HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-01-2025 Study Session NotesCITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO
CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
STUDY SESSION NOTES
Hybrid – Virtual Meeting
December 1, 2025
1. Call to Order
Mayor Korey Stites called the Study Session to order at 6:30 p.m. in the Council
Chambers of City Hall, 7500 W. 29th Avenue, Wheat Ridge, Colorado.
2. Roll Call Members present: Rachel Hultin, Dan Larson, Scott Ohm, Jenny Snell, Patrick Quinn,
Mike Okada, and Kathleen Martell. (One vacancy exists.)
Absent: None.
Staff present: City Manager Patrick Goff, Deputy City Manager Marianne Schilling,
and Sr. Deputy City Clerk Margy Greer.
3. Public’s Right to Speak
Renee Schreiner, Wheat Ridge Chamber of Commerce, informed the council about
two upcoming events: a celebratory lunch for Mayor Starker on Thursday from 11:30
to 1:00 PM (tickets available on the Wheat Ridge Chamber website), and a holiday celebration on December 11th from 5:30 to 8:00 PM featuring a casino night.
Leah Dozeman, resident, expressed her support for appointing Maki Delaet to the
District III vacancy.
Lowery Burnett, resident, spoke in support of appointing Maki Delaet to the District III
vacancy.
Ihor Figlus, resident, spoke in support of appointing Justin Slocum to the District III
vacancy.
4. Wheat Ridge 102 Presentations
Deputy City Manager Marianne Schilling introduced the Wheat Ridge 102
presentations. She explained that Wheat Ridge 102 grew out of the Wheat Ridge 101
Civic Academy and allows participants to create solutions for needed changes in the
community. The participants were given projects specifically selected by city staff that the city lacked resources to research fully. The two projects presented were
youth engagement and neighborhood mediation.
A. Youth Engagement Project Presentation
The Youth Engagement Project group, consisting of Alex Gouldsmith, Brianna Zafian,
Renee Schreiner, and Emily Cohen (who was not present), gave a PowerPoint presentation and their proposal for strengthening youth involvement in Wheat Ridge.
They explained that while Wheat Ridge has opportunities for adult civic engagement (Wheat Ridge 101, Citizens Police Academy, committees, etc.), there was a gap in
opportunities for youth.
The group conducted research by speaking with representatives from youth councils
in Thornton, Broomfield, Boulder, and the Colorado Youth Advisory Council. They also surveyed middle and high school students and spoke with the teen services
coordinator at Jefferson County Public Library and the principal of Wheat Ridge High
School.
Their proposal recommended creating a Wheat Ridge Youth Council with these key features:
● Including both high school students (serving as the council) and middle
school students (serving as constituents)
● Following the school year calendar with fall focused on learning/foundation
and spring on leadership/action
● Culminating in a presentation to city council
● Building in incentives and recognition (certificates, recommendations, etc.)
● Possibly piloting initially with Wheat Ridge High School and Everett Middle
School
The group recommended next steps including establishing mentors and volunteers,
finalizing logistics, and beginning student outreach and recruitment.
During the question period, Council members expressed strong support for the proposal. Councilmember Quinn asked about academic credit possibilities and
inclusion of homeschool students. Councilmember Ohm praised the idea of creating
a leadership pipeline. Councilmember Martell inquired about the selection process, and the group explained they envisioned a combination of teacher recommendations
and at-large applications. Several council members expressed interest in the potential for youth Councilmembers to attend the National League of Cities
conference.
(This agenda item was strictly an update to council and required no action or
consensus from council.)
B. Neighborhood Mediation Project Presentation
The Neighborhood Mediation group, consisting of Andy Sulak, Katy Duncan, Kristen
Maikranz, Officer Joe Mallory, and Officer Kylee Fisher, presented their proposal to
reduce neighbor conflicts without police intervention. They explained that many calls
to police involve civil issues where no ordinances are broken but neighbors have disagreements.
The group shared that Jefferson County's mediation services ended in 2021, leaving
Wheat Ridge with limited options. Through their research, they discovered the
Mediation Association of Colorado (MAC), which is launching a pilot program offering comprehensive mediation services to communities. They recommended
Wheat Ridge:
● participate in the MAC pilot program starting in March 2026
● coordinate with Local Works and city events to raise awareness
● use this partnership rather than creating an in-house program (which other
cities found resource-intensive)
The presenters explained that the MAC offers onboarding, promotion, reporting, and
mediation services with consistent processes across municipalities. They noted that
while there is an annual fee based on case volume, the cost would be far less than
the $500-700 per police call that these situations currently generate.
During questions, council members inquired about specific types of conflicts that
would benefit from mediation, including noise complaints and neighbor disputes
over issues like lights, dogs, or early morning noise. Officer Fisher explained that
while code violations would still be handled through enforcement, situations where
no laws are broken could be referred to mediation. The group also clarified that residents could self-refer or referred by police or code enforcement officers.
(This agenda item was strictly an update to council and required no action or
consensus from council.)
5. City Council District III Vacancy Interviews
Mayor Stites explained that the candidates' names had been drawn to determine the
order of presentations. Each candidate was given five minutes to present followed by questions from the council.
In this order, Justin Slocum, Maki DeLaet, Simon McGowan, Rebecca Groth, and
Susan Wood were interviewed.
Mayor Stites explained that the appointment would be made at the beginning of the
next council meeting on December 8, allowing the appointed Councilmember to participate in that meeting.
6. Staff Report(s)
City Manager Patrick Goff reminded everyone about the holiday lighting ceremony at
the Green on Saturday, starting at 3 PM with the lighting at 6:15 PM. He also
informed council members that registration was open for the National League of Cities conference in March in Washington, DC, and encouraged interested members
to register soon as hotels fill up quickly.
7. Elected Officials' Report(s)
Councilmember Hultin acknowledged the death of State Senator Faith Winter, who
died in a car crash the previous Wednesday. She also reported on the Legislative Committee's work to revise the city's legislative agenda for the upcoming session
starting in January. She mentioned that Sustainable Wheat Ridge was surveying
members to identify priorities for 2026 and noted potential synergy with the IDEA
committee around community engagement efforts.
Councilmember Martell reminded everyone about the Festival of Trees that had
kicked off the previous Saturday, featuring 18 trees sponsored by local businesses and organizations. She explained that the trees were being auctioned to benefit
Foothills Animal Shelter, with awards for the tree raising the most money and
People's Choice. The awards to be announced at the tree lighting ceremony.
Councilmember Snell announced that she and Councilmember Martell were planning a District I meeting for the following Wednesday at the Wheat Ridge Center for Music
and Arts from 6-8 PM. The meeting would include a food and clothing drive and a
warm soup meal. She also thanked all the candidates who applied for the District III
vacancy.
Councilmember Larson mentioned his Thanksgiving travels to Chicago and the
challenging icy drive back, counting 26 cars and 15 trucks that had slid off the road.
Mayor Stites shared that he and his wife attended Thanksgiving dinner with
members of the Active Adult Center, praising the food and entertainment. He also
participated in the Turkey Trot at Prospect Park with a team of nearly 30 people from
Personal Chief Martial Arts. The Mayor announced upcoming ribbon cuttings for PNC Bank at Kipling and 38th Avenue (10:45 am the following day) and for
Panorama Park's new basketball and tennis courts (4 pm). He reminded
Councilmembers that group photos would be taken after next Monday's regular
meeting wherein the new District III Councilmember would be appointed.
8. Adjournment
There being no further business to come before Council, the Mayor adjourned the
meeting at 9:15 p.m.
Rachel Hultin, Mayor Pro Tem
Onorina Maloney, Interim Sr. Deputy City Clerk