I think really highlights for our community how closely our staff works together and how our departments all come together to really like make the city function. So I think this is very cool to see in action. Um, but yeah, anyway, back to this bummer presentation. Um, I think to Council Member Lighty's point, I was a little concerned about the tears, but it makes sense. Um, love the marketing. Door door hanger looks really really good. I think it's cute. Like every every drop counts. I think that's great. Um, I So, I know we're working on this right now. Um, but I would just ask because we do have a water specific Facebook page for our residents. If you're not following that one, don't do Yeah. See, look at Rebecca's face. Um, so, um, please also share to our main page just because that's where our followers are. Please don't hide this information on an obscure Facebook account. Okay. Thank you. Um, otherwise, I just would like to make sure that we're like, you know, really hitting the comms situation with this as hard as we can. I think like even like a 101 video, I'm just spitballing here. Anyone could do pick up, put down whatever they want. like a 101 of like how our water system works, like how maybe not like the in-depth giant map that we get on council for our orientation, but like our water comes from this area of the state kind of situation because I think that's just really helpful because it's it's, you know, when we can see where we are in Adams County, our level of drought, but where our water comes from, it's a different level of drought. I think like that is a very important piece of the

puzzle of what we're trying to solve for here. Um, otherwise, yeah, this is just the upfront half, those graphs at the beginning were just a real bummer. So, but thank you. I have a couple of questions. Um, has anyone considered, and I don't know even where this starts, how come the stages across cities don't align, and why don't we start that conversation? because I find that to be super frustrating.

It is. It can be very confusing and it's just a function of all of these drought plans are built by individual communities based on their individual water consumption needs and where their water supply comes from. Um I don't disagree. We are, and I say we, Tammy is a member of a a regional drought uh committee um that talks about largely about how all the different communities are uh working together um and what our responses are and um that could be a topic that we bring up with them. For the most part, they're focused on the operational pieces of it, but it does get confusing that our stage two is the same as Thornton's stage one, for example. Well, and at minimum, if we could come together with the group that we have the IGA with, that would make more sense because our water is in the same space. Um, Denver gets the most media attention. And so, it's it's confusing. It's confusing to residents because they're like, "Oh, no, we're not sta What do you mean stage two? Where? I heard it was stage one or it's so confusing and

it's coming up in conversations already with residents of I don't know what you're talking about because some people actually think Denver is like a metro Denver decision as opposed to each individual municipality. And I think when we have those nuances, it's not helping us. It's just making things confusing. So, I don't know if there's an opportunity for that. Um, quick question. Does this impact our pool or splash pad at all?

Uh it uh we the pool will be open both pools both at the rec center and Kowanas and um the splash pad will be as well. Um those are considered kind of community assets. If we are limiting what folks can do in their homes, then we will have these community assets available. Okay. Um, and if I may go back to your previous point because I think it's a really good one. Um, the the um, even odd schedule that we are proposing is the same as Denver waters.

Yeah, I did notice that. Um, and I like how our slides had a a small little like this is what everyone's doing, but I went into each one to find out the details because that's really what was important. I I mean I appreciate a a summary slide, but I was really interested in the specifics of each municipality. Um so fire mitigation and how this goes together because when I think about Fox Run for example and that very large open space, if it's not going to get water and it's just going to fry, we're going to have a higher fire risk. And so, how does this connect to decisions around fireworks decisions? I mean, I hate to bring up fireworks, but I'm just more concerned because our whole city is going to be way more flammable and what are we doing to put those two concepts together.

I would probably ask Director Peterson to speak to what they're what they are planning on doing in the parks. I know it does include some additional mowing um and the like just to keep the amount of fuel level down. Um, I did just see a really good YouTube video from North Metro where they were talking about what you can do around your home to decrease fire risk to homes. Uh, including things like keeping a defensible boundary around your house. So, don't have um particularly dead vegetation immediately against your house. Um, so um that's something that we can we could share. I'll add a couple other pieces. Um, in regards to the video, I um emailed the PIO for North Metro Fire Rescue District and asked if they would be willing to collaborate with us and make one specific to North Glenn. Um, just waiting to hear back from the PIO on that. So, the video that Director Borders was referring to was broomfield specific, and I think it'd be fairly easy for us to work with North Metro Fire and have one with our open space, the vulnerable areas that the city's done work in in the past to help mitigate. So, there's that piece in terms of the video. Um, North Metro Fire Rescue District also has a current fire ban and we've pushed out information about that on social media. you've seen um charcoal grills in our parks um are covered um and have caution tape on them. I've also been in communication I was looking for the email um with Chief Dockerty and a couple of his staff members. I've asked the question about fireworks. Um they think it's too soon to respond to that question about whether or not there could be a potential statewide um ban on celebratory fireworks this summer. but um they'll certainly keep us informed if

they start hearing anything in that regard. So, we're in communication with them and um we'll work on the video. I'll send a follow-up email tomorrow and see if we can't get something moving on that front. And then if there's other ideas that you think of, please send them our way and we'll continue to push out the information. Okay. I don't think we're gonna answer it perfectly the enforcement question because um I'm sorry sir, we're not taking public comment right now. Okay,

go ahead. What do you got? That's what I was That's what I was just going to say. I really appreciate you teeing me up because that's literally on my list. Um because gardens is a huge concern. Um and we do have the community garden. So to our guest point,

Sure. No. So, uh, the rules and regulations do not impact the ability for the city to plant, um, its seasonal flower beds, um, and maintain those. Those are, um, kind of like the flower beds that you have in your yards. A lot of those flower beds have been converted from, um, uh, normal sprinklers to drip systems or, um, soaker beds. So, um, they're they're working on um, also using some more drought tolerant type plantings from my understanding from talking with our parks department. So, um we will continue to have the flower beds and those community um volunteer beds that um are planted by our residents will continue to be planted and maintained um for this summer.

So, that wasn't the question actually. It's not about flowers, it's about vegetables. Oh, vegetables absolutely same thing. Uh ve uh vegetable gardens, community gardens are also um not included on that. Vegetable gardens are one of those things that are um in in our consideration. Um we don't want to inhibit in uh individuals from being able to grown grow their own food or access um vegetable gardens that are through community gardens. Um uh that's that's really important to not to not inhibit people from access to free or inexpensive food or food that they can grow. So vegetable gardens are one of those things community or in your private yard that you can continue to water. Um and those rules and regulations uh spell that out specifically.

Okay. Wow. This is going to be a long list of rules and regulations. Okay. Absolutely.

Um so going back to the enforcement of it, right? We're talking about um concepts of fair. We're talking about passion, right? We're talking we already have you can see it on social media. You can see it if you walk down a street and there's one very luscious garden or you know lawn and everyone else is following the rules. there's going to be this perception affair and it's gonna get feisty around here. So, um, how do I I just don't know how that's going to work as far as resident complaints? I know you mentioned you may not be I mean, we just going to consistently use the little education flyer. Well, we're going to use the door hanger on the first offense when we observe a violation. And then from there, we will move on to the penalties with each observed, not for each individual violation, but each time a property is observed violating one of the rules.

Okay. So, I was asked if we were ever going to look at water meters to see if they're watering off days. So, I I'm going to let you answer that because I don't know.

Yeah. So, the type of water meter that would allow us to do this is called an AMI meter. Um, and um, what it does allow customers to do is to be able to log in on their on an app on their phone or on their computer and see exactly at this moment in time, how much water am I using. On the back side of those systems, the water provider can also see how much water someone is using at any given time. And so you can see pretty clearly when an irrigation system comes on and when an irrigation system goes off. Um those would be we would have to outfit all of our meters with that. And there are also um essentially cell towers that would have to go up in order to facilitate being able to ping those meters. Um they usually something like every 15 minutes or so. Um so it it is an option that's out there. I am familiar um several communities adjacent to us use that system. Um but we are not currently equipped to do that and don't have in our plans right now to make that transition.

That's fine. I'm not recommending it. It was just a a question from a resident and I didn't know the answer. Um, my biggest concern about the whole thing is the communication piece. And I know it's been mentioned, but I happen to be at a neighborhood gathering. And I'm just going to tell a short story. So, it was a very lovely family and hardworking little kids had no clue. And so, I started prompting like, "Where do you get your information? Do you get the connection?" And the response was, "Uh, maybe. I think sometimes that just goes out with the trash because of the size of it and the shape of it. It sometimes just gets tossed with like newspaper recycling. So, that was a h I think I've seen one of those maybe. I don't quite know. Okay. Well, are you on social media? No, I got rid of that. I'm just so sick of all the all the stuff, all the all the hate, all the negativity. I I I got rid of all my social media. Okay. Do you ever go to our website? No, there's nothing I need. Okay. Um, so this is a a an educated couple. We need to figure out how to communicate with everyone because we're I mean I understand that if they make a mistake, they're going to get the education. But in the meantime, we because you may not happen to drive by when they're watering on the wrong day or you won't see it if they're already doing the outside of 10 and six. And I'm guessing we're not going to have code driving around at 9:00 or 10:00 at night. So there there's just some pieces around the communication that I'm worried about, especially because all the questions tonight was like, "Oh yeah, that's in there. Oh yeah, that's in there. Oh yeah, that's in there. What is this?" And I, you know, I have wonderful residents that come have coffee with me. They don't use QR codes.

So there's there's an accessibility piece that I'm worried about. I mean, I'm assuming we've got English and Spanish, but we still have an accessibility block. If it's just two languages, I looked at this um the outreach avenue page. The business cards, where are those going to be? Uh the business card staff will have those. So, if folks approach them and have questions, um this would be like our streets workers often interact with with customers and may or may not remember the rules. uh they will have that business card in order to hand to a resident.

Okay, so that's pretty small. That's that's a pretty rare um piece of information. Um so if they're not on social media, they don't go to our website, they don't happen to catch the connection. Um I just I am wondering about what are some other ways when we think about when we communicate other things, we use yard signs. I'm not saying we buy a million of them, but is that something that we should have out on specific corners that say, "Hey, we we've, you know, drought level, whatever, you know, go to the website to learn more because I just am I'm really concerned about the communication piece." So, I don't know. And then, are we adding something to the water bill? I'm assuming like a flyer with a lot of information. I believe there's a message on the utility bill and also I didn't have it in the PowerPoint presentation, but we do have a postcard that we're planning on sending out.

Now, I know the postcard can sometimes have the same effect of sometimes people read it and sometimes they don't. Were you going to Oh, no. I was just going to mention those two things is one plan on putting it on the utility bill. Whether or not people look at those. Yeah. I don't know about you, I don't look at mine. Yeah. Um, and same with the postcard. We are going to send out a postcard to every to everyone. Potentially the same effect. If you don't choose to be informed, it's hard to force

people to be informed. Uh, but I do think that we're taking uh more than the usual steps of u ways to communicate the best that we can. So, um, and hopefully to your point of the, uh, the warning system and the the pamph the door hanger, um, hopefully those that don't wish to be informed, uh, a door hanger will at least encourage some thought and maybe word of mouth, uh, is another way from neighbors,

uh, family members and so on, uh, where that comes out and hopefully council members at board meetings and things like that also. were willing to communicate that and and part of it may just be um yeah that word of mouth uh situation that comes into play. So, okay. And I know someone asked a question about car washes and I'm pretty sure at our last meeting we said they couldn't use the car wash at home, like they couldn't wash their cars at home. So, that's a change, okay,

from the last time we met and so I was wondering why that was. So what we have done and what we have right now is essentially the same version that we used in during the la last drought restriction. And so um that was coming from what we had previously done. Um if I made that comment that car washes were allowed or that individuals washing their cars were allowed that would have been an error.

Okay. But certainly these are so these rules that we're talking about are are um the city manager can promulgate them. But I know that we're certainly looking for your input if there's anything that feels wrong with any of those that we do have some flexibility especially in those uh activities that use less water than irrigation does. Irrigation is really the primary one that from a water supply perspective we're really concerned about. Well, I think the other thing I wrote down was the severity and I don't know that we're communicating that as clearly, you know, we're we're kind of slow rolling it with a cute graphic like, oh, every drop counts. We get that. And if you are already someone who conserves water, you're like, yep, go North Glenn. But when we look at the presentation from tonight, like this is significant. This is not. So, I feel like we have to communicate the why a little more. clearly and I I'm I don't know this whole thing is like these the slides and the graphics and the the current drought conditions are significant. We don't I don't I don't think there's anyone up here who's like nope we're not going to do that. I think we're trying to figure out how to make sure that it's impactful because our water is precious and this is this is just a significant situation. So, um I think it's the page nine of the packet, right? Stanley like did not fill. Our water rights have ended early there. I mean, like this is this is this makes sense to us, but how do we share the urgency with our residents in a way that they're like, "Oh, yeah. I'm totally on board." As opposed to, "Okay, I see this list of restrictions. How can I work around it?"

Right? Like I think we want to make sure that we're sending the right message because we know there's going to be people that are going to figure out the workaround. Not if we communicate the urgency well. So I think that's that's the other thing I wrote down um as far as conversation. Um, the new SAD piece was the other question I had. Um, because it's only like if you were teed up from a previous court situation, a previous summon, if you were teed up to put new, can that also count as opposed to just new development? Do you want to touch that?

Yeah. If it was something that was already in the process that the court was endorsing either for the resident to do or if we were going in with an abatement, we would allow for that and and we would work with public works because they'll be the ones doing the exemptions.

Okay. Well, and I picked up on the handwatering piece because I will tell you if I wait till May 1st, my my front yard will be completely dead. Like it'll just be gone. So I can't wait till May 1st. So, I think I'm just trying to figure out again there's so many components to this. It's really feeling like our code enforcement conversation, right? there's this thing, there's car washes, there's lawns, there's gardens, there's how do we put that in one document that's easy for residents to understand, not something that has code numbers and, you know, like super specific so that FAQs, if it can have all the things and maybe even be a working document as we get more questions, fill that in.

I think that makes a lot of sense for sure. Yikes. This is This is harsh. Okay, Council Member Severs.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Here's more questions for your fact sheet. So, I'm in Aurora. Uh that's where I work outside of here, and I manage a property. And we have two items that are probably at odds with Aurora Water Standards. So, I have two items. One's a pool, 20,000galon pool and a 600galon hot tub. Uh we have been working for years to get it resurfaced. We're so we're going to redo all the plaster probably in May. Um there's the question about so Aurora has standards for public pool can be filled but you cannot fill a private pool from scratch. So if we ours is private to the residents but they invite their friends and family so it's kind of public. So it's kind of hard to tell what it is. I'm sure that. But also, we have a little fountain. It's not big. Probably holds like 30 gallons of water. It's not automatically filled. I hand we hand fill it every morning. Uh but also, if you go look at Aurora water standards, uh those items are not really allowed at all. It doesn't specify if it's handfilled. I assume because it's handfilled it doesn't but it is a water fountain that is basically called out as a water work and not allowed. So do you have any input or clarity on those items? So, how we have it written now, which we can certainly talk about if we like that or not, is um refilling of hot tubs and fountains, kind of decorative stuff, but I don't believe we have swimming pools. Do you remember? So, I believe the way that we have written it right now is if your swimming pool is already full, you can top it off. Um, but if you've drained your

swimming pool for the season, it's not heated, and you have like one of those um temporary or above ground pools, you won't be allowed to fill those. Um, most of your apartment complexes don't drain their pools during the um winter, so they'll be able to refill those and operate those as normal. Hot tubs can be completely refilled if you've drained them. They can be refilled, topped off, whatnot. And then decorative um landscaping ponds and water features can be filled or refilled as needed. Um we do encourage those kind of features to use a circulating pump so that you're not um you know running a hose to make your water fountain your waterfall look nice or sound cool. So installing pumps and making sure those are circulating and and working appropriately is is important in this case. But we are allowing um those kind of features to be continue to be refilled or filled um on a you know bycase basis depending on what your situation is.

Yeah, most most outdoor pools apartment complexes they don't obviously drain it but you know if you have some maintenance issue uh that definitely changes the game. Uh, another thing from a maintenance perspective, uh, if people have access to the water meters, uh, and you can watch it for like 10 minutes and tell everyone in your house not to run your water meter, it's good to check that it's not running it by itself. It can tell you there's a leak andor especially with apartments or higher. I saw this personally. We we used to in Lexington, Massachusetts, water's very expensive. And uh on the third and fourth floor, we would see the same water go like this by a water meter. And you'd see the spindle go like this. And they were being charged for the same water over and over again because of pressures in the building. So I would advocate anyone that's has access to their water meter to just tell everyone in the house, don't touch water. Watch it. If it's moving, investigate. I know there's one other thing I had, but I forgot what it was, so I will pass.

Council member Goff. Thank you, Mayor. Um, uh, as the mayor was talking about the the challenges with educating people, reach in the outreach, it occurred to me that maybe, um, we could do something with, um, Adam's 12 five-star schools and get information out to students because a lot of times those kids get they they get it and why it's important and they'll go home and like scold their parents or whatever. you know, like remind them and things like that. So, I'm not sure how exactly or what we would be giving, but um that might be another good possibility. That is the theme of my Earth Day celebration. So, yes, I think it's I think that's a great idea.

Council member Burns. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Um, just to build off of your comm's point, um, so the day that the stage two goes into effect, are we still is it once we vote tonight? Because we had originally talked about April 20th, but we're pushing that up. Cool, cool, cool. Um, can we send out a text message as well being like, "Hey, we are officially in a stage two drought. This is what this means. Click here." Um,

yeah, text message. Um, I think that would be good. And yeah, and like you know, as I said earlier, I just think like yeah, these graphs are very helpful from a comm's perspective of just like putting those out and just like educating like I think yeah, the idea that Stanley Lake did not fill is important people. But even to that, people need to know that that's where we get our water from, right? And so I think it's like backing that up even further. Um, and even just like I think I know I talked to a lot of residents who don't fully understand how unique North Glenn is for a city our size that we manage and you know do our have our own water treatment plants, right? And so I think like touting that, understanding that, talking about all that we do, I think is going to just be so important moving forward because again it does build that community sort of aspect and the urgency of like no no like this is all if you choose to water your lawn, which I also think the statistic that like half of our city's water is used to water grass is so silly. um because it doesn't even feed the bees. Um so I I think I think comms is going to be so important and just because we we we had our um ward one meeting which I forgot to report out on. Um and we got asked immediately about what are we doing with water? What is the vibe? What is the like what can we what are the programs to help with zero escaping? Like people just future proof trying to future proof as well. Um, so I think like all of that is super important moving forward. Um, yeah, that's it, but I think a text would be helpful.

Council member Lighty, thank you. Um, I just wanted to piggyback off of Council Member Goff and now Council Member Burns. Um, is there I'm assuming we're going to have information at the rec center, but is there are there going to be any flyers? Is there a way that we could maybe put that information like it sounds weird but the kid like the hitting kids is so real. As soon as you said that I was like oh Friday folders just throw a little flyer in there and the parents go through that every Friday and it's like oh let's see what we have. Is there a way to do that at our preschool or through just the rec center in general? Um, and then another question was again, we have a lot of events coming up and I'm assuming this isn't going to stop by the 4th of July or by the food truck carnival. Is there a way to have at our at any of our information booths in like a flyer or a quick information about these things with I'm I'm starting to get confused and I have a lot more information than other residents do and so is there a way to make it less confusing and less wordy and less blah in your face with that information as well? And maybe the postcards could help with a lot of that.

Yeah. Having those available and maybe sending them home and that kind of Yes, for sure. Okay. But then also realizing that some residents may not see those cuz they just throw them in the recycling bin. So that too, Council Member Severs.

Uh thank you, Madam Mayor. Just to piggy back on that idea, uh the derby day is coming up and I just walked by Webster Lake today and it's looking pretty poor. It's looking pretty receded, pretty low. I don't know how if that's just what it's going to be because that's what it is. But uh I'm assuming that there's no effect to the the day event, but um it should be a good reminder. They can physically see it with their own eyes. Uh, and also maybe we could promote it more at that as well.

So many ideas, but I think the question is, are we going to vote yes on this? Uh, so let's find out. Please open the vote. The vote is open. Please vote. I will close that vote. And CR67 passes unanimously. All right. CR68 is connected. Will the clerk please read the title? A resolution approving a progressive schedule of warnings and/or fines for violations of mandatory water restrictions. Motion to approve. Seconded. All right. Tell us about this one.

So, as Director Smith mentioned uh just here a bit ago, um city council does have authority within the code to implement a tiered structure so that we don't have to go to the $999 for first offense. Uh so this is uh as as you saw a warning would be the first uh documented case would be an educational door hanger followed by first penalty of $50 followed by $300 and then $9.99 for the third penalty and subsequent offenses. Council member Sever did just put his hand down, so I think we might understand this one pretty well. Thank you very much. Please open the vote.

The vote is open. Please vote. I will close that vote. And CR68 passes unanimously. Thank you. CR69. Will the clerk please read the title? A resolution adopting a banner policy for the city of North Glenn, Colorado. Move for approval. Second. City Manager Heather Guyire will present this item.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. I'm before you this evening bringing back based on council direction at the March 23rd meeting a proposed banner policy for your consideration. Um I believe the only thing that council requested at the March 23rd meeting was to include a copy of the city sponsorship guidelines which is included as an attachment. Um, so in the interest of time, I'm not going to go too deep into what this policy includes other than at a super high level, the policy is written so that this is a city's banner policy um focused on promoting city events and other matters of municipal interest. Happy to answer any questions.

Council member Goff, thank you. Um yeah, I I had uh I can't find where it was in here. Um, I just I had asked about this last time and I just want to make sure um that the wording right now is in uh somewhere it was that including city hosted special events and activities, you know, could be um decided on for um banners, but I just want to make sure that that's not excluding things that maybe don't quite fit in those categories like if the like a a policy statement or a value statement or just I don't know something about our strategic plan that it doesn't have to be an event, an activity, it could be something else.

Correct. It does not have to be an event. Um matters of city interest. I think there's really two pathways. And council member Condo asked this question via email earlier today. If um my intent um not only as city manager but acting director of communications is to um move forward with development of a banner program. And so as part of the 2027 budget process beyond the initial rolling out of 250150 banners, we need to figure out what banners will look like for 2027. So creation of a schedule and content um similar to a a social media um content schedule. And so being able to bring that to you to have you weigh in on it and then if things come up throughout the year uh that are timely and relevant then um so that's the first pathway. The second pathway is the timeliness of council um being able to bring up under council protocol. I'd like us to consider um adding this message. Um, now there there will be cost considerations for that and as part of thinking about what we need to budget for an ongoing maintenance of a banner program, I can probably try to build in some level of buffer to that. But I think those are the two pathways to make that a reality.

I just wanted to make sure that we weren't like limiting what we might want to do in the future. Oh, I had it on. I'll repeat it. I just wanted to make sure we weren't limiting what we might decide to do in the future. Thank you. You're welcome. I don't see any other questions. Please open the vote. Thank you. The vote is open. I will close that vote. And CR69 passes unanimously.

Oh boy, Mr. Hoffman. Here we go. Uh CR71. Will the clerk please read the title? A resolution authorizing the city attorney to initiate or join litigation against the state of Colorado, challenging the constitutionality of certain land use legislation and related executive orders and reaffirming the city's assertion of the importance of home rule authority over local land use and zoning. All right, move for approval. Anybody move for approval? Second. All right. Are you going to present from there or you coming to the podium? We we never see you at the podium.

Good evening, Madame Mayor, members of council. It's different from this uh I know to see you. Feels like I'm in the courtroom. Oh.

Um, well, this is sort of an interesting segue from a discussion we had earlier in the evening about the mental health transitional facilities, but this is an entirely different issue, which is the state's attempt to um occupy the level primarily of residential land use in the state of Colorado. And really the the fundamental question is who should decide especially as it relates to residential land use and planning what is best for the folks in the city of North Glenn and the state because it has um interest in outcomes i.e. increasing housing volume and density um has attempted to legislate in an area that would preclude the city from doing so. And it has created through executive orders of the governor potential penalties that frankly weren't contemplated by the legislature because when the legislature adopted various housing laws, it did not have penalties in it. The governor thereafter um promulgated executive orders that made the city ineligible or deprioritized the city from grant opportunities. Um and so it is effectively penalizing the city. If the city were to adopt this ordinance, it would authorize litigating on a very narrow level related to the city's home rule authority. And I should add that on March 31st, the Thornton City Council initiated um or or adopted a resolution very similar to the one that is um up tonight for your consideration. If council were to adopt this resolution, we would anticipate collaborating with the city of North City of Thornton, I'm sorry,

and um filing litigation against the state yet this month. Certainly, we're still working on um what that complaint would look like, but if authorized, we would go ahead and file it and it we would hope it to be decided with with what is known as a matter of law. We don't think there's a lot of facts in dispute here. We think this is about who has the authority to legislate on matters of residential land use in the city of North Clinton. Okay. Anybody have any questions for Mr. Hoffman? Council member Goff,

it's not a question. Um I but I just wanted to make a comment about the fact that this we're not against um affordable housing or increasing housing as a as a municipality or as a council or I'm I shouldn't speak for everybody. I'm not. But um the way that the state is going about this um is not helpful and will could have repercussions in the long run that that um make it more difficult for us to make decisions to the benefit of our residents. And North Glenn is a community that um we value diversity and we are sensitive to um disproportionately impacted communities. Um and so the decisions we make in our um land use should reflect that. But I think there are many communities in the state that don't have those values and are not using the their um land use rules uh to benefit everyone in their community. And so I just wanted to make it sure that it's understood that um we want to support our right to have our home rule decisions, but we don't we're not against creating more housing. And that's that's really all I wanted to make clear. Thank you,

Council Member Condo. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Um obviously there are many moving pieces here. Who would do the lawsuit, etc., etc., Uh but and you know would we join as a party? I'm I'm just trying to figure out um what are the financial implications and how much money do we think we need to have in a war chest if we really wanted to stick it to the city to the state rather?

Well in this is not intended to be about sticking it to the state. This is about who makes the decisions about what's best for North Glenn. Um, this is not we're not contemplating uh hiring outside council. This would be Thornton's in-house city attorney's office and my office working collaboratively. Um, when I mentioned the idea of trying to get this decided as a matter of law as opposed to creating a whole host of factual disputes that it does two things. It is number one because we do think this is about who legislates not whether or not what the legislation is if that makes sense. And the second piece is that reduces cost um because unlike the other home rule litigation which is really from what we have seen in the pleadings um more outcomebased. Uh many of the communities disagree with the governor's policy, but to Dr. Goff's point, um really this is about who should make the decisions as opposed to the outcome. And that that should reduce significantly the cost associated with it. So, um this matter we don't think would require for example an increase in the the legal budget for the city.

Understand? and then uh follow on. So obviously it's North Glenn and Thordon, but are there other communities that are kind of interested in in joining this effort? At this point for this particular piece of litigation, it is just North Glenn and Thornton. Okay. Thank you, Council Member Severs.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. And just to recap, uh so this is I think this goes back to one of my first things I said on city council about a strong executive and just kind of imposing their will on uh smaller bodies. Um these these are executive orders that are changing the rules for grants and it also uh it deprioritizes or makes us so we cannot get last I remember it's about 30 to 36 different grants from the state. So they are changing the rules at the heads of a a governor to make it so we can't get a grants if we don't follow rules that have nothing to do with the grants. So it's a matter of it's not right and um and it's not I think constitutional as we'll argue.

Council member Burnt. Thank you Madame Mayor and City Attorney Hoffman. Can you just clarify that the reason we're sort of doing this now as opposed to not joining the other lawsuit with some of our other neighbors is because Thornton has already been impacted. Correct.

Yes. So um Thornton has actually had grant funds um withheld as we understand it on the basis of being deprioritized or non-compliant depending on the terminology you intend to use. North Glenn has been placed on a list that indicates it is deprioritized. And so as a result of that, it would be uh futile to actually apply for grants when the application of the executive order is that North Glenn would not be eligible, would be deprioritized. So Thornton has by far the most harm to date of any community in the state that we are aware of. Um but you know, North Glenn believes it it would be feudal to apply for a grant where it's been told it's not eligible to obtain. Um, and to Council Member Siver's point, what I want to um I guess emphasize that um the manner in which the state and specifically the governor through his executive orders has promulgated criteria violates a statute in our opinion that says these are the criteria you need to apply for in a grant. The governor's executive order didn't go through any process. There was no rule making. It was simply done by executive order when it is the legislature that could have imposed penalties when it adopted the strategic growth laws or what it calls the strategic growth laws. It chose not to do so. So it is also in in in certainly my opinion the governor usurping legislative authority that could have been um implemented by the

legislature. We may have challenged it anyway as exceeding the legislative authority of the state but this is the governor specifically through executive orders exceeding that authority.

Thank you. And I think too just for you know the public listening and those of you who stuck around I think the idea of home rule I was questioning when I first joined council and the longer I sit up here and the more I'm uh the more years and more knowledge I've gained. I cannot stress how important it is to have these checks and balances of power. Um I think we're seeing that right now. And so yes we may align and may want to like do as council member Dr. Goff said, you know, maybe our values and our goals align, but we don't need someone telling us what to do with our money and our community. And I think like that check and balance of power is really really important, especially now. So, I just want to thank you and just point that out.

How does this or not um relate to the home act? Um the the Home Act was adopted this session. Yeah. uh but doesn't go into effect until next year. Okay. So, this particular piece of litigation, if authorized, would not address the home act. Okay? It would not be ripe yet.

To use a lawyer term, as council member Noiki likes to use the term, a claim has to be ready for a um the court to rule on. And since it is not in effect yet, it wouldn't be. Well, it's one of those other reasons for me that we need to move forward with this because it came up yesterday with our legislators and there was one who spoke very passionately in support of the home act and why it needed to take place and I was like whoa even knowing that it was overriding home rule. Uh it was deliberately doing so and that was a tad obscene. So I I am in full support of this. Is there any other discussion? Okay, please open the vote.

The vote is open. Please vote. I will close that vote and CR71 passes unanimously. Thank you. We are at sort of the end. Um public invited to be heard. You have another opportunity if you are interested um for three minutes. This time comments must be related to an item previously addressed by council during the meeting. Is there anyone either on the phone? If you are on the phone, you can unmute by pressing star six or you can just listen in. Is there anyone in the audience that would like to speak again? Again, or for the first time. Welcome back.

Hi, Rebecca Robinson. Word two. I did want to touch on um House Bill 261285 again since it was discussed during the uh meeting. Um, and I specifically wanted to touch on a comment that uh, council made wondering why the state is being so reluctant to pass a bill uh, that would provide all I think it, if I read it correctly, all it would do is provide that safety distance buffer between these facilities that are needed, but that safety difference um, distance between these facilities and children in school zones. Um, I have no doubt that the opposing lobbyists have been whispering, unfortunately, and that's how it goes, in the judiciary committee's ears, convincing them that uh, administrative convenience is somehow more important than our community safety. And these are powerful groups. I looked at the long list of lobbyists and I was, you know, I should not be laying awake at night wondering why is there nearly half a dozen lobbyists that are wanting to vote against this. And then when you look into each one, you know, you have these powerful groups like Mental Health Colorado, Disability Law Colorado, and the Colorado Psychiatric Society. They all represent the massive industry that gets paid by the state to house these individuals. So that makes sense to them. Our school zone is just a lowcost real estate option. Um, so if the bill passes, uh, in my opinion, they lose the ability to use these, I don't want to say cheap, but essentially cheap residential homes near schools for individuals such as sex offenders, um, which hurts their bottom line. So really, I think it does come down to money when it shouldn't.

And as I think of tomorrow, I it's more of a public force when it shouldn't be. So, I hope that there are state representatives that are maybe, you know, when there's been plenty of written testimony submitted to. Um, I hope that when they're on the committee tomorrow that, you know, they look at the data, they look at the warnings, they look at the written submissions that a bunch of people have submitted. Um, and if they don't, like if they vote to kill this bill, I think that they're knowingly accepting liability for whatever happens next in our neighborhood or not even just ours, a neighborhood that, you know, god forbid if something happens at the hands of someone within one of these facilities to not even a child, another adult. Um, I feel like it will be on the hands of every committee member who chooses to who chooses a lobbyist's whisper over a constituent's cry. There has been a lot of cry for help um with no response from the state. So, I think I'll leave it with that. And when the law fails to protect its citizens, the consequences are heavy and historic, unfortunately. Thank you.

Thank you. You guys good? You're good. Okay. Nice to see you. Okay. Hello. Oh, hello. We have an online. Yes, you have three minutes. How can I help you? Okay. Um, well, the Melissa and Rebecca uh made some good points and I want to assume that if it does fail, that bill fails this year, it will be re reintroduced next year. Is that a a good a good assumption? That could be part of the plan. Yes.

Okay. That I think that should be part of the plan. Now, I want to step back a little bit to the uh drought situation. And I want to agree with uh council member lady and burns. I think the tiered system is good, but it needs to have maybe more steps so that there are some lighter ones at the beginning and uh make the the heavier ones still available, but be a little more a few more steps there at the front end of it. Um, second thing I want to ask about is is uh I have some interest in uh buffalo grass turf which is a low water use turf. Uh, and I wanted to find out if the city has any interest programs etc. dealing with alternative turf grass like uh buffalo grass and if so where can I get information on that? Um, I think we'll have to reach out to our parks department, but I know you're in touch with council member Condo, and I have a feeling he's going to follow up with you.

Okay. Um, also with the car washes, uh, I know some of them do recycle their water and some of them don't. And I'm wondering if the city has a database of those that do recycle and those that do not so that we could make informed choices as to which which automated car washes we would want to use. Is that a possibility? It sounds like we do have that list. Where could he find it? Good. Is that available somewhere? we um can provide it to you um through council member Condo or you can email me directly either way.

Okay. It might be be worthwhile to uh put that into the connect or online so that uh all of the residents can see that and can make their choices. And the last one I have has to do with earlier you were there was a some talk in the budget and I'm not uh politically aware of how the budget works real well but it sounded to me like there was some money that was restricted to uh water obtaining or water use that was being moved to the general fund. And if that is the case, I don't think that's that air that that area, the water use area, is a place to be taking funds from at this time. But I may have I may be misunderstanding how those funds were being reallocated, but it sounded to me like they were being taken from the water area and moved to the general fund. And I would say if you're water funding at this point is necessary and going to become a bigger and bigger problem because the inexpensive water is a thing of the past.

Okay. Thank you for your input, sir. All right. Thank you. Have a great night. You too. All right. I will entertain a motion that the city council hold an executive session pursuant to section 4.5D of the city of Northland home rule charter for legal consultation and advice regarding options for addressing potential budget reductions. Motion to journ as so stated. Second. Please open the vote. The vote is open. Please vote. I will close that vote and the motion to adjurnn to executive session passes unanimously. We will adjourn to the executive session.