City Council Meeting Recap
May 3, 2022
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City Council has resumed in-person meetings. View ways to participate remotely and in-person at Lafayetteco.gov/CityCouncil
OPENING OF REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING
Call to Order
Pledge of Allegiance
Roll Call
PUBLIC INPUT
APPROVED 7-0: CONSENT AGENDA
- April 19, 2022, City Council Meeting Minutes
- April 25, 2022, City Council Workshop Summary
- Items Pertaining to Silo Subdivision Filing No. 1
- Resolution No. 2022-27 / Extending the Deadlines for Compliance with Conditions in Res. No. 2021-91 Pertaining to Approval of the Silo Subdivision Filing No. 1, Replat A Final Plat
- First Reading / Ordinance No. 16, Series 2022 / Extending the Deadline for Compliance with Conditions in Ord. No. 29, Series 2021, Pertaining to Silo Subdivision Filing No. 1 and the Vacation of Certain Rights-of-Way and Public Easements
- Second Reading / Ordinance No. 13, Series 2022 / Amending Section 75-143, “Harassment,” of the Code of Ordinances
- Resolution No. 2022-26 / Appointing Employment Law Special Counsel
- Change Order No. 2 / Water Reclamation Facility Improvements Design Phase Services
- Purchase Orders and Amendments
PRESENTATIONS
Water Supply Update
The City’s water supply relies on snowpack that accumulates in the mountains each winter and runs off into creeks and reservoirs as it melts in the spring. Staff closely monitors snowpack and reservoir levels to determine whether sufficient supply is likely to be available to meet customer demands. In years where demand is projected to exceed supply, drought restrictions are necessary to curtail demands. Snowpack in the City’s primary watersheds has historically peaked on or around May 1. Staff provided an update on water supply conditions and any measures that may need to be considered to curtail demands as we enter the peak summer irrigation season.
REGULAR BUSINESS
APPROVED 7-0: Resolution No. 2022-24 / Intergovernmental Agreement with Boulder County / Utility Bill Program
The Boulder County Department of Housing and Human Services (BCDHHS), through its Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), received federal Emergency Rental Assistance funds totaling $22.1 million. These funds can be used for rental assistance, utility assistance, housing services, and administration. The utility assistance portion of this federal award is being administered through a program called the Municipal Bulk Utility Payment Program that allows water utility customers with unpaid account balances to directly apply for one-time financial assistance to clear the balances.
APPROVED 7-0: Presentation of Recommended Artwork for the Lafayette and Medtronic Public Art Project
The Advisory Committee for the Lafayette and Medtronic Public Art Project is pleased to present the proposal of “Leaf Riders” by Robert Tully and Sarah Ortegon for new public artwork at the southern gateway of Lafayette. The Public Art Committee reviewed and approved the proposal as per the Municipal Code Chapter 28 – Community Development, Sec. 28-36 – Artwork and site selection at their April 13, 2022, meeting. Council approved "The Leaf Riders" gateway sculpture by artists Robert Tully and Sarah Ortegon. Learn more by watching the
video about the "Leaf Riders" culture.
APPROVED 7-0: Change Order No. 5 / Goose Haven Reservoir Expansion Project
Change Order No. 5 for the Goose Haven Reservoir Expansion Project (Project) was presented to Council for approval. The change order represents additional work and materials to be performed by Rock Products of Colorado, LLC (Rock Products) to integrate the new storage cells with the existing ones. The original contract and subsequent change orders did not include the riprap wave protection and interconnecting pipelines and structures needed to operate the five reservoirs. Due to the long duration of the project, it was not possible to commit to early prices for these items as they are not required until near the end of the project. Change Order No. 5 includes these items. This change order also includes another 200 acre-feet (AF) of storage in Cell No. 2A. While Rock Products was excavating, it was discovered that the bedrock is lower than originally thought, making it feasible to dig deeper in a corner of the reservoir. It will increase the total storage volume of Cell 2A from 700 AF to 900 AF. The structure of the existing contract limits annual payments to the Contractor to $2,000,000 per year, with the balance due at substantial completion. This change order does not change that structure, nor does it extend the substantial completion date from December 31, 2023.
APPROVED 7-0: Contract / Data Center Upgrade – Servers
Nearly all essential City services are dependent on server infrastructure within the City’s data centers to access the technologies and information that support the Lafayette community. This server refresh is part of an overall strategic plan to stand up a new data center in a location with geographic diversity; adding resiliency to survive a local catastrophic event with automatic failover between two data centers. The Dell Technologies quote, available in the
City Council Agenda Packet, is for the purchase of server infrastructure needed to replace hardware in the City’s current data center and to equip the City’s new planned data center, with an overall total expenditure of $341,613. The City is collaborating with Adams County to establish an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to utilize space in the Adams County data center where Lafayette’s server infrastructure will be installed and utilized. Additional details will be provided to Council related to the IGA and related connectivity requirements in the near future.
PROCLAMATIONS
Older Americans Month / May 2022
At
the Senior Advisory Board meeting on March 8, 2022, the Board passed a motion to recommend to the City Council to proclaim the month of May as Older Americans Month. The 2022 theme is “Age My Way.” According to the Administration for Community Living, the theme focuses on how older adults can age in their communities, live independently for as long as possible, and participate in ways they choose. Older adults play vital, positive roles in communities – as family members, friends, mentors, volunteers, civic leaders, members of the workforce, and more. Just as every person is unique, so too is how they age and how they choose to do it – and there is no “right” way. Learn more about the
Senior Center programs offered throughout the month. Councilor Walton also mentioned opportunities for people to
join the Senior Advisory Board.
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day / May 7, 2022
This proclamation recognizes the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) annual Community Wildfire Preparedness Day. Since the Marshall Fire in December of 2021 and the subsequent fires in Boulder County this spring, our community has a heightened sense of wildfire awareness. This proclamation puts forth recognition from City Council to emphasize the importance of wildfire preparedness in the urban interface. This program will be leveraged by the Fire and Communications Departments to encourage residents to proactively take steps to improve the defensibility of their properties and remind them of the importance of evacuation routes and preparation. Learn more about wildfire awareness at
Lafayetteco.gov/Wildfire.
STAFF REPORTS
City Attorney’s Report
- Working with City Clerk on the ordinance to transition the local licensing authority to a hearing officer that will be presented at the next City Council meeting.
- Mention of the family attending the Earth Day, Every Day celebration event and the excitement around peddling on energy bikes to make watermelon slushies, eating cookies cooked in a solar oven, and seeing the Lafayette fire truck.
COUNCIL REPORTS
Planning Commission Interview Committee Selection
The Planning Commission will have two full-term vacancies as of June 30. Applications are currently being accepted through May 31. An interview committee made up of three City Councilors is required to interview interested candidates. Mayor Pro Tem Wong, Councilor Briggs, and Councilor Walton will serve as interviewers during the week of June 13.
Mayor Mangat
- Next week, he and Councilor Medrano are taking a group of 8th graders to the San Juan Islands in northwest Washington State. It may be hard to reach him, but he will get back to you as soon as possible.
- Council was asked to sponsor a table at the Arts HUB Fundraiser event, www.artshub.org/fun, on June 4. Council supported the request, and the $1,000 cost will come from the contingency fund.
- Acknowledge Cinco de Mayo on Thursday, which is not the same as Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16. The Mayor discussed the history behind the day and urged everyone to celebrate and promote Mexican heritage culture by recognizing and understanding some of the hardships people go through.
Councilor Barnes
- Attened the DRCOG (Denver Regional Council of Governments) annual awards ceremony and was impressed with the various sustainability awards for being proactive in emissions and air quality.
- Discussed glow-in-the-dark bike paths to think about with our Multimodal Transportation Plan.
- During Earth Month in April, watching the MOTHERLOAD sustainability film was more about rethinking sustainability, racial and gender equity, and the sharing of public space – something we continue to review on improving bike safety in the City; also attended the Earth Day, Every Day celebration event on April 30 with over 600 people attending the event having various electric bikes, bike clinics, vendors, and more.
- WRAC (Waste Reduction Committee) and LESAC (Lafayette Energy Sustainability Advisory Committee) discussed combining efforts as a potential sustainability board to address sustainability issues, waste reduction, energy sustainability, etc.
- Attended the one-year anniversary of the East County Housing Opportunity (ECHO) group in Longmont with various elected officials.
- Employer switching the entire fleet to electric vehicles and partnering with the City of Boulder for an electric hauler vehicle – perhaps the City can look at having an electric vehicle trash hauler.
Councilor Briggs
- Human Rights Commission (HRC) is discussing the possibility of recording the board and commission meetings for accessibility if Council was interested in pursuing this opportunity.
- Attended a tour of the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (as part of being on the Community Noise Roundtable) and learned there is a shortage of pilots. Flight schools are making agreements with DIA and others to pay for flight school and encouraged folks who are interested to take advantage of these opportunities.
Councilor Medrano
Councilor Samson
- Thanked the Library for the Day of the Child event.
- LURA (Lafayette Urban Renewal Authority) is awarding a $2,000 Project Hopscotch Scholarship. This is a one-time grant for Lafayette high school student seeking post-secondary education in visual arts and fine crafts pursuing formal art. The deadline to apply is May 31: Lafayetteco.gov/Hopscotch.
Councilor Walton
- Northwest Parkway Meeting
- Attended the DRCOG projects review to move through the approval process that benefits HWY 7, HWY 287, and HWY 119.
- Boulder County sales tax transportation presentation that we currently have of $0.1, has been in place since 2001 and is set to expire in 2024. Boulder County is reviewing its 2020 master plan adopted to either continue or increase this sales tax.
- Polling started to explore the interest in going from interested 0.1% to 0.5% and expanding projects on the master plan and additional projects such as RTD fares for free routes, share back type program with municipalities, and/or smaller areas with possibly paving.
- City Administrator, Fritz Sprague, stated we will be providing input, and having these relationships established on the front end is helpful; Boulder County is still exploring this tax with the public; and, as the City works through our Multimodal Transportation Planning initiative, the dollars to fund and implement this project over the next 10-15 years with where that money will come from -local discussion or something on a regional basis. We will pay close attention to this with a lot of moving pieces.
- Earth Day, Every Day celebration event on April 30 had electronic vehicles and mentioned Lafayette firefighters had the opportunity to explore where different emergency switches, wiring systems, etc. are located in various electric vehicles, which helps our firefighters be prepared to respond in the event of an emergency.
Mayor Pro Tem Wong
- Attended the Recycling and Drug Take Back Event which was very popular and a great community event that we offer.
- Art Night Out event coming back starting on May 13: Lafayetteco.gov/ANO.
- May awareness month for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage and Mental Health awareness month provides opportunities to increase access to services.
ADJOURNMENT
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