John Scarffe, Black Hawk.  The Black Hawk City Council approved an ordinance levying general property taxes during a regular meeting at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12, 2018, at 211 Church Street. The Council also approved an amendment to parking fees and a variety of agreements for transit, fire station renovation, purchase of electric extrication tools, safety inspection services and marketing.

Finance Director Lance Hillis introduced an ordinance levying general property taxes for the year 2018 to help defray the costs of government for the 2019 budget year and repealing ordinance 2018-26. Hillis said the title pretty much explains itself. It is an update with the final assessment going down $230,000, a $92 difference.

The ordinance sets the City’s property tax mill levy at .036 mills for 2018, to be collected in 2019. It also repeals the 2018 Mill Levy Ordinance adopted on Nov. 14, 2018.

The amount of money necessary to balance the budget for general operating purposes from property tax revenue is $8,842, according to the ordinance. The 2018 valuation for assessment for the City is $245,599,268.

The Council approved the ordinance and approved an ordinance amending the Black Hawk Municipal Code regarding penalties for parking violations. City Attorney Corey Hoffmann said the purpose is to increase penalties for violations of more than time allowed at the Carriage House Garage.

The amendment is in support of the St. Charles Parking Garage and Carriage House fines by use of the new License Plate Reading (LPR) system, which tracks the amount of time a vehicle is parked in the structure. Parking will be free for up to five hours within a 24-hour period with a $20 per hour fine.

License plate readers and cameras will be used in this facility and fines billed automatically. Abandoned vehicles and vehicles with illegal license plates will be towed at the vehicle owner’s expense.

Alderman Hal Midcap asked it that is too steep. Mayor David Spellman asked how many other places do you get five hours free. It’s a deterrent for employees to park there. Alderman Paul Bennett said once they get a $20 fine, maybe they will watch it better.

Matt Reed with Public Works introduced a resolution approving amendment number one to the design-build contract executed on August 23, 2018, between the City and Symmetry Builders, Inc., establishing the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) of $449,384 for construction services pertaining to the fire station restroom renovation project.

City Council approved the Design-Build contract with Symmetry Builders, Inc., to complete design services for the Fire Station Restroom Renovation project on August 22, 2018. While this Design-Build contract authorized Symmetry Builders to proceed with design and cost estimating, Council was made aware that an amendment to accept the GMP for construction would be forthcoming, according to the request for Council action.

The GMP is hereby established at $449,384, which includes construction costs for the restroom renovations in the Fire Station, as well as construction of a kitchenette in the Fire Administration office suite. The GMP also includes design costs that were previously approved by Council.

Construction plans are complete, and Symmetry Builders and their sub-contractors are ready to begin construction Monday after this GMP Amendment is approved, Reed said. The amount went down from the first estimate of $500,000, and then it was $470,000.

Spellman said that it is a far better project than what was originally imagined. This makes a much more efficient project, and the Council approved the GMP.

Fire Chief Christopher Wooley requested the purchase of electric extrication tools to improve fire department efficiency and increase safety of firefighters during vehicle extrication incidents, in the amount of $57,245.00, and the replacement of aging hydraulic power units in the amount of $7,368.67, totaling: $64,613.67.

Midcap said: “I think this is great. You guys are on top of this, and we appreciate everything you do.” The Council approved the purchase.

Public Works Director Thomas Isbestor introduced a resolution approving the third addendum to the agreement for transit related services for the Black Hawk & Central City Tramway for 2019 between MV Transportation, Inc., and Black Hawk. He said with the shortage of bus drivers, they are lucky to keep MV Transportation on board with a zero percent increase.

Black Hawk and the City of Central have agreed to continue the combined service of the Black Hawk & Central City Tramway for another year, according to the request. The shuttle bus will continue to circulate through both Cities on a specific route with specific stops.

The route takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, according to the request. A single bus will continue to operate Monday through Thursday, and two buses will continue to operate Friday through Sunday and holidays.

The City did receive a grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to help defray the costs for operations for 2019 that council approved at the November 14 Council meeting. The Aldermen approved the resolution.

Isbestor said that anybody getting grants has to participate in a Group Transit Asset Management Plan. Black Hawk will be joining in with CDOT, which is managing the plan, and they will be getting an operation grant for next year.

To participate in Transit related grant opportunities that the FTA provides and funnels through CDOT Division of Transit and Rail, entities must participate in a transit asset management plan. Larger entities provide their own, while smaller entities rely on CDOTDTR to coordinate the group.

This adopts the plan and allows Black Hawk to continue to utilize the 5311 operating grant which was executed in November and allows the City to apply for a grant for a new bus, which staff is currently working on for 2019, according to the request. The Council approved the plan.

Hoffmann introduced a resolution approving the fourth amendment to the subdivision/site improvement agreement between the City of Black Hawk and JIJE, LLC. The City and JIJE, LLC previously entered into a Subdivision/Site Improvement Agreement dated December 13, 2017, pertaining to Canyon Black Hawk Subdivision, Filing No. 1.

JIJE, LLC, has amended the original agreement on three prior occasions. The First Amendment is dated January 24, 2018. The Second Amendment is dated February 14, 2018, and the Third Amendment is dated August 22, 2018. The City and JIJE, LLC have agreed to further amend the original agreement, as amended, to reflect the change in the deadline for the completion of the Clear Creek Channel Rehabilitation for the substantial completion of the Clear Creek Channel Rehabilitation Work from September 30, 2018 to November 30, 2018.

Community Planning and Development Administrator Cindy Linker introduced a resolution approving an on-call professional services agreement with SAFEbuilt Colorado. LLC Community Planning and Development uses professional services to supplement City staff time, complement City staff expertise, provide an independent perspective, ensure credibility and serve as a technical advisor to the department.

This is a budgeted item and completed according to the Scope of Work and Schedule of Charges. Effective dates for this agreement are January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2019. The Council approved the resolution.

City Clerk Melissa Greiner introduced a resolution approving the first addendum to a personal services agreement with M & C Communications. The City first contracted with M & C Communications for assistance with its public relations needs in 2017.

M & C is to complete a City of Black Hawk crisis PR plan and conduct in-house crisis mitigation training in 2019 for a fee increase of $500 per month for 2019 and $250 per month for social media monitoring. Greiner said they want to do an additional media monitoring contract for an additional $700 a month.

The company also will do emergency preparedness for staff and will have templates for an emergency. The Council approved the resolution.

The next meeting of the Black Hawk City Council will be at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, January 9, 2019, at 211 Church Street.

(Originally published in the December 27, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)