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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-13-23 Virtual Hybrid FINALCity Council Meeting Minutes CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO 7500 WEST 29TH AVENUE, MUNICIPAL BUILDING  February 13, 2023  Note:    This meeting was conducted both as a virtual meeting and hybrid, where some members of the Council or City staff were physically present at the Municipal building, and some members of the public attended in person as well.  Eight members of Council were present in Council Chambers for this session.  Before calling the meeting to order, Mayor Starker stated the rules and procedures necessitated by this meeting format.  Mayor Starker called the Regular City Council Meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS Judy Hutchinson      Scott Ohm                 Rachel Hultin         Janeece Hoppe Amanda Weaver     Korey Stites              Leah Dozeman         Valerie Nosler Beck Also, present: City Attorney Gerald Dahl; City Clerk, Steve Kirkpatrick; Chief of Police, Chris Murtha; Deputy City Manager, Allison Scheck; Interim Director of Comm. Development, Lauren Mikulak; Assistant City Manager, Marianne Schilling, Director of Parks and Recreation, Karen O’Donnell, other staff, guests and interested citizens.  APPROVAL OF MINUTES There were none tonight. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Without objection or correction, the agenda stood as announced PROCLAMATIONS AND CEREMONIES Recognition of WRHS Cross Country Teams The City of Wheat Ridge recognized the WRHS Cross Country Teams (boys and girls) and Coach Chamberlin. The coach recognized his coaching staff for their strong dedication to their athletes. Our Wheat Ridge Farmers Cross-Country team has 6 athletes who won All-Conference recognition (a kind of “all-star” designation), which is an unusually large number of athletes from one school. One of our athletes competed in the state championship cross country meet, another difficult goal to achieve. Coach Chamberlin thanked the entire team for their dedication, commitment and achievements. The teams were both honored with the Paul Davis Sportsmanship Award! The boys received the second place honor and the girls received the first place honor! PUBLIC’S RIGHT TO SPEAK Eric Martinez, 3212 Pierce St., came to discuss the lack of a sidewalk along Pierce. When he and his family walk along Pierce toward businesses on 38th Avenue the lack of a sidewalk daunts them. Vehicles whiz by them within literally 2-3 feet. People walking to 38th for public transit face the same risks and dangers. The maps for the development of sidewalks do not even show Pierce, and are inaccurate. Please, get to work. Note about Wheat Ridge Speaks: Members of the Public may visit the Wheat Ridge Speaks website and enter written comments of up to 1,000 words on any Council agenda item.  The deadline for citizens to submit comments is 12:00 Noon Mountain Time on the day of a Council session so that Council members, other elected officials and City Staff have time to review the comments before the meeting on Monday evening.  The City Clerk’s Office transcribes those Wheat Ridge Speaks comments into these minutes, placing each comment along with the record for that agenda item, including items that address a public hearing (verbatim, if the comments do not contain lascivious language or unlawful hate speech) Three comments appeared in Wheat Ridge Speaks for this session. Fran Langdon -re: Item 1 Let’s Talk Resident Engagement Program • Feb 13, 2023 ∙ 12:10pm This report indicates 127 residents responded to the questionnaire and open meetings. In the appendix, Staff includes info on Facebook reports etc. and mentions they purchased names and addresses of all residents in the Paramount Park neighborhood . Information was mailed to all of those households yet there is no mention of that number of households. Actually 127 responses is a tiny sample of the possible number of neighbors in this large neighborhood area Also a bit confused how data transferred from 127 responders to 302. Please ask survey interpreters to explain Thanks Address: 3570 Miller street Wheat Ridge , 80033 Zachary Urban • Feb 13, 2023 ∙ 10:07am Dear Wheat Ridge City Council members, I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the importance of being well-informed and prepared for City Council meetings. As elected officials, you have a critical role in shaping the future of our community, and it is essential that you are knowledgeable about the issues and decisions that are brought before you. City Council members who attend the meetings in person have a distinct advantage over those who participate virtually. By being physically present, you have the opportunity to observe the reactions and body language of other council members and engage in direct discussions and debates. This can provide valuable context and help you make more informed decisions. To ensure that you are prepared for each meeting, it is essential that you take the time to thoroughly read the packet and any other relevant materials, including written comments submitted by members of the public who are unable to attend City Council meetings. This will allow you to understand the details of the items on the agenda and be ready to ask questions and provide insightful comments. Your constituents are counting on you to represent their interests, and it is important that you understand their concerns and perspectives. In conclusion, being an effective and knowledgeable City Council member requires effort and dedication. It is your responsibility to show up at City Hall to each meeting prepared and informed, ready to engage in productive debates and make informed decisions that will benefit our community. I urge you to take this responsibility seriously and to always strive to be the best possible representative of our citizens. At the end of the day, the revisions to the council rules as proposed represent a very low bar and I hope each you will strive to exceed these basic expectations as our representatives. Thank you for your service to our community. Address: 4740 Reed Street WHEAT RIDGE, 80033-3529 1. CONSENT AGENDA CM Dozeman introduced the consent agenda. a. Motion to approve an amendment and extension to the contract with Charles Abbott Associates, Inc. for building division services and authorizing all subsequent payments Issue Charles Abbott Associates, Inc. has provided contractual Building Division services for the City since 2018. This request extends their contract by two years, through March 2025. b. Resolution No. 06-2023 - a resolution amending the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget to reflect the approval of a supplemental budget appropriation for the re- appropriation and re-encumbrance of 2022 Fiscal Year encumbered funds in the amount of $18,424,962.79 Issue There are 60 open purchase orders from the 2022 budget that will be carried over to the 2023 budget. Each purchase order is associated with a specific project that was not fully completed in the 2022 fiscal year. The funds which were encumbered for these purchase orders were transferred to the unreserved fund balance of the relevant fund when the purchase orders were closed. To continue or close out these projects in 2023, a supplemental budget appropriation in the amount of $18,424,962.79 is necessary to allow transfer of these funds into specific budget line items in the 2023 Budget. c. Motion to cancel the March 27, 2023, regular meeting of the Wheat Ridge City Council Issue Four members of City Council, the City Manager, and Deputy City Manager will be attending the National League of Cities Congressional Conference in Washington, D.C. from March 25th to March 29th. It is recommended that City Council cancel the March 27th regular meeting. Motion by CM Dozeman to approve Consent Agenda Items a.), b.), and c.), seconded by MPT Stites, motion carried 8-0. PUBLIC HEARINGS AND ORDINANCES ON SECOND READING There were none tonight ORDINANCES ON FIRST READING There were none tonight DECISIONS, RESOLUTIONS AND MOTIONS 2. Motion approving the revised Council Rules of Order and Procedure dated February 13, 2023 MPT Stites introduced the Motion. Issue The Charter of the City of Wheat Ridge provides that the Council may determine its own rules of procedure for meetings. Section B of Suspension and Amendment of these Rules states “These Rules may be amended, or new Rules adopted by a majority vote of City Council Members present at a Regular or Special Meeting, provided that the proposed amendments or new Rules shall have been submitted in writing to City Council at a preceding meeting or a Study Session. Any City Council Member, or the Mayor, may initiate an amendment of these Rules in the manner provided for initiation of Agenda Items by Rule V.D. These Rules shall be reviewed and revised by the City Council as needed and as provided for herein. Staff Presentation City Manager Patrick Goff gave a brief presentation, summarizing the proposed amendments to the Rules. Public Comment No one came forward to speak. Council Questions and comments CM Nosler Beck asked when the 6:30 start time for regular Council meetings takes effect (February 27) and how are we informing the public of the earlier start time. Staff gave detailed answers. Motion by MPT Stites to approve the revised Council Rules of Order and Procedure dated February 13, 2023, seconded by CM Hoppe, motion carried 8-0. 3. Motion a Motion to approve installation of a traffic calming device on Lamar Street between 32nd Avenue and 33rd Avenue in accordance with the neighborhood traffic management program CM Hoppe introduced the Motion Issue Residents on Lamar Street petitioned the City to address traffic issues on the street segment from 32nd Avenue to 33rd Avenue. In accordance with the City’s Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP), the City met with the residents at a neighborhood meeting and subsequently devised a plan to install a speed hump to mitigate the traffic issues. The residents then secured a petition with the necessary number of property-owner signatures supporting the installation of a speed hump in accordance with the NTMP policy and are hereby seeking approval for implementation. Staff Presentation Jordan Jefferies, Civil Engineer, Community Development gave a brief presentation and stood by to answer questions. Public Comment No one came forward to speak. Council Questions and comments CM Hutchinson expressed her strong support. She also asked why there is no Stop sign at the same intersection where the traffic control device would be installed if this motion passes. Staff gave a detailed answer. CM Hultin commented that the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program is currently under revision and applications for this kind of project are suspended temporarily. Motion by CM Hoppe to approve installation of a traffic calming device on Lamar Street between 32nd Avenue and 33rd Avenue in accordance with the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program, seconded by CM Hutchinson, motion carried 8-0. CITY MANAGER’S MATTERS Mr. Goff deferred until after the Special Study Session. CITY ATTORNEY’S MATTERS None. ELECTED OFFICIALS’ MATTERS CM Hutchinson expressed empathy for the people of Turkey and Syria. CM Hultin spoke about a number of people who have recently moved to WR, some from other countries. She was so impressed with the caliber of people who are choosing to move to Wheat Ridge. Please, learn a bit about our new arrivals and welcome then all. CM Ohm thanked staff for the cleanup of ice in his neighborhood. As we look at affordable housing and our tools for increasing the availability of housing. Perhaps we might look at strip malls that have been abandoned as potential resources. CM Hoppe wished all a happy Valentine’s Day tomorrow and recognized the cross- country teams once again. MPT Stites attended the ribbon cutting ceremony at the Wheat Ridge Theater Company. He congratulated the Company on their outstanding start here in WR. As you shop for Valentine’s Day, remember if you can find it in WR, buy it in WR. Mayor Starker also welcomed all the new businesses opening soon in Wheat Ridge. He thanks those who attended Coffee with the Mayor. As the weather turns nasty later this week, please, shovel your sidewalks. He thanked Coach Chamberlin for visiting us tonight and introducing his teams. ADJOURNMENT to SPECIAL STUDY SESSION  The meeting adjourned at 7:38 pm. _____________________________ Steve Kirkpatrick, City Clerk _____________________________ APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL ON February 27, 2023 ______________________________ Korey Stites, Mayor Pro Tem The preceding Minutes were prepared according to §47 of Robert’s Rules of Order, i.e., they contain a record of what was done at the meeting, not what was said by the members.