Patrice LeBlanc, Central City. The Central City council virtual meeting began at 7:10 p.m. on February 16, 2021. In attendance were Mayor Jeremy Fey, Mayor Pro-tem Judy Laratta, Alderman Jeff Aiken, Alderman Jackie Johnson and Alderman Kara Tunicci.

The council approved the Consent Agenda and there were no conflicts of interest. 

The council members approved Resolution 21-07 in a vote of 5-0 confirming the appointments to the Board of Directors of the Belvidere Foundation. The appointees are Peter Droege, Jack Hidahl, Kathy Heider, Patrice LeBlanc, Barbara Thielemann, Eric Chinn, Dr. Charles Smith, Johnathan Morrison and Betty Mahaffey. City Manager, Daniel Miera and Community Development Director, Ray Rears are ex-officio non-voting members. The Belvidere Foundation is a non-profit corporation formed to assist in the restoration, preservation, administration, programming and operation of the Belvidere Theater owned by the City of Central.

Resolution 21-08 amends to Comprehensive Fee Schedule. Fees for hauling and required conveyance inspections were previously $50. The revision would lower the number of inspections and would allow the City to retain a portion of the fees collected which previously had not been the case. Mike Theisen of Charles Abbott Associates, Inc. created a fee chart and explained the revision is a win-win situation for the City and owners. The Resolution was approved 5-0. 

Staff updates: City Manager, Daniel Miera informed the council about the status of the Historic Preservation Audit done by the State. The last audit was in 2017 and the State is considering not doing any further audits unless there is reason for inappropriate use of Historical funds. Miera also reported the 5-Star program for Covid-19 regulations remains the same. There have been no new applications since the previous 15 applications were approved. Community Director, Ray Rears reported a public notice is on the City website for the Belvidere Pocket Park RFP. A grant was given to improve the park and a contractor is needed for the work. The park is located between City Hall and the Belvidere Theater. 

Council comments: Alderman Laratta stated she will be vaccinated by the next council meeting and is looking forward to being in-person instead of through Zoom. Alderman Aiken thanked the people who joined in the meeting. Alderman Johnson thought the county is doing a good job getting the vaccines distributed. Sheriff Armstrong reported the county has three new Corona cases, however, 947 residents have been vaccinated with their first shot and 401 have received their second shot. Mayor Fey commented the speed monitor on Eureka Street is not effective and recommended putting the monitor closer to the Art Gallery. Fey also said things felt a little more normal with the recent opening of table games at the casinos and the JKQ opening for dinner. 

Public comment: Bill Porter said the casinos had a rough year according to the report for the Colorado Department of Revenue, however, Central City casinos fared better than other gambling towns. Joe Bohm thanked the council for their support and stated the casinos were grateful for the financial relief from the City during the shut down in 2020. This allowed residents to stay employed until the casinos could reopen. 

The meeting adjourned at 7:53 p.m. The next virtual meeting will be held on March 2, 2021, at 7 p.m. The information and link can be found on the Central City website. 

(Originally published in the February 25, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)