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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Town Board Study Session 2023-10-24RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado October 24, 2023 Minutes of a Study Session meeting of the TOWN BOARD of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held at Town Hall in the Board Room in said Town of Estes Park on the 24th day of October, 2023. Board: Mayor Koenig, Trustees Cenac, Hazelton, Lancaster, MacAipine, Martchink, and Younglund Attending: All Also Attending: Town Administrator Machalek, Deputy Town Administrator Damweber, Town Attorney Kramer, and Town Clerk Williamson Absent: None Mayor Koenig called the meeting to order at 5:15 p.m. COMMUNITY WILDFIRE DEFENSE GRANT. Grant Writer Kuryllo provided a review to the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) to assist at -risk local communities with planning for and mitigating against the risk created by wildfire. The grant would provide up to $10 million in support with a 25% match to develop or revise a Community Wildland Protection Plan (CWPP) and implement a project within the plan to be completed in less than 10 years. The current CWPP was updated in 2022 with the Thunder Mountain project identified as having extreme wildfire risk. The application would be submitted by the deadline of October 31, 2023 with anticipated awards in Spring 2024 to include the following projects: forest inventory, silviculture prescription, contracting, staging, and mitigation work to end by 2029. The project costs are estimated at $740,000 with a 25% match to come from the Town at $175,000 and $10,000 form the Estes Valley Watershed Coalition (EVWC). She reviewed other potential funding opportunities for the Estes Valley: Ready, Set Go - $20,000 for Mary's Lake area, Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program, Action, Implementation and Mitigation, FEMA Fire Prevention and Safety, Leary Firefighters Foundation for structural PPE, and FENA Assistance to Firefighters grant. Board comments and questions were heard and summarized: Questioned if Larimer County would provide matching funds for the mitigation work as a number of the properties are in the unincorporated areas of the county; would there be additional funding opportunities; questioned if the Estes Valley Fire Protection District (EVFPD) would provide matching funds; questioned if property owners have been supportive of the mitigation efforts; and questioned if wood chipping would be supported by the grant. Staff provided the following information: Larimer County does not currently have funding for matching funds; Boulder County has funding sources to support mitigation efforts; the current CWDG funds are the second round of funding and there may be additional opportunities; the EVFPD would not provide matching funds, however, they would provide management of the grant funds and project management; the EVWC would coordinate property notification; and biochar would not be included in the current project but has been discussed for future projects. Bob Leavitt/ EVWC President stated property owners and HOAs have been very supportive of the mitigation efforts. The Board consensus was to support the submission of the CWDG grant application. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town Board Study Session — October 24, 2023 — Page 2 ADDRESSING SUBSTANDARD RENTAL HOUSING. Town Administrator Machalek stated members of the Town Board have expressed concerns related to the poor conditions of rental units in within town limits which equates to approximately 38% of the housing in Estes Park. He reviewed a spectrum of options to address the issue, including 1) no change from the current condition; 2) create and promote a list of tenant resources to empower tenants to address issues using existing programs; 3) adopt a code amendment to apply the International Property Maintenance Code (IMPC) to all long-term rental housing, and enforce the code using the complaint -based process; or 4) adopt a long-term rental registration program that includes an assessment of the conditions of a rental. Board comments and questions were heard and summarized: a majority of the Board stated support for items 2 and 3 as outlined; the adoption of a code amendment does not provide individuals with a safe mechanism for reporting their landlord and often the employer; the list of resources could provide a process for issuing complaints in a safe manner; those coming to our community, J1s, need to be supported and feel safe in our community; and partner with the Estes Chamber of Commerce and the businesses to support the workers, provide education, and orientation for the J1s. Trustee Martchink stated his support for item 4 which may appear as overreaching; however, offering resources would not be enough. Complaints would likely support future employees. He stated the importance of determining where J1s are housed and focus on those units. Staff would focus efforts on items 2 and 3; explore how the Town can interact with the agencies to support J1s as it relates to housing; and employees living in employer provided housing to address living conditions. SOUTHWEST ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROJECT. Christine Brinker/Senior Project Manager for Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) provided the Town Board with an overview of the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) Electrification Amendment options and further information on the Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Codes, more specifically "electric -preferred" options of the codes. The "electric -preferred" model allows a choice between all -electric and natural gas; however, homes and building with natural gas must provide extra efficiency to make up for the increase in emissions. This option provides numerous options to address the efficiencies, including but not limited to additional insulation, efficient HVAC system, efficient water heating, better duct design, and additional sealing against drafts. Studies have demonstrated the costs of electric - preferred for a residential single-family home for all -electric remains roughly the same as mixed fuel. The electric grid has been built for high summer cooling loads which provides plenty of spare electricity for winter heating. Electric utilities are planning for the move to all -electric and the transition would occur over time. CODIFYING TOWN BOARD COMPENSATION. Town Clerk Williamson stated during previous compensation discussions, the Board has commented on the need to review additional data to determine if Board compensation would keep pace with the increased cost of living and benefits over the four-year term of a Board member. The Board has also questioned if a member's compensation can increase over the course of a Board member's term, so long as the amounts and timing of the increases are established before the term begins. The state statute on emoluments does not allow an elected member's compensation to increase over the term of office. With the limitations, staff recommended the Board consider codifying Board compensation utilizing October's Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Denver -Boulder -Greeley for the two -years prior to a regular Municipal Election. This would allow the compensation to be determined prior to candidate packets being issued in January prior to the upcoming election. Board comments and questions were heard and summarized: if the Board codifies the use of CPI to automatically adjust the compensation, the method could be reviewed annually through the consent agenda to ensure the Board and the constituents agree RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town Board Study Session — October 24, 2023 — Page 3 with the increase and provide transparency; periodic market review should be completed; the Board should continue to review and approve the increase every two years; could the medical increase be used to adjust compensation; and the compensation disallows a segment of our community to serve and it remains a challenge. Town Clerk Williamson stated staff can continue to bring forward the market communities board/council compensation for review prior to the CPI adjusted compensation each November prior to the regular municipal election. Staff would prepare an ordinance for the Board's consideration at the November 28, 2023 meeting. TRUSTEE & ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS & QUESTIONS None. FUTURE STUDY SESSION AGENDA ITEMS. The 2023 Paid Parking Results and 2024 Parking Recommendations would be added to the approved unscheduled study sessions. The sunsetting of the Audit Committee would be discussed at the November 14th meeting. Water Division and Water Master Plan discuss to be held on November 28th meeting. There being no further business, Mayor Koenig adjourned the meeting at 6:45 p.m. son, Town Clerk