Golden City Council Meeting – March 10, 2026: Study Session and Regular Business Meeting
Golden City Council Meeting – March 10, 2026: Study Session and Regular Business Meeting
The Golden City Council met on March 10, 2026, beginning with a study session from approximately 5:05 PM to 6:40 PM to review annual work plans from 12 citizen boards and commissions, followed by a regular business meeting from 6:30 PM to 8:09 PM. During the regular meeting, council adopted two ordinances on second reading (historic preservation code and wildfire resiliency code), a new victim compensation fund ordinance, and three resolutions, including fee schedule updates and easement agreements. All votes were recorded.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes of February 24, 2026.
- Approved Resolution No. 3290, authorizing three easement agreements for emergency access and public infrastructure at Canyon View Apartments.
- Approved Resolution No. 3291, authorizing an Intergovernmental Agreement with Golden Gate Fire Protection District for fleet maintenance services.
- Vote: All seven councilors voted yes; motion carried unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jay Potasnik (86 Defrance Way, Heritage Dells neighborhood) expressed strong support for the Wildfire Resiliency Code (WRC). He described efforts to harden his home with a metal roof, cement board siding, and stone veneer, noting disappointment that his insurance premiums increased despite these measures. He reported that his example has inspired neighbors to replace roofs and siding with fire-resistant materials. He thanked council for adopting the WRC.
Discussion Items
- Study Session – Boards & Commissions Work Plans: Council heard 5‑minute presentations from chairs of the Investment Advisory Committee, Volunteer Firefighter Pension Board, Economic Development Commission, Downtown Development Authority, Golden Urban Renewal Authority, Arts and Culture Commission, Community Sustainability Advisory Board, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, Mobility and Transportation Advisory Board, Planning Commission, Historic Preservation Board, and Community Marketing Board. Council members posed questions about alignment with strategic plan goals, enforcement mechanisms, and future projects (e.g., makerspace feasibility, urban renewal area expansion, organic parks program, e‑bike policy, South Golden Road planning). Mayor Weinberg noted that work plans are not final and can be adjusted via a formal change process. Councilor Kurzinski suggested future study sessions allow more time for questions and focus on upcoming work rather than past accomplishments.
- Council/Staff Comments & New Business:
- Councilor Kurzinski announced a community meet-and-greet for District 1 on April 1 (6–7:30 PM at Natural Grocers).
- Councilor Pfau highlighted the Emerald Ash Borer subsidy, sales tax refund (due April 15), sustainability rebate program, free home wildfire mitigation evaluations (low uptake in Beverly Heights), and annual resident tree sale ($85 for 7‑gallon pot).
- Councilor Evans reminded residents that Board and Commission applications are due the following Monday.
- Councilor Cameron reported that GURA approved a contract for a study of The Junction property and that GURA will fund a business sustainability event similar to a recent resident event.
- Councilor Knecht encouraged input on the Highway 93 analysis on Guiding Golden and noted a neighborhood meeting on March 19 (5–6:30 PM at GCC).
- Mayor Weinberg mentioned a Clayworks neighborhood meeting on March 16 (4–5:30 PM at American Mountaineering Museum).
- Proclamation: Councilor Evans read a proclamation declaring March 2026 as Arts Education Month in Golden.
- Public Hearing – Ordinance No. 2288 (Historic Preservation Code Rewrite): Senior Planner Lauren Simmons presented the second reading, highlighting updated definitions, processes, and enforcement provisions. Council discussed the voluntary nature of board oversight for certificate of appropriateness projects. An amendment was offered to adopt a revised burden‑of‑proof section (page 41). Councilor Cameron noted a typographical error in section 18.58.120. The amendment passed 5‑2 (Weinberg, Pfau, Vitry, Knecht, Cameron in favor; Evans, Kurzinski opposed). The amended ordinance then passed 4‑3 (Knecht, Weinberg, Pfau, Vitry in favor; Cameron, Evans, Kurzinski opposed).
- Public Hearing – Ordinance No. 2290 (Wildfire Resiliency Code): Fire Marshal Brett Ballentine and Building Officer Scott Greer presented. Councilor Vitry moved to amend by replacing Map A with Map C (enhanced structural protection map). The amendment failed 2‑5 (Evans, Vitry in favor; others opposed). The original ordinance (with Map A) passed 6‑1 (Vitry opposed). Council noted a planned review in the third quarter of 2026 and that the state requires adoption by April 1.
- Public Hearing – Ordinance No. 2289 (Victim Compensation Fund): City Clerk Lisa Petersen presented the ordinance establishing the fund. Approved unanimously (7‑0).
- Resolution No. 3292 (Victim Compensation Fund Disbursement Standards): Lisa Petersen presented the resolution setting a $5 fee per case and a $2,000 disbursement cap, both indexed to local inflation. Approved unanimously (7‑0).
- Resolution No. 3293 (Comprehensive Fee Schedule Update): Lisa Petersen presented updates including the new $5 VCF fee, reinstated sewer impact fees for multi‑family classes, and a parks exception for GCC admission for eligible residents under the equity and access program. Approved unanimously (7‑0).
Key Outcomes
- Ordinance No. 2288 (Historic Preservation Code rewrite) adopted on second reading (4‑3) with an amendment on burden of proof.
- Ordinance No. 2290 (Wildfire Resiliency Code) adopted on second reading (6‑1); an amendment to use Map C failed (2‑5). The code will be reviewed later in 2026.
- Ordinance No. 2289 (Victim Compensation Fund) adopted unanimously (7‑0).
- Resolution No. 3292 (Victim Compensation Fund disbursement standards) adopted unanimously.
- Resolution No. 3293 (Fee schedule update) adopted unanimously.
- Consent calendar items approved unanimously.
- Public comment received in support of the wildfire code.
- Several upcoming community meetings and program deadlines announced (boards/applications due March 16; Highway 93 meeting March 19; District 1 meet‑and‑greet April 1; Clayworks meeting March 16).
Meeting Transcript
If I could bring us to order, it is 505 on March 10, 2026. And I'd like us to kick off our study session where tonight's overall topic is boards and commission bullet points for the year. And there are some process things that we want to talk about. So I'm going to turn it over to the mayor weekly and uh. Yeah, thank you. Um just uh since we have some new counselors and we have some of our boards and commission members here, just uh kind of a reminder of why we do this. Um we've we've been doing this for a number of years, and it's really a great way to make sure that city council and all of our volunteer boards and commissions are aligned on the work being done for this year, um, so that we can make sure that all of the priorities that we've discussed and adopted in our strategic plan earlier this year, that those are reflected in the work plans and that there are no surprises. Um we don't want you all and on the boards and commissions working on something that's a surprise to city council because then when you come to ask us to do something, um we may not be in a position to do it. So don't want you to waste uh your your work on something that we're not aware of. So it really is a great chance to alignment. I know it's really short, we only have five minutes per board, so doesn't allow for in-depth conversation or questions. Um it's really just a chance to touch uh touch base and check in. Um but if there are questions or more in-depth conversation needed, we can always set that up for another time. So um it is really quick for the new counselors. Five minutes isn't a lot, um, but we can um meet up and have more conversation on the internet. All right, and let me follow that up with saying um these are not casting concrete. So if you get feedback tonight that says make adjustments, you can do so. And if you don't hear what you want to hear and you want to make adjustments, there is a um change process that the liaison familiar with. There's a form you can fill out, you can request a change to the work plan, and as long as it goes through the normal process, uh we can change it. So don't see sad if you don't get what you want tonight. Uh so with that, I'm gonna turn it over to our newly appointed director of finance. Joe. Thank you. Thank you so much. It's wonderful to be here tonight. I will be quick. Um the finance group is always in constant contact with our investment committee. Uh there is um we just had a meeting in February, just two things to highlight quickly. Uh we've done a lot of work in the past year to push the average duration of our securities up. We're at 1.9 years right now. Um that's up from about 1.7. This is in a situation where anything that can be called is usually being called due to interest rates. And our corporate exposure is down about 13% to better balance out our portfolio. Um as always, this is you know, we remain focused on capital preservation, liquidity, and steady returns for the city. Um switching over to the volunteer firefighters pension board. Yep. Any uh so that was fast. Um I have one quick question. Uh did we beat our benchmarks for 2025, or are we happy with uh the advice we're getting from our yeah, I think that um we well we got more return, but that's you know, because of the market dictated we were able to get more return. If we look forward, we are concerned that if interest rates soften just based on what we invest in, we'll be seeing less returns, as I mentioned. We do have some callable instruments in our portfolio, and we expect those to be called because companies can refinance that debt at a lower rate. So right now we're doing very well. Our benchmark seems to be above, but we do we we are looking to that's where we're looking to push out the years, that's why I mentioned the 1.9 years as opposed to 1.7 because the longer you lock in on those higher interest rates, the better the portfolio is going to perform. Okay, so thank you. Any other questions on IAC? Great, okay. Um the volunteer firefighters pension is um performing fine. We have no worries about it, and we look to restart the meetings again in uh this year. So and just for counsel, um, in case any counselors don't know, I am on both of those committees as required by our rules. So I do participate in the meetings, and if you have any questions, uh happy to uh thank you.
openpublica.com