HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB Study Session 2011-01-25
Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, January 25, 2011
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
Rooms 202 & 203 in said Town of Estes Park on the 25th day of
January, 2011.
Board: Mayor Pinkham, Mayor Pro Tem Levine, Trustees
Blackhurst, Elrod, Ericson, Koenig and Miller
Also Attending: Town Administrator Halburnt, Deputy Town Administrator
Richardson, Town Attorney White, Finance Officer
McFarland, Town Clerk Williamson
Absent: None
Mayor Pinkham called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m.
TOWN BOARD MEETING PROCEDURES.
Trustees Elrod and Koenig were directed by the Town Board at a study session held on
July 27, 2010 to develop procedures for Town Board meetings. Estes Valley Planning
Commissioner Ron Norris participated in developing the proposed procedures, which
will standardize the format and allow board members to be more effective in discussion.
The intent was to provide consistency for the public and an understanding of the how
the agenda flows and their role in participating at the meeting. Five documents have
been proposed and include a Town Board Meeting Order of Business, Residents’ Guide
to Estes Park Town Board Meetings, Guidance for Chairing Meetings, Background
Information on Motions for Boards and Committees, and Tool Box for Meeting
Procedure Options. All documents could be used by other Town committees or boards.
Town Board Order of Business defines the flow of the agenda. The Board discussed the
order and recommended moving the Follow-Up From Previous Public Comment under
the Town Administrator Report, with the Board providing clear direction to staff on the
items to be addressed; add Town Board comments after public comment; remove
Addition to Agenda; move Reports before the Consent Agenda; and remove Additional
Motion Modification If Desired under Action Items.
Discussion was heard on the importance of recognizing our citizens with Proclamations
and Presentations during the regular Board meeting; the potential of creating an
unrealistic expectation that every question or concern raised at a meeting would be
follow-up and answered; additional agenda items should only be added if it is an
emergency; and Action Item order of business would include the following: Mayor to
provide a summary of the discussion item, staff report, clarification by Board to staff,
public comment, read ordinance if applicable, motion/second, motion modification,
debate/discuss motion, motion modification, Mayor calls for a vote and vote. Following
the completion of the agenda the Mayor adjourns the meeting. The Board requested
the revised documents be reviewed by the Board before implementation. Trustee
Blackhurst requested the functionality of the document be reviewed in September.
Town Administrator Halburnt questioned if the Board would like staff to continue to
provide a recommendation and recommended motions. Board consensus was to
continue to have staff provide memos with recommendations and motions.
The Residents’ Guide to Estes Park would explain the component parts of the Town
Board meeting for the public and could be placed next to the agendas in the Town
Board room for use by the public. The document could also be used during the
Citizen’s Academy. Board discussion included adding the word “regular” before Board
meetings in the first paragraph; reminder the public can remove a Consent Agenda item
Town Board Study Session – January 25, 2011 – Page 2
and have it discussed as an Action Item; debated the last sentence under reports, and
the Mayor requested the sentence be modified to state reports are not open to public
comment; and reword the previous public comment follow-up by staff as amended in the
Order of Business document.
Guidance for Chairing Meetings explains the Mayor’s responsibilities when running a
meeting. The document will be reordered as discussed previously and all references to
committee replaced with Board of Trustees and replace chair with Mayor.
Background Information on Motions for Boards and Committees provides the Board with
explanations on how and when to use the three basic motions: Basic, Amended and
Substitute.
Tool Box for Meeting Procedures Options is a reference document designed for the
Board’s use during the meeting and would be placed in each Trustees notebook. The
Board discussed the motion to table an item. Attorney White stated an item can be
tabled to a specific date, sent back for additional review by staff, or tabled indefinitely;
however, this would require republishing the item once a specific date was established.
Board consensus was to remove the Point of Order statement, add that a second is
required to table, and that any member of the board can table a motion. The Board
discussed the Motion to Reconsidered and agreed the motion should not have a time
limit or a restriction on who may make the motion.
FINANCE COMMITTEE CREATION.
Trustee Ericson provided an outline of tasks that could be the purview of a proposed
Finance Committee, including Administrative (budgeting process, periodic financial
reporting, employee benefit plan options), Asset Management (short term investments,
long term holdings, Community Reinvestment Fund, capital improvement plan, surplus
levels) and Economic Sustainability (recommend financial goals for the Town,
recommend financial options and other strategies to achieve Town Goals, participate in
development of the Town’s economic development plan). This committee would make
recommendations to the full Board for consideration.
Board discussion followed and has been summarized: the full Board should discuss
many of the items outlined; questioned how the committee would review Town assets;
questioned if the items listed are not the role of staff to provide the Board with
recommendations; the CIP would be more appropriate for the Public Safety, Utilities and
Public Works Committee to discuss; to form an additional committee to review staff
functions and Town goals would not be appropriate; and adding an additional layer that
separates the Board from what the citizens elected the Board to do. Town
Administrator Halburnt stated the Audit Committee could convene when directed by the
Board to address any of the concerns outlined and make recommendations to the full
Board. The Board reached consensus to not form a separate Finance Committee at
this time and to use the Audit Committee when necessary.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS.
Mayor Pinkham stated Kathay Rennels would like to discuss economic sustainability
with the entire Board in February.
Town Administrator Halburnt stated the School Board would like to discuss the
decreasing enrollment and the impact it has on the entire community with the Town
Board at an upcoming study session. Trustee Elrod recommended this meeting include
all Special Districts because it is a community issue. The Board agreed and Town
Administrator Halburnt would discuss the potential joint meeting at the next
Intergovernmental Managers meeting.
There being no further business, Mayor Pinkham adjourned the meeting at 6:40 p.m.
Town Board Study Session – January 25, 2011 – Page 3
Jackie Williamson, Town Clerk