HomeMy WebLinkAboutPACKET Town Board Study Session 2019-09-24
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
5:15 p.m. – 6:40 p.m.
Rooms 202/203
5:00 p.m. - Dinner
5:15 p.m. Trustee Remote/Electronic Meeting Participation.
(Board Discussion)
6:05 p.m. Paid Parking Discussion Preview.
(Manager Solesbee)
6:35 p.m. Trustee & Administrator Comments & Questions.
6:40 p.m. Future Study Session Agenda Items.
(Board Discussion)
6:45 p.m. Adjourn for Town Board Meeting.
Informal discussion among Trustees concerning agenda items or other Town matters may occur before this
meeting at approximately 4:45 p.m.
AGENDA
TOWN BOARD
STUDY SESSION
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To: Honorable Mayor Jirsa
Board of Trustees
Through: Town Administrator Machalek
From: Jackie Williamson
Date: September 24, 2019
RE: Trustee Remote/Electronic Meeting Participation
Objective:
To discuss allowing Town Board members the ability to participate in Town Board
meetings remotely, and provide staff with direction.
Present Situation:
The Town’s current Municipal Code requires all actions of the Board of Trustees shall
require the concurrence of the majority of those present and does not currently allow
Board members the ability to participate in meetings remotely. Recently staff was
directed to review the possibilities of allowing remote participation, and if allowed,
determine the mechanism for doing so. Attorney Kramer has reviewed the state
statutes and determined the Town may allow remote participation through a revision to
the Town’s Municipal Code. He further determined other Colorado municipalities allow
remote participation but limit the type of items the remote member can participate in.
Proposal:
Attached to the memo is an outline of the City of Centennial, Colorado, City Council
Policy on Telephonic Participation during City Council Meetings. This document has
been provided to aid in the Board’s discussion on the merits of allowing remote
participation. If the Board consensus is to amend the Town’s Municipal Code to allow
remote participation, staff requests the Board provide direction on related issues to
establish a Board policy. Items staff would request direction include and are not limited
to:
• Under what circumstances may a Board member participate remotely
• How often a Board member may participate remotely
• If multiple members of the Board may participate remotely
• Type of meetings a Board member may participate remotely; i.e. Board, study
session, work session, etc.
• The method for participating, i.e. telephone only, two-way video, etc.
• Items the member may participate in/excluded from such as quasi-judicial,
executive session, etc.
• If other staff members may participate remotely, i.e. Town Administrator,
Attorney, etc.
TOWN CLERK Report
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Advantages:
To allow Board members to participate when they otherwise may not be able to
physically attend a meeting.
Disadvantages:
The potential cost associated with additional IT support.
Action Recommended:
To provide staff with direction on the remote participation of Board members and
direction on a Board policy.
Finance/Resource Impact:
Unknown at this time. The budgetary impact would be dependent on the type of
participation the Board would prefer from those participating remotely.
Level of Public Interest:
Low
Attachments
City of Centennial, Colorado City Council Policy
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CITY OF CENTENNIAL, COLORADO
CITY COUNCIL POLICY NO. 2004-CCP-04
TELEPHONIC PARTICIPATION DURING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
DATE OF POLICY/REVISION:
October 18, 2004 (Resolution No. 2004-R-53)
PURPOSE AND INTENT:
To specify the rules and procedures under which
members of the City Council may participate in
regular and special Council meetings and executive
sessions by telephone.
SCHEDULED REVIEW AND
REVISION:
As deemed necessary or desired by the City
Council or upon recommendation of the City
Manager or City Attorney.
ATTACHMENT(S):
None
REFERENCE(S):
Article 15, Title 31 and general administrative
powers conferred upon Colorado municipalities to
govern the affairs of the municipality; Colorado
Open Meetings Act, C.R.S. 24-6-401 et seq.; City
Council Policy 2004-CCP-01 (executive sessions);
and Council Policy 2004-CCP-02 (Council
Procedures and Rules of Order).
SPECIAL PROVISIONS
• The City Council reserves the right to revoke
this Policy at anytime without notice.
• This Policy shall not be interpreted in a manner
that would deny full and equal access by
handicapped City Council members to City
Council meetings or to the full and equal
participation of handicapped Council members in
all aspects of City Council meetings.
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City of Centennial
City Council Policy 2004-CCP-04
Telephonic Participation During City Council Meetings
Page 2
TELEPHONIC PARTICIPATION DURING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
I. Purpose.
The purpose of this City Council Policy is to specify the circumstances under which a member of
the City Council may participate in regular and special meetings and executive sessions by
telephone. With advancements in communication equipment, telephonic meeting participation
has become more popular within many local governments. However, telephonic participation has
inherent limitations because telephonic participation effectively precludes a Council member from
viewing documentary information presented during meetings, from fully evaluating a speaker’s
non-verbal language in assessing veracity or credibility, and from observing non-verbal
explanations (e.g., pointing at graphs and charts) during a speaker’s presentation or testimony.
In addition, telephonic participation during executive sessions prevents the City from ensuring
compliance with state law and City Council Policy No. 2004-CCP-01. The Council finds that these
limitations inherent in telephonic participation may produce inefficiencies in meetings, increase
the expense of meetings, and may undermine the decision-making process, particularly in quasi-
judicial matters.
II. Statement of Policy.
A member of the City Council may participate in a meeting of the City Council by telephone only
in accordance with this Policy. Telephonic participation shall be made available and shall be
limited as follows:
A. Telephonic participation shall be made available to a City Council member when such
member’s absence would otherwise constitute an excused absence in accordance with
City Council Policy 2004-CP-02.*
B. Telephonic participation is intended to be an infrequent or occasional substitution for
physical attendance. The City Council may, by majority vote of a quorum present, declare
a Council member’s repeated use of telephonic participation excessive and deny a Council
member’s privilege to use telephonic participation for a specific meeting or meetings.
Such declaration by City Council shall only be made when the member seeking to
* City Council Policy 2004-CCP-02 (as adopted August 2, 2004) provides that the Presiding Officer shall
excuse an absence of any member where:
(1) the Council person contacted the Mayor, City Manager, or Deputy City Clerk in advance of the
meeting regarding the reason for the absence; and
(2) the reason for the absence is due to circumstances that were unforeseeable or unavoidable, such as
but not limited to, emergency, illness, vacations scheduled well in advance of a meeting, or last-
minute familial obligations. An excuse shall not be granted where the member’s absence is due to
the member’s desire to attend other meetings or functions unless such member’s attendance at such
meeting or function was requested by the City Council.
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City of Centennial
City Council Policy 2004-CCP-04
Telephonic Participation During City Council Meetings
Page 3
participate telephonically is afforded advance notice and the opportunity to participate in
the City Council’s discussion regarding excessive use and the continuation of telephonic
participation by the Council member. Provided that the Council member is provided notice
of the date and time of the planned Council discussion, the member’s inability to be
available to participate in the discussion shall not preclude the City Council’s authority to
discuss and decide whether such member’s use of telephonic participation is excessive.
C. Telephonic participation must permit clear, uninterrupted, and two-way communication for
the participating Council member.
D. A Council member may neither participate nor vote telephonically in a quasi-judicial public
hearing; however, the Council member may maintain the telephone connection and
monitor or listen to the hearing.
E. Telephonic participation shall not be available to a Council member during an executive
session.
F. More than one Council member may participate telephonically during the same meeting
where the telephone conferencing system permits clear, uninterrupted, and two-way
communication for all participating Council members.
G. The City Council may discontinue the use of telephonic participation by one or more
members during a meeting where the participation results in delays or interference in the
meeting process; e.g., where the telephone connection is repeatedly lost, the quality of
the telephone connection is unduly noisy, or a participating member is unable to hear
speakers using a normal speaking voice amplified to a level suitable for the meeting
audience in attendance.
III. Arranging for Telephonic Participation.
A. To arrange to participate telephonically, a City Council member shall:
1. Contact the Mayor, City Manager, or Deputy City Clerk in advance of the meeting
regarding the reason for the absence pursuant to City Council Policy 2004-CCP-
02.
2. Contact the Deputy City Clerk or, during absence of the Deputy City Clerk, the City
Manager to arrange for telephonic participation and provide a telephone number
and any special calling instructions needed to facilitate the telephone contact. All
Council members shall endeavor to advise the Deputy City Clerk of their intent to
participate telephonically at the earliest possible time and not less than two (2)
hours prior to the requested participation.
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City of Centennial
City Council Policy 2004-CCP-04
Telephonic Participation During City Council Meetings
Page 4
3. Be available at the designated telephone number not less than ten minutes prior
to the scheduled time of the meeting.
B. The City shall initiate the telephone contact not more than 10 minutes prior to the
scheduled time of the meeting. Upon telephone disconnection during a meeting, the
Deputy City Clerk shall make one attempt to re-initiate the telephone connection unless
the City Council instructs to discontinue the telephonic participation in accordance with
II(G) above.
IV. Effect of Telephonic Participation.
Telephonic participation shall constitute actual attendance for purposes of establishing a quorum
or for any other purpose.
V. Telephonic Participation by Non-Council Members.
Upon request of the Mayor or any two Council members, appointees of the City Council (e.g., the
City Manager and/or the City Attorney or designees acting on behalf of and at the direction of the
Manager or Attorney), may participate in a meeting of the Council by telephone. For all other
persons, telephonic participation shall not be permitted unless approved by a majority of a quorum
present of the City Council.
VI. Limited Applicability of Policy.
This Policy shall only apply to regular and special meetings (including study sessions) of the City
Council for the City of Centennial.
VII. Reasonable Accommodations.
The City shall provide reasonable accommodation and shall waive or modify provisions of this
Policy to provide handicapped City Council members full and equal access to Council meetings.
MADE EFFECTIVE THIS 18th DAY OF OCTOBER, 2004
Reference: Resolution No. 2004-R-53
October 18, 2004
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From: Judy Howell
Date: Tue, Sep 17, 2019 at 6:10 PM
Subject: RE: Town Board to consider remote participation by Trustees Sept. 24
If they want to be a Trustee, unless they are ill or out of State, they should be present for the proceedings. Just not wanting to
show isn’t good enough. Either do the job you were elected to do or resign from the Board. Estes Park Residents have the
right to see and speak with you in person. If you can’t do that, then allow someone that cares about their position to replace
you. You are no longer a good option for Estes Park.
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Town Clerk <townclerk@estes.org>
Remote town board member participation
Tue, Sep 17, 2019 at 8:44 PMEsther Cenac To: townclerk@estes.org
No.
Esther Cenac
10
Town Clerk <townclerk@estes.org>
27-19 Amending §2.04.060 of the EP Municipal Code
1 message
Gordon Slack <gordon49@protonmail.com>Tue, Sep 24, 2019 at 3:16 PM
Reply-To: Gordon Slack <gordon49@protonmail.com>
To: "townclerk@estes.org" <townclerk@estes.org>, "trustees@estes.org" <trustees@estes.org>
RE: Ordinance 27-19 Amending §2.04.060 of the EP Municipal Code to allow remote participation by Trustees in meetings of the
Board.
Please do not allow remote participation. Trustees should be fully aware of their obligations before they file for office. This includes
attendance at all meetings of the Trustees as well as study sessions and the meetings of various committees and advisory boards.
We have survived since the Town was incorporated without allowing “remote participation.” We have six Trustees and a Mayor. The
absence of one or even two Trustees should not impede Town business. We don’t allow proxy voting. I believe that “remote
participation” is another form of proxy voting.
It is important for the public to see the Trustees that are governing the Town of Estes Park. Facial expressions and body language of
the Trustees are a far better indicator of the attitude of the Trustees than what is actually said on the public record. Furthermore, it is
already difficult for the public to adequately view the visual presentations that are used in meetings owing to the limitations of the
present broadcast system. I don’t believe that a Trustee could perform his or her duties properly and cast an informed vote if they
are not present in the Board Room with a good view of the visual materials and seeing members of the public and staff who are
speaking to the issue. The current broadcast system frequently loses sound and those speaking at the podium are sometimes not
seen on camera.
I remember several hearings that the Trustees held regarding the Loop Project. It was obvious from their expressions and body
language that several Trustees had already made up their minds and that those of us who were speaking were just wasting their
valuable time. The public needs to see the Trustees.
Thanks,
Gordon Slack
1535-B Raven Cir,
Estes Park
Sent with ProtonMail Secure Email.
PUBLIC WORKS Report
To: Honorable Mayor Jirsa
Board of Trustees
Through: Town Administrator Machalek
From: Vanessa Solesbee, Parking & Transit Manager
Greg Muhonen, Public Works Director
Date: September 24, 2019
RE: Paid Parking Process Overview
Objective:
Preview the proposed content for the October 8th Town Board Study Session
presentation regarding management of the downtown parking assets. This will include
results of implementing the Phase 1 recommendations from the Downtown Parking
Management Plan (DPMP) and a preview of options for moving forward in 2020 to
implement DPMP Phase II recommendations (limited seasonal paid parking).
Present Situation:
At the Town Board Study Session on November 27, 2018, Public Works staff presented
2018 Parking Utilization Results and indicated the intention to finish implementation of
DPMP Phase I during peak summer season 2019 as follows:
• Conduct a turnover and occupancy analyses for all downtown public parking lots (2,102
spaces).
• Implement technology to provide real- or near real-time parking availability information
via mobile app for five downtown lots (636 spaces).
• Hire, train and manage two full-time, seasonal Parking Ambassadors.
• Integrate (fully utilize) the Dynamic Messaging Signs (DMS).
Proposal:
At the upcoming Study Session on October 8, 2019, Public Works proposes to bring
process information and results from DPMP Phase I implementation, organized as
follows:
• Overview & Background: Brief summary of DPMP goals and implementation phasing.
• 2019 Parking Utilization Results: Includes occupancy data collected 2-4 times daily in
all 18 parking areas for 114 days (May 25 through Sept. 15, 2019) and a targeted
sample of duration (length of stay) data on weekdays and weekends in July, August and
September 2019. 2018 Parking Utilization Results will also be provided for context.
• Public Outreach Summary: Key themes from 2019 public outreach efforts, which
included online and in-person opportunities in July, August and September. Raw data
(e.g., specific comments, presented anonymously) will also be provided.
• Parking Management Warrants: Completed warrants for each of the Town’s 18 public
parking areas. The warrant includes set of criteria that was developed in partnership with 11
the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) and presented to the Town Board on April 23,
2019 for review and comment. The warrant has nine scored criteria and was designed to
help define the need for, and appropriateness of, implementing future parking
management strategies, including seasonal paid parking.
Public Works will also ask the Town Board for direction for the 2020 parking
management program; specifically, if the board feels that the current parking experience
(as illuminated by utilization data, public input and analysis using the warrant tool),
supports the Town’s mission to provide high-quality, reliable services for the benefit of
our citizens, guests and employees. If the Town Board feels like the current parking
experience could be improved, Public Works will be prepared to deliver information
related to the implementation of seasonal paid parking , including:
•Revenue projections and cost estimates for implementing seasonal paid parking in 2020
for approximately 691 spaces (33% of the overall supply).
•Draft ordinance to authorize seasonal paid parking in the Town’s public parking areas.
•Draft fee resolution setting the 2020 parking rates.
Pending the outcome of the October 8 Study Session, Public Works can be ready to
bring forth a final ordinance and fee resolution authorizing seasonal pa id parking at a
Regular Meeting and Public Hearing on October 22. (Note: a revised parking permit
system is also needed, and will be discussed with the Town Board separately in 2020.)
If the Town Board decides that the current level of service is adequ ate and/or that
Public Works should pause DPMP implementation, Public Works proposes to return to
the Town Board with a proposed 2020 work plan for management of downtown parking.
Advantages:
•Providing a preview of the proposed content for October 8 allows Public Works to better
prepare to meet the Town Board’s expectations.
•Supports a commitment made to the community that any consideration of paid parking
would be conducted in a data-driven and transparent manner.
Disadvantages:
•Some may feel that the preview is an unnecessary step, however Public Works feels
that the additional meeting will help clarify expectations and set the tone for a productive
Study Session on October 8.
•The three-meeting format postpones 2020 planning; however Public Works feels that it
allows more time for informed decision-making and public process.
Action Recommended:
Public Works would like confirmation that the proposed content for the Study Session
on October 8, 2019 is generally sufficient for the Town Board to provide guidance on the
desired 2020 downtown parking management strategies.
Finance/Resource Impact:
To be discussed October 8th.
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Level of Public Interest:
Public interest is high, specifically regarding possible implementation of paid parking.
Public Works and members of TAB both invested a significant amount of time into
community dialogue during the 2019 Downtown Parking Listening Tour.
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October 8, 2019
•Review of Board Compensation for
2020
•Paid Parking Presentation & Results
October 22, 2019
•Results of SAFEbuilt
Report/Building Division/Building
Advisory Committee
Items Approved – Unscheduled:
•Discussion with County Assessor
regarding Assessment of Vacation
Rentals
•Future of Human Resources
Management – HR Strategic Plan
•Distributed Energy Discussion
•ADUs and Sue Ballou, Partnership
for Age Friendly Communities
•Follow Up Discussion of Building
Maintenance Code
•Fish Hatchery Property Discussion
Items for Town Board Consideration:
•Request to Cancel December 10,
2019 Study Session
Future Town Board Study Session Agenda Items
September 24, 2019
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