HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Town Board Study Session 2008-10-14 Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, October 14, 2008
Minutes of a Regular meeting of the TOWN BOARD STUDY SESSION of
the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held at Town
Hall in Room 130 in said Town of Estes Park on the 14th day of October,
2008.
Board: Mayor Pinkham, Mayor Pro Tem Levine, Trustees
Blackhurst, Eisenlauer, Ericson, Homeier, and Miller
Attending: Mayor Pinkham, Mayor Pro Tem Levine, Trustees
Blackhurst, Eisenlauer, Ericson, and Miller
Also Attending: Task Force Members Don Widrig, Chief Dorman, Will Finch,
Sue Doylen, Bob Dekker, Bill Van Horn, Bruce Johnston, Jim
Austin, and Frank Theis; Town Administrator Halburnt,
Deputy Town Administrator Richardson, Town Attorney
White, Town Clerk Williamson, and Deputy Town Clerk
Deats
Absent: Trustee Homeier
Mayor Pinkham called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m.
SPECIAL EVENT VENDOR FEES FOR THE COMMERCIAL DOWNTOWN ZONING
DISTRICT – DISCUSSION.
Subsequent to public comment at the October Community Development Committee
meeting, the question was raised whether the topic of Special Event Vendor Fees,
which were established with the adoption of Ordinance #19-07, warranted further
discussion. Several special event coordinators addressed the Community Development
Committee protesting the vendor fees and related requirements calling them inequitable
and discriminatory. The Trustees agreed to revisit the topic and include it as a
discussion item at an upcoming Town Board meeting. The agenda will be posted and
publicized, with notification provided to the organizations that were in attendance at the
October Community Development Committee meeting.
FIRE DISTRICT TASK FORCE PRESENTATION.
In early 2008, the Town Board requested the formation of a Fire Services Task Force.
The Task Force was charged with researching the feasibility of a Fire District and the
development of a plan for a comprehensive fire and emergency services system that
would serve the Estes Valley and include funding proposals that would be considered
fair and equitable by Town and County residents alike. Ultimately, the result of the Task
Force’s efforts is to bring the creation of a Fire District to a vote in November 2009.
Applications were accepted for participation on the Task Force and 11 members were
selected. The Task Force; comprised of Town residents, County residents, the Fire
Chief, a volunteer firefighter, a senior member of Town Staff, and a Town Trustee; met
13 times over the past months to develop the plan and held three public presentations
thus far to receive input.
Don Widrig, co-chair of the Task Force, gave a general overview of the process the
Task Force followed in developing the plan which would establish an independent fire
protection district covering the Estes Valley. The boundaries of the District would adjoin
existing fire protection districts, such as the national forest, Rocky Mountain National
Park, Glen Haven and Allenspark; and would be managed by a five-member board
elected from the District at large. He stated that by reviewing actual expenses for
emergency services provided by the Fire Department and making financial projections
Town Board Study Session – October 14, 2008 – Page 2
for future years, a concept for a funding proposal was defined whereby monies for the
protection of life would come from sales tax revenue and monies for the protection of
property would come from property tax revenue, although an actual separation of these
funds would not occur. It is proposed that the Town of Estes Park would contribute 7%
of sales tax revenue annually with terms specified through an Intergovernmental
Agreement (IGA) between the District and the Town, with all Estes Valley property
owners being assessed a new mill levy of 1.95 mills beginning in 2010. In addition, the
District would require a loan from the Town of Estes Park for start-up expenses that
would be repaid once the District is fully-funded and operational. Co-Chair Widrig
reviewed steps required to get the issue on the ballot and a timeline as to when these
steps must be accomplished, and stated that a campaign to educate the community will
be critical to the success of the ballot issue.
Discussion followed the presentation and is summarized: the plan sounds reasonable
and logical; must define benefits of the Fire District to Town residents and the protection
it would provide to the viability of the Estes Valley; provides an opportunity to enhance
our ability to protect the economic base of our community; strongly support the
proposed Fire District and agree educating the voters is a necessity; and, when formed,
the initiative committee should be representative of the whole community.
The Task Force’s next presentation will be at the October 28, 2008, Town Board
meeting. The slideshow presentation and the complete plan document are available for
review on the Fire Services Task Force website http://EVFireServices.org Mayor
Pinkham and the Trustees thanked the members of the Task Force for the time and
effort they invested in developing their proposal.
There being no further business, Mayor Pinkham adjourned the meeting at 6:42 p.m.
Cynthia Deats, Deputy Town Clerk