HomeMy WebLinkAboutPACKET Town Board Study Session 2025-06-10
TOWN BOARD STUDY SESSION
June 10, 2025 from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Town Hall Board Room
170 MacGregor Ave, Estes Park
Accessing Meeting Translations (Accediendo a las Traducciones de la Reunión) can be
found on the Town website at www.estes.org/boardsandmeetings
Public comment is not typically heard at Study Sessions, but may be allowed by the Mayor
with agreement of a majority of the Board. This study session will be streamed live and
available at www.estes.org/videos
AGENDA
4:30 p.m. Human Resources Strategic Plan.
(Manager Lizotte)
4:50 p.m. Break for Dinner.
5:00 p.m. Process for Classifying Vacation Home and
Accommodations Business Licenses.
(Town Clerk Williamson and Attorney Kramer)
5:40 p.m. Vacation Home Transferability.
(Attorney Kramer and Town Clerk Williamson)
6:20 p.m. Trustee & Administrator Comments & Questions.
6:25 p.m. Future Study Session Agenda Items.
(Board Discussion)
6:30 p.m. Adjourn for Town Board Meeting.
Informal discussion among Trustees and staff concerning agenda items or other Town matters may occur before this
Human Resources Updates
Organizational Culture Survey and Human Resources Strategic Plan
Town Board Study Session 06/10/2025
Provide an overview of:
•Services provided by Human Resources (HR)
•Organizational Culture Survey & Action Plan
•HR Strategic Plan
Human Resources (HR) Mission Statement
The mission of Human Resources is to partner with
Town departments to develop, implement and
analyze effective and fiscally sound policies,
programs, benefits, and services which help support
existing employees, recruit diverse talent, and
leverage existing resources to support overall Town
operations.
Services provided by HR include:
•Compensation
•Benefits
•Employee relations/conflict mitigation
•Training & Development
•Recruitment & Selection
•Retention Efforts
Organizational Culture Survey: Background
•Organizational (Org) Culture Survey first launched in
February 2020
•Survey sent out electronically to employees every other year
•Graves Consulting initiates the survey, collects, and
analyzes all results
•Survey is a mix of rating questions and open response
questions
•Completely anonymous
SAMPLE of survey question:
Summary of Results by Question
Q16: I find my workplace enjoyable and my work rewarding.
Average Score: 4.04 (3.89)
Highest Score
2 8 12
62
39
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree No Opinion Agree Strongly Agree
Question 16
Summary of Results by Question
“Ethics & Fairness” Questions
Q6: The Town does a good job of avoiding internal politics,
favoritism and in-fighting.
Average Score: 3.02 (2.9)
Lowest Score 13
30 30
42
8
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree No Opinion Agree Strongly Agree
Question 6
Summary of Category Scores
Category 2020 Score 2022 Score 2024 Score
Communication 3.40 3.44 3.42
Ethics & Fairness 3.36 3.22 3.25
Recognition & Respect 3.57 3.48 3.53
Autonomy & Teamwork 3.48 3.48 3.63
Growth & Development 3.74 3.61 3.81
OVERALL AVERAGE 3.55 3.49 3.55
Executive Summary
Good overall participation, 73% of employees.
No categories scored below 3 (averaged), and most questions improved from 2022 (13
of 17), with only a few questions declining (3 of 17), and one that did not change.
Generally, employees really like working for the Town, and especially enjoy their hard-
working, motivated, co-workers.
Most apparent recurring themes:
•Cost of living is high, and wages need to be more competitive
•Leadership needs to be fair across whole organization (no
favoritism)
•Overall, wonderful co-workers
Listen to employees, and show action on the survey
results, where action is possible.
Some Highlights from 2022 Org Culture
Action Plan:
•Implemented Manager/Supervisor training
•Re-visited flexible work options beyond Telework
•Reviewed and Revised the Performance Appraisal Process to be
the Employee Success & Development (ESD) Process.
•Transportation Assistance Options no longer identified as a
priority
•Continuing ongoing conversations about Organization Wide
Guiding Principles
•Launched Org Culture Survey in 2024 as anticipated
What was done with the 2024 Data?
•Survey results were shared with all employees
•Engagement Committee generated ideas for an action plan
•Managers/Supervisors reviewed the ideas from the Engagement Committee and generated ideas for an action plan
•Executive Leadership Team (ELT) reviewed the ideas from the Engagement Committee and Managers and generated ideas for an action plan
•ELT and Engagement Committee held a joint meeting to discuss
•Action Plan was finalized and sent to all employees for review
•Action Plan is being implemented
Key Items/Ideas from 2025 Org Culture
Action Plan:
•Many action items are focused on communication
•Executive Leadership Team (ELT) is the responsible party
•Continue to strengthen a positive responses from the survey
pertaining to work/life balance
•Consider revisions to the survey tool itself
•Anticipating re-launching survey the end of 2026 to allow more
time to work on the action items
HR Strategic Plan: Background
•Developed in 2019 in coordination with Town Departments and Graves Consulting.
•Implemented in 2020
•Reviewed annually – update current year and look out 1-2 years out
•Focus Areas:
•Training & Development
•Recruiting, Selection, & Onboarding
•Retention, Engagement, & Communication
•Compensation and Benefits
•Infrastructure
Top 3 Strategic Objectives in 2025:
•Select and begin implementation for a new Human Resources
Information System (HRIS)
•Benefits Analysis Benchmarking
•Convert current employee files to electronic and identify and
begin utilizing electronic employee file structure
Focus Area: Training & Development
Update for 2024:
•Employee Success & Development process implemented.
•Feedback after 2024 was incorporated into the process in 2025.
•Implemented Supervisor/Manager Training
Upcoming for 2025:
•Supervisor/Manager Training will be offered each year
•Work with SMART to select Reasonable Suspicion training for Managers
•Work to develop Framework for Succession Planning
Focus Area: Recruiting, Selection, and
Onboarding
Update for 2024: (updates in italics)
•Continued to explore and develop improved processes for
Employee Onboarding
•Discussion topic at Supervisor/Manager Training
•Further process enhancements may be dependent upon selection of
HRIS
Upcoming for 2025:
•Initiate conversation with Executive Leadership Team (ELT) about
credit equivalency for job descriptions
Focus Area: Retention, Engagement, &
Communication
Update for 2024: (updates in italics)
•Developed Org Culture Action Plan utilizing 2024 survey results.
•Updated our Exit Interview Process & clarified how data is utilized
to affect change.
Upcoming for 2025:
•Provide Town Administrator and ELT turnover rates and high-level
exit survey data
Focus Area: Compensation & Benefits
Update for 2024:
•Data has been gathered for a comprehensive benchmark study of
Employee Benefits
•Research and Develop Wellness Program as been tabled until
2026.
Upcoming for 2025: (Priority)
•Analyze data for benchmarking/analysis project and make budget
recommendations
Focus Area: Infrastructure
Update for 2024:
•Current employee files are boxed and ready to be scanned
•Town is currently accepting proposals for new HRIS
•Employee Handbook – exploring outsourcing project as a budget request for 2026.
Upcoming for 2025 (Priorities)
•Convert current employee files to electronic and identify and begin utilizing electronic file structure
•Select new HRIS and begin implementation
Conclusion:
•HR offers a wide range of services to support people in our organization
•Tools such as the Org Culture Survey can provide data and help guide our actions
•Many upcoming opportunities as identified in the HR Strategic Plan to continue to improve processes and positively impact our organization.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Process for Classifying Vacation
Home and Accommodations
Business Licenses
Town Board of Trustees
June 10, 2025
Outline
Definitions
Overview of current conditions
Review classification factors
Board comments and questions
Definitions
Vacation home means a residential dwelling unit that is rented, leased or occupied
for accommodation purposes for compensation for terms of less than thirty (30)
days, and includes any timeshare/fractional ownership without regard to occupancy
length.
Accommodation site means one (1) individual parcel of real property consisting of
two (2) or more accommodations units that are all owned and managed by a
person(s) or entity.
Accommodation unit means any room, mobile home, recreational vehicle, camp
site, or other area in a visitor-serving facility that provides temporary lodging, such
as any hotel, motel, guest house, apartment, dormitory, mobile home park,
recreational vehicle park or campground, or any such similar place, to any person
whom, for a consideration, uses, possesses, or has the right to use or possess such
room, mobile home site, recreational vehicle site, camp site or other area for a
term of less than thirty (30) days.
Overview of Current Conditions
Development Code allows single family homes, two-family and multi-family
dwelling units within the accommodation zoning districts.
Condominiumization of developments for individual ownership.
Developments have been approved with conditions.
Properties are changing the model of operation such as having a centralized
reception and management.
Independent management of short-term rentals as determined by the property
owner.
The need to review the similarities and differences between operations to
determine how a property should be licensed.
Life safety inspection
Certificate of Occupancy for vacation home
Examples
Property X
Accommodation zoning
Individually owned units
Onsite management
Development approval does not allow long-term occupancy
Property Y
Accommodation zoning
Individual owned units
No onsite management
Allowed to manage or hire 3rd party management for short-term rental
Allowed to occupy unit full time or rent long-term
Property Z
Accommodation zoning
Individually owned units
Onsite management that is required to be used for short-term rental
Not allowed to rent long-term but can occupy full time as the owner
Review Classification Factors
Whether the zoning district is residential or non-residential.
Whether the unit was granted a certificate of occupancy under the International
Residential Code or the International Building Code.
Whether the unit has been used for household living.
Whether the unit qualifies as a dwelling unit.
Whether the unit is part of several units in the same development under common
management with centralized, on-site, in-person customer service.
Whether other units similarly situated in the same development and used similarly
have been determined to require a vacation home business license.
Board Discussion/Direction &
Questions
Vacation Home
Transferability
Town Board Study Session
June 10, 2025
§5.20.110(c)(1)(b): Non -Transferable Licenses
Residentially zoned licenses issued
after October 18, 2021 “are not
transferrable to any person upon sale
or other transfer of ownership of the
property. Upon such sale or transfer of
ownership, the license shall terminate
automatically . . . .”
Issues
•Transfer to family members
•If allowed, defining the allowable relatives.
•Transfer of LLCs, etc.
•Revision of trusts, especially revocable trusts.
Possible Approaches
•Require licensees for non -transferable licenses to be natural
persons.
•Restrict transfer of ownership of LLCs by equity percentage.
•Administrative burden; Still very challenging for trusts.
•Allow transfer to specified relatives.
•Verification of relationships.
•Allow up to two natural persons as licensees, from the beginning
of the licensure.
Transitional Issues and Wrap -Up
June 24, 2025
• Police Department Facility Update
• State Wildfire Code
• Vehicle/Motorcycle Parking Limitations
Code Amendment
July 8, 2025
• Water Master Plan – Collaborative
Development of Treatment Alternatives
• Big Horn Parking Structure Design
Update
• Cleave Street Redevelopment Update
July 25, 2025
• The Future of Estes Park’s Water System
Service Area Population and Demands
• Curb and Gutter Philosophy
Items Approved – Unscheduled:
• Business Use of Golf Carts on Trails
• Police Department Facility Financing
• Overnight Parking
• Liquor License Process
Items for Town Board Consideration:
• None
Future Town Board Study Session Agenda Items
June 10, 2025