- Call to Order
Mayor Glenn Levy called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. The meeting was held virtually through GoToMeeting. He stated the rules and procedures for the meeting.
- Roll Call
Present: Glenn Levy, Mladenka Boehrer, Brent Metz, Kathleen Bailey, Sean Davis, Brittany Loecher, and Abby Laib. A quorum was established.
Staff in attendance: Town Attorney Erin King, Police Chief Steve Davis, Public Works Director Gene Bird, Court Clerk Robert Maestes, and Interim Town Clerk Margy Greer.
Mayor Levy reviewed the procedural rules of the meeting.
- Consent Agenda
Meeting Minutes of June 3, 2021 and June 21, 2021.
Brent Metz stated that he had recused himself during the discussion and vote on Ordinance2021-06-21A pertaining to the R-3 residential district and would like the June 21, 2021 minutes to reflect same. Evin King stated that she was not in attendance at the June 3, 2021 meeting and would like the minutes to reflect same.
Brent Metz made a motion to approve the minutes of the June 21, 2021 meeting with the amendment stated above. It was seconded. With all those present voting aye, the motion carried.
Kathleen Bailey made a motion to approve the minutes of the June 3, 2021 meeting with the amendment stated above. It was seconded. With all those present voting aye, the motion carried.
- Unscheduled Public Comment
Councilor Kathleen Bailey – asked the Public Works Director to look into a Siberian Elm tree which is blocking the sidewalk. She also asked if residents were be cited as Siberian Elms are not allowed to grow in Mountain View. Gene Bird stated that he was looking into several similar issues.
Emilie Mitcham – Resident of Mountain View – stated she was representing a new resident group “Mountain View United” (MVU). She stated the group received the packet and read through it together. In response to the Public Works Report, she asked for the best way to contact him to report issues and problems. She stated the group may be helpful with providing volunteers to help with the snow and leaf removal project. She also stated that MVU is interested in the topic of creating a welcome packet for new and existing residents. She asked how to get in touch with people at Town Hall and what to expect in terms of responses from them. Ms. Mitcham stated she would like to invite the Public Works Director to one of MVU’s meetings to discuss the five-year plan and more. She stated it is important that the renters and owners alike get the flyer about new trash bins.
Ms. Mitcham stated a Brown Bag workshop regarding recycling and composting would be helpful. She stated that many other people in Town are interested in these subjects as well.
- Introductions
Mayor Levy introduced Robert Maestes, the new Court Clerk and Margy Greer, who will be assisting in the Clerk’s Office while the Clerk is on FMLA.
- Staff Reports
Police Chief Steve Davis reports on several issues in and around the community including: an officer who was killed in Arvada last month and the effect it had on his officers and the residents; the co-responder program in place with Edgewater and Lakewood; the mental health professionals helping them respond to certain calls; new officer Brian Rank; the speed trailer on 44th Avenue; an arrest at Walmart; rise in homeless issues; and working with task force on street racers.
Town Attorney Evin King – reported on the Dos and Don’ts regarding election campaigning and spoke about FCPA – Fair Campaign Practices Act. There should be no Town money spent to influence the outcome of the election. This includes direct and indirect funds from the Town. The Town can use public money to distribute factual summaries. She stated that if members had a specific question to email her for a specific response.
- Public Comment on Agenda Items
Emilie Mitcham – stated it was hard to understand what amendments were made to the minutes. She stated the issue regarding a conflict of interest stood out to her because the Town Code is very specific on the matters of conflicts of interest. She stated her concern about the committees and how the members might influence development in the Town and committee members may also have a conflict of interest.
- Discussion and possible approval of RESOLUTION NO. 2021-07-19A, A RESOLUTION APPOINTING MARGY GREER TO PERFORM TEMPORARY TOWN CLERK FUNCTIONS.
Evin King explained that there are duties which the Charter allows only the Town Clerk to perform and therefore in Sarah Albright’s absence, Margy Greer will be able to perform them. When Albright returns, the resolution can be amended and the power can be taken away.
Brent Metz made a motion to approve Resolution No. 2021-07-19A as presented. It was seconded. With all members present voting aye, the motion carried.
- Discussion and possible approval of RESOLUTION NO. 2021-07-19B, A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AN EXPENDITURE OF UP TO $65,000 TO RG & ASSOCIATES FOR STORM PROJECT DESIGN AND ENGINEERING.
Mayor Levy stated that the 2021 Budget has $60,000 for Capital Works and another $20,000 for the Engineers. The entire project may not end up costing $65,000, but the money is in the budget and the design plans need to get started. There is also a grant that is pending approval and requires an environmental assessment and other paperwork. That grant is for $600,000. The design plans cannot be recouped through the grant.
Councilor Brent Metz stated that he was also in the meeting with the engineering firm and believed they had a good handle on the scope of the project and how to navigate the grant application. While the majority of the Town has curb and gutter, there are some areas that are deficient, causing water issues, basements flooding and other problems. He stated that spending $65,000 in order to receive $600,000 makes a lot of sense to him.
Mayor Levy stated that the 41st Avenue Project is only about 1/3 of this project. There is deteriorated curb and gutter throughout the Town, as well as degrading stormwater lines on 44th Avenue and on portions of Ames between 43rd and 44th Avenues. The $600,000 may not address everything on the list, it will go a long way toward handling the worse parts of the system.
Councilor Kathleen Bailey – asked if something could be done about the high drop off of some of the curbs in Town. She cautioned about using the same concrete company to do more work in the community due to how quickly some of the curbs and gutters have deteriorated. Mayor Levy asked her to submit a list to him of her areas of concern, as some of the work may still be under warranty.
Discussion ensued regarding whether those high curbs could be lowered and whether the lowering of them would cause stormwater drainage issues.
Councilor Brent Metz made a motion to adopt Resolution 2021-07-19B amending it to include the language “UP TO $65,000 .“ It was seconded. With all those in attendance voting aye, the motion carried.
Mayor Levy called a recess at 7:30 pm and reconvened at 7:40 pm.
- Committee Assignments and Discussion
Mayor Levy stated that he spoke to several members and what their needs were and what the needs of the Town were. He explained that the Committees do not take formal action, they are only advisory in nature. The Committees are to research and recommend back to the entire Board. He reviewed the purpose and stated the Committee were as follows:
Administrative Committee: Boehrer and Loecher (Chair)
Finance Committee: Levy and Davis (Chair)
Community Development and Outreach Committee: Loecher and Bailey (Chair)
Public Works Committee: Metz and Laib (Chair)
Public Safety: Metz and Boehrer (Chair)
Sustainability: Laib and Bailey (Chair)
Economic Development: Davis and Metz (Chair)
Mayor Levy stated that the website is not a social media page. However, it would be helpful to have Kathleen updating parts of the website with Brittany being the primary person on the Facebook page. The newsletter would be a joint effort with both Kathleen and Brittany. While the Town website is not a committee, the Mayor can assign as needed.
Each Committee should be taking notes of their meetings, no more than two pages.
Committee Reports:
Newsletter - Councilor Bailey stated that the newsletter came out on Friday and thanked Shannon for all of her assistance. Since the newsletter was mailed out late she questioned changing the months for publishing it. The Committee will decide. The issue of the software program the Committee is using and payment for same was discussed. Mayor stated it would be best if the Town was paying directly for the service and not through a council member’s account. Mayor Levy stated that one reason he wants Brittany involved is because she can help with content.
Sustainability – Councilor Bailey stated that meetings have been suspended for now. Thank you gift cards were sent to all the volunteers. Composting is an issue which continues to come up in resident conversations. Residents may save money on composting by the Town allowing a single source compost hauler such as the one Edgewater uses. She stated she would find out more information about it. Mayor stated that rather than the Town endorsing a specific provider, having the Committee find information about the providers so residents may have a choice, is another option. Mayor expressed his concerns about a small vocal minority requesting composting and suggested a meeting to discuss further.
- Mayor’s Report
Mayor stated he held a Mayor’s Coffee a couple of Saturday’s ago and thanked those who attended. It was an opportunity to answer questions from the residents and let them know what was happening. He reported the death of 28-year old resident Michael Lee due to the COVID virus. A memorial event which will include a nice plaque and a tree-planting ceremony is being planned for him by the Town. It will be at least 2-4 weeks in the future and Council will be notified of the details.
- Council Reports
Boehrer – reported she had pictures of the Mayor’s Coffee event for any members who would want copies.
Bailey- asked for a copy of the Mayor’s handout from the Coffee event. She also thanked the Mayor for getting the SSL certification, securing the website. Bailey also asked if the hyperlinks could be made on the website, connecting the Code to the appropriate chapter, making it more user-friendly. She offered to help with this task.
Mayor Levy asked Evin King and Margy Greer to explain why “Reserved” was written on chapters of the Code that had no content. Ms. King explained that they could be chapters that were repealed at some point or never used. Greer agreed with King’s explanation. Bailey asked for something like an asterisk with an explanation be placed there instead of the word “reserved.” She stated that there are many things that need to be updated on the website. She stated that an on-line payment system is needed. Committee pages are needed. The Mayor agreed to discuss it further with her.
Metz – stated that many of the arrangements have been made for the Picnic. Helping with the picnic is a great way to get to know one another. Hoping to create that community all are striving for. He asked the councilors to come early to set up or stay late to help clean up. He stated it would be great if everyone showed up and worked together on the event.
- Adjournment