HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Town Board Study Session 2024-08-13RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Town ofEstes Park, Larimer County, Colorado August 13, 2024
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 13th day of August, 2024.
Board: Mayor Hall, Trustees Brown, Cenac, Hazelton, Igel,
Lancaster, and Younglund
Attending: Mayor Hall, Trustees Brown, Cenac, Hazelton, Igel, and
Lancaster, and Younglund
Also Attending: Town Administrator Machalek, Deputy Town Administrator
Damweber, Town Attorney Kramer, and Recording
Secretary Richards
Absent: None
Mayor Hall called the meeting to order at 5:15 p.m.
TRAI LBLAZER BROADBAND CONSTRUCTION UPDATE.
Director Bergsten, Superintendent Lockhart, and Manager Smith provided an update on
Trailblazer Broadband fiber optic infrastructure construction citing a customer
installation backlog due to staffing and economic challenges; utilization of a 'pay as you
go' installation model, and grant funding opportunities such as Broadband Equity,
Access and Deployment (BEAD). Board discussed the adequacy of customer service
investment and the effect of decreased installations on the life of the current funding
bond. Staff comments have been summarized: availability of specialized grants to
support high infrastructure to low revenue areas such as the Estes Valley; bond
payment to be fully funded through installations and clarification that installations have
only slowed rather than stopped. Board requested future updates on operations when
fully staffed and on BEAD Grant progress.
TOWN BOARD CODE OF CONDUCT REVIEW.
Town Administrator Machalek presented a review of Town Board Policy 103 (Town
Board Code of Conduct and Operating Principles) and requested Board direction on
necessary edits. Board discussion has been summarized: importance of Board conduct
setting a standard for the community; providing clarity to the community on Board
operational expectations; options for code violations and emphasis on teamwork. Board
indicated interest in incorporating language from the Colorado Municipal League's
Civility Starts Here initiative. Hearing no further changes, staff would draft policy edits
for consideration by the Board.
GOVjRNING POLICY UPDATES - STAFF LIMITATIONS AND ENDS STATEMENTS.
Town Administrator Machalek presented the third in a series of four Governing Policy
updates that would include cleanup to previous policy verbiage and format to align with
the 2024 Strategic Plan goals and current operations. Category 3 Staff Limitations edits
would include typographical and minor edits for clarity while Category 4 Ends
Statements (Strategic Plan Outcome Areas) edits would bring the statements into
alignment with the 2024 Strategic Plan. He requested Board direction on the proposed
edits and any additional edits. Hearing none, staff would proceed with the current edits.
FUTURE STUDY SESSION AGENDA ITEMS.
Trustee Brown proposed public comment to be heard during the upcoming Hosted
Short Term Rental discussion on August 27, 2024. Town Administrator Machalek
characterized the initial conversation as scoping and exploratory, stating no
recommendations for paths forward would be made. Board discussion has been
summarized: the value of early resident input; need for the Board to have a focused
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Town Board Study Session - August 13,2024 - Page 2
initial discussion time; use of public comment period during regular meetings; and the
importance of publicizing the public comment option to encourage resident participation.
Board consensus was to allow a structured public comment period limited to 30
minutes. Staff would schedule the item to occur after 5:00 p.m. to encourage increased
attendance.
COMMENTS & QUESTIONS.
None.
There being no further business, Mayor Hall adjourned the meeting at 6:18 p.m.
Rachel Richards, Recording Secretary