CENTRAL CITY - The Central City Council met on December 2. The agenda bounced around among budgets, old development issues, and a surprisingly long talk about a single brick trash enclosure sitting off Gregory Street. It was one of those meetings where one small thing ends up taking the most time.

Mayor Jeremy Fey opened the meeting with all members present. A few small tweaks were made to the agenda. Then the council decided to pull an item off the consent list so they could actually talk through it rather than let it slide by.

Trash enclosure debate

The first topic was a revocable encroachment agreement for a brick trash enclosure put in earlier this summer by Latham Family Holdings. 

The box sits partly in the Gregory Street right-of-way. Community Development Director Jeff Noffsinger told Council that the city had already approved it through a permit he and Public Works Director Marc Johns issued when they were trying to solve a trash situation that had come up late in the process.

When Fey asked for a motion, nobody said anything. After an awkward silence, he made the motion himself just to get things moving.

Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Spencer seconded it, but only so the group could discuss it. He made a point of saying that didn’t mean he liked the idea. 

He mentioned that some dumpsters around town “look awful,” and maybe the city needed to sort out the larger problem instead of dealing with it one spot at a time.

Councilmember Zane Plsek wasn’t thrilled either. He said it felt like another case where someone did something first and then expected the City to go along with it. In his words, it sends a message that people could “go do whatever the hell you want to do” and clean it up later.

Noffsinger pushed back gently. He said the property owner did ask first, and staff gave permission. He also explained that many older buildings were never designed for modern trash setups, so staff had to come up with something that worked without derailing the project.

City Manager Daniel Miera added that Central has tried hard to keep things business-friendly. His view was that staff looked for a practical answer instead of letting the project stall. The trash question showed up near the end, he said, and the goal was simply to keep the momentum going.

Fey stepped in as well and said the building involved had been rescued from near collapse. He thought the enclosure “looks decent” and thanked staff for sticking with it. 

At the same time, he said, “I don’t think we should have exposed dumpsters all through town,” and pointed out that several businesses in the historic district aren’t meeting the City’s enclosure requirements. He said the city needed to enforce those rules fairly.

In the end, everyone agreed the bigger issue was consistency. City code requires dumpsters in the historic district be enclosed, and not everybody is following that rule. This one project ended up shining a light on that.

The resolution passed 4–1, with Plsek voting no.

Casino transportation fee increases

Council voted to raise the annual transportation device fee from $175 to $190. The money goes toward the shuttle service Central shares with Black Hawk. Everyone approved it.

Fey reminded casinos they can contest the fee by June 30 if they think it no longer benefits them.

Comprehensive fee schedule updated

Council also approved the 2026 comprehensive fee schedule. The longest part of this discussion involved digital payment fees. 

The City will no longer cover credit card and EFT processing costs. Noffsinger said the City doesn’t make money on these fees but needs to be transparent about them. Water and impact fees rose as they do each year.

BID budget adopted

The 2026 Business Improvement District budget passed easily. The BID board had already signed off on it in November.

Gregory Gulch resort hearings continued, again

Two items tied to the Gregory Gulch Gaming Resort—the Preliminary Development Plan and a rezoning ordinance—were pushed to December 16 at the developer’s request. 

Noffsinger said the delay mostly involves the pending sale of a small Maverick parcel that has been stuck in bankruptcy proceedings. The Planning Commission is scheduled to review everything on December 9. Staff expects to bring it to Council immediately after that.

Fey said he had recently spoken with Anthony Marnell III, who confirmed that the Marnell group is now the owner of the Grand Z property and is going through the state gaming licensing steps.

Staff reports: streetlights, snow, and tourism support

The Public Works report focused heavily on the ongoing lighting failures along Central City Parkway. Johns described overheated wires, melted insulation, and another underground short that showed up recently. 

Crews shut down sections to reduce fire risk. Repairs are planned for next year, and the City hopes to rework the circuits so a single outage won't shut down the entire roadway’s lights again.

Noffsinger also announced that Central will receive 100 hours of technical help through the Colorado Destination Development mentorship program. The state picked the town as a “good fit,” and the assistance will go toward tourism and marketing efforts.

Staff reminded residents to shovel sidewalks within six hours after snowfall. Several property owners have already received polite notices.

Council comments

Though he did not know her personally, Plsek offered condolences for the passing of Black Hawk Alderwoman Linda Armbright. 

He also encouraged local nonprofits to join Colorado Gives Day and said he was surprised that “the only nonprofit in Gilpin County” listed this year was Central City Opera. He encouraged the other nonprofits in Central to join that list in an effort to raise funds for themselves. 

Spencer and Fey reminded people that Tommyknockers' Christmas is coming up. The tree lighting will be on Friday, December 5 at 6:30 p.m. at Spring and Main. Opera carolers will walk everyone to the Teller House for a potluck afterward.

Fey ended the meeting with a few personal thoughts. He said he holds no resentment toward anyone he works with and is grateful heading into the holiday season. “I feel blessed to be here,” he said. After comments, Fey and Spencer embraced for a quick hug, easing recent tensions between them.

Council then moved into executive session for the City Manager’s annual review.

The next regular meeting of the Central City Council will be on December 16 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.