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Council of Neighbors and Organizations
October 7, 2008
-MINUTES-
Welcome
President Francine Hansen opened the meeting at approximately 7:05 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests.
Circulation of Sign-In Sheets
Sign-in sheets were circulated.
Presentation #1: Tom Harold, CONO Board member
Ballot Initiatives 200 & 201
- Initiative #200 would impact the City’s enterprises and has potential to most immediately and significantly impact the Stormwater Enterprise
- Loss of funding for stormwater would significantly reduce City’s ability to address stormwater and drainage concerns
- Additional potential impacts: hurt regional cooperation; may jeopardize future water for Colorado Springs through the Southern Delivery System; could put us out of compliance with the Clean Water Act
- Ballot Initiative #201 – all enterprise payments would phase out in ten or fewer equal yearly steps starting in January 2009, with all yearly savings passed on as reductions to each customer bill in dollar amounts as equal as possible. Future loans, gifts, and subsidies between and enterprise and the city or another enterprise are prohibited.
- Potential impact: could eliminate payment in lieu of taxes (PILT) over 10 years; significant revenue loss to the General Fund – First year impact: $2.7 million; 10th year impact - $30.5 million
- Further potential impact: leveraged efficiencies from join operations and shared administrative resources could be jeopardized – currently the City and enterprises share a number of resources; certain enterprises could experience increased costs as a result of these inefficiencies resulting in fee increases, duplication of effort
- Many other cities in the state have stormwater fees in place. Colorado Supreme Court has determined this is a fee and not a tax
Lt. Vincent Niski, CSPD, Officer Julie Stone, CSFD: Special Events Ordinance
- Started drafting a new ordinance in 2008. Due to the number of special event requests, need to formalize approval process with a more rigorous application process and ordnance providing a legal framework
- Committee included, CSPD, CSFD, OFM, OEM, Traffic, PRCS; Buckslip participants included Health, Transit, Clerk, Risk Management, Utilities, Planning
- Certain events will be posted for open hearing. There will also be an appeal process
- It will go to formal Council on October 14. If adopted, will change as of 11/01/08. They will report back to Council in 12 months
- Council makes the decision on approved events and whether a 501(c)(3) organization only has to pay ½ the fees.
Commander Kurt Pillard, Gold Hill Division Commander: Public Nuisance Ordinance
- Background: In 1998, the Police Department requested the City Attorney to draft an ordinance to address problem locations. Approved by Council on July 11, 2000 with a sunset of August 1, 2003. Council reviewed and extended in 2003.
- Purpose of the Ordinance is to provide remediation within a structured process for problem resolution within the court system
- Update is needed. Proposed changes are:
- 1) Owner must take all reasonable steps to abate the nuisance activity, prevent future nuisance activity, that steps taken are effective and no longer exist and the owner or any employees were not involved in the activity that created the public nuisance condition;
- 2) Specify that it shall be unlawful for the owner, manager or person in possession of the property to encourage or fail to prevent public nuisance activity on the property;
- 3) Include the cultivation, manufacture, sale or possession with intent to distribute any illegal drug or controlled substance; and continuous or recurring violations of a fire, sanitary or health code as proscribed acts;
- 4) provide for a summary abatement clause by the Chief of Police (to be used under emergency circumstances when “imminent danger” is present).
- Welling Clark noted that OWN is strongly backing this ordinance
Validation of Quorum
20 members present
Approval of September, 2008 minutes
The September 2, 2008 minutes were presented. As there were no corrections or changes, the minutes were approved as written.
Treasurer’s Report – Susanne Barr
Association balance – $2,204.36
Updates
- City Administrative Approvals: Still meeting; making good progress; all variances will be subject to planning review
- Code Scrub Committee: Reviewing codes and ensuring they are compatible with each other
- Neighborhood Signs Workgroup: looking at standards and who approves them
- Drainage Basin Fee Workgroup: No update
- CONO Bylaws: Committee met and submitted proposed changes to the Executive Board. They will then be submitted to CONO membership for approval
Presentation of Plaques
Francine Hansen presented plaques to both Jeanette Givens, outgoing secretary and Jan Doran, former President and outgoing Board member, for their contributions to CONO.
Election of Officers
As there were no additional nominations from the floor, the slate of new officers presented in October was elected unanimously:
- Dave Munger, President
- Tom Harold, 2nd Vice President
- Susanne Barr, Treasurer
- Rick Hoover, Director at Large
Note: Welling Clark was appointed Secretary by the Board of Directors after the close of the meeting to complete Jeanette Given’s term which expires October, 2009.
Presentation of Plaque to Francine Hansen
Dave Munger read a letter from Scott Hente thanking Francine for her work as CONO president for the last two years. Welling Clark read a plaque to Francine from Sallie Clark, El Paso County Commissioner
Member Round Table
- Dave Munger, Old North End: Richard Skorman has started the Million Bulb initiative to encourage C.S. residents to use fluorescent bulbs; working with Colorado College on requested street changes to Cascade and Nevada
- Pat Webb, Comstock Village: Event on 10/26 at 2:00 p.m. at City Auditorium regarding Historical membership
- Welling Clark, OWN: working with Gold Hill substation in the hopes of providing more information to citizens
- Rob Fuller, Cragmoor Estates: UCCS is buying many lots for college expansion
- Richard Ingold, Country Broadmoor: being overrun by deer in neighborhoods. Is there enough of a problem to ask City to help
- Francine Hansen, MSCA: new church being built on Centennial was using Granby Circle for construction access. They have since started grading for a road to Centennial
Other Business
November meeting: As the regularly scheduled meeting date is November 4, Election Day, the Board will determine if a November meeting should be held and notify all members if the meeting is cancelled. .
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:00 p.m. .
Next meeting: To be announced
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