Town Council Meeting – September 9, 2025: Board Reports, Public Comment, and Executive Session
Town Council Meeting – September 9, 2025
The Erie Town Council met on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at 7:15 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting included approval of the consent agenda, public comment on non-agenda items, semi-annual reports from six advisory boards, council member announcements, and an executive session. Key topics included community concerns about a commercial development in Erie Highlands, the town’s flag policy, and board updates on trees, historic preservation, trails, sustainability, airport economic impact, and planning.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the August 19, 2025 Town Council meeting minutes.
- Approved a proclamation for Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month.
- Approved Ordinance 025-2025 raising the minimum age for sale, purchase, and possession of cigarette and tobacco products.
- Approved Ordinance 026-2025 deleting a redundant section of the Erie Municipal Code.
- Approved Resolution 25-131 assigning the Town’s 2025 Private Activity Bond Allocation to Boulder County Housing Authority.
- Approved Resolution 25-147 for a services agreement with Star Playgrounds for the Reliance Park Playground Replacement Project.
- Approved Resolution 25-149 adopting Town Council comments on the Denver Regional Council of Governments Housing Needs Assessment.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Marty Moore (CEO, Rocky Mountain Equality) asked the council to revert the flag policy to allow the Pride flag, calling the recent change a safety and mental health concern for the LGBTQ+ community.
- Mira (Erie Highlands resident) raised safety concerns about the Highlands commercial development, stating that painted bike lanes are insufficient and requesting flashing crosswalks, four‑way stops, and speed bumps to protect children.
- Taran Gangwani (Erie Highlands resident) argued that the development with national drive‑thru restaurants (McDonald’s, Walgreens, QuikTrip) is inconsistent with the neighborhood mixed‑use zoning and would bring over 3,000 cars per day, threatening child safety.
- Sarah Morgan (Erie Highlands resident) expressed confusion about the approval of a development targeting interstate traffic and asked why the council did not stop it or change the zoning.
- Kim Salvaggio (CEO, Center on Colfax) urged the council to revisit the flag policy, stating that equating the Pride and Juneteenth flags with hate symbols sends a message that Erie does not value inclusion.
- Skyler Wheatzel criticized the mayor and council for the flag policy and for the treatment of Councilmember Baer at the previous meeting, demanding a public apology.
- Kathy Killian (Rex Ranch resident) inquired about the timeline for developing open space along 119th Street, noting that Heinz had paid the town but no work had been done in four and a half years.
- Sam Fogelman (District 2 resident) called the flag policy a “cowardly decision” and criticized the council’s silence on surveillance and police expansion, stating that their actions align with right‑wing agendas.
- Kelly Wagner Grohl (Erie resident) condemned the treatment of Councilwoman Baer at the August 26 meeting as a pattern of dismissing women and council members of color, and urged the council to revisit the flag policy and adopt standards of civility.
Discussion Items
- Tree Advisory Board (Claudia Smelko, Vice Chair): Reported on Arbor Day 2025 (largest turnout with over 1,000 attendees), school outreach (“Planting the Future” program), tree walks, quarterly newsletter (700+ subscribers), and collaboration with the Sustainability Board on fruit rescue and pollinator efforts. Noted interest in planting trees at Linear Park, which lacks shade.
- Historic Preservation Advisory Board (Mike Turner, Chair): Announced resubmission of phase three architectural survey for 25 properties in Old Town; educational outreach at Biscuit Day on historic district options; progress on preserving the Erie depot (potentially moving to Linear Park) and a town museum. No new property owners have agreed to landmarking.
- Open Space & Trails Advisory Board (Ken Martin, Chair): Highlighted the Boulder-to-Erie Regional Trail (BERT) and Prairie Run Management Plan (pending funding). Reviewed Village at Coal Creek development, trail easement for Compass subdivision connection, and placement of two cell towers on open space land. Reported that 40 potential open space acquisition letters are sent annually.
- Sustainability Advisory Board (Karen Winkler, Chair; McKenzie McClaskey, Secretary): Provided statistics from spring cleanup and Arbor/Earth Day. Discussed pollinator district certification (3‑5 year project), Erie’s community fruit rescue (with 12 harvests planned), and hazardous waste pickup program. Reported 21 school presentations reaching 524 students. Emphasized collaboration with the Tree Board.
- Airport Economic Development Advisory Board (Emmett Dowling, Vice Chair): Presented CDOT economic impact study: Erie Municipal Airport supports 144 jobs, $8.4M payroll, $13M value added, $23M total business revenue annually. Highlighted the Erie Air Fair (over 5,000 attendees) and a tenant using unleaded fuel. Discussed community outreach and concerns about noise over homes.
- Planning Commission (Ben Hemphill, Chair): Reviewed 20+ public hearings from March to August; provided recommendations on ADUs and affordable housing code updates. Proposed annual joint sessions with Town Council and taking on review of strategic plans to reduce council workload. Noted a joint session on affordable housing is planned for January 2026.
Key Outcomes
- Agenda item 25-489 (retroactive appointment to Planning Commission) was moved to the study session on September 16, 2025.
- Consent agenda approved unanimously.
- Council received the six semi‑annual board reports; no votes were taken on the reports themselves.
- Councilmember Baer requested a council parliamentarian and additional training following the August 26 meeting; Mayor Pro Tem Bell apologized for an email he sent to a resident.
- Mayor Moore noted that the town is working on the final budget and that a retreat had provided clear direction to staff.
- The council voted unanimously to enter executive session to discuss negotiations and legal advice concerning the Erie Municipal Airport and property matters (C.R.S. § 24-6-402(4)). The meeting adjourned after the executive session.
Meeting Transcript
That will you please uh rise and join me in the Pledge of Professor Vegas Indivisible Liberty and Justice. Okay, will the town clerk please take roll? Yes. Councilmember Bear. President. Councilmember Hoback. Here. Councilmember Mortolaro. Here. Councilmember O'Connor. Here. Councilmember Pessaramelli. Mayor Moore. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Bell. Here. Mayor, you have a quorum. All right. Thank you. I am going to look to uh motion to approve the agenda after I share that item 25489. Um I spoke to our town manager today, and we're going to move that to the study session next Tuesday. Um there was some back and forth with staff. And when the the word convoluted came up, uh we decided to pause that one and we'll bring about uh Tuesday at our study session. Um do I have a motion to approve the agenda with that change. So moved. Second. All right. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Aye. All opposed, say no. All right. Motion carries. We have an agenda tonight. All right, we have a number of items on the consent agenda, so bear with me. This will take a minute or two. Um the first item on the consent agenda is 25139, approval of the August 19th, 2025 town council meeting minutes. Second item is 25453, the Hispanic and Latinix Historic Heritage Month proclamation, uh sponsored by Councilmember Baer. Uh the next item is 25443, an ordinance of the town council of the town of Erie raising the minimum age for the sale, purchase, and possession of cigarette and tobacco products. Next item is 2544, an ordinance of the town council of the town of Erie deleting a redundant section of the Erie Municipal Code. Next item is 25480, a resolution of the town council of the town of Erie approving the uh assess assignment of the town of Erie 2025 private activity bond allocation to Boulder County Housing Authority. The next item is 25460, a resolution of the town council of the town of Erie approving an agreement for the services with Star Playgrounds for the Reliance Park Playground Replacement Project, and the last item is 25473, a resolution of the town council of the town of Erie adopting the town council comments on the Denver Regional Council of Government's housing needs assessment. Do we have a motion to approve the consent agenda? So moved. Second. I think Councilmember Bear had the motion. I think second was um council member um Mortalero. Thank you. All right. All in favor say aye.
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