The Nederland Board of Trustees (BOT) met on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 7 p.m. to finalize the 2023 town budget. Trustees also discussed the issue of how to fill another vacant seat made recently on the Board.

The BOT began their scheduled meeting by voting for approval of their Consent Agenda, which covered a lease of office space in the Nederland Community Center to be utilized by the local coordinator for the Board of County Commissioners to meet with clients.

Also within their Consent Agenda the BOT approved a contract with Bohannan Huston for the completion of a Housing Needs Assessment, which is itself a prerequisite for the town to be eligible for the Housing Development Incentive Grant Program.

Nederland has applied for and received funding from the Department of Local Affairs Housing Planning Program Grant to go towards the cost of the necessary housing study. Town staff released the request for housing study proposals in October of 2022, to which Huston replied. Completing the Housing Needs Assessment brings the town one step closer to planning and developing affordable housing.

The BOT additionally approved within their Consent Agenda a contract with High Country Pipe and Utility for the necessary cleaning of Nederland’s sewer system. The town reviewed several proposals and High Country Pipe and Utility was selected by Nederland’s Utilities department as the ideal choice.

The proposal from High Country Pipe and Utility covers the jetting, vacuuming, and inspection of 38,000 linear feet of eight to ten inch sewer pipe, with a total cost of $64,980.

Nathan Skalak from the engineering firm JVA and Nederland Streets Supervisor Emmett Pelletier presented updates to Section 5 of the Town’s Master Infrastructure Plan (MIP). Section 5 of the plan dictated stormwater quality, drainage, and roadways, and the updates to Section 5 will include a prioritized list of projects along with an anticipated date of completion for each project.

On November 15, 2022 Skalak and Pelletier met with the BOT and discussed priority projects like the fixing of roadway and drainage issues on Navajo Trail, in Old Town, and in the Big Springs neighborhood. Mayor Billy Giblin addressed Skalak and Pelletier in an email after the November 15 meeting with concerns about unnecessary road paving, mainly in regards to the prospective cost both financially and environmentally.

On December 6, 2022 Skalak and Pelletier presented an updated MIP with the list of locations set for paving updated to include comparative options of paving material, such as asphalt, concrete, and gravel, with listed advantages and disadvantages of each. The MIP stated that areas of Old Town, Downtown, and the Nederland Community Center would benefit from a permeable paver system, as would Big Springs Drive.

Town Administrator Miranda Fisher took a moment from the meeting to recognize and thank Streets Supervisor Pelletier for his more than six years of work with the Town of Nederland. Pelletier has recently accepted a position with Boulder County and has submitted his resignation.

The BOT were tasked with giving their final review of the 2023 Town Budget and with voting to approve resolutions to adopt the official budget, set the 2023 mill levies, and set the fees, rates, and charges for the various town licenses, permits, and services.

Trustees also had to vote for the approval of Resolution 2022-58, which dictates over the allocation of Lodging Occupation Tax revenue. The resolution states that 99% of the revenue would be allocated to the Health and Human Services Fund with 1% remaining in the General Fund to be allocated to law enforcement services.

Town Treasurer Rita Six detailed to the BOT what has changed in the 2023 budget since their last discussion on the topic on November 29. There was a property tax revenue decrease in the amount of $4,381 which only affected the General Fund. Also the NDDA increased their 2023 PIF projects funding by $120,000, which is a carry-over amount from the Big Springs parking project which will not be completed in 2022.

Trustees had no more questions on the 2023 budget and voted to approve all resolutions. Fisher noted to the BOT that the 2023 budget is the “toughest” budget that town staff has had to complete, and gave thanks to Six and town staff department heads for all their hard work.

Town Attorney Jennifer Madsen presented to the BOT their next Action Item regarding whether the town should opt in or out of the state-run Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program. The program provides up to 12 weeks of job-protected paid leave for employees funded through payroll premiums of 0.45% each paid by both the employee and employer.

On November 1, the BOT discussed the arguments for opting out, such as employees not wanting to pay the premium due to other benefits provided by employers already covering their needs. Madsen stated that the state-run program is new and therefore slow to properly administer what the program promises. Madsen also suggested at that November 1 meeting to revisit the question of opting in or out during the next town budget cycle.

Town staff were given the opportunity to speak to this issue on Tuesday, December 6, though the majority of their responses prior to the meeting were generally in favor of opting out. Employees may still decide to individually opt in to the FAMLI program regardless of the Board’s decision, and the town vows to support their employees no matter how they file.

The BOT voted to opt out from the FAMLI program though directed town staff to draft policy language stating that the town will provide employees with administrative assistant should they decide to individually opt in.

Town Administrator Miranda Fisher presented to the BOT the matter of a recent vacancy on the Board due to Trustee Karen Blakemore’s resignation on December 3. Trustees have until February 3, 2023, to decide if they desire to fill the vacancy by appointment or by special election. The person either elected or appointed will serve as Trustee until the next scheduled regular election in April of 2024.

Though most Trustees preferred public elections to appointment, due to a special election taking more than ninety days to coordinate, the BOT voted 5 - 1 to approve the motion to fill the vacant Trustee seat by appointment. The Town of Nederland will open the application process by Friday, December 9. The application process will take three weeks, with Trustees hoping to have a seventh member on the Board by their first meeting in January.

On July 19, CU Boulder graduate students Sarah Jensen, Ellie Prain, and Kirin Riddell addressed the BOT about their research study, in collaboration with the Boulder Watershed Collective, to update our Community Wildfire Protection Plan. The aim of their research study was to identify the actions needed to turn Nederland into a wildfire resilient community.

The CU graduate students are in the Masters of the Environment program and, with a focus on community engagement, conducted semi-structured hour-and-a-half long interviews with members of the community. On December 6 Jensen, Prain, and Riddell provided the BOT an update on their research study with data gathered from their interviews.

The graduate students conducted 38 interviews with “community members” and “decision makers” in Nederland, as well as three workshops, including a workshop with Teens Inc. and the Youth Advisory Board. They also spoke with representatives for underrepresented populations, including the homeless.

The interviews were centered on three questions pertaining to defining wildfire resilience, converting that definition into proper action, and on the salient factors involved, such as home mitigation and collective community action.

Though the students’ report has not yet been completed, data from their interviews show where areas of discussion concerning definition and action (in reference to wildfire resilience) intersect between community members and decision makers. The outcome from this collected data points to items where proper action on wildfire resilience can be taken, in both a governmental and societal context. Such action items include the sharing of information, bolstering of community involvement, drafted and practiced evacuation plans, and access to resources and assistance.

The BOT thanked Jensen, Prain, and Riddell for their hard work and effort on such a meaningful and important task. Trustees noted that they are looking forward to seeing the finished report.

The Nederland Board of Trustees meet on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Their next scheduled meeting is on Tuesday, December 20, at 7 p.m. and can now be attended either online or in person at the Nederland Community Center. For more information go to: https://townofnederland.colorado.gov/ board-of-trustees