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Home My WebLink About02/21/2006 STUDY SESSION MINUTES CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO WHEAT RIDGE RECREATION CENTER Dahlia Room- 4005 Kiolinq St. February 21, 2006 Mayor pro tem Wanda Sang called the meeting to order at 7 00 P m Councilmembers present: Karen Adams, Karen Berry, Dean Gokey, Lena Rotola, Mike Stites, Larry Schulz, and Terry Womble Also present: Deputy City Clerk, Christa Jones, City Manager, Randy Young, Deputy City Manager, Patrick Goff; Chief of Police, Dan Brennan, Director of Public Works, Tim Paranto, Director of Community Development, Alan White, City Treasurer, Mary Cavarra, interested citizen Item 1. a) Staff Reports. Department Heads presented staff reports Consensus was to bring an Ordinance to Council to allow the replacement of signs as maintenance rather than reconstruction b) Outside Agency Reports. Councilmembers reported on Outside Agency meetings they had attended Item 2. Cabela's/Coors Project Update Charles Kuechenmeister informed Council of the formation of the Longs Peak Metropolitan District and gave background on the District's formation and function This Item will come to Council on March 13, 2006 and is a quasi- judicial matter STUDY SESSION MINUTES February 22, 2006 Page -2- Tim Leonard, Financial Development Manager, gave detailed explanation of the various functions of the Metropolitan District and the financing for the total project. Alan White gave overview of upcoming developments for the project. Mr Young asked that Item 4 be heard before Item 3 Council consented Item 4. Emergency Preparedness Chief Brennan gave comprehensive report on the state of Emergency Preparedness in the City of Wheat Ridge The report was part of the Agenda Packet. Item 3. Mayor's Roundtable Council discussed the Mayor's desire to develop a forum for the Mayor's Roundtable Mr Gokey left at 10.05 p m Discussion included that after determining how successful these forums are, funding for more elaborate meetings could be discussed at budget time Consensus was that the Mayor conducts informal forums with the public The public is invited to attend through word of mouth and City's newsletter Forums could be conducted in any location and would not require funding Meeting adjourned at 10.20 pm (\\ ,). \' ~ I\\-G~ ,~"IIJ----:> Christa Jones, Deputy City Clerk \ Minutes are required for meetings where there is the possibility of some sort of formal action Since Council does not allow any formal action at Study Sessions, these Minutes are a brief description of what took place at the meeting , "1;' -j'~ STUDY SESSION AGENDA CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO WHEAT RIDGE RECREATION CENTER Dahlia Room- 4005 KiplinQ St. February 21. 2006 6:00 p.m. Reception - Board and Commission Applicants -~--~--- 6:45 P.M. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Item 1. a) b) Staff Reports Outside Agency Reports Note: This is an opportunity for Council Member Representatives to Outside Agencies (DRCOG, WR2020, CDBG, CML, JEC, WR Housing, etc ) to update the entire Council on items of interest. Item 2. Cabela's/Coors Project Update Item 3. Mayor's Roundtable Item 4. Emergency Preparedness BOARD AND COMMISSION APPLICANTS 2006 @2/13/06 RECEPTION RSVP 2006 DISTRICT I APPLICANTS BOARD/POSITIONS NAME Animal Welfare(1) Jean Schilling requested r~~ew~1 - Roger ~Clker ____~\I\I~ppllcant -Kathy Deitsch new applicant BOA(1) Betty Jo Page requested renewal Building Code(1) Kenneth Adams requested renewal Cultural(2) Ronald Gehauf requested renewal Liquor Authority(1) --- ------- David Berry requested renewal -Carolyn Peterson new applicant Parks & Rec( 1) -Ryan Eggelton new applicant -Karen Grupe new applicant Planning(1 ) Anne Brinkman requested renewal -Davis Reinhart new_applicant -new applicants @2/13/06 2006 DISTRICT II APPLICANTS BOARD/POSITIONS NAME Animal Welfare(1) Building Code(2) Cultural( 1) Liquor Authority(1) Parks & Rec(2) Erna Mcintyre requested renewal YES YES YES YES can't attend but will se If) ~ 17< T""DY\ ell J' YES YES YES Kent Davis requested renewal Charles Spielman -Michael Snow requested renewal new applicant _new applicants @2/13/06 2006 DISTRICT III APPLICANTS BOARD/POSITIONS NAME BOA(1) Building Code(1) Parks & Rec(2) Planning(1 ) Liquor Authority( 1) Cultural(2) Janet Bell Ronald Abo Richard Matthews Jerry Scezney Virginia Johnson anew applicants requested renewal Itr not returned yet requested renewal requested renewal will send in renewal @2/13/06 2006 DISTRICT IV APPLICANTS BOARD/POSITIONS NAME Animal Welfare(1) BOA(1) Building Coder 1) Cultural(2) Cultural Planning(1 ) Liquor Authority(1) WR Foundation WR Foundation WR Foundation Robert Hance John Kellow aLarry Linker Geoffrey Wodell Kim Stewart aT racy Langworthy Judith DiCroce anew applicants Donna Downing aLesa Mullaney-Meeks aBarbara Dellinger anew applicants requested renewal requested renewal new applicant YES requested renewal AT LARGE POSITION requested renewal new applicant requested renewal requested renewal new applicant new applicant YES YES YES STUDY SESSION Item 4. February 21, 2006 WHEATRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM FROM: Mayor Jerry DiTullio and City Council -:' ~). --- Randy Young, City ManageJr" ~ r0l>r Daniel G Brennan, Chief of Police VlI TO: VIA: DATE: February 14, 2005 SUBJECT: SUMMARY Emergency Preparedness For the past year members of the Police Department have been reviewing the City's Emergency Preparedness Plan, attended training and have actively participated in several metro-wide and State committees in an effort to get a better grasp on our emergency preparedness The purpose of this review was to better understand what we had and what needs the community has from an emergency preparedness perspective. Historically, the responsibility for emergency preparedness has been delegated to the Chief of Police. Last year I delegated operational emergency preparedness issues to the Support Services Commander in an effort to stay abreast of the many local, state, and national concerns On January 1, 2000 the City of Wheat Ridge and the Police Department had in place those functions it believed adequate to handle anticipated emergencies that would affect the citizens of this community. The Emergency Operation Plan for the City had been prepared to handle weather related events, i e floods, snow storms, tornados, etc., and situations, such as gas leaks or a barricaded gunman, which affected only a few square blocks. The Police Department developed a very minimal Emergency Operations Center that amounted to a cabinet with office supplies, some extra phone lines, and a big map of the city on the wall in the department's Training Room Officers had been trained in the Incident Command System, but had practiced it little. Citizens were told that they should plan on being self-sufficient for a few days when severe winter storms occurred and then everything would be okay All of these plans were adequate for the twentieth century but September 11, 2001 and subsequent events have made many communities re-evaluate their emergency preparedness plans and preparations. Efforts are now being made to prepare the city for the possible dangers the twenty-first century presents. There is certainly good news to report on emergency preparedness During the past year the department has completed a radio system upgrade that provides the City radio interoperability with surrounding jurisdictions; increased training of our sworn personnel on emergency preparedness topics, and we continue to work cooperatively with other agencies on emergency preparedness issues and exploring new partnerships. On the other hand the department has an Emergency Preparedness Plan that is basic in design and needs to be revised; the City lacks some of the pieces for emergency notification, i.e. warning sirens, the Emergency Operations Center needs to be upgraded; the City Code of Laws addressing civil disasters and emergencies needs to be revised; and more emergency preparedness exercises need to occur involving the police department, City Staff, City Council and community stakeholders. The purpose of this memorandum is to provide you with an assessment of the City of Wheat Ridge's emergency preparedness status and considerations for the future NATIONAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has mandated that in order to receive federal funds a governmental entity must adopt the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which the Wheat Ridge City Council has done, and comply with its requirements. These requirements apply across all phases of incident management prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and mitiqation. The City has received funds from the DHS for a new radio system. There will be continuing opportunities to obtain funds from the DHS for preparedness and training but it appears that funding for equipment will remain limited and very competitive While most emergency situations are handled locally, when there's a major incident help may be needed from other jurisdictions, the state and the federal government. NIMS was developed so responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines could work together effectively when responding to natural disasters and emergencies, including acts of terrorism. NIMS benefits include a unified approach to incident management; standard command and management structures, and emphasis on preparedness, mutual aid and resource management. NIMS requires that the members of the police department meet certain training requirements, that the City utilize the Incident Command System during operations, and that Emergency Operation Plans and Standard Operating Procedures meet NIMS requirements. It also requires the use of Multi-Agency Coordination Systems and public information systems - as well as requirements for systems to improve interoperability among jurisdictions and disciplines in various areas. One of the most important 'best practices' that has been incorporated into the NIMS is the Incident Command System (ICS), a standard, on-scene, all-hazards incident management system already in use by firefighters, hazardous materials teams, rescuers, emergency medical teams and law enforcement. ICS has been established by the NIMS as the standardized incident organizational structure for the management of all incidents. One of the requirements for implementing NIMS is "institutionalizing the use of ICS, across the entire response system" REGIONAL ISSUES Experiences from New Orleans, Louisiana and Houston, Texas brought emergency managers to the realization that hazards affect regions not single municipalities. If a major incident was to occur in the Denver metropolitan area the focus of emergency operations would probably be on the City of Denver. Wheat Ridge and other surrounding jurisdictions might have to operate on their own resources for some time, or in partnership with neighboring communities based on agreements and practices put into place long before the disaster occurred Wheat Ridge will undoubtedly be impacted by requests for mutual aid from smaller surrounding communities. Currently the City of Wheat Ridge participates in the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), a Department of Homeland Security initiative for grants and planning, is a member of the North Central Region of the Colorado Division of Emergency Management; works and trains with the Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management; and trains with and is exploring partnerships with neighboring communities in Jefferson County as a means to address large-scale events TRAINING NIMS requires that all command level officers, supervisors, and line staff meet certain training requirements in order to provide a consistent, flexible and adjustable framework within which government and private entities can work together to manage domestic incidents, regardless of their cause, size, location or complexity. For the last year the police department has been sending its entire sworn staff to Weapons of Mass Destruction Training, Incident Command System training, and other specialized training directly related too emergency operations In 2006, the department will have all officers trained in the National Incident Management System as well as training for its command officers and supervisors in areas such as pandemic disease and major incident management and recovery. The Police Department has been an active participant in Jefferson County and UASI Region emergency preparedness exercises. It has been recognized that we must do a better a job of conducting annual table top exercises involving other City Departments, as well as exercises for policy makers, i e City Staff and elected officials. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN Currently the Chief of Police and his Command Staff are in the process of completely rewriting the Emergency Management Plan for the City of Wheat Ridge. It was recognized that the plan must grow from its original basic and generic form into a plan that meets NIMS requirements, but also is flexible and specific enough to meet a multitude of possible emergencies that the community of Wheat Ridge might realistically encounter. The new Emergency Management Plan will be designed to deal with major weather events, i.e. major winter storms, floods, and tornadoes, terrorist incidents; hazardous material spills; major epidemics; technological disasters, such as cyber-terrorism; and major criminal acts such as a barricaded gunman or a school shooting The department will be using national accreditation standards to assist in refining this plan. The plan will identify duties of all major participants, public and private resources, and establish policy and procedures for a variety of actions and events. The plan will strive to prepare the City to deal with a variety of emergencies that could harm its citizens and its infrastructure As we have worked on this plan it became apparent that a revision of Chapter 6, Civil Disasters and Emergencies, of the City Code of Laws may be in order. Staff is working with the City Attorney on the emergency plan and possible ordinance changes. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER The current Wheat Ridge Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is located in the department's Training Room and provides a minimal amount of resources for staff to use to manage and support its personnel in the event of a major emergency To properly manage a significant emergency an adequate EOC requires a great deal of resources which include a multitude of technological systems such as telephones, internet, ham operator systems, police radio, computer aided dispatch displays, Geographical Information Systems (GIS); public and closed circuit television; and human resources to operate command, operations, logistical, financial issues, planning, and public information. As we learned during the Hurricane Katrina and Rita incidents these operations must have resources to operate for days and possibly weeks. The Police Command Staff is in the early stages of assessing the current EOC to determine its size and location, what resources need to be added, and the costs involved in making the center functional. In addition, City Council should be aware that the department is exploring the possibility of partnering with the City of Lakewood in developing a joint EOC. Lakewood is currently planning on moving their EOC from its current location and is determining size and resources. A joint EOC would establish operational teams that would work together to deal with events that would likely effect both cities. Combined teams would free human resources for operational and long term duties. A joint EOC would be a cost sharing and savings venture for both communities. On February 22, 2006 Lakewood and Wheat Ridge will conduct a joint training exercise to determine the feasibility of this partnership. The department is waiting for information from the City of Lakewood on the costs for our participation in a joint EOe. Once these costs are received the department can make an informed recommendation to City Council. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS In any emergency or disaster it will be incumbent on government to notify its citizens of the dangers involved and a proper course of action for them to take. There are four basic systems to warn the community; television and radio, reverse telephone notification systems, outdoor warning systems, and house-to- house notification by personnel. Television and radio are an excellent system of notification because modern society is used to receiving daily information from these sources Its downfall lies in that reports are usually focused on the largest and hottest issues, not a community's specific problem When landlines are down and power is out this type of communication will not be available except to those with battery powered radios. A Reverse E-911 telephone system is available and has been used by this City for limited area notifications. They do take time to reach all homes and there is no guarantee, in a mass incident, that news will reach a large population effectively This system is also dependant on having landlines up and functioning A community, like Wheat Ridge, that has large parks and greenbelts, has many citizens who are not near other sources of information, but still need to be warned of impending dangers. An outdoor siren/radio notification system, currently in use by neighboring jurisdictions, can notify both citizens' outdoors and persons without power, of impending dangers and actions that can be taken to enhance their safety The police department recently submitted a grant for such a system and learned last week that it was not approved Although the department will continue to look for other grants to fund an emergency siren system it might be prudent to look at other capital means to purchase such a system A system of this nature, for this city, would cost about $318,000, not including annual maintenance costs The last notification system is having personnel go house to house to notify the community This is a tried and true method but depending on the emerging event and with limited personnel resources it is not always a practical solution. RADIO INTEROPERABILlTY NIMS requires that during an event all involved agencies be able to communicate effectively and directly with each other. In the past the inability of emergency operations to communicate has led to significant issues in the proper resolution of incidents Through a 2005 UASI grant the City of Wheat Ridge received funding for a new radio system, which has been installed and is currently operational. The project will be completed later this year when a new radio antenna for the system begins transmitting from Mount Morrison. It is anticipated that this new antenna will meet the standard of providing 95% radio coverage throughout the City. AdditIonally, this system will allow communications with numerous agencies that the city may be dealing with during an emergency event. The move to a new radio system has impacted our ability to receive and send radio communications via portable radio at two locations. the Municipal Center and Wheat Ridge Middle School The department will use remaining funding from the UASI grant and the radio contingency fund to install a bi-directional amplifier (BOA) in the Municipal Center to improve portable radio coverage Funding for Wheat Ridge Middle School BOA will have to be determined later this year EVACUATION ISSUES On September 22, 2005 hundreds of thousands of people, along the upper Texas Gulf Coast, were stuck in their cars fleeing Hurricane Rita. If some type of impending emergency should call for the evacuation of the Denver metropolitan area a similar situation could occur. The North Central Region of the Colorado Division of Emergency Management, UASI, neighboring jurisdictions, and the City of Wheat Ridge Police Command Staff are aware of these issues and are currently working on formulating plans that would address many of the problems which occurred in Texas last year Again, it is important to recognize that the City of Wheat Ridge is one community in much larger metropolis While we have basic evacuation plans for our City, these plans will not work if there is not a coordinated metro-area plan for mass evacuation. PANDEMIC THREATS A pandemic is an epidemic, an outbreak of a contagious disease that spreads rapidly and widely, over a wide geographic area and affecting a large proportion of the population. The most recent pandemic "threats" occurred in 1997 and 1999. In 1997, a few hundred people became infected with the avian AlH5N1 flu virus in Hong Kong and 18 people were hospitalized. Six of the hospitalized persons died. The current pandemic threat is similar to the 1997 event in that it involves the avian H5N1 flu virus, which has now spread into Europe. The World Health Organization reports that as of February 13, 2006 there have been 169 cases of human infection from this virus resulting in 91 deaths. This is a small number of cases occurring from direct contact with infected birds and not from human to human contact. The current fear is that if this virus will evolve to the stage of spreading from human to human to become a pandemic. Whether this current situation develops into a pandemic or not it is still incumbent to plan for a disease oriented epidemic to minimize the risk and aid in the recovery from such an event. Issues facing the City of Wheat Ridge involve how to quarantine large portions of the population, how to protect a regional hospital within its jurisdiction, and how to provide for the families of its workers to allow them to serve and protect the community In developing the Emergency Management Plan for the city the Police Command Staff is looking at these issues in order to plan for and be ready for such an event. The bottom line is that a lot of public education needs to take place because this community does not have the personnel resources to quarantine a City RESOURCES Here are a series of questions I repeatedly ask of myself and Command Staff. In a large scale emergency event how many of our sworn and non-sworn personnel can we count showing up for work? Do we have the equipment resources to handle a chemical, biological, nuclear or explosive event? Do we have the resources to house and feed them? Do we have the resources to house and feed employee families? Can this department meet the needs of a large regional hospital if a pandemic event occurs? The answers to many of these questions depend on the nature and complexity of an event. Lessons learned to date seem to indicate that public safety employees need to know that their families are being taken care of during major events If no plans are in place to provide for the families of emergency workers, they may not respond The department is also evaluating the need for an Emergency Operations Communication vehicle and will need a new SWAT vehicle in the near future EDUCATION Educating the public about emergency preparedness is very important. There is considerable information available to the public through the Department of Homeland Security and the Colorado Department of Emergency Management. Much of this information is accessible via the internet. The department remains committed to providing education on emergency preparedness to community members In addition, the department worked cooperatively with the City's Information Technology Section to include information on emergency preparedness on the City's website This information can be accessed at: http.llwww.ci.wheatridqe.cous/GovSlte/default.asp?servicel D 1 = 1623&Frame= L 1 CONCLUSION In an emergency the citizens of Wheat Ridge will have the same expectations of local government as the citizens of a major metropolitan city such as New York. The staff of the Police Department remains committed to training, planning, engaging in partnerships, and utilizing current resources to provide the best services possible to the community As you can see there are a number of unmet needs that will require financial resources to complete The Police Department will continue to look for federal grant dollars to assist in funding our needs; but the reality is we are one of many communities that compete annually for funding. With that in mind, it is important to remember that our efforts may fall short without the financial means required to obtain funding necessary to protect the citizens and infrastructure of the city Nonetheless, the department remains committed to developing a robust and responsive emergency preparedness plan. Longs Peak Metropolitan District Service Plan /,J /.)~) ~:m~ WORLD'S FOREM()ST OtJTFITTEa" IT 1111"I11K . F;-<I,mfl. . ()ulrluQr (;mr Project Financing $174.0 Million - Total Project City Sales Lv $42.1 Million - Cabela's Tax - 3% - I{> $4 5 Million - Wheat Ridge 1% Lv $763 Million - Tax Exempt Bonds 1% Lv $46.2 Million - PIF (1 4%) 1% Lv $30 1 Million - City Sales Tax (1.2%) o $4.3 Million - Taxable Bonds 1 Project Financing $174.0 Million - Total Project l-{> $46.4 Million - Other Sources Lt> l-{> 4> 4> $144 Million - Phased Improvements $130 Million - COOT $100 Million - Jefferson County $9 0 Million - Federal Government J~nd A'i+ '., '.L ~ I' _ - ~::.~_':n. _'~~:'Jr:','I>"":I _"-'JC"JI'tI(l'"'*"19 I-:,~;:-:,~.,:",..c" __ -~~!~:lIa"':1d : _. T: ~i"'_~~~:rl19t j r:....,t' p",!,,,,..d .hlt'dJ , ,,-I <;',~P'~.lIl<,1) 2 ? l co r ~ t. '.;., ~rr "'x, .. ,. I.....J_ \....... DISTRICT ::~E, \;_;'_ ..f .. ;; , c '~ --. :~_~ ".Of ,"I:l;l..,A,' i/.........tH...... j': ;;:"de~ 'J. c' , c, ~")'" ~ ".. \'. t: .,.~.".. 1'."........ "r aY'.'~.;" ~,,"1: .".- " i ; ....l r <:. D '. r ......,.-......... ~ "1...bntrIIK ~ 1I IVr.....\.. ~ " i , f "~..,_"'.~ W3;\ t.\.~ r.Iot._..., l,.,.,..t\.",,! . METROPOLrrAN DISTRICT BOUNDARY I~ L_~ 3 :~CJ. - -I- ...... -=-:- - =...-4 ~ SCALE '"-flOo' I -1- SERVICE AREA BOUNDARY I ..----""';""-" , - =~-;j -~ -- ---- ~ SC....U: 1"-8:Xl t , , DIRECTOR DISTRICT BOUNDARIES [,~ ~ 4 ~ -~--=-=-- - - "'~.\, , --....,.,.""p.'"" 1 - "h'".''' SERVICE PLAN' - :':~':,:.: e.," STREE1S & PUBLIC il ~ "..".,,, ROADWAY SYSTEM I..., . t ;'~'. t\ j ----.,,---- ~ .-----. : ------- -------~ ~B:..l\;;:"'O O.lS\fllCl _ ""L.r"oI),O.RY- l.9oGHEWJ\.nG1 ;-'1">.-.... r-EaRlJAAY:i11'l2OOt! -- --- -- I ,------- .... \ ____----1 i '\j.--......... /v, I g 1 I I ,AAI<ING /" i' I CABW.J "\~ ~~~ \ 14 \' I DRIVE ~ Uti; \ ~, r-- ~', I ,~ \I~ ~\ \ ~ ~_ 0:/" ~ \d' \ '--~")_ Iii I \ :=:.. \~ l___--, 1\ \ __...1 ~ \ " ~ \~ 'I SCALE ,-"UKr SERVICE PLAN PARKING \ I~~,=~\ Lu--.-j 5 ~ 1= ~- ~ --- ~ ~ I SC'<'LE'._SOO' 00LQft'lII0......,.~ r~---- / r-=' I I '-L ,__J ....-1 --+-------,--::1 , "";~ I I .=_ 1 / ~~ ~!. ...., L' I~~. 1'=' / ~ II~II I '=~~~ I ' L__-, I I' ,-_-.J SERVICE PLAN SANITARY SEWER IMPROVEMENTS ~ l~i - ..."" ....... 1= :Kll.lMDNW'-- ~ ~ SC,<.LE ,.~ 600' "..... SERVICE PLAN WATER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS I~::':.=~ ~4,~7j 6 ~------- ,- '- - -- ~ ....."., - , =:a.-- ..... ~ ~ SClUElo.&OlJ' SERVICE PLAN STORM WATER QUALITY PONDS ~-"'~~Ji ........ I =~-- ,... - :-;:~r-~;)/{ }. .' TIN. PlB-1C........ / LOC>>"'~::J "A~ '-, ! \":- --;.,.,., '= ' ~'f-~--~ I : ~.,-,.I B!, I -, !- :~ -< Ii Lf[@jj , I I 1 I ~I I~".-'=I L~~~-:i I _ -- ,/ c-..- , -~~ ,... ...... """"'" - ~ SERVICE PLAN PARKS & RI:CREATION IMPROVEMENTS, MUSEUMS & OTHER PUBUC AREAS ~ Sl;ALEclO.500 7 ..- - ,......... -..... """"" ~ _a>oo """""'" "",. """"'" --- ~ ~ !iCALE '._80Y ~__.AAa =--1 ~ __J ....-; ~ ,~ ~-L-/ I c:/ I L__-, '- SERVICE PLAN TV & FIBER OPTIC I~='~ll. ---- - ~ ,~;zj(~ '" - . ,'~ ~~::-'~T-'-'-'-\ ~,~1 "~'" '._~-"~~"~, -::'::', i G?i'~~-'.:!S>4. ",~,":t \' _,5'-' l~':' ill ---- " .c..' "''''''''''--" - ,- .~.. '.~"C-~-= I'~ ~ ". ,iJ!:' '.~ '," Ir~.'~~~J~~?;.;~~_!~ l ""::"'1....0'1 II ,'" \~, ',~ ~. \ "~?:,:" - : ~ .~~;~. : 'I t~ h;rr -~"'""""'- I \'i'm; -"':I! 'j" 'jr "'&';;""')[":11 'T r- !r r--;. ---"::== :=i,;'-... 8 Plan Approval Process Tentative Timeline · Neighborhood Meeting ! '. ,f ~; " il it!;: · Submittal/Staff Review/Resubmittal - Amended Outline Development Plan - Final Development Plan - Final Plat - Street Width Designation i/\/ (I I!i ! ii If 'i, 1\( hi ij 1 'i.}!)r,l Plan Approval Process Tentative Timeline · Planning Commission Hearing - Amended Outline Development Plan - Final Development Plan - Final Plat · City Council First Reading - Amended Outline Development Plan ii ii', I jll! J(}i;") 9 Plan Approval Process Tentative Timeline · City Council Second Reading/Public Hearings - Amended Outline Development Plan - Final Development Plan - Final Plat - Street Width Designation i \ ,'. ;:' \ 10 City of Wheat Ridge Office of City Manager Memorandum STUDY SESSION Item 3. February 21, 2006 "~/c~~' " \, \0\ 1:,1 , . \i'" \ " \ , ~/ TO Mayor and City CouncIl ". \ ./ GRandy Young,'tftY'Manager Barbara DelgadIllo, Assistant to the City ManageP THROUGH FROM DATE, February 13,2006 SUBJECT. Mayor's Roundtable Forum The Mayor has expressed hiS deslfe to develop a "Mayor' s Roundtable Forum" during 2006. The roundtable forum IS an opportumty for the Mayor and elected offiCials to open up diSCUSSIOns With the communIty on vanous city Issues. Proposed months for the Forum are March. June, September and December In looking at thiS Idea. staff developed the follOWing three optIOns. The Mayor conducts mfonnal forums with the pubhc The pubhc IS inVited to attend through word of mouth and the clty's newsletter Forums could be conducted m any locatIOn and would not reqUIre funding. 2. Develop program orgamzation and video tape the forums. The pubhc would be inVited to attend through word of mouth. the City'S newsletter and through viewing on channel 8 Forums would be conducted in the CouncIl Chambers. Cost would vary dependmg on options selected by CounCil and length of program (approximately $2.500 each). 3 Develop a city pubhc outreach program. The pubhc would NOT be mVlted to attend due to filming locatIOns. but would be mfonned of program playback through word of mouth. the city's newsletter. through vlewmg on channel 8 and promotional mfonnation. The pubhc would be encouraged to comment when apphcable. Forums would be conducted m a profeSSIOnal studiO or out m the field. Cost would vary depending on program location. length and degree of compleXity (approximately $7.000 each). Cost optIOns Studio Sound Edltmg B roll footage Videographer Lighting Scnptmg If optIOn two (2) or three (3) IS of mterest to Council. a program orgamzatlOn would be developed, The orgamzatlOn would mclude tOpiC development, scnpt development, and staff assIstance bas cd on some basIc foundations. As an example, those foundatIOns could include' The purpose of the Forum' ;... To provide a forum for the Mayor and CounCIl to exchange and share useful InfOrmatiOn With the communIt) In a consIstent manner ,. To educate the commumty on Issues affecting the CIty and encourage public mvolvement. ,. To assist In developIng stronger partnershIps with the community through Increased communications. ,. To provIde a vehicle In which the city can remam transparent. Program development: ;... ThIS program wIll serve as a JOInt Mayor and Council public outreach program. ,. Topics Will be developed Jointly by the Mayor, City CouncIl With staff ,. Scnpts wIll be developed and proVIded for each program. Program scnpts develop Ideas. layout program content and length. ThiS Issue has been respectfully submitted for the purpose of dialogue and to determIne the Interest. Ifany. In further developIng the optIOns. fbd City of Wheat Ridge In this space there is a large scale map that could not be scanned at the this time. Please see the Wheat ridge Clerks office if you would like to see the map. CML ItUl.u;r'lml\'J IIWIIiII:H..:Ntill::l 1144 Sherman Street. Denver, Colorado 80203-2207. Phone (303 )831-6411, Fax (303)860-8175 . gEl~.cmLQrg MEMORANDUM TO: Members of the Colorado Senate FROM: Geoff Wilson, General Counsel SUBJECT: CML Opposition to SB 06-156, Concerning the Definition of "Fees" DATE: February 20, 2006 CML RESPECTFULLY URGES A "NO" VOTE ON SB06-156 SB..15() proposes to alter well-estabhshed Colorado law regard111g how "fees" and "taxes" are defined, ThIS dlstlllctlOn has major slgmficanee for the state and local governments III Colorado. as taxes reqlllre a TABOR electIOn pnor to their llnposltlon. while fees do not. SB 156 IS 111- conceived and necessary; we urge a "No" vote on thiS legislatIOn. What's Behind SB-156'? Recently. Doug Bruce filed hIs latest lawslllt agamst the City of Colorado Spnngs. argumg that a couple of CIty fees were actually "taxes," and thus were vOId, as they had heen Imposed without a TABOR election. In December 2005, Bruce lost his case 111 the Court of Appeals. Shortly thereafter, SB-156 was lI1troduced, seekIllg to change Colorado law III Illle with the posItion unsuccessfully argued by Bruce m the Court of Appeals, Bruce contmues to try to Will his case III the Judicial branch. havmg sought revIew III the Colorado Supreme Court. Fees and Taxes: Legal Background The legal dlstmctlOn between fees and taxes was estabhshed before Colorado voters adopted TABOR. Bluom v Fort Collins, 704 P.2d 304 (Colo 1990) Taxes are general revenue ralsll1g levies, while fees are calculated to defray the cost of a partlcldar governmental service Courts have said that It doesn't matter what the govenm1ent calls a charge, It IS the "nature and functIOn" of the charge, III the real world, that detennllles ItS charactenzatlon as a fee or a tax Westrac v Walker Field, 812 P.2d 714 (Colo App 1991) For example, Colorado courts have smd that a speCial fee can be IIlvahdated as a "tax" If ItS pnnclple purpose IS to raise revenue for general mumclpal purposes, rather than to defray the service 111 connectIOn With whIch the fee IS Imposed. Bloom (over) Why We Are Urging A "No" Vote On SB-156 . As mtroduced, SB-156 would have reqUIred an electIon before the levy or lIlcrease of VIrtually every state and local government fee m Colorado The Senate Local Government stnppcd thIs remarkable language out of the bIll, however, It could easIly be re-mserted m the House We recommend klllmg thIs bIll, to kcep that from happen mg. · There IS no record of local elected officIals m Colorado abusmg theIr dIscretIOn to rely on fees to support partIcular governmental servIces. The fact that a feVv anti- government activIsts are unhappy does not prove that there IS a problem. . In addItion to stnppmg the cntlcal sectIon out of the bIll, the Senate Local Government CommIttee voted (4..3) to make the bIll apphcable solell to mUlllclpahtles. ThIS makes no sense at all Whatever you may thmk about the substance of the bIll, there IS SImply no logIcal reason for applymg a separate legal standard to mumclpahtles for what IS a fee and what IS not. . Any Isolated cases of pohtlcally unacceptable fees m mumclpahtles may bc addressed through electIOn or recall of local offiCIals, or reversal of the fee levy through the locallmtlatlve process ThIS bIll IS unnecessary . Any effort to broaden the scope of the TABOR amendment's electIOn reqUIrements, adopted by the people m 1992, should be referred to the people dIrectly The constitutional amendment process should not be SIdestepped by bIlls such as SB..156 . The law m thIS area IS clear and has worked well for many years SB-156 wIll at best add redundancy to current la\\, or worse, create uncertamty and amblgUlty Let's not go there For the foregomg reasons, the League respectfully urges a "NO" vote on SB-156 ~~\ \ -- w/ <;~ ~\)'" / l/ / ~, - s;r u 0 L1 ~'t:-S;S (0 eJ CD ~/:11 leG' li(~-h' clJ(~ V ,e~:J ';&~ V (f~n. ~ t)~vtv r/ r~'i'UL J~ '~, ~~'~ "~G~"Vv~k I \~\)~, ry'(\ \ ,\ ,~.x, ,J'(\,~ C~C~ J n\ '\K \ L \ C' \, .\, "v') c~ , ,1 ' ~ CJ\ (}JY\.. 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