BLACK HAWK — Mayor David Spellman opened the February 25 City Council meeting by criticizing the Gilpin County commissioners for not reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of their meetings.

Commander Tory Jantz, recently appointed acting police chief, poses for a photo inside City Hall on February 25.

Photos by Mindy Leary

“I found out some information on a couple of issues, and what I’m going to address now, that I think is shocking at this point,” Spellman said. “I’d say it’s even really disgraceful that county commissioners refuse to open their meeting by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.”

Spellman said he checked how other local governments begin their meetings.

“Central City does. The school board does. Idaho Springs does. Georgetown does,” he said. “One city that doesn’t, or one town that doesn’t, is Nederland. So, you can infer from that what you want, but the commissioners are not reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and the town of Nederland.”

He said he was surprised to learn the commissioners do not open with the pledge.

“I honestly did not realize that they did not open their meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance, and like I said, I’m shocked that they don’t,” Spellman said.

He then tied his comments to the city's upcoming sesquicentennial (150 years) and the nation's semiquincentennial.

“I would think that during this semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of our country, that maybe they can at least muster enough pride to at least, for this year, recite the Pledge of Allegiance as they open their meetings,” he said.

Spellman later returned to the commissioners during his mayoral comments, this time over a possible countywide sales tax.

“It surfaced that perhaps the County was going to be looking at a countywide sales tax again,” he said.

Spellman said he and City staff met earlier in the week with school district leaders, who confirmed discussions about the tax. The 1.5% sales tax generates about $1.5 million annually for the Gilpin County RE-1 School District, according to Spellman. Under the intergovernmental agreement approved by Black Hawk voters, the tax would automatically end if a countywide sales tax were adopted.

“It is self-executing,” Spellman said. “The question we had to our voters in Black Hawk and the language in the IGA makes it explicitly clear that it will no longer be collected, no longer be remitted to the school, if there is a countywide sales tax.”

He wants the issue addressed publicly before the commissioners possibly discuss it at their March 17 work session.

“I think it needs to be out there before they even start to have this conversation in March that it will, if they continue down the road in no uncertain terms, it will harm the school, and Black Hawk will not be remitting any sales tax to the school at that point,” Spellman said.

“I really think that the commissioners need to be known as 'school wreckers' if they pursue this, because it will decimate the Gilpin County RE-1 school,” he sharply added.

Other business

Later in the meeting, the council approved Resolution 12-2026 appointing Commander Tory Jantz as the City’s alternate member to the Gilpin Ambulance Authority board, filling the vacancy created by Chief Michelle Moriarty’s retirement.

City Manager Stephen Cole also announced he has appointed Jantz as acting police chief, effective immediately, following Moriarty’s leave. Jantz will serve in that role until a new chief is selected.

The council then moved into executive session for legal advice related to the City’s education enhancement tax before adjourning.

The Black Hawk City Council will meet next 3 p.m. on March 11 at City Hall, 211 Church Street, Black Hawk.