Janet Perry, Central City.  During the Public Forum part of the meeting, Alison Hickok shared her support of Ordinance 16-01, stating that the ordinance would be in the best interest of public health, safety, and the community’s welfare.

The Meeting then turned to New Business. The first Action Item was Ordinance 16-01, which would amend Chapter 8 of the Municipal Code, with regards to the traffic regulation provision of Article IV and Article V regarding miscellaneous regulations.

City Manager Miera told the Council that there has been an increase in the number of commercial vehicles and buses parking in residential areas and other parts of the city. He explained that Staff would like to see loading and unloading restricted to three specific shuttle stops. They would also like to affect where these vehicles park and operate within the city.

Ordinance 16-01 would modify the existing provisions in Articles IV and V of Chapter 8 of the Municipal Code. The Ordinance would authorize the City Manager to use traffic control and other signs to restrict vehicular traffic on certain streets, highways or other roadways when merited, following review by the Council in public meetings. Other restrictions, such as gating devices, barricades, and other traffic control devices may be incorporated as needed. It would not allow for traffic restrictions that prevent a parcel of land to be cut off from an established public road or a private-access easement to be cut off.

C.R.S. 42-4-110 (1) gives authority to the city to regulate and enforce traffic and parking restrictions on the city’s streets and roads. The state also recognizes the need for cities to supplement municipal traffic regulations and authorizes them to implement additional traffic measures.

Miera would place additional signs in areas where buses would be encouraged to load and unload. He is hoping for voluntary compliance by working with bus companies. Staff would also be adding more commercial delivery loading areas to help alleviate the need to park elsewhere.

Alderman Voorhies made the motion to approve the Ordinance, with a second reading and public hearing to be held on Tuesday, May 3rd at 7:00 pm. The approval was unanimous.

Ordinance 16-01 would submit a ballot issue to the November 8th, 2016 election, proposing a tax of 5% on all retail sales of marijuana and retail marijuana products. Central City’s Attorney McAskin gave background for the proposed ordinance. It is estimated that if approved, it would increase the city’s tax revenue by approximately $130,000 during the 2017 fiscal year. If the ordinance passed, it would create a new Article XI of Chapter 4 of the Municipal Code called “Special Retail Marijuana Sales Tax”.

Approval by the Council does not create the ordinance, but simply would place the question on the ballot for voters to decide in the November election. Central City’s Home Rule Charter and Colorado’s Constitutional TABOR law requires voters’ approval of any tax increase or change in tax policy. The motion to approve Ordinance 16-10 was made by Mayor pro-tem Heider, and the motion carried unanimously.

Resolution No. 16-12 would approve the First Addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding regarding Law Enforcement Services with the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office. Miera went over the history of the Council approving the MOU with Resolution 16-11 and its becoming effective March 8th of 2016.  The First Addendum would establish a new hourly rate for the normal or routine law enforcement services performed by Gilpin County officers for the City and gives authority to the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office to use an additional Central City Police Department patrol vehicle while the MOU is in effect. It was set forth in the First Addendum that the hourly rate would increase from $25.00 to $36.07. This is a reflection of Gilpin County’s documented cost of putting a deputy on the street. This includes the officer’s salary, their benefits, uniform, and equipment.

Mayor pro-tem Heider made the motion to approve Resolution No. 16-12 and it passed unanimously.

Resolution No. 16-13 would waive certain application requirements for the City’s 2016 Access Project and would conditionally approve an Access Permit for that project. Attorney McAskin explained that the Resolution would ratify the City Manager’s conditional approval for an access permit for access improvements on the Central City-Casino Parkway. This is specifically aimed to permit and construct two access ramps. The ramps would provide access from the Parkway, near the KOA Campground, as well as to the Parkway at the Virginia Canyon Road on-ramp.

Referred to as the Central City Parkway Access Project, preliminary engineering plans have been completed by the City’s consulting engineer JVA, Inc. The plans are on file with the city.

The 2016 Budget appropriates $230,000 for the City Project. Resolution No. 16-13 would allow the city to commence the project. The city is authorized to waive any application requirements based on the nature of the application. The City Manager has waived the need for a completed application form, payment of application fees and changes, drainage study and drainage plan, street lighting plan and a traffic impact study.

The City also consolidated the preliminary submittal and final submittal review processes.  Other submittal requirements were also waived, including the performance, payment, and completion guarantee and insurance requirements. This is because Central City is self-performing the project.

The City Manager has approved the City Project for an access permit after determining that certain criteria had been met. The application and all supporting documentation are in conformance with the requirements of Article VII of Chapter 8 of the Municipal Code. The proposed access will not adversely affect the Parkway, impede traffic flow or present a safety hazard to other Parkway users.  The proposed access serves the best interest of the City, promoting the health, safety and welfare of its residents.

Section 8-7-90 of the Access Code states that no access to the Parkway shall be permitted unless there is full compliance with the Access Code and approval is granted in writing by the City Manager, through issuance of an access permit, in consultation with the Central City Business Improvement District, and upon ratification by the City Council. The resolution would ratify the City Manager’s conditional approval of the access permit and allow the City to begin the project.

The tentative schedule states that by the end of April the surveying work will be complete.  Dirt work will begin at the beginning of May. Paving operations will begin in mid to late May. By late May through early June, all traffic signage will be completed, including a “DO NOT ENTER” sign, stop signs, and other directional signs. Installation of all guardrails and associated tie-ins would be completed by July, 2016. Alderman Voorhies made the motion to approve Resolution No. 16-13, and without discussion, the motion passed unanimously.

Mayor Engels then presented a Proclamation in acknowledgement of Municipal Clerk’s Week (May 1st through 7th) to City Clerk, Reba Bechtel.

During Reports, Manager Miera spoke about the City Clean-up Day details. Heider would like to have a clean-up, during which residents could have larger items picked up from their homes. Miera discussed the costs that would be associated with that idea and said staff would research it and bring it back to the Council. Miera also mentioned that the Council had already increased the line item by $15,000 in order to cover recycling. He also mentioned that there would be limited staff available for

the Clean-up Day event.

Alderman Aiken questioned the priority with regards to snow removal. Miera explained that some streets were designated as Priority 1 and that those streets were well-cleared.

Mayor Engels then congratulated Manager Miera on being accepted to the Harvard University Kennedy School Executive Education Program. The program is for Senior Executives in State and Local Government and runs from June 6th through June 24th, 2016 in Cambridge, MA.

During Council Comments, Alderman Laratta gave thanks to Public Works for a job well done on the streets which have been kept clean, as well as on the snow removal during the recent storm.

During Public Forum, Barbara Thielemann also thanked Public Works for the new way-finding signs as well as all their hard work with snow removal during the recent storm.

Mary Perry then spoke of her concern regarding possible longer response times, due to changes to the Police Department and calls now going to the Sheriff’s Department. She also mentioned concern over the amount of patrol time in the neighborhoods and casinos. Mayor Engels responded that everyone wants a higher level of service and that the combined services with the Sheriff’s Department would hopefully allow for that to happen.