HomeMy WebLinkAboutStudy Session Notes 04/16/2012
Study Session Notes: April16, 2012 STUDY SESSION NOTES CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO April 16, 2012 Mayor DiTullio called the Study Session to order at 6:30p.m. Council Members present:
Davis Reinhart, William "Bud" Starker, Joyce Jay, Kristi Davis, Mike Stites, Joseph DeMott, George Pond, and Tracy Langworthy. Also present: City Clerk. Janelle Shaver; City Treasurer,
Larry Schulz; City Manager, Patrick Goff; Economic Development Coordinator, Steve Art; interested citizens .L Elected Officials' Report(s) a. Cultural Commission Report-Diane Robb Diane
Robb, chair of the Cultural Commission, gave a report to update Council on what they are working on. • Official process to acquire, place, commission, and decommission art for the City.
• Meet the Artist Series A program to have local artists display their work in local businesses. • Wheat Ridge Reads (with the Mayor) Current book is 3 Miles Per Hour by Polly Letofsky
from Vail. Contacting her to arrange a time when she can come and discuss her book. Will be done before school is out so the high school kids can be involved. Jefferson County Library
will be involved too. • Performances in the Park again this summer. Schedule yet to be printed. • The Arts Council of Wheat Ridge will be donating a bronze fox sculpture for placement
at the Recreation Center. b. 38th Ave. Implementation Report-Britta Fisher Britta Fisher gave an update on the 38th Avenue project. The Leadership Committee has selected a Denver firm,
Centro, to do the branding and marketing. They have already met with the Leadership Committee to discuss focus groups (for April), surveys (now), restriping construction and amenities,
use of the City's existing concrete planters, snow removal -especially in the shaded area from Upham to just east of High Court, plus events and promotions that will draw people to the
corridor. They are on time and on budget. Draft materials and the bulk of the marketing plan are scheduled to be finished by the end of June. c. Treasurer Schulz passed out an investment
status report.3/31 d. The Mayor reported that Mr. Dahl prepared and he signed a Mayoral Order which grants his approval in lieu of a physical signature pursuant to Charter Section 3.2
for the following categories of contracts: Page 1 of4
Study Session Notes: April16, 2012 a. Purchase orders approved without an associated contract; b. Change orders within the scope of the original contract; c. Contracts with vendors identified
through use of cooperative purchasing organizations; d. Agreements with cooperative purchasing organizations, where required by those organizations; e. Approval of cost estimates, proposals
and specifications for goods, services and construction under $34,999, subject to current signature approval levels; f. Renewal agreements and letters of extension for multiple predefined
terms. This is provided however, that funds for the same must first be included in an approved budget or supplemental appropriation. 2. Staff Report(s) a. City Sustainability Policy
and Plan Update -Joyce Manwaring Because sustainability is a broad term, the plan has been divided into two sections-the Municipal Operations and the Community Outreach. Municipal Operations
~ Steps completed to date: • Organize a City-wide staff sustainability committee with representatives from all departments to guide, define and implement a sustainability plan within
our current resources • Create initial categories of sustainability • Identify programs currently in place • Identify additional programs for Phase I categories Steps still in progress:
Defining the outcome of current programs; creating a plan that outlines policies; and summarizing programs, actions items, costs and timelines Community Outreach --will include: A community
open house; the 2012 Citizen Survey; evaluating resources; identifying policy-related initiatives that Council could undertake; determine goals, programs and outcomes; and organize citizen
volunteer committees. When the final draft is ready staff will be asking City Council for further direction. b. Mrs. Manwaring also reported that the skateboard park at Discovery Park
will be finished in May and a grand Opening will be planned. The skate board facility at Anderson Park will be dismantled. It has outlived its expected years of usefulness. e. Development
at Applewood Baptist Church-Patrick Goff dispersed a handout about the Church's expansion and remodel plan on the south (Lakewood) side of 32"d Avenue. Page 2 of4
Study Session Notes: April 16, 2012 f. Business Survey -Patrick Goff handed out the new version of the City Survey. At the request of some councilmembers two questions have been added
about smoking in public places. Staff used questions that are commonly used by the National Research Center in Boulder. Is Council supportive of this? It was supported by Council with
the addition of wording asking if citizens supported going above and beyond the statewide law that is outlined in the Colorado Clean Air Act. g. Ordinance Inconsistency-Bruce Roome,
Deputy City Clerk, explained an inconsistency between Code and a routine practice we have followed for a long time. Currently, the Code states that Board and Commission members are to
be sworn in by the Mayor at a regular Council Meeting. This has not been done in recent memory as it is difficult to get appointees to come to Council Meetings to be sworn in. Currently
this duty is being performed by the City Clerk. Following discussion there was consensus to amend the current ordinance to allow for swearing in by the Mayor or the Mayors designee.
Additionally, Mr. Starker brought up the fact that the Code states that all boards and commissions must have 8 members. The Building Code Advisory Committee has been reduced to 5 members.
How should this be addresses? This issue will be referred to Mr. Dahl. ~ Targeted Housing and Business Incentive Packages-(Mr. Starker disclosed that he is currently looking to use some
of the incentives that will be discussed tonight for a personal business venture of his own.) Mr. Goff presented items from the 2005 NRS concerning our housing stock and retail businesses.
Our housing stock is aging and doesn't attract strong families. Our retail revenue generators are down and we lack a broad spectrum of retail businesses -both of which contribute to
the failure to attract strong households. Discussion revolved around what the City can do to improve these conditions to attract stronger households. Property tax rebates don't really
fit here because our property taxes are so low. Ideas that were suggested included rebate programs, building permit discount programs, various incentive programs, reduced demolition
permits, and rewards for increasing square footage or addressing specific deficiencies. There was consensus to have staff bring back some ideas for residential and commercial incentive
packages using the boundaries outlined in the NRS guidelines. Page 3 of4
Study Session Notes: April 16, 2012 4. Business Development Zones -Steve Art Staff asked for guidance in establishing Business Development Zones in targeted areas to leverage other public
and private investments,.and provide incentives for investment. The two BDZ's we have had since 1992 were actually single user projects-not zones. Various possibilities were discussed.
Consensus to have Council identify the whole city as a Business Development Zone and allow staff to negotiate agreements for individual projects as they arise. Staff will prepare the
necessary instruments for this to happen. 5. Discussion of expanding the WRBD grant program to include ADA Accessibility Grants Kristi Davis reported that the WR Business District agreed
to manage an accessibility and access grant program. Discussion followed . It will be a city-wide program. Consensus to do a budget amendment for $20,000 to fund this program. 6. City
Council Consensus discussion (Reinhart and Starker) Following discussion there was consensus to to not make consensus decisions outside of meetings. The study session was adjourned at
9:03PM. Page 4 of4