The Central City Council meeting was called to order by Mayor Jeremy Fey on September 7, 2021 at 7:05 p.m. City clerk Reba Bechtel announced roll call. In attendance were Mayor Jeremy Fey, Mayor Pro-Tem Judy Laratta, Alderman Jeff Aiken, and Alderman Kara Tinucci. Also in attendance were City Manager Daniel Miera and City Attorney Marcus McAskin. After the Pledge of Allegiance, the Consent Agenda was approved.

There was one item of New Business. A motion was made for Resolution No. 21-25, calling for a Special Mail Ballot Election to be held on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, to elect a successor to serve the remaining unexpired term of the council seat vacated by Jackie Johnson. City Clerk Reba Bechtel will officiate the election by appointing election judges, supervising the distribution, handling, and counting of ballots, and the survey of returns.

The Council was unable to come to a decision at the last meeting on August 17 to approve a new Council member. They chose to move forward with a special election which is open to any resident of Central City. Mayor Fey asked Bechtel if the election could be any sooner than January 2022. Bechtel informed Mayor Fey that the scheduling of the election follows the City Charter. The Council voted on the Resolution and it was approved unanimously.

In staff updates, City Manager Daniel Miera reported that the City has ongoing work with the Gaming Commission. The City Works Department has been busy with street striping and is on budget. The Stairway to Heaven project submitted an application for a grant but was denied in the first round. They will reapply in the second round for funding.

In Council comments, Alderman Aiken commented about the state of the flowers the City had been maintaining throughout the summer. He observed they had died in the last four days. He also observed the Labor Day weekend had been good for business. He asked about the number of recent Covid outbreaks.

Fire Chief Allen reported there had been ten cases of Covid reported in Gilpin County in the last seven days. Alderman Tinucci thanked the Public Works Department and the Community Development Department for their work in two successful festivals in August.

Mayor Pro-Tem Laratta read from a statement she had prepared: a week before the August 17 City Council meeting, Mayor Fey had asked her for a meeting about the upcoming vote on candidates. They did not agree on which candidate to vote for, but Laratta assured him it was nothing personal. She later found out that Mayor Fey had secretly recorded the meeting. Even though he did nothing illegal, she felt his actions were deceptive and dishonorable and that she could no longer trust the Mayor.

She asked if this is how he wants the city to run. Mayor Fey responded that in the future he will question his ethics on his actions. He asked Laratta for forgiveness of his transgressions, customary during the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) occurring at the present time.

In Public Comment, Deb Wray addressed the Council as a concerned citizen regarding their conduct during the August 17 meeting. She felt uncomfortable about the interaction with Council and City Staff and was disappointed with the delay of appointing a new member.

She thought one of the candidates was treated with very little respect and suggested a written policy in the future to get to know the candidates better. Caleb Littlebear spoke next and agreed with Wray about the leadership of the city.

Todd Williams used the Public Comment forum to express concern over the future of Central City. Williams would like to see more development in the city.

The Council went into Executive Session at 7:27 p.m.

The next meeting will be held on September 21, 2021 at City Hall, 141 Nevada St. or online. Information can be found on the City website: centralcity. colorado.gov/meetings.