Council - Regular Meeting

Time being 6.15, I call to order the City of Glenwood Springs regular City Council meeting, August 20th, 2026. Good evening, everyone. And, well, we're moving right into roll call. Ryan, please.

Mayor Dane.

Present.

Mayor Pro Tem Zielinski. Councilor Smith.

Out of order.

Councilor Schachter. Here. Councilor Schmall. Here. Councilor Townsley. We have a quorum.

Thank you, Ryan. Councilor Weimer is absent tonight. Agenda changes. Changes to the agenda. Anybody? Anything? Okay, we'll see none. Excellent. Any conflict of interest with any of the agenda items tonight from any councilor? Also nothing. Then we'll go into... Citizens appearing before council and council responds for items that are not on the agenda. And the room is not very full. So we don't have a sign up sheet. So I will call the first person to the podium. Please step up. Okay, I didn't, I didn't get a sheet. So I assume there wasn't one, as always, state your name and address.

My name is Judy Haynes, and I live in Glenwood Springs.

And you have three minutes.

I have two questions for Council today. On August 5, there was an official complaint sent in that required some action from the Planning and Zoning Department about the couple of things, but it was about zoning violations, and the zoning and the permit that was issued to 100 Midland. 210-110. on April 9th and that the zoning then at that time it was permitted under an office building. So anyway, there was a complaint that was issued. We do not know if you guys, if the planning and zoning had received that complaint. They never said anything and they were hopefully by today they would have said that they need more time to answer that. But they have about 30 days to answer. So I wanted to make sure that the council would be willing to directs Mr. Boyd, our administrator, to have this as a city manager to ensure that the complaint is investigated fully and without delay within the 30-day time frame and to communicate the findings to the public. That's my first request. Number two is I'm wondering how you guys are going to go ahead and show that you're treating that landlord in a neutral and fair fashion. If it was any other landlord like Joe's Greasy Bar and Grill, you know, and Jell-O Wrestling, that they would have received a sanction and they were told that their permit was revoked and they would have had some kind of sanction. And if it was the maximum of $1,000 a day, that'd be quite a lot of money that would be going towards legal fees. I would like you all to explain how are we going to tell the court that we have treated these guys neutrally when we're just going straight to the court without doing any of the sanctioning steps that we've done with any other landlord in the past. Thank you very much.

All right. Thank you. Anybody else here from the public? Please step up to the podium. That your name and address or whether you live in city limits, the record, and you have three minutes.

Ashley stall and I'm a homeowner here in Glenwood Springs, and I want to talk tonight about who got things right and who got things wrong because I believe the record is clear. When we first asked city staff told us that 100 Midland was owned by the FBI. We looked it up on the assessors website and of course it isn't. They then told us there was nothing wrong with the certificate of occupancy. So we pulled the records and showed that in fact there was. They recommended against revocation at the PNZ hearing and we showed up with a two scale 3D printed model of the cells built from blueprints on the city's own file while staff wasn't even able to answer basic questions about the dimensions of those cells. We knew better than they did and we've shown that time and time again and thankfully the commission overruled staff. City took no enforcement action for months and then eventually the man had a medical emergency while being detained, what likely would have been overnight in a now unpermitted facility. The city finally acted by creating a special judicial enforcement process that to our knowledge has never been used before in the history of Glenwood Springs, giving the violator more runway than any ordinary property owner would ever receive. At every single turn, the community was right and staff has been wrong. We did all of this at our own financial expense. ordinary people teaching ourselves land use code, building code, public records law at our kitchen tables. What we got in return was dismissal, stonewalling, half truths, core requests answered with incorrect information about the law, fee waivers denied by two individuals with no written policy and no standard, requests deemed overbroad under statutes that don't say what staff claimed they say, and underneath all of it, a tone that just said, oh honey, you don't understand. Well, we do understand, we've understood the whole time and we've consistently been right as the record has shown. We've been approached by multiple local building inspectors who've told us that the zoning on this facility is highly irregular and this never should have happened and this definitely should have been caught. They never would have signed off on it. And theoretically, we're all on the same team here. This council has stood at the podium and thanked us for the work we've done, and yet we come to city staff with a reasonable request to understand what other facilities in this community are holding people against their will and if they're safe. We're met with stonewalling and legal maneuvering instead of someone simply picking up the phone and saying, let's sit down and figure this all out together. So this is what we're asking for. First, refund our core fees and adopt a written fee waiver policy for requests in the public interest. Second, establish a community advisory board to review the Midland Center situation and other zoning issues going forward. Our community has such an incredible resource here. Why is the city squandering it? Third, commission an independent audit of staff training to ensure that these failures that we've documented time and time again don't continue to happen. And finally, call every local government in this valley from Aspen to Parachute because every one of them has residents who've been taken through that door. This is a regional issue and it demands a regional response. We are glad to work with the city. We've always been. The city just needs to start working with us. Thank you.

Thank you. Anybody else? No, we'll see none. Excellent. Before we go into responses or even have responses, I'm not sure. We probably, since this is going into litigation, we need to keep this under tight wraps. Carl?

I mean, I don't I don't guess I really have a response at this time to the series of accusations that were just made about staff and counsel in the process. And I don't feel like it's probably appropriate to try to respond to those off the cuff if a response is appropriate. So I guess I would leave it at that.

well right the only thing thank you for that that's the second the first one about the uh complaint i'm curious if you if you're aware of it i'm not yeah i'll look into it okay great all right excellent with that we'll move on into item number five council announcements mayor pro tem salinski

I just have one. Aspen, excuse me, Aspen Public Radio is hosting their volunteer fair in Glenwood Springs again this year. It was awesome last year. I was there with Bree. I think I'll be there again this year. It's Wednesday, August 26th from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. I'm sure it's going to be a similar format to last year and it's definitely worth, you know, making a sweet buy there.

Okay, thank you. Any other announcements? Councillor Smith? Thank you.

Housing Fund Advisory Board met last week and had a unique presentation from one of its own members about what strikes us initially as a fairly innovative private-public partnership focused on Dave Kuntz, Transforming existing rental housing into a more affordable format, so it was it was a stimulating discussion I think it's going to be some more follow up to it, there may be I don't know if it'll come with a proposal to this city or not, but it was enlightening so that it was kind of fun. Dave Kuntz, In the same vein, I hope, everybody saw a newspaper article or two that the cavern springs mobile home park is moving to purchase they're buying their land they're going to be they're going to be. Dave Kuntz, homeowners and landowners in part with help from this city, so a little moment of success, it was exciting to see. Dave Kuntz, want to just inform the Council that in our policy of using individual good judgment and. acting individually. I individually as a council member signed a letter with 99 other city and county officials organized by the Colorado Coalition for Climate Action. It's a letter to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission urging new policies that that commission can enact in order to protect energy, water, and displacement impacts from large data centers. It's kind of a thing in another part of the state, but joined in with that momentum. And finally, school is open. Watch out for the school. Here's one now. Watch out for the school buses, people in crosswalks, people in bicycle lanes. Elementary schools start tomorrow. High school started today. And I saw people getting there on the brand new spruced up, just in time, Coach Miller Drive and brand new sidewalk. Really gratifying to see that happen and enhance the safety experience out there. And also, yet another demonstration of the voters' success in expanding the streets and infrastructure fund a year and a half ago. This is the kind of success that comes out of that new funding. Utilities were redone. There's an actual street there instead of asphalt on top of dirt. It's a transformation, and it's gratifying to see that fund work so well. Thank you.

All right. Thank you. Council Townsend, please.

I think this is an announcement, but I wanted to pass on my thanks. I talked to Deputy Chief Hassel before the meeting, and he said they pulled somebody over for a noise violation with a loud muffler, gave him a ticket. So I think that deserves a round of applause, and hopefully many more of them. So good job. I'd love to see you.

That's awesome. Okay, great. Lighter note. Anybody else with announcements?

I apologize.

Councilor Schmidt.

Just another fun success. Both northbound and southbound speed indicator lights on South Midland are now working. I threw this out just early this week and finished off those repairs. These are not the ticket issuing cameras. These are ones put out there in the spirit of courtesy and neighborhood safety. The green lights that tell you how fast you're going and the courtesy. Thank you for doing that. And I really encourage you people traveling on that corridor to embrace that spirit of courtesy and neighborhood safety and take advantage of those now functioning lights. Thank you to the staff who got that back in place.

All right, excellent. If I don't see any more announcements, we'll move into the consent agenda. I'm entertaining a motion. Mayor Potem-Solinski.

I move that we approve the consent agenda. Yep, with item A, the August 6th Council Minutes. Item B, Award Request for Proposal 2026-19P, Gregory Park Playground Equipment and Installation. And item C, Arts and Culture Board Appointment.

Okay, excellent. That's a motion to approve with three items on it. Looking for a second. Councilor Schachter.

I second the motion to approve consent agenda.

Excellent. Thank you. Any discussion on the consent? No. I'll call for the question.

It passes unanimously.

Thank you, Ryan.

Thank you.

That was consent. Oh, Mayor Pro Tem Zelensky, please.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Blake Lockhart for his willingness to serve on our arts and culture board and also encourage anybody listening. We have at least, I think, one alternate available on the River Commission as well as our youth liaison spot. And I don't know if there are other commissions that are still seeking some, but if you want to learn more, come out to the volunteer fair.

That's great. Thank you. Thanks for the info. Moving into a proclamation celebrating September 4th as Love Glenwood Day. And for this, I'm going to call up Ellen and Jeff and Alex. Everybody, come on up. Let's meet up here. Thank you, Ryan. All right. Excellent. Everybody here? Perfect. Let's do it. Everybody want to be here? A proclamation for Love Glenwood Day, September 4th, 2026. Whereas incorporated on September 4th, 1885, Glenwood Springs continues to thrive as a premier tourism destination with a rich heritage of healing, outdoor recreation, and warm hospitality. Whereas residents of Glenwood Springs and the thousands of visitors our community hosts each year hold a strong love for Glenwood Springs. Whereas the Glenwood Springs community has a history of coming together and standing strong in the face of challenges and adversities. Whereas Glenwood Springs residents, businesses, visitors to the community and neighboring communities have consistently voiced united opposition to the mine expansion proposal. Whereas U.S. Representative Jeff Hurd and U.S. Senators Michael Bennett and John Hickenlooper joined his opposition by introducing the bipartisan Glenwood Hot Springs Protection Act. Whereas the Glenwood Springs City Council and the entire Glenwood Springs community wish to celebrate their love for Glenwood Springs. Now, therefore, I, Marco Day, Mayor of Glenwood Springs of the City of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, do hereby proclaim Friday, September 4th, 2026, as Love Glenwood Day to the City of Glenwood Springs. Now, this is coming up September 4th. In witness whereof, I have here to accept my hand and cause the seal of the City of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, to be affixed on the 20th day of August in the year 2026. And these are members of Citizens Alliance who are actively, actively engaged in helping us protect Glenwood Springs and love Glenwood like the way we do. So thank you guys for doing this. Thank you, Jeff. Thank you so much, Alex. And here's your proclamation. Thank you very much. Let's love Glenwood.

Well, we will celebrate with our citizens and look forward to kind of blanketing the community with information about what's happening and educate and get people energized. All right. Sounds awesome. Thank you so much. All right.

Yeah.

Okay, thank you guys for being here. They already left. Great. Let's move on. It goes quick. It's a nice evening. It is a beautiful evening out, I'm sure. Moving into actions and or presentations. And number eight on tonight's agenda is the Glenwood Springs Historical Society update. And it looks like Mark's here, the executive director.

Hi, I'm Mark Jensen. I live and work in Glenwood Springs. And I do have, thank you so much for inviting me here to report on the activities of the Historical Society. And I do just have a brief presentation. Some of you know that if you let me, I will talk to you all night long about the Historical Society. So I won't go over everything on this information sheet, unless you have questions. But I do want to talk about some highlights of what we've been up to. The History Museum, the Frontier History Museum, of course, is our major emphasis with our efforts. One thing that I'm really proud of is that since I came along, we expanded the museum hours to selected afternoons to all day, Tuesdays through Saturdays, and enough time has gone by since that change has happened that we can see that that change has created an increase, a 41% increase in the number of visitors to the museum over the same period in 2025. So that's just the first half of this year that I'm looking at. And we've been doing a better job of tracking where our visitors come from as well. I asked the volunteers at the desk, just ask people, where are you visiting from? And we categorize them as Glenwood Springs, Garfield County, other Colorado and out of state. And you can see that most of our visitors are not locals. And that's we're very, very pleased to be part of the tourism effort here in Glenwood Springs. But we definitely want to find ways to increase our local participation at the museum and in our programs. We also benefit from several satellite exhibits. We're very, very thankful for Bullock's Western Ware and how they host docs collection in their basement. And that brings in 12,000 visitors, estimated 12,000 visitors, more than that each year. I do have a guest book there and people volunteer their information, how many people are in their group and the date they visited. We use that to estimate what the visitation might be overall. Uh, and, uh, people are very nice in our donation box over there. And again, we're very thankful for Bullocks, uh, to make that space available. Um, We did expand our staff. Not only did we convert some contract staff to full-time regular staff, we hired a tours and events and education manager, Lynn Alia, who has lived here for decades and knows the community and has a lot of great ideas and enthusiasm. We did start the guided tours a couple of weeks ago, later than we had hoped, but we're keeping going forward. And we do have... Sign-ups going on for that all the time and working through the bugs and getting good responses from the people who have taken the tour. I do want to share, very proud, hot off the press today is our guide to historic Glenwood Springs. This is an updated version of the History Walking Guide. And this is no longer a free publication. It will be available for sale at various locations around town. Only $5. And we think that the visitors and locals will benefit from that. And then we're also, thanks to a generous donation, we have our... History Calendar for 2027 also published. This is $10 and currently only available at the Frontier History Museum. We're always very dependent on our volunteers. We're very glad to have the volunteers who staff the museum desk as well as volunteers who help us at the various events. Our ghosts at the Ghost Walk, for instance, if any of you are interested in being a ghost. Just let me know. We'll get you started. So far this year, volunteers have put in 700 plus hours of contribution. With this year in the fundraising and outreach category, I guess I can, should I do this? Moving this forward, Brian?

Just scroll down.

Scrolling down. There we go.

Okay, great.

So at the top of the fundraising and outreach, we were very flattered, very pleased, very proud to be selected by the Hawks Springs Resort Strawberry Days sponsor as their community partner for this year's event. And that, of course, provided us with a free information booth where we could interact with the various festival goers, both locals and tourists, about what the Historical Society is doing, about our other fundraising, our other activities, such as the Theodore Roosevelt Commemorative Dinner and the Ghost Walk. The commemorative dinner, it had some hitches, but overall, we've had some good response from the people who came there, and it was a rewarding fundraiser, successful fundraiser. The board is already talking about ideas for next year. But we're going slowly on that so we can make sure we make improvements on what happened this last year. And of course, we're thankful for the Hotel Colorado for that partnership, other partnerships that they provide for such as the gingerbread event in November. We're also very glad for the sponsors. One thing I noticed when I moved here is how generous the local businesses are, not only to us, but to other nonprofits. And I've listed some of our top donors there, as well as some other partners. Below that, Glenwood Vaudeville Review. Why aren't you at the movie tonight, you guys? It's a great K&A train robbery, and it's 100th anniversary, and Vaudeville is splitting the ticketing income with us, and we're very grateful to have their support. And I do want to also mention, and it's not... listed on what I prepared the partnership with the post independent the Friday edition where it has the historic photo from the historical society and some explanatory text that's all selected and prepared by Peggy on our staff and we provide that to the post independent and we're very glad that they include that in the various issues and on their website. And memberships, very glad for our growing membership. Since I've come here, the board has renewed the membership effort, adjusted the bylaws to account for that. And all the time we're getting new members who pony up just either 35 bucks or some of them are very generous. We did have one $10,000 donation earlier this year. Very glad for that. And that number of individuals continues to grow and membership has benefits. So if any of you who aren't members are interested in joining, there's information on our website. I do want to just mention the priorities and goals we're emphasizing with our fundraising, our staffing, all the other things we do. Our poor museum has not had a new roof since the late 90s. And so we're in the process of getting some estimates from various roofers about how much it's going to cost. And we've been promoting the need to raise the money to pay for that. uh... with our various fundraising will be applying for some grants uh... including with uh... the county and some private funders to make that possible either this fall or next spring and then as i've said uh... We want to involve the local community more in the museum and the society's activities. And one of the things that Lynn, our events and education manager, will be emphasizing as we go into fall, school starting, as you mentioned, is improving, developing some fun and educational activities. in school programming for the appropriate grade levels and she has some great ideas for that you're really going to like them and then also making it possible for the schools to bring small groups to the museum to see what we have there so those are highlights i can as i said i'm happy to answer any questions you have excellent microphone excellent thank you mark thanks for being here nice update any questions to historical society

Councillor Smith. Thank you. This group's kind of on a roll tonight with that adjournment in sight. What time does the movie start?

Oh, the doors open at six. Oh, missed it. And then the movie starts at seven. Because, you know, the vaudeville, you've got the food and drink beforehand if you want. Yeah, exactly. Let's go. I don't think you'll make it by seven. I don't. But it also repeats on September 17th. You guys have that night off, don't you? No, you don't. No, we don't. Yeah, he hosted it three times this summer, and tonight is the second one. Okay, great.

Thanks for doing that. It's an icon for this town to have that film in circulation. I trust that if you get your money for your roof, you'll be coming to the city's Historic Preservation Commission for a suitability review?

Yes. The museum is a local landmark, so we'll have to run everything by the appropriate authorities and get the permits. And we'll be working with whatever roofer we select to help us through that process. Thanks very much. And of course, Emery is excellent, and he'll be of assistance as well. Great.

Councilor Schacht. Thank you, Mark. When do Ghost Walk tickets go on sale?

They are on sale for members today. Members got a special email. So that gives them a special link that where they get $5 off on their tickets, limit of two, but you can buy extra tickets at regular price. And then general public tickets will probably go on sale next, the end of next week.

We were supposed to get emails today. Yeah.

Yeah. Now I have to double check you're on the list. Thank you.

Okay. Any other questions or comments? Mayor Pro Tem Silinski, please.

I just want to say I did attend the dinner, the Jefferson dinner, or the Teddy Roosevelt dinner. And I really do want to commend. I think it was very, very obvious how much work and passion and energy went into the planning and execution of that event. There were some hiccups. I don't know that they were all on any of you. I think, you know, I think it was a very lofty, ambitious endeavor. And I think maybe there's, you know, I think that maybe it was a lot to bite off, but I really, really commend you guys. I thought it was great and more good than bad. So, yeah. Congratulations.

There was a board committee who came up with the idea in March and everyone agreed, well, we're going to have to move fast. So there was a group of the volunteer board members who organized most of the event and I provided support with managing finances and PR and those kinds of ticketing, that kind of thing.

Let them know that I was impressed.

Well, I'll make sure they see the recording and so you can tell them yourself.

Okay, excellent. Any other questions and comments? You're good. You got the email. Okay, great. I assume this update is a little strategic because you're probably going to come back for some funding. We hope to. Are we invited?

I'll communicate with Mr. Boyd about the procedures for that and when that should happen. And we've also been coordinating with his office on the finalizing last year's allocations as well. So, for instance, by the end of July, we had raised $42,000 in donations alone, not counting our fee-based income.

Right. Okay. So we'll see you again soon. Awesome. Excellent. Thank you very much, Mark. Okay, thank you. Yeah. Okay. Okay, let's see moving into item nine first resolution for tonight. Resolution 2026 dash 20 resolution the city of Glenwood. I'm sorry of the City Council of the city of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, call in an election on November 30 2026. and certifying a ballot issue, setting the ballot title and content for the ballot issue and providing other matters relating to the election. Steve Boyd, please.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Steve Boyd, City Manager. The cost of providing fire and EMS service is rising. In response to that, several of the departments and districts around us have gone out and passed a tax, either sales or a property tax. They've done that for a couple of reasons. One, to add firefighter capacity to meet standard of cover. Two, to increase firefighter and EMS capacity. compensation to compete in the market, and three, to build or improve stations and equipment. For the last couple of meetings, we have talked about doing something similar. We brought forward a plan. That plan was to raise about $3.8 million, which is the shortage that we're currently experiencing in our fire department. After some consultation with the Rural Fire Board, we tweaked that a little bit to push that mill levy down a little bit in the city, up a little bit in the district. Then from that discussion, what we're calling Plan C developed, and that Plan C was to increase our fire... fund revenues enough to do the things that I just said and eliminate a million dollar a year subsidy from the general fund, but not eliminate a subsidy that comes from the tobacco and marijuana fund. So at this point, we've talked about it a couple of times. The staff report is pretty detailed. Happy to take any questions. But tonight's the night that you guys need to decide if you want to put a tax on the ballot. And if so, if it's plan B or plan C or something different. So with that, it's over the net to you guys.

All right. Thank you, Steve. Back to us. Any questions? Council Townsend, please.

Steve, is there a way to, we talked about this a little before, but is there a way to, you know, if we're going to go with a plan where we're raising enough money that we don't have to get into that tobacco tax and the alcohol tax, not cigarette tax, I guess marijuana, two of those, is there a way that we can incorporate getting those to where we tie those into getting that money still in there. And maybe it's, you know, between the two monies, who knows where it's coming from, but we're upping the reserves in those accounts as well versus just going, we're not going to, you know, what I'd hate to see us do is collect enough money that we don't have to go to those funds. And then those funds just kind of disappear through the sieve somewhere else. And I'd still like them to get tied into it somehow. Is that, is that possible?

Yeah, I don't think, Council, that we should spend any of those funds if we can help it. We need to build a reserve in our fire department that doesn't have one now, and we can carry a reserve in our tobacco tax and marijuana tax fund that you guys could use in the future to do something different with if you'd like.

We couldn't take that money instead of giving it to us to use in the future and put it into those reserve funds of the fire department?

I believe you could do that should you choose.

Let's turn it back on, Dave.

Thank you. What would be the avenue if that was what we chose to do?

So if I'm understanding you correctly, what you're suggesting is that we take the tobacco tax and marijuana tax, that subsidy is about $700,000 a year. And if we're not going to need it in fire, we would transfer it to fire anyway, or at least some of it anyway, and put it in a fire reserve for the fire fund. Did I get that right? Yeah, we could do that. You guys can just do it in the budget process and allocate the funds to do that. The alternative would be to pass a resolution of some kind that says each year we will take a certain percentage of tobacco and or marijuana funds, transfer it to the fire fund. A future council or you guys in the future could overturn that. But that would take then, you know, a specific step of a council recognizing that and and taking that step. So the answer is yes, we can do that and we could put that into a fire reserve, which would be very useful because without a reserve, we can't plan very well in fire because every year it has to compete with all the other priorities that our city has.

Thank you. Councillor Smith, questions.

Thank you. I pose this question to the city manager, but I want to try a variation of it again with the chief here. We learned all along that a Roughly 60% of the calls we're trying to find out the work of the department is for EMS, for ambulance runs more than fire trucks. Is there opportunity for increasing the total amount of fees that are charged for at least certain ambulance runs? My logic behind the question is, Fire runs seem to feel like an inherent community need. If a house is a fire, the three houses around it are in danger. The neighborhood is in danger. There's a collective need for that response. Ambulance runs are a little bit more individualized typically to somebody's personal injury or illness. So you've got a person with a special need who many times has insurance. Can we charge more for ambulance runs? and change the equation here any significantly?

Well, we currently do charge for those runs. I believe our charge is pretty close to the ceiling that we've got. So I don't know that there's significant room to move that. The biggest challenge that we have when we impose those fees is actually collecting those fees. Not everybody does have insurance. Insurance companies won't typically pay the full amount of the bill. And in a lot of cases, they weren't the person that initiated the call. And therefore, it's easy for them to say, go get it from somebody else. I didn't call you guys.

Thank you. Interesting. Thank you. Any other questions? But I see none, just real quick, would you give us the rundown on option B and C separately? Just quick, so just a recap.

Yes, absolutely. So option B has a 7.9 mil increase in the city of Glenwood Springs that would generate $2.8 million a year in revenue for the fire department and would cost a resident $493 per million dollars of home value per year. Option C would be 6.5 mills in the city. That would generate approximately $2.3 million in revenue and would cost a resident of the city $406 per mill per million dollars of house value per year.

Okay. And how does this reflect upon the district within districts?

So in the district, they would do something very similar. They voted in their last meeting to put a 5.9 mil increase on their ballot. That would raise approximately $767,000 for the district and would cost a district resident about $370 per mil per million of home value per year.

And obviously their ballot is different from ours. Yes. So we're really only concerned about what we're going to put on ours, but it's good to know what their contribution will be if it passes in that area. Okay. Okay, great. Thank you, Steve. Anybody from the public like to comment on this item? Anybody online? Seeing none, we'll bring it back to council. And I am entertaining a motion and resolution 2026-20, a resolution of the city council, of the city, I'm sorry, a resolution of the city council of the city of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, call an election on November 3rd, 2026, and certifying a ballot issue, setting the ballot title and content for the ballot issue and providing other matters relating to the election.

We have Councillor Smith. Thank you. I am glad to move council approval to advance to the ballot. We're calling for shorthand option B. I don't know how to put that into proper language or if I need to.

I think just a motion to approve the resolution with the exhibit that is option B. A slash A dash one.

I move city council approval to move exhibit A1 ballot language to election.

Okay, excellent. We have a motion to approve. I need a second.

Councilor Schmoll.

You were up, so. I'm sorry, I was going to second, but I thought it was going to be a motion for option C. Okay.

Then I still need a second. Mayor Pro Tem Salinski.

I'll offer my second.

All right. So now we have a motion and a second on the table to approve option B to move forward to the ballot. And now we're going into discussion. We'll start with Councilor Schacht.

I'm in favor of this because it seems to be the best option to fulfill the goals we've heard for consistent funding, predictable funding. for the fire department to cover, to relieve the general fund of significant contribution and diversion. And it still leaves options for the whole general fund, including tobacco and marijuana. So I think to accomplish the broad goals, this is the best proposal to date.

Okay, thank you. Councillor Smith.

Thank you. And I concur with that basic sentiment. I like the cleanliness of it. I like acknowledging as through extensive research in the department and the administration have put in saying this is what's needed. And this corresponds as we've also done. You've also documented for these discussions. This is an essential and unique discrete service of benefit to all the community. So stepping up and funding it right in one clean commitment, I think accomplishes at least two basic things. It fulfills the need, it closes the gap, maybe three things. And it does so in a way that's easy to track. And then the kind of third related one, it does so in a way that is clear to people. That is to say, in this case, voters, that we're taking a package of money and it's going to be for the fire department and the fire department is going to be fully funded. It simplifies the message. I was fascinated with the discussion of what we're now calling for shorthand option C. I thought it was very creative. Councilor Townsley especially articulated that well. And I want to hear, to be sure I'm getting this right, but I think as a means of of at least marginally reducing the burden on individual homeowners and business owners, for that matter, by trimming down the new request for a new tax. I think that's admirable. I think it's a sensitive proposal I guess I'm just not persuaded that it will have that significant effect on voter response. And which brings me back to let's take the nice clean package without without sort of next steps next steps next steps and what if symbol just straightforward fund it. Thank you.

Thank you. Council small.

Yeah, I think the differences between B and C are marginal, and I can support going to the voters with either one of them and letting the voters decide.

All right, thank you. Councillor Schachter, there's your opportunity for another ticket. Councillor Schachter.

Well, just piggybacking off Councillor Small, the homework has been done by staff, by Our fire department, by us, I think the key is now is giving the public an option to weigh in, and that's part of our job. We'll see what happens and hope they support it. If not, we'll look for other pathways.

Right. Thank you. Councillor Townsend.

I think I'm with Councillor Small in that the reality is we want to see this done, and I would support either one of them that we're going to do. I think that, you know, whether we do it tonight or down the road, I would really like to see us address that other issue so it doesn't look to me if I'm a voter like, well, you guys need this much money, so you're going to take the money that you did have, go spend that somewhere else, and then come to me for more taxes. So I would like to tie them together, and it doesn't necessarily happen tonight, but where we tie that together and say, no, the money's still going in there. We need reserves. We need this. We need that. But we haven't just gone and said – well, this is the number we want to hit, so we're going to hit you guys for this, and now we've got an extra $600,000 here to go spend somewhere else. That would be my take on that and why I would want to see those, you know, transfer fairly high. I mean, if we're going to be out talking about this and people are going to be asking us about this, then it's like, you know, We're not just going like it seems like we always do to the taxpayer and going, here's how much we want to spend. And so your taxes are going up by this amount. That's why I would want to see the two of them kind of traveling together. But, you know, in the interest of a united front, then I would support any of the either one because I want it to happen.

Okay. Thank you. Any other comments? Okay, I'll see none. I hadn't thought about what you brought up about actually reserving the 700,000 and the other fund that we would not use for this for the fire department anymore. And I don't think we should tie it to obviously the election or any language or anything with it. But in the near future, I'm totally up for a resolution. Right. Absolutely. Absolutely. If you're okay with it, if we're okay with it, I think we should put a resolution forth that says we're going to put that money that we used to transfer into the fire department's fund now in a reserve for the fire department.

Staff would 100% support that. Absolutely. The other thing I would say is that I can make no promises today that we won't have to subsidize the fire department down the road from the general fund. That may still happen. This is our best shot at trying to fix the problem without raising taxes any more than we absolutely have to at this moment.

And things are getting more expensive and we totally get it. But if we had a reserve, I think that'd be extremely helpful instead of doing this again in 10 years, which we don't know if we will, but hopefully we won't.

I can bring you back an option or two at the very next meeting if you'd like.

To see what it looks like. Okay. Anyway, I would wholeheartedly support option B. I think it makes the most sense with the caveat that we will move forward with the resolution on creating reserves for the fire department.

I think that's imperative.

So if I see no more comments or discussion, I will call for the question. Oh, I already did that.

I already did that.

Yeah. Ryan, please.

It passes 6-0. All right.

Mr. Mayor, before we close the agenda item, the game just changed on us right here with that vote. So I'd like to invite our legal counsel up to just make a couple of comments about what staff can do and can't do at this point and what counsel can and can't do at this point. I know he'll be brief.

OK. Thank you, Steve. Carl, you heard it. Carl, you heard it.

Be brief.

Thank you.

So as Steve said, the game just changed for you and for us as staff. Earlier today, I sent out a memo on the offhand chance that this would pass. And in general, election season is tough for an elected official in your position. So I just wanted to run through kind of what we can do as a city from this point forward, what you guys can do as elected officials and a little bit about what staff can do. Um, so everything we do from here on out related to the election related to your comments on the dais or in your personal life or on your social media page or anything like that is going to be governed by the fair campaigns practices act in Colorado. Um, so really the core of that is that government funds should not be used to advocate for, against any ballot issue or for, or against any candidate. Um, that's the core of it. So what you can do and what the city can do, one is provide factual summaries of what the tax is, where the money will be spent, and also what the potential downsides of the tax are, right? I mean, one of the big ones, obviously, is that people's property tax is gonna go up and that's something that we need to acknowledge in factual summaries. The one act as a council that you can take that is advocacy is you are expressly permitted underneath the FCPA to pass a resolution of support for that ballot measure if you choose to. Some councils do that to kind of lay out in more detail their reasoning in a format like a resolution so that the voters can understand kind of why they're doing what they're doing.

As a council.

As a council.

Not individually. As a council.

As a council. Right. And that can be distributed to the community in the ways that you would normally distribute communications from the city, like a newsletter or things like that. That is permitted. That is the one act you are permitted to do. individual council advocacy you are absolutely permitted to do provided you're not using your city email a city phone a city ipad any city resources to do that you can advocate for against this or anything else you are free to to do that you are free to say you know i as you know an individual, I am supportive of this and here's the reasons why, or I am opposed to this and here are the reasons why. Additionally, you're going to be in a unique position because people are going to come up to you and ask you questions about why you're doing what you're doing or the press may do that. And you are absolutely permitted to answer unsolicited questions from the press. If a reporter calls you and says, hey, Counselor Smith, I want to know why you voted for that resolution. You absolutely can answer that question. What you cannot do... And we litigated this in the last election cycle. What you cannot do is call up the reporter and say, hey, I would like you to interview me about this ballot measure because I think it's really important. Would you do an interview with me so I can answer some questions about it? You can't do that. They can ask you. They can ask you for an interview. I am a huge. This is like kind of one of those absolutes. if a reporter wants to talk to you about an election issue tell them to put their request in writing to you so that it is clear that they requested that interaction it was huge for us thanks to brie for being super careful about those things the last election cycle when we had a an fcpa complaint filed against us that we successfully defended because nobody did anything wrong um The other one is that if you have been using your social media accounts to communicate about city issues, if you have taken comments about city business on your personal social media accounts, that is a public forum. You can't use that account to advocate for or against a ballot issue or an individual. Um, you need to be really careful about that. And so really try to distance yourself from that, like that mixing of advocacy and, and your role as a city council member. I, I don't really use social media at all. So I'm not good at knowing whether you guys are doing that or not. Cause I, I just, that's not me. That's there again. I rely on Bree to help me out on that. Um, The other place is don't use your time when you're on the dais, like in council comments of saying, hey, everybody, there's this really important issue on the ballot and I need you to vote yes on it. You can't do that. Just don't, you know, when you're up there, just don't. Finally, I'm just going to talk a little bit about city employees. And this is a really tough one. And city employees are absolutely have a right to go out there and campaign for issues that they believe in so long as they are not doing it while they're being paid they're not doing it in uniform they're not doing it you know with a t-shirt that says city of glenwood springs or city of glenwood fire or whatever um they're not using a city cell phone they're not using a city email account Absolutely. And we want people to go out there and express their opinions either way they have them. I think that's incredibly important. The other thing that has happened to us in prior elections, and we'll probably do a communication to all staff around this, is during the last election cycle, we had people coming up to our line workers out in the field and trying to get them to commit a FCPA violation by coming up to them and saying, hey, Mr. Parks worker, what do you think about that ballot issue regarding streets? You want to talk to me about that? And they would film them trying to get them to commit a violation because they were in uniform on the street as a way to impact the election and it is that's just the world we're living in and and it's going to be really tough for our employees frankly because some of these things are really really important to people um so that's the summary of where you guys are at and what you're in the middle of um you know we will the other thing i'll just tell you um we will through what we did in the last selection cycle which is we geo tag where everybody's yard signs are so they know if they're in the right of way or not and we if they are in the right of way we will remove them right um that's just we have been trying to be very good about that so just you know as this is gonna this is gonna be a tough cycle uh and you're gonna hear about it in a lot of different ways so good luck with that i will be back in december So will we.

Yeah. But wait, while you're there, just curious, what are the next steps?

Next steps, you're going to pass an IGA next up for the coordinated election. Colorado, on general election years like this, you're required to coordinate. You're required to de-mail in ballots. Doing both of those things. Ryan is going to be your designated election official. He's done an amazing job through, I don't know how many election cycles we've been through together. A bunch.

A bunch.

Both regular and special. This, what you just passed tonight, gets transmitted to the county clerk as the ballot, both title and content, which is, the question itself is the ballot title.

We have to translate it.

We have to translate. Yeah, there will be a number of other things that occur. There's an election calendar that Ryan will be mostly responsible for and I'll pop in and out of. to give him some assistance here and there moving forward.

Ballot language, ordinance, all that stuff.

So, you know, it's really up to you guys if you want it. This is not a complicated one because this is being dropped in where we use all the other fire tax funds that's already set up. So I don't know that there's really going to need to be much of an implementation ordinance.

Okay.

We'll honestly probably do this one after the election because I don't know that we need to do it before. You'll remember with the street tax to try to help people understand where that money was going to go and flesh out what you were doing. We did one ahead of the election. I don't think in this case it's probably necessary. And over drinks, we can talk about election challenges that I'm starting to see already. And it's only August. Not here, but in other places. So those are really next steps. Like you guys... like you kind of you know you fired that you know it's moving on if you guys decide you want to come back with a resolution of support uh maybe that's something um in council comments you guys can just let us know if you would like us to do that that is one place that is one of the few places where we as staff can assist you in that in preparation of that resolution if you decide you want to do one it's totally up to you guys uh and we're happy to help so that's kind of it all right excellent thank you for the info i think i have a couple questions here let's do uh council smith

Thank you. In your background memo along these very lines, I think you mentioned participation or review of the pro-con publication that I think the county clerk publishes.

I actually gave that to you, or if that was you doing some research on your own, Counselor Smith.

That's why I hesitated. I don't know where I got it, but who is or isn't allowed to submit a pro-con statement or to you and suggest edits the way that the Blue Book works for the state?

I do the Tabor Notice content, so it's like our Blue Book. It's not, it's the citywide blue book and it's the statewide or the countywide blue book. And I do that. I take the and the con notices and pro notices and I use a little AI cheat to help me put them together. And then I ended anyways, I put them together. You can do it as a... And I'll just put in there, you know, Steve Smith, citizen of Glenwood Springs says blah, blah, blah. And yeah, but I can't put anything about you as a counselor.

It's going to have... Well, if you're on it, I'm not going to bother.

Yeah.

I'm not going to put any of that. You're on it in preparing the base document.

Yeah. Ryan's responsible for putting that together. Pro-con statements come in. There will be, if I remember right, there's a published notice.

We put all the information in it, all the TABOR information in it as well.

Thank you. Also, you mentioned this very helpful reminder about Talking to reporters but not calling reporters. And getting the questions in advance.

Not necessarily the question in advance. Get it in writing that they requested an interview with you.

Oh.

Because the FCPA is very clear that you can respond to reporter requests. You just can't ask, you can't solicit from the reporter they're interviewing of you. And I just, as a matter of practice now, I am advising all of my elected officials that if a reporter, you know, shoots you a text or gives you a call and says, I'd like to talk to you about it, say, would you please email me and put that in writing that you want to talk to me?

That was very helpful clarification of what you were actually saying. And so thanks for catching me up. What you just said was my second, was really the essence of my question. In what format should that be? Should it be on a personal email account?

It doesn't matter. on that. I mean, you are allowed as an elected official for the city of Linwood Springs to answer those questions. So I don't care where it comes in. As long as they're asking to interview you or asking you questions and you didn't solicit them and there's not a track record of that, it doesn't matter how it comes in.

Thank you. Thank you. Councilor Schacht.

Just as a piggyback, and this is truly Mike.

I turned you on. I did it. Looks red to me.

He just turned you up.

You're challenging me. Not really. This is a reflection of 40 years of commissions, counsel. It's not really a question. I'm just going to reflect on my own personal experience. If I'm asked by the press to do this, I will politely decline. I'm pleased to refer them to Bree. I have rarely, if ever, over 40 years done an interview that came out the way I expected it to come out. That's all I'm saying. I'm not saying there's evil intent. I'm not saying there's bad reporting. I'm just saying it never works. I'll buy. I'll pass. Thank you. Fair enough.

All right. Thank you. Any other questions or comments? No, we'll move on.

Thank you.

Okay. All right. Thank you, Carl. I'll see none. We'll move into the resolution for tonight to accompany this. It's the item number 10 resolution 2026 dash 19 in a governmental agreement with Garfield County for the 2026 coordinated election. I'm entertaining. I'm well.

This is the IGA that says we're going to coordinate the election. We have to do this every November.

And I just wanted to see if the public has anything to say about it. The public has nothing. I did not look at you. Now I'm looking at you. And thank you for explaining this. And now I need a motion. So Mayor Pro Tem Salinski.

I move to approve Resolution 2026-19, which is an intergovernmental agreement with Garfield County for the 2026 coordinated election.

Excellent. I'm looking for a second.

Councilor Schacht. I will second the motion.

Motion and second. Any discussion? See none. Call for the question.

It passes 6-0.

Thank you, Ryan. Okay, that was the election stuff. Now, moving into item 11, ordinance 2026-18, An ordinance to the city of Glenwood Springs, Colorado amending title 070 of the Glenwood Springs Municipal Code regarding the regulation and permitting of electric vehicle charging projects within the city.

And it looks like Emory is getting ready. Okay, I will be sharing my screen.

Okay, thank you.

Okay, so this item is a code amendment for electric charging stations. And so there's really only one action item and it's consideration of the code amendment. It did go to planning and zoning commission in June at their meeting, and they recommended approval by unanimous vote of the same code amendments that are before you tonight. So why we're here right now in the city of Glenwood Springs, we do not have specific guidance or regulation for electric chargers. The most recent land use application, which we considered for one, we processed as a parking as a primary use, which is an existing use in our use table, but it doesn't quite line up with really what when you get to what an electric charging station could be. So we're just looking at creating basically use categories and just defining what if someone wants to develop these, what they need to do in Glenwood and what those regulations are. And so here's an example of one in Glenwood Meadows. So they are here, you know, we're on I-70 and we'll probably just see that interest grow in the future. So again, too, you know, on I-70 corridor, this is IANA, which is a company, you can see the red dots, you know, they're planning their network, their system, other companies are doing the same. So just basically looking forward. And so, this has also been identified at the state level and 2024 there was house bill, which created a model land use code and it required every Community over 10,000 population to establish this in their code and. basically created a model code that needed to be adopted by those communities. Since at the time we had less than 10,000 persons, we didn't have to do that. And we're not obligated to do all of what's in that model code. But what's nice is as staff writing this report, that model code is a really nice template to go through and go look at, okay, here's what the state is, PB, Peter Vitale & Requiring communities to do, and these are the sort of standards that they're looking at. PB, Peter Vitale & So I just use that as a rubric and just kind of so this presentation and the staff report was structured for. PB, Peter Vitale & Looking at each standard that's in the model code to again we're not obligated to follow and just using that as deciding what we would like to do for each standard so that's how this is organized. And so really, first of all, if you're going to regulate something, you do need to define it. And so some of the definitions which we would be adding, the big one is what's a primary use charging project and what's an accessory use charging project. And so a primary use would be you go to that site. All there is is chargers. There's nothing else on that site. Accessory use would be, you know, you go to Wendy's and they have a charger. And worth to point out, which is what this next slide shows, is that the primary and accessory use, that's only for what's called a DCFC charging station, which is also called a level three fast charge. And so that's what we're talking about when we're talking about these land uses. A level 2 or a level 1. Level 1 is like what you'd have in your house. It operates on a 120 volt, smaller. Level 2 operates on a 240 volt. That's a little bit more robust, but again, nothing compared to that level 3, that direct charger, which is that's where you plug it in.

Maybe you're there for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, up to an hour, and then you're leaving.

Again, we'd also be adding these definitions as well. Really, again, we would use all our, this first standard, the model code just talks about the municipality will utilize its existing land use processes. They're not gonna single out electric vehicles in a different way. Because the idea of the state model code also was to basically streamline and encourage these things. So that's what we're doing. We're not really adding a special permit type or a special land use application. We're just using our existing processes. And so that's, again, what the second one speaks to. Another standard just talks about, okay, if you have nonconformities on a property that wants to be a charging station, you can't treat them differently. Again, we're just going to use our existing nonconformity language. Number four, again, similar, just we're using our existing processes. So depending on what it is, if that's a grading permit, I'll get into whether something would be a buy-write use or a special use permit on the next slide. And so the state the model code basically says Okay, these need to be a by right use and all land use context, except for low density housing. Like a lower density residential district where they should be permitted as a conditional use, which in our use table is known as a special use and so here with the recommendation. my staff is so for that primary use you know where you go to that site now it would be would be those fast chargers we're recommending that it be similar to the model code a special use in these lower density residential districts a buy right use in these districts and then we also included this was on recommendation from planning and zoning commission making it a special use permit within the m2 zoning district which would be your downtown and then some areas in Glenwood Meadows. And so again, the process for a special use permit is that's planning and zoning commission review. So again, that's for the primary use and then accompanying parking requirements. And again, so you can compare it to parking as a principal use, which is how we've basically processed these in the past, is not nearly as expansive. So again, so that's for the primary type. And then for the accessory type, it would be permitted in all zoning districts. And so again, that's where you have an existing use on the property, like a store, a restaurant, and then you just have that charging station Basically as a secondary use. Standard number six just talks about parking spaces and that you'd count all the parking spaces on the site. PB, Peter Vitale hecoxal:" How we would do that the second standard is just calling to double count certain parking spaces and we don't we don't do that parking spaces parking space. PB, Peter Vitale hecoxal:" So we're not recommending in this case, following that standard from the model code also this one similarly talks about Ada. PB, Peter Vitale hecoxal:" We count Ada spaces and they have to be Ada design, so we already do that. Number nine, this just talks about screening. This standard, the state model code is saying that you shouldn't have to really require much screening. This is where, again, our recommendation is going to, we're going to go do our own thing and just use our existing code, make a slight text amendment just to make sure that those would be included. And the idea here is that you want these things to be screened, but this then allows it to a little more site flexibility, get closer to a property line as long as it's screened, which we already allow for most equipment anyway. So just adding a little text to be... Cover that. This other standard just talks about lighting and signage and that you can't, again, treat these differently, which we wouldn't. We just use our existing code. So a lot of these come out of the factory. They're manufactured. And, you know, someone could put on like an aftermarket, large, glowy electronic sign. For example, that would be something that our sign code would not allow. So that's just what that standard gets at. Talked about this one. Model code encourages jurisdictions to not require screening. We're actually going to differ and just keep our standard requirements to screen these. And again, when I say screening, not the individual charging stations, but it would be all the electric equipment. You're actually just looking at this photo at the Meadows. So screening the equipment, not the chargers. So that's what that one covers. PB, Harmon Zuckerman, And then this is again talks about maintaining safety distances. So, which we already do our electric department. There's certain distances that, for example, from a transformer. You can't put something within a certain distance. So we are doing that meeting that standard. This talks about lighting. We would just use our existing lighting code. And so the one minor change here is we have it calling it out for canopy lighting for gas stations. We would just add two definitions for electric charging stations. So if someone had a canopy, we just have a consistent regulation on lighting. And so again, so pretty small ones. And then the big one is just the use table, adding it to the use table and determining where it would go as a by-right use and where it would go as a special use. PB, Harmon Zuckerman, And so this is the criteria for a code amendment and I'll go through each one. PB, Harmon Zuckerman, And so consistency with the comprehensive plan. There are two goals in the comprehensive plan which speak to electric vehicles and and planning for that supporting the expansion of them. PB, Harmon Zuckerman, And it also shows up in the energy and climate action plan just looking to expand the availability of charging while reducing the impacts on cities electric grid. It's also worth to mention anytime any of these would come in, it would be a lot of coordination and a lot of work with our electric department because the direct chargers do take a considerable amount of energy. And so if one wanted to go in, they'd potentially be looking at like upgrading services in that area just to make it work. So that's just worth to mention that there'd be a lot into approving one of these. Does not conflict with other provisions of the code. Again, we're just using all of our existing processes, not really adding a whole lot. It's necessary to address a demonstrated need. So again, we're just seeing increased interest in these facilities. And this just gives it a consistent and clear set of regulations going forward. Again, changing situations. These are becoming more and more popular. Trying to get ahead of the curve. and then consistent with general purpose and intent of the code. Code looks to regulate land uses in a way to mitigate negative impacts on neighbors. So that's what these are all intended to do. We did not receive any public comment for planning and zoning commission meeting or for this one. And then again, so the motions in front of you tonight would be a motion to approve, a motion for denial, and then whatever findings you would have, or to continue in order to gather additional information for a decision.

That's all I have. Okay, thanks, Emory.

Yeah back to us questions to staff will start with Council Smith, thank you.

Thank you for being so thorough as always is very clear and easy to follow the slides help with your presentation is very clear. Thank you in particular for highlighting the consistency of this with the comp plan and with the climate action plan specifically strategies T 1.2 and 1.3 that that promote Dave Kuntz, opportunities for electric vehicle charging stations. Dave Kuntz, You also mentioned the need to coordinate about city electric service, because these suck a lot of power. Dave Kuntz, Our public works and electric department in particular on board with this.

Dave Kuntz, yeah. Dave Kuntz, So the thing is, is this is just any site location that would go into it would be really dependent on where it goes in like what is our capacity in that part of town. And so as far as the land use, this just gives it pretty much a route for, okay, how is it going to be approved? And as part of that process, Electric Public Works would be there reviewing everything. So in determining whether, you know, so for instance, let's say a company wanted six chargers. Electric could be like, well, we only have capacity for four in that area unless you upgrade it. So that would be kind of how that works.

Thanks very much.

Thank you. Any other questions? I was curious, what was the thought of excluding the M2 from permitted uses?

Oh, so originally when I had written the staff report for Planning and Zoning Commission, I had left it out just with the idea of, OK, your M2 is your downtown Glenwood Meadows. You have these dense areas. Maybe we don't want to even allow it, like encourage, because there really be a service parking lot is what you'd have. And so had left it out and then planning and zoning commission talked about it and they recommended adding it as a special use to match. So we already got the parking as a special use, just kind of match it. And in the case that, you know, there was a situation in the M2 where someone wanted to do that, we could, we could, there'd be a potential to review it and it would just be a prohibited use. That makes sense. That makes sense.

Okay. Thank you. Well, if I see no more questions, I'll turn it over to the public. Anybody here from the public? Online? I see none. Close the public portion. I'll bring it back to Council, entertaining a motion in Ordinance 2026-18, an ordinance of the City of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, amending Title 070 of the Glenwood Springs Municipal Code regarding the regulation and permitting of electric vehicle charging projects within the City. Councillor Smith.

Thank you. I am very pleased to move to approve Planning File CDA Quadruple 050-2026, incorporating staff's findings because the application meets the approval criteria for a code amendment with the findings and conditions of the staff reported.

Excellent. We have a motion and count. Mayor Pro Temselinski?

A second.

And a second. Any discussion? See none, I'll call for the question.

Brian.

Yeah, I mean, he's usually really on it when you guys are ready to vote.

Brian, we're trying to vote.

I've been looking in the window this whole time. I just missed it. Didn't give him the good one in there.

All right. Thank you, Brian. All right.

Will someone vote no so I can read some?

No, I'm going at it. We're going to be good.

It passes unanimously.

Thank you, Ryan. Okay, that was our last action and or discussion. Moving into council comments. We'll start on the right tonight. Councilor Smith.

Thank you. I'll continue my enthusiastic pitch that the city go more and more out of its way to showcase success stories using funds from the Streets and Infrastructure Fund. Examples might be, as we've seen in other project highlights with other funding sources, FMLD or DOLA, we might develop a logo that emblazons the image of the Streets and Infrastructure Fund itself. That we have signs at each construction site before or after before, during, and for a while after we have these successful projects, put it to it as a standing tagline in the code zone alerts, news release, and other announcements. I just think this is a smart practice in general to show voters who approved this funding that you approved good stuff. I think it doesn't hurt in a season when the city is now asking for another tax increase to go a little out of the way to show that the previous tax increase is a success. So that's a pitch that I recommend. In the last handful of meetings, we've had what felt like really enlightening presentations from staff that were very timely. And I'd suggest that they get some showcase in our public communications, either on the little highlight bars at the top of the homepage on the internet site or otherwise to promote and provide quick link access to the staff presentations on de-escalation training for downtown businesses and the staff presentation on how the electric grid works. I thought those were two very enlightening presentations. on both of which a lot of public questions seem to circulate. So kind of pumping those out there for easy availability, I think would be useful. Thank you. And finally, The initiative was currently called Initiative 175 is proposed for the state ballot in November. The ballot doesn't get finalized until September 13th, so there's maybe a chance that this would not go. If it goes, it will become ballot measure 82. In any case, by whatever name, this would direct that all transportation-related funding that comes to the state of Colorado shall be used for roads construction and roads repair exclusively with a series of implications for other transportation measures. One example is the bus thing. A statewide bus service operated by the Colorado Department of Transportation that carries 351,000 passengers in the past year, which is a 21% increase over the previous year. One-third of those passengers, 100,000 of those passengers, ride what's called the West Line, which comes through Glenwood Springs, with 15 service stops in each direction each day. I've ridden that ride a lot, and it's clear that a majority of the passengers who use that particular West Line get on and get off in Glenwood Springs. It's a real... real transportation alternative that serves the city well, that funding would go away and make that operation really hard to sustain if this were to pass. Thanks very much.

All right. Thank you.

Councilor Schachter. Maybe it's part of the workshops. I'm just looking for clarification where we as a city can stand versus RAFTA, I'm not even sure the boundary with those electric motor vehicles that are going excessively fast, particularly by young riders and what we can and can't do. And I wasn't sure whether RAFTA's rules ended Does it go all the way to the end? Is this a rhetorical or is there part of the city where the Rafta rules on the Rio Grande don't apply? Anyway, it's confusing, but it's also dangerous. I hope we follow up on it.

Yeah, we've been, just so you know, Councilor Shachman, we've been kind of working at that at the staff level, along with the work that's going on with Rafta, trying to come up with something that works and is relatively consistent as well.

Okay, thank you. Councilor Townsend. Microphone, please.

Quick comment to Steve. We got a letter, and I assume you get all the letters that go to council from a high school student that wanted to do something about Christmas. Have we responded to him? I have. You have? I have. Can I get a copy of it? Sure.

You love to see a kid taking some initiative here. If I still have it. If not, I'll give you the gist of it. Absolutely.

That's it for me.

Okay, thank you. Councilor Schmoll?

Nothing.

Nothing tonight, Mayor Pro Tem Zielinski? Are you? Okay. Well, then it's up to me, and I would like to ask for support from Council to actually do an official resolution to support the tax we just put on the ballot tonight. So, I'm going to do this differently. I actually would move that we... issue a resolution to support the fire tax ballot. And I need a second to move it forward. Councilor Smith, I'll be the second. Thank you. Okay, excellent. Any discussion before we move on? Council small.

I saw a guy yesterday in a t shirt. And the logo on the back said, American fighter. And I wondered if he was fighting Americans or if he was an American fighting. So I think it's important that we be clear on what this resolution is that we're, whether or not we are supporting the passing of the ballot measure or whether we're supporting putting the ballot measure out there.

To whatever extent we're allowed to do under the law.

Yeah, I think in answer to the question, the way I interpreted that was that supporting passage of the ballot question.

And that was my intent.

Because this is, for me, our only way to do it. My comment on that then may not have my support in this. So you're aware before we take the vote.

Okay.

Why? Because I'm not sold yet. I believe the fire department needs the money. I'm not sure that the population is going to pass this ballot measure, but I think they're entitled to have their vote on it. I don't have any doubt about the need. I don't have any doubt about the good use that it would get.

Mm-hmm.

but I'm still not sold on supporting it.

Okay. Mayor Pro Tem Zielinski.

Could I ask Councilor Schmallow a clarifying question? Is your support for the measure dependent on what you perceive as its success, like how likely it is to successfully pass the voters? Yeah, I'm...

microphone microphone microphone please right microphone they want you to thank you yes i'm not nearly as confident as our polling people are on it especially in light of many of the other asks that are going to be on the same ballot so i would like to comment then i do think that that is the case

there's a good chance that a show of support from this board would possibly have a positive impact on the likelihood of that being received well within the community.

I'm going to jump in, actually. I hate to be the one to cut off debate, but this is literally the debate you should have if we put a resolution on for consideration. And I think the motion was simply to prep a resolution for you guys to have this discussion ran, which I think is totally appropriate underneath the FCPA, but I don't want to have a separate discussion now because you just voted to put it on the ballot and we're in a different set of rules. I don't mean to be pedantic about pair splitting, but we've just faced so many challenges. So my suggestion is take a vote on if you want us to bring back a resolution of support And we'll chat then. And you guys have a discussion around that.

And the discussion. Yeah, how that works. Be along these lines.

It can be along these lines because that's part of that. You're totally fine doing that.

I just don't want to have it twice. Okay. I apologize for being out of line.

Microphone. or not. Councilor Tansley.

Maybe that brings up a question for me then. Are we voting on the fact that we wanted you to provide something to us and we take a look at it?

Correct.

Yeah, that's it. We're not voting on you bringing us something and we decide we don't like it.

Yeah, if you guys decide you don't like it or you want to change it or you decide you don't want to pass it. I believe all the mayor was asking for is direction to staff to bring back a proposed resolution for consideration in support of passage of the ballot measure. I think that was the limit of the motion. Okay.

Mr. Mayor, could you clarify your motion?

Is that typically something that's a motion, a second item and voted on?

I think in this case, because I'm guessing the mayor did it as a motion this time because he wanted to simplify so that staff had clear direction about what we were supposed to do. It's usually not. And we wouldn't have to have a vote if everybody wants to give me a head nod and Steve and I will work on a resolution.

No, I wanted it to be very clear and I wanted to have a vote.

Yeah.

That's why I motioned it. Very simple. So... Again, my motion was to move forward with the resolution that we at some point will approve or not approve. Review, that we will review. That's right. In support of what we just put on the ballot tonight. That's the idea. And we have a second. Councilor Smith.

I apologize just because of that back and forth and because this is sensitive. I want to be sure that we're now voting on A request to bring us a formal document. We're not voting on the endorsement itself. Correct.

That is correct. Thank you. And with that, I'll ask for the question.

It's unanimous. It passes.

All right. Thank you. Thank you, guys. Thanks, Ryan.

You have been wearing the T-shirt where you are now.

That is a good question.

The answer may have been yes. That's right.

That's right. That's right. I don't have that T-shirt, but I'm entertaining the thought of. Yeah. Other than that, I don't have any other comments. I was going to make some comments about workshops, but we have a different direction for that. So that's great. Moving on to city manager.

Thank you. One thing I'm going to get our team together. I think late next week, there have been some things that have happened that are going to potentially affect the city's signage. For example, we have new parks rules. For example, we have locations and intersections where you can't panhandle anymore. There are a number of things like that that have happened. So if anybody has specific ideas on signage within the city, please try to get them to me by early next week and we'll consider them. And we're going to do kind of a whole global thought project about what do we want to replace? What do we want to take out? What do we want to put in? That's it for me.

Okay, just real quick. There is some communities have done this and there's some really cool signs out there that explain a lot on a very small square footage footprint. So you might want to look around.

We're going to steal everything.

Excellent. Thank you. City attorney.

I think I've probably talked way too much tonight.

You guys are getting kind of regular updates either from Richard or myself on pending litigation. We'll probably just continue to do it that way until there's a decision point. We need some direction out of you just so that you know what's going on.

Okay.

Sounds good.

Ryan correspondence.

Yes, we had a thank you letter from Salvation Army, a thank you letter from Special Olympics for the FAB grants, and two correspondence from Ashley Stahl.

Okay, I think we all saw those. Mayor Pro Temselinski, social announcement.

I think we're going to reconvene at Tepithio.

Okay, sounds good. Then I am entertaining a motion. So moved. To adjourn. Thank you. The motion is here. I need a second. Councillor Schachter, please. Second. I have a motion and a second to adjourn. Call for the question.