OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Lafayette City Council Meeting Summary - October 28, 2025

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, October 28, 2025
BodyLafayette, Colorado
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, October 28, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:14:48

Transcript — Verbatim
5:54

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

5:56

I will call to order the city council meeting for October 28th, 2025, and we will begin with the Pledge of Allegiance.

6:05

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands under God and liberty and justice for all.

6:23

Um Clerk Beck, can we do a roll call, please?

6:25

Mayor Monget?

6:26

Here.

6:26

Mayor Pro Cham Wong.

6:29

Hello.

6:29

Hello.

6:30

Councilor Barnes.

6:31

Good evening.

6:32

Councilor Friedland.

6:33

Here.

6:34

Councilor Gallego.

6:35

Good evening.

6:36

Counselor Sampson.

6:37

Good evening.

6:38

And Councillor Tapia Vega.

6:39

Here.

6:40

Mayor, we have a quorum.

6:41

Thank you so much.

6:42

All right, we'll begin tonight's meeting with public input.

6:45

This is your opportunity to address the council on any topics.

6:48

Uh you'll have five minutes to speak.

6:50

Um, if you wish to speak, uh please make sure that you fill out one of these speaker forms uh that you can access through the glass doors in the back.

6:58

You can pass it over to Clerk Beck and we'll get you on the list.

7:01

Uh you may also call in as well.

7:03

Uh please state your name and address before you speak as well, so we have that for the record.

7:08

Tonight we'll begin with Thomas Glenn.

7:19

Uh good evening, everybody.

7:20

Thanks again for your time.

7:22

Uh I'm returning on the same topic as before, which is basically the uh flight school noise coming out of Rock Mountain Airport uh down in Jefferson County.

7:33

I wanted to kind of display something.

7:37

You probably can't see it well with the small piece of paper, but the yellow lines on this people piece of paper are basically flights over Lafayette.

7:46

Uh over a 10-minute period.

7:49

And this was on October 8th, uh, from 8 40 in the morning to 8 50 in the morning.

7:57

And essentially 10 flights flying over Lafayette uh based upon the FAA change in uh the flight path having all the return flights going over 287 down to uh Jefferson County Airport.

8:16

So I just want to let the rest of the audience take a quick look at this.

8:20

So this is the issue.

8:23

We got noise over Lafayette, we got flight schools uh bombarding our city, our county, our citizens uh with the flight noise, and essentially uh we need to take proactive measures to try to get this to stop.

8:40

We're affecting uh our children.

8:43

We got three schools right in that flight zone.

8:46

We got the elementary school, we got the middle school, and we got the high school uh that are getting hit with that.

8:51

We got the citizens, and we also have the wildlife.

8:55

Uh last time I was here, I submitted a picture of an eagle on a power pole with the plane right above it.

9:02

Uh we got uh Osprey, I've been over at Wanaka Lake.

9:07

They're hovering above trying to do some fishing, and the planes are coming through, and then the Osprey disperse when we got these airplanes coming overhead.

9:17

Um there's other wildlife that are impacted as well.

9:21

And that's not to mention the impact to the recreational and open space users when we have constant noise going over the city.

9:30

This is not a one-off picture.

9:32

This is happening, if not daily.

9:35

Very frequently, as far as we have getting hit with the noise.

9:40

So I know there's an election coming up, there'll be some new members, maybe some measures and other things that are going to be following in sequence.

9:49

Uh, as that goes, there's probably a few things going on after this time.

9:54

And so I'm again asking for action.

9:57

Don't let the subject fall off the radar.

10:00

We want to keep on top of it.

10:02

We gotta act now and not wait until further down the road because the longer this trend goes on, the harder it's gonna get to get adjusted, both with the FAA, Jefferson County, and the public entities uh involved in the situation.

10:23

Uh the other thing uh, if you haven't seen it already, there was uh a news story by CBS News where they had Boulder County is one of the most dangerous air spaces in the whole country.

10:37

Okay, and that's because we have all these airports within the county, flight schools, uh planes flying in between the flight schools and uh just last week uh crash at Erie during some of the heavy wind days.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement████████████████16%
Procedural██████████████14%
Water And Wastewater Management█████████████13%
Fiscal Sustainability███████████11%
Land Use Code Update██████████10%
Budget Equity Analysis███████7%
Downtown Development Authority Annual Report██████6%
Personnel Matters███3%
Economic Development███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Lafayette City Council Meeting - October 28, 2025

The City Council convened on October 28, 2025, to address a range of agenda items including budget approvals, annexation eligibility, and community grant requests. The meeting began with public testimony on airspace noise in Lafayette and a tribute to former City Administrator Fritz Sprague. The Council unanimously approved several budget resolutions for the City and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), while also granting eligibility for a property annexation. A significant portion of the meeting focused on a request from Lafayette CTC to serve as the fiscal backbone for a state grant, leading to a consensus to direct staff to evaluate the opportunity further rather than immediately approving it.

Consent Calendar

  • Unanimously approved the October 14, 2025, City Council meeting minutes.
  • Unanimously approved Resolution 2025-72 (Intergovernmental Agreement with Lafayette Urban Renewal Authority).
  • Unanimously approved Contract with Johnson, Miller and Thompson, Incorporated for the Water and Wastewater Comprehensive Plan Update.
  • Unanimously approved Change Order Number Six for South Builder Road Multimodal Improvement Project (OTEC, Incorporated).
  • Unanimously approved cooperative agreements with the Lafayette Urban Renewal Authority for streetscape improvements on the 7800 block of South Public Road and the South Boulder Road Revitalization Area.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Thomas Glenn: Expressed strong concern regarding flight noise from Rock Mountain Airport affecting Lafayette schools, wildlife, and residents. He argued that the constant noise is impacting the community and safety, citing a recent fatal crash in Erie as evidence of the danger. He urged the Council to take proactive measures. (Position: Full support for immediate action to mitigate noise impacts).
  • Karen Norbeck: Paid tribute to former City Administrator Fritz Sprague following his passing. She expressed gratitude for his leadership, noting his ability to manage the city's complex operations, his collaboration with the city on the global agreement with Erie, and his personal dedication to residents. (Position: Full support for Sprague's legacy and contributions).
  • Ignacio Perez (Lafayette CTC): Requested that the City serve as the official applicant and backbone organization for the $410,000 per year EPIC grant from CDPHE to fund youth substance use prevention. He argued that the City was needed to meet financial risk assessment requirements. (Position: Requested full support for City as fiscal backbone for the grant).

Discussion Items

  • Lafayette Urban Renewal Authority (Laura) Budget: The Executive Director presented the 2025 amended budget and the 2026 budget, noting the organization is in its final operational phase winding down. The Council discussed the wind-down process, the transfer of funds to the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), and the use of remaining reserves.
  • Proposed Annexation (Range at Lafayette Annexation Number Two): Staff and the applicant (Kensington Development Partners) presented the eligibility hearing for property at the southwest corner of Arapahoe Road and Highway 287. Staff confirmed the parcel met all state statutory requirements for contiguity and urbanization. The Council noted this is a serial annexation following a previous successful annexation.
  • Firefighter & Police Collective Bargaining: The City Manager presented Ordinance No. 22, amending chapters 86 and 87 to allow collective bargaining agreements with terms of less than three years (up to three years). The change was proposed to provide flexibility for economic fluctuations. Both unions (IAFF and FOP) supported the amendment.
  • Lafayette City 2026 Budget and Fees: The CFO presented the 2026 budget ($145 million total) and pay plan. The Council discussed fee adjustments for the Indian Peaks Golf Course (approx. 3% increase), refuse recycling, and utility rates (water, reclamation, stormwater), with impacts calculated for typical single-family residential customers.
  • Lafayette Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Budget: The DDA Executive Director presented the 2025 and 2026 budgets, funded by Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and a $2 million transfer from Laura. Key initiatives included holiday lights, bike rack expansion pilots, wayfinding program design, and small business support grants. Councilor Barnes expressed support, noting alignment with city initiatives.
  • Gray Water Regulation Opt-Out (Resolution 2025-73): The Public Works Director recommended opting out of enacting gray water regulations to comply with state law (HB 24-1362) by the January 1, 2026 deadline, citing a lack of successful models in Colorado and potential compliance risks. Councilor Sampson opposed the perpetual opt-out, arguing for a sustainability-focused approach and pilot program. The Council voted to approve the opt-out with an amendment directing staff to explore gray water regulations and report back with options within nine months.
  • Lafayette CTC Grant Request (Urgent): Following the public comment by Ignacio Perez, the Council debated accepting the request for the City to act as the fiscal backbone for the EPIC grant. Concerns were raised by the City Attorney regarding the lack of time for legal review and liability exposure. While supportive of the coalition's work, the Council voted not to approve the City as the fiscal agent immediately due to the short timeline and legal requirements. The Director of Bridges of Opportunity offered to email the state to request a deadline extension.
  • Ballot Issue 2C Support: The Assistant to the City Manager presented Resolution 2025-61 supporting the Capital Bond Initiative for the Civic Center, Recreation Center, and Service Center improvements. Despite some hesitation regarding the impartiality of supporting a ballot issue, the Council voted 5-2 to approve the resolution.
  • General Improvement Districts (GIDs): The Council convened as boards for the City Center, Tech Center, Exemplar, and Corporate Campus GIDs to approve minutes and adopt 2026 budgets and mill levies. All resolutions passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Budget Approvals: Unanimously adopted the 2026 City budget, the 2026 pay plan, and specific fee resolutions for golf, refuse, water, reclamation, and stormwater. Unanimously adopted the 2025 amended and 2026 budgets for Laura and the DDA.
  • Annexation Eligibility: Unanimously passed Resolution 2025-63, determining the property at Arapahoe Road and 287 is eligible for annexation.
  • Collective Bargaining: Unanimously approved first reading of Ordinance 22, amending collective bargaining terms for police and fire to allow contracts of less than three years.
  • Gray Water Policy: Unanimously approved Resolution 2025-73 to opt out of gray water regulations for nine months, with a directive for staff to return with recommendations on establishing regulations within that timeframe.
  • Ballot Issue: Passed Resolution 2025-61 (5-2 vote) to support Ballot Issue 2C regarding capital improvements.
  • GID Budgets: Unanimously approved 2026 budgets and mill levies for the City Center, Tech Center, Exemplar, and Corporate Campus General Improvement Districts.
  • Planning Commission Interviews: Counselor Tapia Vega, Friedland, and Gallegos were appointed to conduct interviews for the two vacant Planning Commission seats.
  • Mayor's Announcement: Mayor Monget announced he will not seek re-election in the next cycle, citing personal reflection and a desire for his family and big-picture priorities to take precedence. He pledged to support a smooth transition.

The meeting concluded with the Council adjourning to an executive session to receive legal advice regarding specific contracts for city facilities.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I will call to order the city council meeting for October 28th, 2025, and we will begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands under God and liberty and justice for all. Um Clerk Beck, can we do a roll call, please? Mayor Monget? Here. Mayor Pro Cham Wong. Hello. Hello. Councilor Barnes. Good evening. Councilor Friedland. Here. Councilor Gallego. Good evening. Counselor Sampson. Good evening. And Councillor Tapia Vega. Here. Mayor, we have a quorum. Thank you so much. All right, we'll begin tonight's meeting with public input. This is your opportunity to address the council on any topics. Uh you'll have five minutes to speak. Um, if you wish to speak, uh please make sure that you fill out one of these speaker forms uh that you can access through the glass doors in the back. You can pass it over to Clerk Beck and we'll get you on the list. Uh you may also call in as well. Uh please state your name and address before you speak as well, so we have that for the record. Tonight we'll begin with Thomas Glenn. Uh good evening, everybody. Thanks again for your time. Uh I'm returning on the same topic as before, which is basically the uh flight school noise coming out of Rock Mountain Airport uh down in Jefferson County. I wanted to kind of display something. You probably can't see it well with the small piece of paper, but the yellow lines on this people piece of paper are basically flights over Lafayette. Uh over a 10-minute period. And this was on October 8th, uh, from 8 40 in the morning to 8 50 in the morning. And essentially 10 flights flying over Lafayette uh based upon the FAA change in uh the flight path having all the return flights going over 287 down to uh Jefferson County Airport. So I just want to let the rest of the audience take a quick look at this. So this is the issue. We got noise over Lafayette, we got flight schools uh bombarding our city, our county, our citizens uh with the flight noise, and essentially uh we need to take proactive measures to try to get this to stop. We're affecting uh our children. We got three schools right in that flight zone. We got the elementary school, we got the middle school, and we got the high school uh that are getting hit with that. We got the citizens, and we also have the wildlife. Uh last time I was here, I submitted a picture of an eagle on a power pole with the plane right above it. Uh we got uh Osprey, I've been over at Wanaka Lake. They're hovering above trying to do some fishing, and the planes are coming through, and then the Osprey disperse when we got these airplanes coming overhead. Um there's other wildlife that are impacted as well. And that's not to mention the impact to the recreational and open space users when we have constant noise going over the city. This is not a one-off picture.

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