Lafayette City Council Meeting - April 1, 2025
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Lafayette City Council Meeting - April 1, 2025
The City Council of Lafayette, Colorado, held its regularly scheduled meeting on April 1, 2025, at 5:30 PM. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, and public input. The Council approved the consent agenda, received a presentation on the 2025 Capital Bond Exploration polling, adopted multiple proclamations, advanced the Gateway Lafayette annexation process, and passed the first reading of an ordinance amending the municipal court code. The meeting adjourned to three executive sessions at 7:05 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Approved unanimously: March 18, 2025, City Council meeting minutes; March 24, 2025, workshop summary; second reading of Ordinance No. 05, Series 2025 (authorizing the City Administrator to reorganize administrative departments); Resolution No. 2025-21 (fourth amendment to Sundar Subdivision Filing No. 1 development agreement); contract with RockSol Consulting Inc. for on-call engineering services; and Change Order No. 1 with JVA Incorporated for on-call engineering services.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Karen Norbeck (800 East Genesis, member of Preserve Lafayette) opposed the annexation of properties at Baseline Road and N. 119th Street, stating the land is a top priority on the city's open space wish list. She reported that a neighborhood meeting on February 27, 2025, was attended by about 125 people, and an online petition had 634 signatures. She said if the land is annexed for development, Preserve Lafayette will challenge the annexation at the ballot box.
- Kyla Robertson opposed annexation of the property and HB 241313, citing concerns about environmental and wildlife impacts, as well as impacts on trail users.
- Miranda Fann (2485 Blue Heron Circle, member of the Sustainability and Resilience Advisory Board) spoke in support of Food Waste Prevention Week, noting that 40–50% of food waste occurs in homes, and households can save $1,500 to $1,800 annually by reducing waste.
- Amy Heinrich (504 Elm) supported acquiring the land for open space, emphasizing its ecological value and the risk of runoff damaging the adjacent marsh.
- Stuart Langley (2437 Lexington) opposed the Gateway Lafayette annexation, calling it a "walled city" and urged a moratorium on residential annexations on Arapahoe Road until Colorado 7 improvements are finalized.
- Larie Wilcox (209 East Cleveland Street) opposed the development, arguing it is not infill but urban sprawl that destroys wildlife habitat and creates heat sinks.
- Alexandra Davis (1296 Coffee Road, online caller) spoke against annexation and development, citing water resource challenges in Colorado and the irreversible nature of development decisions. She supported acquisition for open space.
Presentations
- 2025 Capital Bond Exploration Polling Content — Alex Nelson (Assistant to the City Manager) and Ryan Winger (Magellan Strategies) presented the draft survey for measuring voter support for potential revenue sources (increased sales tax or property tax) to fund three projects: renovation/expansion of the Bob Burger Recreation Center, construction of a new civic center, and renovation/expansion of the city service center. The survey will be sent to a sample of 12,000 voters via text message, with bilingual (English/Spanish) options, and will take about 10–12 minutes. Council discussed adding a "prefer not to say" option for race/ethnicity and a question about other potential tax increases on the ballot. The survey will be conducted in tandem with community engagement meetings through early May, with results presented at the end of May.
Proclamations
- National Library Week (April 6–12, 2025) — Councilor Gallegos moved adoption. Council expressed appreciation for library staff and the library's role in the community. Approved unanimously.
- Mayor's Monarch Pledge Day (April 1, 2025) — Mayor Mangat read the proclamation. Council noted a recent 100% increase in monarch wintering habitat area. Approved unanimously.
- Food Waste Prevention Week (April 7–13, 2025) — Councilor Fridland moved adoption. Council highlighted the environmental and financial benefits of reducing food waste. Approved unanimously.
- Earth Day (April 22, 2025) — Councilor Barnes moved adoption. Council noted the April 26 Earth Day Every Day celebration and the Hard to Recycle event on April 19. Approved unanimously.
- Arbor Day (April 25, 2025) — Mayor Pro Tem Wong moved adoption. Council celebrated the 30th anniversary of Arbor Day in Lafayette and the benefits of trees. Approved unanimously.
- Kids Day America (May 17, 2025) — Councilor Samson moved adoption. Dr. Michelle Green, organizer, described the free event (11 AM–2 PM at the Catch the Fire Church lot) with police, fire, food trucks, and activities promoting health, safety, and environmental awareness. Approved unanimously.
Regular Business
- Resolution No. 2025-19 (Gateway Lafayette Annexation) — Staff presented the petition for annexation of properties northwest and southwest of Baseline Road and N. 119th Street (24.6 acres and 52.9 acres). The petition was signed by 100% of landowners and found to be in substantial compliance with the Municipal Annexation Act of 1965. Council clarified that this vote only addressed the petition's completeness, not the merits of development. The resolution passed unanimously, setting a public hearing for May 20, 2025.
- First Reading / Ordinance No. 06, Series 2025 — Municipal Judge Amanda Bilhash explained the amendment to Article III of Chapter 65 (Municipal Court) to allow judges to enter civil default judgments for failure to appear on civil violations, instead of issuing arrest warrants. The change aims to avoid arresting individuals for non-jailable offenses and to conserve law enforcement resources. The first reading passed unanimously.
Staff Reports
- City Attorney's Report — No report.
- City Manager's Report — Announced the opening of the One Lafayette grant program (in partnership with the Community Foundation of Boulder County, applications due May 1); three sustainability programs: free air purifiers for income-qualified residents (68 applications received), the Lafayette Annual E-Bike Rebate program (120 applications last year), and the Switch Together solar group buying program (Solar 101 training on April 17). Upcoming community engagement meetings on the capital bond projects and the April 19 mural celebration at El Cielo y La Tierra. The April 15 council meeting will include a presentation from the Latino Chamber, an IGA with the Downtown Development Authority, and a model traffic code update. The April 22 workshop will cover water supply and the 2025 work plan.
Council Reports
- Mayor Mangat — Reported on a minimum wage discussion with Longmont; the city will participate in a fishbowl exercise with the Longmont chamber and other stakeholders. Provided an update on the sister city initiative: a new interested city, Iquitos, Peru, connected via the nonprofit One Voice for Change. Noted that Art Night Out begins May 9, with a council booth for community chats.
- Mayor Pro Tem Wong — Commented on conversations with state legislators about home rule and a potential group to lobby on the issue. Highlighted House Bill 1315, which would limit legislative vacancies to one-year appointments until the next election.
- Councilor Barnes — Recognized Cesar Chavez Day (March 31) and Dolores Huerta (95th birthday April 10); noted the dissolution of the Boulder County NAACP chapter and listed other active chapters; promoted the Solar 101 training and the Northern Water Tour (August 20–26).
- Other councilors had no reports.
Key Outcomes
- Consent agenda approved unanimously.
- All six proclamations approved unanimously.
- Resolution 2025-19 (Gateway Lafayette annexation) approved unanimously; public hearing set for May 20, 2025.
- First reading of Ordinance No. 06, Series 2025 approved unanimously.
- Three motions to adjourn to executive sessions (for legal advice on state preemption and home rule, negotiations on the IGA with Erie, and potential acquisition of property on N. Public Road) all passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned to executive session at 7:05 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I will call to order the Latvia City Council meeting for April first, twenty twenty-five. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and the Republic for which it stands one nation under God with liberty and justice for all. All right. Clerk Beck, can we do a roll call, please? Mayor Monguette. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Wong. Hello, Councillor Barnes. Good evening. Councillor Friedland. Here. Councilor Gallegos. Good evening. Counselor Sanson. Good evening. And Councilor Tapia Vega. Here. Mayor, we have a quorum. Great, thank you so much. All right. We'll begin tonight's meeting with uh public input. Um, so if you wish to address the council at this time, uh please grab one of these white speaker forms that you can access through the glass doors in the back of the at the table. Uh complete it, and then you can pass it over to Clerk Beck here, and we can get you on the speaker list. Um you'll have five minutes to speak. Uh please state your name and address before you do so. And then uh you may also call in as well. Um, and so tonight we will begin with Karen Norbeck. Karen Norbeck, 800 East Genesis. Good evening. As a member of Preserve Lafayette, I am here tonight to speak about annexation of the two properties at baseline and one nineteenth. The developer held a neighborhood meeting on February 27th, attended by about 125 people. When the time came for members of the public to speak, I said, I'm from Preserve Lafayette. These properties are a top priority on the city's open space wish list and the missing piece to complete the incredible ecosystem at our Eastern Gateway. We support open space, and if this land is annexed for development, we will challenge the annexation at the ballot box. The room erupted in applause and cheers. Support has continued to build. We have an online petition with 634 votes at last count. The petition says we, the residents of Lafayette area in Boulder County ask our leaders to work as partners to preserve the 78 acres at the northwest and southwest corners of 119th and baseline as open space. For more than a century, Lafayette's Eastern Gateway has been rural land, reflecting our agricultural roots. In 2019, Lafayette, in partnership with Boulder County, took the first step to preserve that land by buying several parcels as open space. The remaining two parcels would join our existing open space lands together, creating a nature and wildlife ecosystem that stretches from Lafayette's Old Town Pond on the west to Powers Marsh on the east. That's why this land is a top priority in the city's parks and open space acquisition plan. These parcels are also designated as agricultural lands of natural import national importance in Boulder County's comprehensive plan. However, despite their ecological significance, these parcels are currently targeted for a dense development project. This will have major impacts on residents of Lafayette area in Boulder County. We oppose annexation and rezoning of this land for development and support acquisition of this land for open space to remain rural and undeveloped for centuries to come. Thank you. All right, thank you. Next up we have Kyla Robertson.
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