TOWN OF DE BEQUE BOARD OF TRUSTEES PUBLIC MEETING JUNE 25, 2024 The regular meeting ofthe Board of Trustees was held on June 25, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Center, 381 Minter Avenue, De Beque, Colorado. Present were the following: Mayor: Shanelle Hansen Trustees: Cindy Farris, Walter Wood, Sarah Hambrick, Lisa Lippoldt, and Vernon Bruse Absent: Staff] Present: Town Manager Care' McInnis, Town Clerk Lisa Rogers, and Deputy Jeff Meyer Also Present: Dawn Palmer, Ethan Shaw, Boone Savoca, Diane Sandelin, Kathy Latham, Judy Lake, Max Marx, Kyle Dunfee, Sam Giffin, and Dan Savoca. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. by Mayor Shanelle Hansen. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. ROLL CALL: Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present. ADDITIONS, DELETIONS, OR CORRECTIONS TO THE AGENDA: Ms. McInnis asked to move Fire District item in order to get attorneys in and out. ITEMS FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATING IN CONFERENCE - NOT ON THE AGENDA: Boone Savoca, 320 W 7th Street, presented/read a statement protesting the mosquito spraying. He stated the Town' sjob is to make the Town safe not fog the Town with chemicals. He stated that last year in Mesa County there were 18 cases of West Nile out of 155,000 residents. Mr. Savoca discussed the toxic effects ofthe chemicals used in the' Town's mosquito spraying process. He implored the Town "to stop polluting our town Town with chemicals, wasting our hard-earned money, and dismissing those in town who are opposed to the use oftoxic chemicals in and around our homes." Judy Lake, 899 Denver Avenue, stated that around 2018 the Town did a survey. Over 200 residents wanted to keep the spraying going. She also stated that it does help with the extreme number of mosquitoes. Kyle Dunfee, 464 Stewart Avenue, stated that he would prefer to not have the spraying. He stated that his property had been sprayed even though he requested it not be. He stated that he can't have a garden and must shut his windows due to the spraying. Mr. Dunfee stated that he should not have to deal with this and should be able to have clean air. TOWN OF DE BEQUE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING JUNE 25, 2024 PAGE: 2 Kathy Latham, 716 Curtis Avenue, stated she knows what it's like both with and without the spraying. She states that she brings her dogs in and shuts off her air conditioning when the spraying is happening. She stated that one year there were seven residents with West Nile. She understood that there were both pros and cons. Ms. Latham stated that she would continue to spray her yard ifthe Town did not. She also stated that the Town does not start early enough in the year. Dawn Palmer, Kush Gardens, stated that she did not have a position on spraying or not, but thought that the Town could be more proactive with the mosquito process. She stated that the Town needed to enforce residents to clean properties up and not have standing water. Ethan Shaw, 1918 45 % Road, stated that his property does not get spray. He stated ifi it did, his business would fail marijuana testing. He stated that it is not safe for pets/bees. Mr. Shaw stated that the bug problem is a big problem. He stated he would like to see a more holistic approach. Maybe by spraying earlier and eliminating standing water, there could be less spraying. BOARD COMMENTS: Ms. McInnis asked ift the Mayor would like a presentation on the mosquito spraying pros and cons in July. Mayor Hansen agreed. Trustee Wood asked Mr. Dunfee ifhe had tried citronella and lemongrass to help prevent mosquitos.. TOWN MANAGER REPORT: On June 27h, there will be a workshop with a presentation on the use ofTown Parcels. There are constituents with an interest in using town-owned properties for the development of bike trails. Whatever use the Board decides, the Board needs to make sure that it is consisent with the upcoming comp plan and future development. There will also be a special meeting at 5:30 right before the Town Parcels workshop. It willl be a quick meeting to discuss the procurement process for the award of the broadband construction project. There has already been the award of a $50,000 design and engineering grant. NeuComm has contracts down I-70 and elsewhere. There is already a relationship with Region 10. It is a big contract between $900,000 to $1,000,000. On June 29th at 3:00 p.m. will be the grand opening ofthe Mesa County Community Center. The Town's inspection for the Certificate of Occupancy was supposed to take place last week but has been extended to this week. The Town' s 4th of July celebration will begin after the grand opening oft the Community Center. Parade staging will begin at 4:00 p.m. On July 18th, there will be a Board of Trustees workshop regarding additional employee benefits. Excise taxes are down $100,000 from last year at this time. The Town budgeted for a decrease in excise tax revenues, but they are down more than anticipated (22%). The Town is hoping there may be some use tax collected from the TAj project and the possible remodel ofthe Maverik. Ms. McInnis stated that she would like to see the sale of assets as were budgeted. Hopefully, some of the inventory of cars will be sold soon. It would bring in revenue and decrease the insurance premiums. TOWN OF DE BEQUE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING JUNE: 25, 2024 PAGE: 3 The collection of utility accounts is much improved. Residents are getting used to the timeframes. Overall operations revenues are down 9% from the conservative budget. Grants are looking good. There are ten million dollars in grants with an approximate general fund of three million dollars. Ifwe had to spend the general fund on infrastructure, De Beque would be seven million dollars in the hole. Now it is time to get to work on the funded projects. To date, there have been no applicants for Municipal Prosecutor and no letters ofi interest for the vacancy on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Ms. McInnis met with Mesa County this moring regarding collaboration on staffing the Mesa County Community Center and funding that staffing (both hard and soft costs). Iti is a work in progress. Before staff brings this to the Board, the County and Town outcomes need to be mutually beneficial. There is a three-article series scheduled in the Daily Sentinel regarding Marshal coverage. There is a solution in sight for Collbran with coverage from the Mesa County's Sheriff's Office. However, De Beque did not agree to cover when the sheriff's office is not available. Also, De Beque has a population ofover 400: residents. There was supposed to be an article on Sunday regarding Mesa County rural deputies that put in miles roaming the 3,000 square miles oft the county. On Wednesday, there is supposed to be an article regarding with fewer than 400 (sic) residents, De Beque has a six-person police force. Ms. McInnis will update the Board after these articles come out. Staff is working on an updated zoning map- cleaning up any discrepancies. The Board will see it on a future agenda. Buds Ltd. withdrew their application to renew their cultivation license. Ms. McInnis stated that staff hopes to meet with every Trustee in September to discuss the budget. Staffhope to present the preliminary budget in September and approve the final budget in November. There have been two claims and an inquiry from the State. The Town defended and prevailed on the two claims sO far. The Town is responding to the inquiry. There will be a new employee for the vacant position Maintenance Worker II for Public Works. His name is Dillon Bumgardner, and he will be starting July gth. Ms. McInnis stated that the recent Xcel outages have had significant impact on the Town. It burned up sewer pumps. We had the parts but must order more for replacement stock. This is a hit to the sewer fund budget. The outage also knocked our irrigation pump in the river out of service. New parts need to be ordered ASAP. The cost is $8500. Iti is a significant hit to the irrigation fund. Ms. McInnis stated that staff may need to bring a supplemental budget to the Board due toi these unanticipated expenses. First things first though, staff need to get the sewer pumps running and get irrigation water to the residents. Fortunately, we. have a plan B with Roan Creek. Ms. McInnis has met with the Water Commissioner throughout all ofthis. Laramie is going to run the Kobe pump for the month ofJuly and the call will likely go out on August 1st. Ms. McInnis stated that it is not the Town's responsibility to enforce or police water rights on Roan Creek. There is an owners list in the packet. TOWN OF DE BEQUE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING JUNE 25, 2024 PAGE 4 The residents are responsible for maintaining their own irrigation system. The Town does not flush private lines; we flush our own. Ms. McInnis stated that we are sending all the water that we can into the Town'si irrigation system. The Town has not cut off anyone's rights on Roan Creek and we have not made a call on the ditch. Those residents who have a pump will have more pressure than those without one. If anyone has questions, please send the inquiries to Town Hall. Ms. McInnis updated on the sign grants. There are two that are not complete. She stated that staff has worked tirelessly with OEDIT to accommodate the grants. Roan Creek Bikes sign was lost and is being rebuilt. The Country Store had an engineering hold-up and the original vendor moved out of state. The grand funds we anticipate paying have increased from $10,590 to $14,490. That is $11,170 for the new contractor and $3320 for engineering. The excess will come out of administration. The Town received an AGNC grant for the new scoreboard at the Mesa County Community Center. Pictures are in the packet. The Town was awarded another AGNC grant ($10,200) to partially fence/screen the recycling bins. Thw Town was also awarded $100,000 in matching grant money to complete a comp plan. Now the Town needs to put out an RFP. CONSENT AGENDA: a. Approval of Minutes: May 28, 2024. b. Bills and Expenditures: May 2024. C. Discussion and action regarding Resolution 2024-18: A resolution appointing John Evan Giffin to the Board of Trustees to fill a vacant seat.. d. Discussion and action regarding Resolution 2024-19: A resolution approving and authorizing the Mayor to sign an intergovernmental agreement between the Town and De Beque School District 49-JT providng for cost sharing for a school resource officer for the 2024-2025 school year. Discussion Before Motioning on the Consent Agenda: Mayor Hansen asked ifa anyone had any questions or comments on the Consent Agenda items. There were none. Motion: Trustee Hambrick motioned to approve all items on the consent agenda. Trustee Wood seconded the motion. Motion carried 6-0. Trustee Giffin was sworn in by Mayor Hansen. TOWN OF DE BEQUE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING JUNE 25, 2024 PAGE 5 REGULAR AGENDA: NEW BUSINESS: Remaining bills and expenditures: Expenditures related to the Country Store Motion: Trustee Hambrick motioned to approve expenditures related to the Country Store, Trustee Lippoldt seconded the motion. Mayor Hansen abstained. Motion carried 6-0 with 1 abstaining. Discussion and possible action regarding proposed mural styles: Ethan Shaw spoke on behalf of Roan Creek Bike Works regarding the donation of a mural to the Town. They are requesting use of the Community Center wall on 4th Street as the location of the mural. Mr. Shaw provided pictures as to what the wall may look like. He stated it would have a neutral look with no bright colors. Mr. Shaw stated that they have not sought an artist yet, but would like to get the Town's approval first. Trustee Wood asked ifit could be extended to include the whole side ofthe building. Mr. Shaw stated that they would look into what the cost difference may be. Mayor Hansen thanked Mr. Shaw and asked the Board if everyone was in agreement to move forward. The Board was in agreement. Discussion and action regarding the First Amendment to Annexation Agreement between the Town ofl De Beque and the De Beque Fire Protection District: Ms. McInnis explained that the agreement gives the De Beque Fire District three years to hook onto the sewer. The Town would offer letters of support to help obtain grants for funding and also encourage the Fire District to work with PineWest Development. Mayor Hansen asked if there were any questions. There were none. Motion: Trustee Lippoldt motioned to approve the First Agreement to Annexation Agreement between the Town ofDe Beque and the De Beque Fire Protection District. Trustee Hambrick seconded the motion. Trustee Farris abstained. Motion carried 6-0 with 1 abstaining. Trustee Wood inquired about the statue at Gazebo Park. Mayor Hansen stated that she had not found anyone to ask about it. Kathy Latham suggested talking to Coe Latham, Red Berry, or Rollie Anderson as they may know. Trustee Wood suggested using a wax to put a gloss coat on it. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Hansen asked ifthere was a motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion: Trustee Hambrick motioned to adjourn the meeting. Trustee Lippoldt seconded the motion. TOWN OF DE BEQUE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING JUNE: 25, 2024 PAGE 6 Meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Approved by the Board of Trustees Sbiou m Bogm ta Lisa M. Rogers, Town Clerk Shanelle Hansen, Mayor JI SEAL - - COLORADO