So it doesn't say that just are you sir?

One tenth of a inch of rain today, maybe I'll take it.

Uh I will bring our meeting to order for the city council meeting for March third, twenty twenty-six will begin with the pledge of breaches.

Mayor Tapia Vega?

Here.

Mayor Pro Tem Barnes.

Good evening.

Counselor Bolier.

Hi.

Councillor Graveland.

Here.

Councillor Gallegos.

Good evening.

Councilor Gianola.

Here.

And Councillor Jensen.

Here.

Mayor, we have a quorum.

Thank you so much.

If you wish to speak tonight, please fill out one of these speaker request forms are in the back of the glass store.

Uh hand it over to our amazing city clerk.

And when you come up, just reminder to please say your name and address for the record.

Additionally, if you would like to speak, and you're not here uh physically, you can also speak by calling us.

That phone number is posted on our website.

We'll begin tonight with Frank Archelow.

Council members and city staff here.

I'm here to do a presentation basically as far as working together with the city to try to get the historical plaque with all the two hundred names at the cemetery.

Do not forget to pass, do not forget the history.

We must recognize and honor all the forgotten 200 infants, children, women, and men with a historical plaque with all their names on it.

Public commemoration is a way to conjure unity from divisionists by the act of remembering, no matter how painful, will strengthen the foundation upon which now the city of Lafayette can move forward.

Restorative with justice.

As we acknowledge the past wrongs and take action to heal the pain of the past, we must learn from the mistakes of history.

History possesses its particular characteristics, and it should be appreciated to value justly and to be aware of its value.

In order to benefit for the past history of the Lafayette Cemetery, we must approach the history with the understanding of its complexity of racism, discrimination, segregation, and negligent record kicking by the town and city to erase the history.

Erasing the history is a crime against humanity.

By confronting these difficult truths, we can foster greater understanding and ensure we do better in the future.

Honor, respect, and change.

The creation of a historical public plaque with all the names on it will honor those buried in the unmarked grave.

After all, this is what cemetery memorials are about here.

This will help make the city of Lafayette a better, more inclusive, and just community.

Leadership council, integrity, common sense, logic, consciousness, and righteousness by acting or being in accordance with what is just, honorable, and free from guilt or wrong.

The response of memory matters.

We must trust to restore the truth about the Lafayette Cemetery, the history of the Lafayette Cemetery, expose the silences that have haunted our city's narratives.

Even today, we have not permitted ourselves to feel the remorseful for this shameful episode.

Your Lafayette Human Right Commission, your Lafayette Cultural Art Board, your Lafayette Historical Society Board, directors, all these boards support a list of the 200 names on historical plaque.

They did not recommend or they did not vote to have a QR code at their Lafayette Cemetery.

Once again, they did not recommend or they did not vote to have a QR code at the Lafayette Cemetery.

This is a human right issue and a civil right issue at the cemetery here.

Do not hide the truth, Council here.

We must have a historical plaque with all the 200 names of the forgotten if it's children, women and men at the Lafayette Cemetery.

Council, let's get this right and be on the right side of history here.

What I passed out to you here was from the three different boards here.

And we was working with Monty Stevenson.

He was in charge of the cemetery and rec center before, and he was going to put that plaque up, and then it got stalled off.

But the recommendation was quit digging a pot of seal.

And the city continued here, even in October, when they hit the burial sites up there.

The other one is from the Lafayette Cultural Arts Center there.

And the historical sighting.

The directors down there.

And I underline the important factors that are in there.

Nobody wanted a QR code.

People that go up to the cemetery, some don't have cell phones, some don't even know how to get into QR codes enough.

You go across the nation, memorials that have the names to honor, to honor the people.

Brian Wong brought that up.

Because you might have to add more names and all that.

That doesn't make no sense.

That doesn't make no sense.

Across the entire nation.

Memorials are to honor.

To honor folks, and we must honor these forgotten women, children, and men.

Now that we have all the names, let's get this done and put up a historical plaque to honor them with their names on it.

That way the families will be able to say justice is done by the city of Lafayette, and we can move on.

Thank you.

Mr.

Mr.

Mount.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Arcelletta.

Up next, we'll hear from Peter Salas.

Good evening, Council.

Thank you for having us here.

My name is Pete Salas.

I live at 1710 Zeus Drive here in Lafayette.

I'm a 40-year resident of Lafayette.

I'm here to really support Frank Archibetta and his effort to have these the names of the forgotten.

Put on public display in a realistic, humane way.

As you know, uh this year, this last two years under the current administration at the White House, there's been an effort to erase people, to erase cultures.

And it's it's it's not so subtle what they're doing.

I think that uh we have a responsibility here to, as Frank said, to honor those people who have for so long been forgotten and basically have been disappeared.

And we have an opportunity here to recognize that we can bring them back, that we can honor their lives, uh, bring them back from the from the disappeared, and uh and put their names on these plaques in a in a public manner that doesn't include, that doesn't uh include uh uh electronics.

Uh I was surprised to hear the last time discussion around QR codes.

Uh what an inhumane thing.

And you know, to honor people, it just doesn't seem right.

And uh so I'm here to uh ask you again to consider what Frank has proposed.

He's given you all the reasons.

Uh we cannot uh continue to have our history erased.

Uh it has to be there in the public.

So I appreciate your time.

Uh so and on a second on a note, very quickly.

This wall over here that's really bare.

I I I would like you to bring back pictures of all the past mayors.

Just something that I've yeah, I you know, I used to come here a lot and see those.

So, anyway, on a side note, aside from that, thank you for your time.

Please take uh Frank's uh uh plea into consideration, and uh and I hope that it goes through.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Next we'll hear from Marsha Robotshaw.

Very quick.

I respectfully uh request that the city take another look at installing a plaque down there in Pottersfield.

Thanks to the work of uh Frank and uh Doug, we have those names.

And quite frankly, I think the QR code is tacky.

That's not one I wanted my race, don't so why would I want to somebody else?

You know, I just feel tacky.

Lafayette's done so much to look at our past.

Look at what we did it at the swing with the spring pool issue.

I would like to see this handle with these people honored the same way that we handle the uh swinging pool issue.

We should stand up and go like this for ourselves.

So please come together and how do you want your words done?

QR code or maybe your name.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Uh next we'll hear from, and I apologize if I misspell or mispronounce any of these names, uh, Liz Plato.

Thank you.

Good evening, mayor, council members, city staff, and neighbors.

I ask that you give me your presence and your attention.

I am here tonight because our city stands at a crossroads, not of policy, but of conscience.

Last year, Lafayette finally acknowledged nearly 200 people buried in a mark graves when two blacks were installing the cemetery spotters field.

These individuals were laid to rest without markers.

Many of them were people who helped build the city while facing racism, lived in poverty, or die without the dignity of family to claim them.

My question to you all is do you feel people like them and their families deserve dignity?

I believe they do.

And the city has the obligation to confront this long-standing moral failure in our history.

Thanks to the tireless work of community historians like Frank Archuletta and many others, we now know the names of this people whose history this city is still trying to erase with digital nonsense.

Our neighbors worked tirelessly, tirelessly to recover nearly 200 names from all newspapers, church records, and oral history, because the city tried to continue the silence and justice.

Their work was an act of love, an act of repair, closure.

But we are not done.

Today, the only way to view the individual names of those buried in the Potter's Field is through a marginalizing QR code that links to a digital list of names which requires a smart device.

A techie QR code is not inclusive.

A QR code is not dignity.

A QR code is not justice, and a QR code is not respect.

It creates a barrier, especially for elders, for grieving families, and for those who come seeking their ancestors in a moment of reverence, not technological barriers.

During the July 2025 city council meeting, resident after resident, ask the council to consider what this feels like.

Have you considered what this feels like?

Speakers share their frustration that loved ones are honored only through an exclusionary digital link, calling for a real plaque, one that allows people to stand before a physical tribute and read their names.

One speaker, a retired Marine said, we cannot live loved ones forgotten forever.

That is not just a statement, it's a moral truth.

Why a black with names matters morally, not just symbolically, you ask.

Names are the most human things we have.

Names carry histories, identity, stories, and belonging.

To list their name this permanently, is to restore the dignity the city denied to those individuals in both life and in burial for over a hundred years.

With a plaque, we're not just acknowledging history.

We are correcting the record.

We are saying you're here, you were here, you matter, and you will not be forgotten again.

This is not merely a historic project.

This is an act of moral leadership.

Because let us be honest, many of these people in the Pottersfield were placed there due to systems of inequality, poverty, racial injustice, and immigrant exclusion.

This on Margraves are not just a historical footnote.

They're physical evidence of the ways our society failed, failed some members of our community.

But now we have a chance, a rare and precious chance to do what those before us did not.

To say their names out loud and in permanence.

And this is fully within reach.

And according to my estimates, it would take the city of Lafayette five to twelve thousand dollars to correct more than a century of silence and injustice.

A small price for a community to finally provide a long overdue acknowledgement and restore dignity to those who were denied of it in life and in death.

This is not a financial issue.

This is a purely moral decision.

We are judged by how we treat those who can no longer speak for themselves.

Future generations will ask how we handle this moment.

Will they say we embrace truth?

Or will they say that we allow people, our people, to remain invisible, even after the names were finally recovered?

Tonight, I ask you to choose visibility over silence, dignity over convenience, and justice over gesture.

Place a black listing all the identified names in the Lafayette Cemetery where families can stand before it, touch it, and feel the weight and beauty of remembrance.

Let us be the city that did not settle for performative, performative action only.

Let's finish the work.

Nearly 200 people lie in that ground.

We cannot change how they were buried.

But we can change what we do now and how they're remembered.

They are our ancestors.

Those who helped build the city and sacrifice everything for us to be here today.

Honor them, name them.

Live them into the life where they always belong, despite country of origin or financial status.

So I ask you today, are you going to have the moral courage to write the systemic neglect and the collective disregard for human life that has continued for over a hundred years in the city?

Because to bury someone without a name is not just racist oversight.

It's a profound reach of human dignity.

Thank you so much.

Next we'll hear from Louis Avila.

Good evening.

Hi I'm here in support of the uh cemetery markers and stuff.

Um basically the I'm not a native.

I've been here maybe just 55 years.

But uh my wife was born, she was actually born over on the street.

And she's got a couple of uh ancestors that are buried in the potter's field, and we don't know if it's been moved or not, and she would like to have some recognition of the having been buried here in Lafayette.

That's it.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Next we'll hear from Carol Sadler.

Hi, my name is Carol Sadler.

I'm a native of Lafayette, 79 years.

I live at 2204 Tamaron Lane.

And I'm here on behalf of seven family members that were buried in Potters Field.

I have a picture I'd like you to pass down of Adele Abeda Martinez.

She was the lady who was burned in a fire with her five children.

They're on the top, she's the little girl.

My grandpa is Ava Beta, and that was his dad.

So you can pass it down.

So you see there are memories of them.

They buried her and her five children in Potters Field.

The other person I don't have a picture is of my grandmother's mother who came to live with her on Geneseo Street in the 30s.

Her name was Pablita Trujillo.

And you know, they didn't have a ton of money.

They were all laborers.

My grandfathers, they worked in the mines in the winter, and in the summers, they worked in the fields.

They also worked with WPA to build the roads up in the mountains.

You know, they gave to this community an awful lot of stuff.

So raised their children here.

Their children went to war.

My grandma and grandpa Beta had three sons, one in the Aleutian Islands, one in the Philippines, and my Uncle Benny, the youngest, was in the Battle of the Bulge.

So the whole families have given to this community.

It seems like such a small price to pay to have a plaque for these people that were related to them.

You know, um, my grandpa Beta brought his baby sister back with her babies, and she was pregnant with another baby when the house burned in Frederick.

So please think about it.

Instead of having a QR coup code that, you know, when you get to be my age, I even know how to use the dog on things.

You go to a restaurant and you can't figure out what the heck am I gonna order?

So many people can't use your QR coup codes, and they'll be out 10 years later with AI.

They're not even gonna be available, but a plaque is there and will stay there forever.

So uh please think about that.

You know, when you make your decisions, it's a small amount of money.

I mean, we're all playing taxes and big bucks too.

So please help us out.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you so much.

Up next, we'll hear from Tony Munoz.

Hello, City Council.

My name's Tony Munoz, and I am uh native of Lafayette.

Uh my family's from Serene, Colorado, if you're familiar with some of the local history around here.

Um I'm gonna use a flashlight, so please pardon me for a moment here.

Um whether you're a native of this community or not, we are a community, all of us.

And so um let's just start there.

Uh this is my second time asking uh to have the names put in writing.

I I really feel that it's that important.

Um when we uh when we read the plaque that is located in Lafayette Cemetery, uh Plotters Field, the second paragraph per sentences the plaque reads renewed interest in ongoing historical investigations along with technological advances, have begun to help reveal who and how and why.

And so now that we know the who, why not put the who in writing?

I mean, we've come this far, and now we're just stopping.

Um, it just seemed kind of strange.

And as far as the QR code goes, I do um I do walk to the cemetery a lot.

I live very close.

I walk to church, I walk to the grocery stores, I walk by my neighbors' houses a lot.

Um I like this community.

I like to live in it.

I'm just not here to sleep.

Some people are.

Some people just, you know, they don't really live in the community, they go to work in other places, and and sometimes our kids even go to school in other places, but uh I like the community, and I I don't want it to change.

I want to keep what we've had my whole life growing up, and I want my grandchildren to have it too.

So um, in having the QR code, I'm always concerned with clicking on them.

Um, I don't know if it's true.

I do have a degree in computer programming, but I've been away from the industry for a moment.

Um, and working real estate for over 20 some years.

Uh but um, you know, I've been told, Mom, don't click on that, they have viruses.

Uh, you know, I I've worked with data collectors.

Every data collector I've ever worked with is buying a bigger house.

It's not because they're downsizing or you know, they've got tough times.

They're there they're they have big offices and big rooms with all of our information in these rooms.

It's really quite frightening.

So I try to stay away from QR codes.

Um, and so and that you know, they say that they're selling collecting our data, and then also um the viruses sometimes they say that they put viruses in our phones, and then what about people who don't have uh you know a smartphone, they have flip phones or don't have a phone, then you know, again, that's not fair to them because it's basic, you know.

Why get so technical when it's something as basic as as our names as our life?

Um, I didn't know these people, uh, I don't think.

Um I have a lot of family in that cemetery, tons and tons and tons, and I've looked through the list, and I don't think it's anybody that I'm related to, but they're my community.

We're back to that community thing, trying to keep keep this beautiful environment we're all living in, and everyone is working so hard to keep it righteous, I guess.

I've always been taught that we need to respect those of that have gone before us.

My mother was very, very strict.

She was a business owner in this community.

Um, and she wasn't afraid to correct me in front of each and every one of you.

She had she had no shame in her game when I was doing something wrong.

Um so we know this is the right and just thing to do.

And so, counsel, um I know I've asked before, but I'm here asking again.

Please help us to uh move forward with love and transparency for everyone.

We must have a historical plaque in the cemetery so that we can know the names and move on and continue to grow in our love for each other.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Next, we'll hear from Thomas Glenn.

Good evening, council and city members.

Uh appreciate your time.

Thank you for listening.

Um I'm back to primarily thank you for your continued support on working with the Northwest Mayors Association and group uh for uh trying to get a solution to the Rocky Mountain Airport uh noise that comes over Lafayette.

Um it's been an ongoing problem for five years.

It's gotten much more worse since uh June of last year when the uh FAA changed the flight patterns uh without any public input or environmental assessment.

Uh so I want to thank you for that continued strong leadership to help come up with a solution so that we can maintain the quality of life in Lafayette.

It's definitely taken a degrading hit over the last year essentially from the airplanes going overhead.

Um this past Sunday and Monday, there was different times during the day where aircraft were going over my house every one to three minutes along the 287 highway corridor.

So it's not just me, my neighborhood, it's that whole corridor that's getting impacted by the airplanes going overhead.

Um my house actually is in line with Lafayette Elementary.

So when those airplanes are going right overhead of my place, they're going right over Lafayette Elementary and the lead fuel and the fumes and so forth is dropping right onto our children.

So please, you know, uh address that as it's going forward to make sure that that's getting uh cleaned up as well.

Uh we don't need our kids getting impacted with the lead.

Um I want to bring up a specific example last night at 7:30 last night.

Uh Mile Hay Rotors helicopter flew over my house under 200 feet and had a spotlight beaming right into my house.

I have a vaulted ceiling with windows in it, and here's this helicopter under 200 feet beaming its spotlight right into my house.

And I'm sitting there and I'm like, what is this?

You know, it's see that on the movies where somebody's getting zeroed in on or whatever.

And if you can address the helicopter issue, specifically mile high rotors, uh, that would be appreciated.

Uh they've been a frequent well, can't call a lawbreaker, but a frequent nuisance for the city of Lafayette.

And uh they just don't seem to care about citizens that are below them.

They only care about their flight tours and having their fun.

Uh and I'm gonna just close on once again.

Thanks for all your support and trying to come up with a resolution to to this ongoing issue and making it better for the future of Lafayette.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Next we'll hear from Roy Johnson.

Hello again.

It's me.

Roy Johnson, 2547 Sweetwater Circle.

Uh, I support the historical plaque listing the names of the previously unnamed at the cemetery.

Uh I supported it last time when the previous council voted it down, but I do recognize the three of you supported it.

Thank you.

Uh the way to atone for past wrongs, and I think you'll recognize that language.

The way to atone for past wrongs, including unnamed graves, is not to keep them unnamed.

I also commend Mr.

Archer Letter's long efforts.

I appreciate those.

Um, in conclusion, since I'm out of time here, uh sometimes doing the right thing is hard.

This is the easiest right thing you can do.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Next, we'll hear from Ron Spalding.

Good evening, Mayor.

City Council Ron Spawning 1326 over all the way.

Uh I just want to say I support everyone in spoken with Lafayette Cemetery.

It's one of the most heartfelt presentations I've ever heard since being here 14 years.

I'm a Vietnam veteran and brought back memories when I visited the Washington Vietnam veterans memorial.

Unbelievable, and I could cry right now.

So I kind of know what they're going through.

But that's so support them 100%.

Uh I'm here.

I'm here though to talk about something.

I'll try to be brief.

And the council already heard it.

But I want I attended the city council workshop on uh February 26th.

Excellent presentation of public works and the water supply update.

A lot of information.

Where's the water come from?

You know, 99% of it in the state of Colorado's agricultural, 7% is municipality, and 3% industrial.

The reason I'm bringing this up, we may have data here that may be able to stop any of the anxieties that are coming before us in Lafayette.

But I just want to say uh where is the water stored?

Or water stored at Goose Haven?

If my numbers are correct, I think we have a one-year supply.

We would like to have a three-year supply, you know, in case something happens with the drought.

And that's for the current city population, about 33,000.

Other one is Gruce Reservoir.

Uh that's on hold of the lawsuit.

Uh judge ruled we can finish the dam 150, 180 feet, but we don't know when it can be filled yet.

That's still in litigation.

Our third uh reservoir is Chimney Hollow.

That's also on hold till 2026.

Maybe a lot of people heard about the uranium issue, blah, blah, blah.

Uh, and but that can't be filled up yet.

Uh, the Northern Water Integrated Supply Project, 2.7 billion dollars.

And, you know, there's some issue about cost overrun, which we may or may not have to get.

But to summarize, that's our four main areas of storing water.

Uh, but where's the water coming from?

We also, the cities are missing.

We uh the legislature passed a water supply uh uh uh study.

Every seven years, all the cities have to say what's our population going to be, what's our water supply.

We're going to be seeing that report in a couple months, the city council and us.

And uh I know it's gonna be detailed, very analytical report.

Probably one of Standard, but boy, I'm gonna look at it and see what how it's projected.

And we all have to look at that.

Uh the Colorado River Water Compact, and I've talked about this before, I had to repeat myself, but that's it's in limbo now.

The government interior department's gonna decide uh who's going to get what water, you know.

My buddy in Arizona called me up last week, says Run.

And he said, We we have all our our whole state of water conservation, you guys are taking our water.

I said, Tom, just have Phoenix quit having so many people around here, you know.

So what I'm trying to say is I think we may have data now to look at the annexations that are coming forth.

And I said before, maybe we ought to hold off until one, we got our water supply document in to see we're looking at the current population.

I guess we're gonna project it out to what we might be.

A photo build-out might be where we are now, about 33,000.

But if we're going to be building out, if it's a population forecast, where's the water forecast?

Okay, we have all the great reservoirs going to hold it.

We all know, well, maybe we all don't know, but uh we're in the worst drought ever, not just us, even Florida.

Talking friends, they haven't had rain in months in parts of Florida.

So I think in the legislature, as a assignment as it may be, they pass all this legislation on uh under I mean insurmountable amount of growth.

Applaud you all for the lawsuit we're all in, you know.

I got so much to say.

When you coordinate, I think you coordinate with Erie and Lewisville a couple times a year.

I would like to see, I don't know if this is agenda item when we talk to Erie.

Look at those fools.

All the residential, all the residential building, where's their water?

Lewisville now, a little bit better, a little bit great, but they're gonna be putting up our a Cherry Creek Village.

A lot going on.

I don't know if we're talking with our neighbors about that if we have to, we're water supply plant.

Dr.

Cog.

Last year, year and a half ago, uh uh I went down there, did a presentation of the request of Councilman Wong on all the legislations passed that's strangling us.

He picked up after that and got the board to say, oh well, uh we'll develop a subcommittee to lobby the legislatures.

Never happened.

Can we can our representative bringing up his agenda item, Dr.

Cobb, get all the municipalities together?

Uh it's tough.

We got a lot of tough issues with time's up.

Thank you for listening to an old man.

Thank you so much.

Next we'll hear, oh, from one of our former mayors, Jamie Harkins.

I like this thing as you are.

Hi everyone.

Um, I haven't been here in four years, and this is very strange.

But it's so good to see you all.

Um, first of all, I'd just like to issue a very belated congratulations, especially to our new mayor and our new mayor for 10.

Very excited for both of you.

And if I can ever help in any way, you know how to get a hold of me.

So I'm not here to talk about the cemetery, although I agree with everyone that has spoken tonight.

A few of you know that's how I feel about that issue.

I'm actually here to talk about the flock cameras.

And um, if you ran into me last year, you probably heard me talking about this locally, regionally.

Um, and it's something that um I finally thought I would come to talk about.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

No, I waited until Chief Basher was gone at least.

Um so I have to say that um when they were originally put in, I remember that occurring, and um, you know, my wife was really concerned about it, and I was like, you know, I don't know.

I certainly had been on the receiving end as you all are of all the emails about increased crime, property crimes, that kind of thing.

And so I I really did see the utility in them.

But um I have to say that Jamie then would not have really thought the world we're living in now would be the truth.

And I that's really unfortunate, but that's where we are.

Um, all you have to do is run a Google search to read about some of the wide-scale abuses of the system that's happened nationwide.

I won't go into detail, but we've seen a woman tracked out of the state of Texas for going to get an abortion.

We've seen law enforcement officers in states, stock X-wives.

Um, we've seen obviously the one that's gotten the most headlines is ice tapping into the network via local law enforcement officers that are friendly to them all across the country and running searches to identify folks.

I'm not gonna focus on that too much tonight.

I really wanted to call attention to I I gave you all a copy of an article because it's behind a paywall.

They have some big plans and they're very public about it.

They are looking to move from just license plate data to a people lookup tool.

And they are right now, as we speak, according to internal memos, linking our license plate data in the system to data they've gotten from breaches that they've bought out there to create the ultimate people lookup tool.

They want to be able to get your license plate, know where you are, who you associate with, who are you married to, what organizations are you involved in.

So I think we can all seeing the world we live in now see the danger in that.

And I guess I'll just say that right now it's immigrants that are being targeted, but you know, the FBI announced a few, not announced, a leak a few days ago that they have plans to label our trans community members as nihilistic violent extremists.

So I don't think it's too much of a jump to think that they might use these systems to find those folks.

Um could they track democratic elected officials who they don't believe don't agree with them?

Absolutely.

Um again, Jamie four years ago would have thought all this sounded insane, and that um our constitutional rights would protect us, and that's just not what we're seeing.

And so um I wanted, I know we did cut back a little bit on who we're sharing our data with, and I appreciated that.

Um, some of the out-of-state partners.

We are still sharing our data with the entire state of Colorado, including a group called the Northern Colorado Intelligence Unit.

Know who they are.

Um I have full faith and trust in our police department.

I have never seen anything different.

Do I trust every law enforcement officer in every police department in Colorado?

Absolutely not.

And um, just a personal anecdote, I can't even leave my neighborhood unless I make a very, very concerted effort to avoid a flock camera.

Like I that feels really crappy to be honest.

Um just knowing that my movements within the city I love so much and served are being tracked like that.

And so um I would just ask, we've heard a lot tonight about um diversity and inclusion.

I know at least when I was on council, we spent a lot of time thinking about how we can support our community, and I just don't see how that isn't aligned with saying we're okay with deploying this technology that is right now being used to target some of those very same community members.

I get really emotional about it, sorry.

Um you would not be alone.

Longmont just voted in December to stop all data sharing, and they're looking at how to end their contract right now.

Denver just the city auditor actually said they can't sign the renewal because he thought it was such an invasion of privacy in Denver residence, he couldn't legally sign it.

So they're looking at another option.

Sorry, I know I'm out of time.

Wow, that went fast.

Um I'll just end with um you all are brilliant people, our staff are brilliant.

I fully believe we can solve crime without this kind of answer, and I think you can come up with those answers.

So thank you.

Thank you so much.

Uh next we'll hear from Grant Swift.

Good evening, Grant Swift 608 East Genesis O Street.

Um, while I am a representative of uh Open Space Advisory Committee and Historic Preservation Board or Commission tonight, my thoughts are my own.

Um about 15 years ago, uh my brother asked if I would start helping him uh research our family, and so then I became a family researcher.

And I got real excited.

He said, You take dad's side.

I said, Great.

So I jumped on online and through an ancestry account and started looking and looking, looking.

And within a couple months, I had a thousand people on dad's side, and then I said, wait a minute.

Where I've been looking at this person's family tree, and that person was sourcing someone else's family tree who was sourcing someone else's family tree, and it was a vicious circle.

I deleted everything.

Primary documents.

That became my focus.

And so for a primary document, if I'm researching, allow me to get a little bit morbid here.

But if I see a photograph of a death certificate, I am excited because I know that that person was in my family.

I know where who they were related to, and I know how I can link them into me.

If I see a photograph of a gravestone, the same type of thing, I know that that person is related to me in somehow, some way, some fashion.

If I don't find either of those primary documents, I look at secondary documents and hit the newspapers and look for obituaries.

And kudos to Frank and Doug for doing that and going to the mortuaries and finding out those records so that we can have secondary sources.

And if you gather enough secondary sources, then likelihood is that that person is related to me.

I don't have any relatives in Lafayette Cemetery.

But right now, the only primary document I see is this that shows the 200 people who were buried there unnamed.

And I have in my family eight people who are listed as baby Swift.

And I can experience the joy of knowing that a child was born into that family, and the sorrow of knowing that a child died that immediately after being born.

And so I can identify with those family members.

Please allow, and I believe that this started because of genealogy, genealog.

Please allow other genealogists to find a primary document, a photograph of a plaque with these names on, so that they can also share the joys and sorrows that their families experienced.

Thank you.

Thanks so much.

Next we'll hear from Doug Conor.

Hi, uh Doug Conor 0513 Elm Street here in Lafayette.

Yep.

I wanted to tell the story, and Carol brought up the story of a relative of hers that encapsulates the problem in the cemetery in a single story.

It's Della Martinez.

This is an AP story, January 28th, 1930.

Seven persons were burned to death in a fire today in the two-room shack near the Slope mine.

Mrs.

Paul Martinez, her five children ranging in age from 13 months to 15 years, and a miner named Newland lost their lives.

Keep that name in mind.

Newland discovered the fire, broke into the shack, through a window, and was burned to death trying to rescue the family.

Same story in the Greeley Tribune.

Newland in the meantime found the whole north end of the cottage on fire.

He could hear the mother and her children trapped by the blaze, pounding on the sides of the sleeping room.

The blaze had started near the north door, cutting off their escape.

A south door had previously been nailed shut.

Newland procured an iron bar and knocked on the sole window located on the west side of the house.

His actions thereafter are not known, but the position of the bodies it is thought to have that he picked up two of the children and started for the South Door.

Not until then it is thought that he discovered that this door was nailed shut and then his escape had already been cut off.

Well, so terribly sad story, terrible tragedy.

Connected to Lafayette, most certainly.

The common element in it is that there's an undertaker named G.R.

Henning, who sent out to Frederick to retrieve the bodies and handle the arrangements and the burials.

And he arranges for Della and the children to be put into one casket.

And they're buried together in the single grave site.

Really no trace of that.

That was completely unknown to Frank and I until about a year ago that there was a mass, that single mass grave.

In contrast, Newland, who was he was not a coal miner at the mine, he was just one of the caretakers of the mine working for the coal company.

He is buried, he was brought back by the same undertaker.

He's buried in the nice in out of Potter's Field on the upper south part of the cemetery.

Grave marker.

He's in the database.

He's remembered, he's known.

He was kept track of.

Martinuses, they disappear completely.

And the worst part of this, and I've been underscoring this for four years, four and a half years, is that they a hundred burial plots were sold to this undertaker.

He never told the city who he was burying or where he was burying in the majority of those lots.

This was in the 20s and 30s.

Here we are a hundred years later.

The city had until 2016, the town and now the city until 2016 the opportunity to get that information.

They could have gone over to the mortuary.

We tried.

We tried, Frank and I tried.

They destroyed them.

They've gotten rid of them.

And that's the problem that not only were they forgotten to start with, nobody cared after the fact, even.

We need a plaque that has the names on it.

It needs to have room for more people.

Because in 50 years there may be somebody that does research better than I do.

And there'll be more names for it.

I come across names.

I haven't done I haven't researched the death, the obituaries and the death notices as much as I did a year ago.

But come across names occasionally, compare them to the list that I have of the unknowns.

And so there are going to be more.

There's no question about it.

Families have come forward who I didn't even know from the research that I've done.

Who have names that should be on that list as well, too.

So let's uh you know, four years is enough.

It's enough.

Let's let's resolve this.

Let's get a let's get something that memorializes these people.

Thank you so much.

Up next, we will hear from Samantha Brown.

Let me compose myself after this presentation.

This is very tragic.

And I agree that we actually have to put the names of the people on the black instead of doing QRA code.

Because usually I come to QRA code and I make a picture instead of clicking on it.

Alright, so I have a visual presentation for you guys today, and I would like to take you on a virtual walk on a Cold Creek Trail in the West Lafayette.

And please keep this image in mind while I'm walking you through the reality presented in the pictures in front of you.

In the last year or so, Col Creek Trail in the West Lafayette acquired multiple unsightly and semi-permanent fixtures.

For example, now we have a flag field annotated in red circles and a map in front of you.

In less than a mile, you will encounter three flag fields.

These are areas are densely marked with the pink conventional marking flags.

The flags fields with us for at least last four months and first were appeared in September.

The flags according to open space division are used to mark newly planted native native plants and facilitate plants watering.

That sounds great.

Except the typical watering recommendation for small replanted vegetation goes something like this.

And then occasionally for the next week or two, and after that, you let your new plant to adjust to new environment on its own.

One would hope that drought-tolerant local plants planted by open space division would have no issue adjusting to the local climate and do not have to be watered for four months straight and unclear for how much longer.

In addition, conventional marking flags are themselves pose potential environmental hazards due to plastic and metal they made of.

Smooth brome is grass that Lafayette inherited from our agricultural past.

This pro the smooth brome conversion to native prairies is well studied topics and been around since 1960s.

There are multiple recommendations that have been issued on how to approach the conversion.

More than the areas of the grass during grass dormacy is not recommended and proven to be ineffective.

However, the Col Creek Trail both bold spots, a testament to our open space division not following or not being aware of common recommendations.

The tire tracks in the grassy area just speaks for themselves.

It raises one question from the public.

Why?

And what a justification for such a careless approach.

As a tire track speaks for themselves, so do the clamps of mantle poles, bundles of unsightly ropes, and a new tree support that marked, in addition to everything else, but the dog poop bags.

This super um semi-permanent features pushed on people of Lafayette by open space division in the last year, or so with no obvious end in sight.

In addition, um as we continue on our virtual walk, there is high chance that you will encounter some sort of CT vehicle on the trail.

It should not be mentioned over here, even that heavy CT vehicles are highly damaging to the gravel trail.

They create obstacle to navigate, additional obstacle to navigate, and leave you with exhaust hum.

Um we as a people of Lafayette trying to make our city welcoming and vibrant community.

What open space division created in the West Colete uh trail is in full contradiction to our vision.

The extent of carelessness stresses local environment, wildlife, and local community.

People of Lafayette have standards.

And in this particular case, our standards are not met.

I urge the city council to reiterate our standards to the city management department, and do not accept anything that does not align with our high expectations.

Thank you for your attention.

Thank you.

Next we'll hear from Michael Watson.

Um this is why Lafayette is the best damn damn city out here.

Like, man, what a what an amazing place to live.

Just just people coming up to speak for justice.

For justice that is this incredibly long overdue.

I mean, Frank Artoletto has been speaking on this for longer than I have been paying attention to city council, um, which is obviously like not that long.

But who came up with a QR code?

Like, where the hell does that even come from?

Like, who thinks that's appropriate?

I mean, that that's that's so preposterously like nonsensical to me that you would walk into a cemetery, and here's a city who's who's clearly working to confront a past that is racist, a past that is that is just bad.

You know, like like so much of America.

I mean that that's that's a lot of the past that we grapple with with America is we've done some really bad shit after.

Um Lafayette has done some really bad shit.

And you come into the cemetery, and here's a plaque that says we acknowledge all the bad stuff that we've done in the past.

Um here's a QR code.

What?

Where does that even make sense?

And whose bright idea was that?

Clearly put the names on there.

Like the we didn't give them a grave, we didn't care enough in the past to even give them a gravestone, give them a marker.

And the message that I am getting is that we don't care enough now to give them a name.

Please give them a name.

Secondly, it's a weird year this year.

It's a really weird year.

The bird patterns are different, like I got completely different species of birds at at my feeder and in my little juniper tree than I normally do.

I have I keep track of the first flower that I see every year because it's important to me.

It's it's kind of like rebirth after the winter.

Um January 6th.

Like, I mean, January 6th obviously is is like another date that shall live in for me in our history.

Um, but this year it was the first flower that we have in Colorado at a mile altitude.

That's really weird.

My territory is in is just about in full bloom.

I got Hascat berries that are that are the little yellow flowers all over the place.

Um, and we've barely seen any snow, any rain.

Um, despite all of this, I was watching the uh the workshop from last week that you guys did.

Right now, that the math that they're doing shows that we're okay.

I don't believe that for a second.

This is not an everything like business's normal year.

Um if there is one responsibility that I believe rests with the elected officials of our town, it's making sure that our town continues to exist over the next couple years.

And I think like my gut says this is going to be a really bad year, politically, nationally, globally, and locally with our weather patterns.

And we got to be ready.

And sitting there and saying, like, yeah, our water's probably gonna be enough.

I mean, have we like not traveled, have we not progressed since the days of sitting there and and then praying for rain.

Um, we have all sorts of technological components, we have all sorts of mathematics that can help us model this.

Um the little equation that they that they put up in the presentation for you guys doesn't adequately capture the massive variability and unknowns um that are going to be in a in the the to our Boulder Creek water rights to to speak nothing of of CBT and Windy Gap and everything else.

Um obviously um yeah, just just we need to be really really be paying attention to that as soon as earlier rather than later.

Um voluntary water restrictions, I I think should should go into effect immediately, and not just the voluntary water restrictions where we talk about it in this room and it never leaves the chambers.

Um people need to actually talk to the people out there and explain how we implement these these water restrictions.

The the golf course perhaps should be to be rested for a year.

Um it's gonna be a weird year.

Like we all know it, we all feel it.

The birds definitely know it.

Um, and out of all the wildlife in in my backyard that I'm exposed to, uh, we held a straw poll.

Um, and I was apparently the the only person who could come in here and offer some public comments.

So I'm speaking for a wide variety of other species as well who hope that we can make it through this year okay.

Thank you very much.

And no QR code, please.

Thank you so much.

Um the last speaker request form I have.

Oh, what an amazing night.

Another former mayor, Carolyn Hutler.

Could there be two of us here?

Um boy, I am reminded of a time when I sat up there, and um when people come forward, especially during this time in a meeting, what you hear is such a wide range of um things that are important to our community and that make our community what it is.

Um for every single comment we've heard, these things come from people's hearts.

By the way, I'm Carolyn Cutler, I live in Lafayette.

Um I'm here to talk a little bit as a former mayor to a city council about what I think about when I'm thinking about some of the things around development.

Um I know there have been issues around not issues, I know there are develop development of proposals, I know they're annexation proposals.

Um I hear a lot of talk about do we want to support small local businesses and retail or big box retail and housing?

And I guess my question would be why is it a choice?

And um I'm speaking one so that's uh it's on a record.

Um also because I know you all are thinking and talking about that as you consider whatever comes before us.

So I'm gonna say I think we need, and I think we really need both strong revenue generators and intentional investment in our local businesses, both current and the ones that come in the future, um, and the environments that both form and enhance our community character.

I it's something I struggled with for eight years.

Why do we depend on sales tax?

On the other hand, that's what we depend on to support ourselves.

And we do it because it supports our city, pays the bills, funds amenities that most of our community members value, and allows us to maintain and improve our city services.

Uh oh, I just lost my place.

Larger sales tax generating businesses often change, provide the financial stability and flexibility that let us invest in places like Old Town, South Boulder Road, and other targeted areas.

And whether I like Arvada or not, if you drive down, if you go into Old Town, they still for the most part have a pretty cute old town.

And then what supports the city to do the things they want to do is often are often the things like the Costco in that area down there.

So there are places that that would be appropriate right here in Lafayette.

A balanced approach allows us to support ourselves financially while intentionally creating the community character we value.

And whether it's as simple as putting um what might be as simple as putting up a plaque with the names of people who are not remembered in the cemetery, or funding a lawsuit to make sure that something happens differently with the travel plans of the planes flying overhead.

It does require us to have money.

Oh, I just said that.

How do I miss?

I guess I said this twice.

I try not to read, but if I don't read, then I ramble.

So we need both of those.

Um the toughest public-facing work for you as decision makers is looking and hearing what everybody says and making those choices and decisions about things that are that are before us based on both how will you benefit the city for now and into the future?

How will we afford this if we choose that?

And um I think the toughest decisions you see public facing are often development projects.

So having spent a long time involved with with cities government as both a planning commissioner, city councilor, and a mayor.

I just want to name a few of the more difficult land use projects that came before us during my tenure.

Um, some of you, at least one of you was probably here through most of that.

One of them was Josephine Commons, one of them was Good Sam Hospital and Kaiser, no longer good Sam, but we still have a hospital.

Um two of the biggest housing developments were Anna's Farm and Cole Creek Village.

Today I consider all of those to be among our assets.

Open space parks, recreation centers, libraries are some of the assets that we also really value having in town, but we couldn't do those without the tax dollars.

I'm not um suggesting you vote in a certain way when things come before you, but I am suggesting that you consider all of these kinds of things as you think through the projects that come before you because it's not just the 200 people who showed up week after week when we wanted to build a hospital, it is who's using that hospital today, and those all need to be part of our considerations.

You're doing great work, thank you very much.

I'd hope to have an opportunity to do this over coffee, but um I just want to thank you.

Thank you so much.

I don't see any more speaker requests forums.

Actually, ones coming to us right now.

Rob Glenn.

Sorry for the tardiness on that.

Uh Rob Glenn, 401 West Cannon Street, uh here in Lafayette, Colorado.

Um just grateful to always get to hear all the different public input, and I'm always listening and receptively being a part of that.

And I've gotten to hear a lot and be a part of that beautiful ceremony that uh y'all put together for Potter Field, but there is a piece missing, and I do agree and appreciate all the work that Frank and Doug and everybody else and the families have done in researching and getting that information, and I do feel uh in high support of getting a plaque together and making sure those names are there and space available, uh, as it's always important to remember history, especially that wasn't there.

Um I don't want to talk too much on it because I think some people made some beautiful presentations on that, whether it was data and historical facts or just their heart and their thoughts around the community and and their heritage here in Lafayette.

Uh, and just so proud to hear all those people get to up here and speak and support that.

Thank you so much.

I don't see any more speaker request forms.

Is there anyone else who wishes to speak that is not yet spoken?

Not seeing anyone, I'll turn to our city clerk.

Do we have any calls?

We have three callers online.

We'll start with the caller ending in 233.

Speaking is now permitted.

Caller with the number ending in 233.

Hello, caller ending in 233.

Speaking is permitted.

Right, we'll move on and try the second one.

Caller ending uh with the phone number ending in 582.

Speaking is permitted for you.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Please can you hear me?

Yes.

Okay.

Hello.

My name's Anita.

And I have been um a resident of Lafayette.

Born and raised here all my life, 76 years.

And I'm calling because I would like to ask counsel also to revisit the subject of the plaque and barcode.

I tell a excuse me, memorial tombstone with all the names of the people need to be placed there at the cemetery.

Um we know all the names, and each one of them is part of a family.

One is my sister or a friend of citizens of Lafayette.

And I won't go into the details on my sister, but when in the late 60s, when my father went back to try to put a stone, uh Annie couldn't find the grave.

So that's the reason she didn't have a stone.

Um, but anyway, um all of these people are absolutely a part of Lafayette's history, and they need to be respectively acknowledged.

This memorial stone will write a wrong, and uh it would be better, granted, not uh I mean it would be better that they have a stone with their names on instead of a plaque on a rock with a barcode because I agree with all the others that stated you're not gonna find a lot of elders that are gonna be willing to go over there and look for a lot of them already don't know how to use their phones for a barcode.

I am lucky that I do know, but I know others wouldn't, and um you know, you just you just don't you just don't uh treat them that way.

I think that they all need to be acknowledged their names.

We know their names.

So please reconsider and put a plat uh phone up with all the names on it.

And thank you, City Council.

I hope you all have a good night.

Thank you.

We will thank you.

We'll return to the caller with the phone number ending in two three three.

Speaking is now permitted.

Telephone number ending in two three three.

All right.

Caller with a phone number ending in four two four.

Speaking is now permitted.

Hello?

Hello, we can hear you.

Please go.

Yes.

Yes, my name is David Samano.

My grandfather's name was Salvador Salano.

He was murdered on Cinco Day Mile in 1929.

He was then buried in the Lafayette Cemetery.

Um our family came upon a map and the burial records of my grandfather.

On that map, there are lots of people, some of them who you have been talking to, and Frank Archalette has this map.

I offered the map to the city council uh several years ago, but they did not want anything to do with it.

I offered them the burial record.

It took me a couple of years with Frank's help to get my grandfather's grave recognized.

So many of the spots that you're talking about are on that map, and the city council knows that, and the city of Lafayette knows that.

Not all of them, but some of them.

Um I approached the city, they told me to not talk to Frank Archoleta.

They said, do not go to this room and do not work with him.

The city did nothing to help me.

We did hold a ceremony for my uh grandfather.

We placed a dead stone, which you will know that Salvador Simano, he was a coal miner.

And not one person from the city attended that memorial.

Nothing.

Not a note, not a flower, nothing.

The city has got a lot of stuff they're trying to hide and have been trying to hide.

Your QR code is kind of like your website.

I beg of you to go to your website and try to navigate it and try to find how to feed live onto this meeting.

And I beg of you to go on that website and try to find the phone number to call into.

So if your website is that hard to navigate, your QR code is going to be impossible to navigate for somebody that does not know how to use the computer or the phone or anything else.

Now, that being said, the map was written by Henning Mortuary.

My grandfather's bureau record was written by Henning Mortuary, the same handwriting.

So I had a map and a burial record, a location, and a burial record showing where my grandfather was buried.

And on that map was verified by Frank Archelletta when he went and found newspaper articles, church records, and other records that showed that these people did actually were buried in that cemetery on the map.

So my grandfather's grave and these other graves were bought from Henning Mortuary.

Then the city came and buried people in those areas.

When did the city purchase the Henning Mortuary plots?

When do they purchase this area?

Then they sold these plots.

And now we have a lot of people buried in these plots that the city is still hiding from to recognize that they are buried there.

Is the city still trying to hide this?

I don't I don't understand.

And I had to have the city move that, which they fought.

These graves are being trampled on or being walked on or not being recognized, and are not being given a head stone.

So Frank has this map.

Anybody out there listening that has anybody buried in there, we're not saying all the 200 names are there, but some of those names are there.

And those names Frank went back and found the newspaper articles or the church records that match the names on that map, and it said it states and recognizes their burial there.

The other thing I want to bring up about recognizing these people along with that memorial, it's a memorial, it's not a plaque, it's a memorial headstone of the names of the people buried there.

Is when that you're digging and burying other people in this area and you find a unknown coffin.

Do you mark that coffin?

You drive a stake in the ground, a metal stake to identify that.

And I do know that some of the headstones have been moved in order to make place and room for newer burials.

Again, if we recognize and place a memorial and recognize that these people are buried there, maybe more people will be concerned about the sanctity of these burials.

My grandfather used to talk to the mayor, and my family was run out of town by the KKK.

My uncles, my father, my grandmother ran out of town after my grandfather's death.

So there's a lot of history here that was forgetting, and this history can only be brought back and recognizing the burial of these people and the placement of a headstone or a memorial that recognizes that these people are buried there so people can research them so people can find their loved ones and have a place to pray.

A lot of people don't even know that their family is buried there, but we'll find out if you have a headstone and memorial.

And I'd like to thank uh Frank Archeletta for all the work he's done.

Thank you by us, Mr.

Your time is up.

We do appreciate uh that's fine.

Hey, I do appreciate everything.

I do appreciate everything, and I'll see you uh coming up on Cinco de Mayo.

Uh the death of my grandfather will be there to celebrate it.

Thank you very much.

I'm gonna try that caller one more time.

Yeah, um caller with the phone number ending in 233.

You may now speak, plus press star six to unmute.

Number ending in 233 star six to unmute.

Okay.

Well, thank you so much for everyone who participated.

Uh we will with that close public input and move on to our consent agenda for the night.

Uh a few items tonight, including uh item A, February 3rd, 2026, City Council meeting minutes.

Uh item B, February 17th, 2026, City Council meeting minutes.

Item C, February 24th, 2026, City Council special meeting minutes.

Item D, February 24, 2026, City Council workshop summary.

Uh item E, two items here, uh items pertaining to site plan architectural review extensions, including resolution number 2026-5, extending the site plan architectural review approval for 370 Empire Road.

And the second is resolution number 2026-6, extending the site plan architectural review approval for 1430 overlooked drive and item F, the purchase order for police department rifles.

Is there any items council would like to pull?

No.

I'd like to pull the rifles.

Any other items council would like to pull?

Seeing no other items, I will take a motion.

I move to approve the balance of the consent agenda.

Second.

We have a motion, we have a second.

Any further discussion?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Anyone opposed saying no.

That passes unanimously.

Um and now looking at item F, the purchase order for police department rifles.

Councilor Jensen.

Yeah, I just had a few questions.

Um I I just think it's good for the public record so that my mic's not on, sorry.

Uh so that people understand the kind of weaponry the police department has, and if ever there was a riot or some you know, big to do, what would the arms that our police department has look like?

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, council.

So when it comes to our our tools that we have um with us, we're gonna have different stuff depending on the situation.

The rifles, if we're talking about that specifically, rifles are used for active shooter or active aggression type situations.

Uh, for example, the King Supers incident in Boulder, uh, school incidents that occur with active shooters.

So those are the type of reasons that we would use patrol rifles.

Uh patrol rifles are carried as best practice throughout the entire nation.

Uh the reason these came forward now is we've been using the 1033 program, which has it allowed us to get rifles for our officers free through the government.

But these rifles were carrying um, they're older than I am.

So these were these are 1960 rifles, and they're not equipped with the proper flashlights, optics, and everything else.

They are they are just iron sites on top of them.

So when officers are trying to carry these at night, they don't have a flashlight to manipulate or use as you would in a current rifle setting.

So that's what these rifles are for.

This is why we brought this forward today.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Counselor Bullier.

Just briefly, uh thank you, Councillor Jensen, for the question, and thank you, Chief, for bringing that up.

I'm very sympathetic for uh 60-year-old rifle platform.

I I'm familiar with this platform and then also the the suppressor.

I have a similar rig myself.

I guess Daniel Defense, I know is a pretty expensive platform, so I obviously want you guys to have the best, but I guess how did y'all make the decision for this particular uh suite of 52?

So uh our firearms instructors are the ones that do all the research.

They try to find, like you said, a good platform for us to actually carry to use, and when you're looking at items to purchase, you want a good quality thing that will last.

And so that was the biggest thing that came into mind for everybody was the quality.

Um it's something that will take us into the future, or we won't be back here asking to replace those anytime soon.

So hopefully another 50 years.

Thanks, Chief.

All right.

Any other questions from council on this item?

Councilor Jensen, would you like to make the motion?

Oh, yes.

I would like to approve the uh consent agenda F purchase order police department right.

Second.

We have a motion.

We have a second any further discussion on this item.

Seeing no further discussion.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Anyone opposed say no.

That passes unanimously.

And we will now move on to our presentations tonight.

Starting with agenda item G, the municipal court annual update.

And I'll turn it over to our municipal court judge, Amanda Bell.

Good evening.

All right.

So good evening.

I'm Amanda Baalhash.

We have some new uh counselors on council that I had the um I guess good fortune and honor to swear in today.

And um, I think this is many of you are first time meeting Genevieve Rotella, our court administrator here for the City of Lafayette Municipal Court.

So we'll give you our annual update.

Um I do we do this every year.

Um my contract will be up for review um at the beginning of next year.

So this is more this is informational purposes.

So today what we'll talk about is introductions.

We have some additional new team members.

Um because you're a newer council, um, I think it's important to do a judicial branch 101, give you all some background information on how the judicial branch works um federally, statewide, and then locally here.

Um I did this first in 2022, so I think Councillor Barnes was the only one that was here for it.

Um and so it felt like the right time to do it.

Um, and so my goal is to kind of do that periodical um update.

Uh we'll explain to you kind of the ins and outs of our Lafayette Municipal Court, um, uh what we've accomplished in 2025, uh, our goals for um this year and beyond, and then um my ongoing open invitation for you guys to come see us, and then any questions that you all have for us.

So for introductions, um we have uh we are a strong but mighty small team of four.

We have two full-time clerks, um Emily and Dominique.

Dominique just joined us in this month, February.

Actually, we're in March now.

Um, and then Genevieve and myself.

Um we are defined as a part-time court, but Genevieve Dominique and Emily are here 40 hours a week uh running the court.

Um so kind of my basics of judicial branch 101.

So the judicial branch, as you all know, it is the third branch of our uh government, um, and we have different levels of courts.

So we have a federal court system, um, they in fact uh enforce federal law, they are prosecuted by the U.S.

attorney.

Anything that happens here in Colorado is appealed to the 10th circuit.

Federal judges are always appointed by the president and they're confirmed by the Senate.

Um, and then they are a lifetime appointment in Colorado.

Um, we have Colorado state courts, they enforce state law, so that's any violation of Colorado revised statutes, civil matters, um, family, domestic, um, those types of matters.

They are the criminal prosecutions are done by a county district attorney.

County district attorneys are elected by their county, and then all of the deputy um attorneys that work for them are hired by the elected official, and they um serve uh a limited term and it can apply for re-election after a certain amount of time.

Any appeals from state courts go to the Colorado appellate courts.

We have two levels of appellate courts here in Colorado.

We have a court of appeals as well as a Colorado Supreme Court.

Um all of our judges in Colorado are appointed by the governor, they go through a judicial selection committee, those nominees go up to the governor, the governor appoints them, they serve a two-year provisional turn, and then they're uh retained by election.

And then our municipal courts, our job is to enforce city ordinances.

We don't handle, we handle civil matters, but they are things that are being um, I guess pursued by the city.

We don't handle internal civil debates, those types of matters would go to state court.

They're prosecuted by the city attorney who are is supervised by our city attorney um and appointed by, well, I guess the council appoints city attorney, and then they find a contract prosecutor.

Any appeal.

So if anybody doesn't, I shouldn't say doesn't like my decision, but if they think that I have violated a law or didn't follow the law, that appeal goes to our uh district court here in Boulder.

So it's kind of the the way it works.

As um, and I think the thing that's most interesting about municipal courts is um municipal judges, most of them except for one in Colorado, he's elected.

He's currently a male.

Um, most um judicial officers at the municipal level are appointed by the legislature, not the executive branch.

So it's very different than the state in the federal system.

I am your employee.

I am one of your three employees.

Um, Mary Lynn, Katie, and then myself.

We are all council appointees.

So it's very different than the state and the federal system.

And the state law says that I should be appointed for, or the judicial officers should be appointed for a minimum of two years, and the reappointed.

City council has the option to extend the term.

But here we uh we go over my contract every two years.

So within our city's judicial department, um, we um my authority and our authority is uh created by the Lafayette Municipal Charter, the municipal codes, and then Colorado revised statutes also give home ruled cities the ability to create their own courts.

Um, as I explained, our job is to enforce city ordinances, ensure due process, protect constitutional rights, promote community safety.

Um, as I explained earlier, I'm appointed by city council.

Um, my role is to preside over court proceedings to make legal decisions and also establish court rules and procedures that have to go with the the way the legal things that have to happen in court, and then the administrative side, the supervision of employees, kind of day-to-day operations are supervised by the court administrator, and then the city manager's office supervises Genevieve.

Um so it's kind of the structure of what the judicial department looks like here.

Um, our city is unique in that it's we actually call the judicial department.

Not all cities call the municipal court, the judicial department, um, but we do here, which I makes me very proud.

So Genevieve is gonna give you a little information about kind of um or shouldn't say kind of about municipal courts themselves.

I'm gonna read from my notes because I don't love public speaking, so this will keep me from rambling.

Um you move towards where the microphones are.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Um municipal courts are often referred to as quality of life courts, and that's for a lot of reasons.

A well-functioning municipal court can be a vital component for a thriving community.

For many people, municipal court is their first, often uh their only experience with the justice system.

Because we see more individuals than state or federal courts, and sometimes we don't realize that, but municipal courts do see more people than state or federal courts.

We play a major role in shaping how people understand justice, fairness, and accountability.

We're also the community's first line of response to local issues.

We handle the cases that most directly impact quality of life.

That's ordinance violations, traffic issues, animal cases, neighbor-to-neighbor disputes.

Um, these matters might seem small individually, but collectively, they come together to influence how safe, supported, and connected people feel.

In that sense, we can be considered the front door of the justice system, and we're also on the front line of community problem solving.

We process a high volume of cases quickly and efficiently with a strong emphasis on accessibility and fairness.

Helping people to solve their problems close to home also builds trust in local government.

So, as a team, when we review our accomplishments and goals, we always keep this larger context in mind.

The work we do shapes uh community well-being, public trust, and the everyday experience of justice.

All right, so our court specifically this last year in 2025, Genevieve and I um updated our mission and vision statement, which is one of our goals for 2025.

Before that, our mission and vision statement was written in the early 2000s.

Um it's something that I'm very proud of.

Um, you have it here in writing.

Originally I was planning on reading it to you, um, but I know you guys have a long night ahead of you.

It's on our website and always available.

Um, and then Genevieve is going to talk to you about the players in municipal court.

Um, so these are the the folks that come together to make our court function, not just internally, but across the broader system that we operate in.

In LaFIA, as in other courts, we have a network of partners.

First, there's law enforcement, that's our own police department, the Boulder County Jail, and then other uh agencies that might arrest on our warrants.

Their work is essential to ensuring that people and cases are processed appropriately.

We also uh collaborate closely with the prosecution, which includes our contracted prosecutor, and they do work under the auspices of our city attorney's office.

They represent the city's interests and ensure that each case is handled with attention to public safety and accountability.

Then we have the defense side, and that does include court-appointed counsel and private attorneys.

Their presence is critical to safeguarding defendants' rights and ensuring due process.

Within the court itself, we have court staff, that's me, the judge, and then um my court clerks.

We keep the whole system running.

Then we have city leadership, that's you all, city council, the city manager's office, the city clerk, um, to support policy resources and long-term planning.

Your decisions directly shape how we can serve the community.

And then finally, we recognize our court users, that's defendants, victims, and witnesses.

Their interactions with us impact their perception of the city, and they are central to the work that we do.

Together, these participants create the ecosystem that allows our court to operate and serve the community well.

So now I want to talk to you about how a case moves through the system.

I think this is something that a lot of people don't understand, whether they've decided themselves, they're a victim in the case, or kind of what the life cycle of a case looks like.

So the first thing is the police investigate.

So sometimes they get a call, they have to investigate something, sometimes they're pulling somebody over for a traffic violation.

The officers have to find have a finding of probable cause, which means they think that it's something that happened, and I think the prosecutor can prove it.

If they have probable cause, they'll issue a summons and complaint and file it with the court.

The way that they serve people, the majority of their summonses are served by hand service when they see you.

They rarely arrest.

It's part of the community policing practices here, and generally within Colorado, the preference, state statute actually prefers an issuance of a summons over arrest.

If a person is arrested, I have to make a finding of probable cause that supports the arrest, and then we have to have a bond hearing within 48 hours.

If I can't see that person within 48 hours, they're released on something and called out a personal recognizance bond, which means they get out on their own word.

Your first appearance in court is something called an arraignment.

The purpose of the arraignment is to be advised of your rights, to be advised of what you're charged with, the possible penalties, and it's also your opportunity to meet with the city prosecutor for plea negotiations.

At your arraignment, I always tell defendants they have three options.

They can accept the plea bargain from the prosecutor and plea guilty.

They can enter a not guilty plea and set their case for trial.

The third option is they have the right to request a continuate so they can have time to decide how they like to handle their case.

Once they've entered their plea, we go down two different roads.

The guilty plea, you'll go forward with sentencing.

I do accept stipulations from our city prosecutor so that defendant walks out of their meeting with the prosecutor and they know exactly what their sentence is going to be.

If I decide I'm not going to accept it, I give everybody a chance to either convince me or the defendant to withdraw their plea.

If they enter a not guilty plea, the case gets set for trial.

The presumption in Colorado currently is that you have the right to a current court trial, which is where I'm the person that's making the decision decision about whether or not the prosecutor has proven it beyond a reasonable doubt.

The trial has to happen within 91 days of you entering your not guilty plea.

You have the right to request a jury trial if your offense is jailable.

So you only have the right to a jury trial if you're facing jail.

You have a right to between three and six jures.

It has to be requested within 21 days of your arraignment.

You have to request it in writing, and there's a $25 jury deposit fee.

If the person is found not guilty, the case is dismissed, it's over.

If they're found guilty, then we go forward with sentencing.

As far as sentencing goes, um, I have several sentencing options.

I have probation as an option.

Municipal courts have jurisdiction over a case for 12 months, so the longest period of time I can sentence somebody to probation for is 12 months.

At the end of December, the Colorado Supreme Court changed sentencing structure for municipal courts.

It used to be that any municipal violation, unless counsel decided otherwise was a jail sentence of up to 2,650 days and a jail sentence of 364 days.

The state system has classifications of crimes.

You have a class one misdemeanor, a class two misdemeanor, and a petty offense, which and that reform happened in 2022.

We used to have more levels.

So at the end of December, the Colorado Supreme Court said, you can't sentence greater for municipal offenses if there is a comparable state charge.

So I've basically had to go through the entire code and find out what the classification is and compare it to the state code.

So now we know, you know, for example, trespass, the most you can get is 10 days jail and a $300 fine when before December you could get up to a year jail and $2,000 fine.

So the fines in the jail sentence varies based on what crime you're actually convicted of, which is very similar to the where it's identical now to the state system if it's a comparable state charge.

If the municipal violation that you all have determined is jailable, the maximum possible penalty is still a fine of up to $2,650 and a jail sentence of 364 days.

So that's kind of the life cycle of a court case.

So you might wonder, you know, we're not in court all the time.

What do they do all day?

We're here for 40 hours.

What do they do all day?

Um, the answer is a lot.

Um there's a lot that's happening behind the scenes.

Um every case begins with intake and citations.

We're processing me and my clerks are processing every municipal citations that our law citation that our law enforcement officers issue.

We do this accurately and timely.

We then move on to judicial orders.

So when motions are filed by court users, we are processing that, sending it on to the prosecutor and the judge.

We also then issue the subsequent orders issued by the judge.

This work is essential to keep cases moving and maintain legal requirements.

Our staff also provide daily customer service, and this includes many different tasks: answering questions, helping residents navigate the judicial process, handling payments.

We also respond to records requests.

And these are the types of interactions that really shape our court users' experience with us.

Next is the preparation of dockets and court days, including sending text reminders for those who are eligible for an automatic plea bargain.

These reminders are a really valuable tool for accessibility and follow-through, and we're hoping to expand on this in the coming year.

We manage compliance and probation also on the court side right now, ensuring individuals have clear direction on their sentencing requirements.

And then we track progress to maintain consistency and fairness.

Another critical area is warrants and arrests where accuracy is absolutely essential, as you might imagine.

Staff enter warrants and process arrest notifications to ensure community safety and individual rights are protected.

Behind the scenes, we are also supporting prosecutor functions.

That includes managing discoveries, subpoenas, and victim impact statements so the prosecutor and defendants have the information they need to resolve cases appropriately.

And then finally, there's in administration and training, and that includes tracking new legislation, updating procedures, attending training so that we can stay abreast of best practices and making sure that we are following legal requirements.

All of these functions work together to produce what you see on the front end.

That's efficient and fair court days, transparent and accurate records, and adjust a system that our community can trust.

All right, so what did we actually do this year?

We did a lot.

I'm very proud of us when Genevieve and I were preparing for this.

I was just incredibly proud of the work that we've done this year.

So last year at our annual presentation, we set four goals and we did well.

So the first one was to update and enhance our court webpage, which we have done.

We're not done, but we're constantly doing that.

We have more information on the website.

I hope it's more user-friendly now.

I think it's more user-friendly now.

We have court days on the web on the website.

Um evaluate docket, uh, the docket to identify efficiencies and develop procedural improvements for court days.

We've done that, we've restructured when we hear cases.

We added that half day for traffic cases, and then we were going to apply for this grant, however, uh, dear to state budget cuts, that was one of the programs that was first on the shopping block.

So there's something to apply for.

And then as you saw, we reviewed and updated our court mission and vision statement.

And then Genevieve's gonna give you what I think is really what I'm really proud of is the numbers.

Um, so we don't have a lot of data, or we traditionally have it tracked a lot of data, so I'm trying to build on that.

Um, so I have some good numbers to share with you.

Um, we are reviewing our performance measures to ensure that we're managing resources responsibly and delivering consistent service.

Our workload has continued to rise.

New case filings were up just over 20% by the end of the year last year.

And we expect another increase this year, our best guess is maybe around 10%.

That aligns with population growth and traffic and parking enforcement patterns.

Um, an encouraging trend for us this year was a decline in repeat failures to appear or missed appearances and repeat warrants.

So changes in bond release laws over the past several years had created a backlog of cases that just kept cycling through the system, some with up to 12 missed appearances and warrants in the same case, and some of those had just been hanging around for years for a really long time.

So to address that, we partnered with the Boulder County Jail to institute a virtual in-custody docket on our court days so that we could address those cases when they are in custody and we don't have to release them with that personal promise so that they then a lot of times don't show up again.

Um, so through that process, we were able to resolve 68 cases at the virtual custody hearing, which has really helped us to uh mitigate the repeat failure to appear and warrant process over and over again.

And it's helping us to ensure that we're following due process and getting cases resolved too.

Because we've cleared a large amount of backlog, we expect those in custody numbers to stabilize.

So we think it'll be closer to 40 this year.

We shouldn't need to have quite as many this coming year.

So we're also tracking our case clearance rate, which tells us if we are closing cases as fast as they're coming in, which means are we keeping up with the work or are we falling behind?

In 2024, we were at just under 95%.

So we had a little bit of ground to make up.

Not only did we implement a new in-custody process, we also gained a new collections partner.

So we were able to close out some delinquent cases through that process.

With those two major milestones, along with many other smaller updates, uh, we got to 105% case clearance.

Right, we're so proud of that number.

Oh my god, that's so crazy.

I don't want to cry.

I'm an emotional person, sorry.

Um, but we're really proud of that.

What that means is that me and my team and the judge worked really hard this year.

So looking ahead though, we don't expect to keep 105%, and we don't need to.

We're we're targeting 100%, and that's really where we should be, right?

We should be at 100%.

So, what does this mean?

This means that if we stay on the current trajectory, we're doing a really good job.

So, in addition to the numbers, um, we want people to leave our court feeling like they were heard, that they understand their decision, the decision that was made by um by us that they're gonna comply and they won't recidivate.

So, Genevieve and I are firm believers in a concept called procedural fairness.

Um, and so we use uh a company called LaGrata Consulting firm, and they're it's a nationwide firm.

And so this year, during their procedural fairness challenge, they went to AI and made this mnemonic, which I love.

We each have it on top of our um workspace, and I think it's really fun because when you're trying to remember going through those things, it's helpful, it's helpful to have mnemonics, right?

So, respect.

You want your court participant, whether to be a victim, a court user, a community member to feel respected, and that starts from the minute they walk in the door, right?

Like our our private security company to when they check in to when they come to the courtroom, when they check out, when they leave.

You also want the person to hear have a voice so they feel heard.

They want the court to be neutral, right?

If they don't they don't want to feel like we're working with the police department, they don't want to feel like I'm helping out the prosecutor, they want to know that we're neutral, and then they want they need to leave feeling like they had an understanding.

Research has shown data has shown that when a person has a perceived um being treated fairly, it ensure it encourages compliance and it's gonna reduce recidivism, and also we want to treat humans like humans, and they we want them to have dignity in court, and so this is something that we embody and we try to do on every case.

And so, in addition to the numbers, this is something that um we're working really hard with our team so that people leave feeling heard.

Um, moving on to some more, I guess, firm um accomplishments over this year.

Um, improved court access for in-custody defendants, which Genevieve talked about, um, language equity.

Um we have an in-person Spanish interpreter on the third court date of the month, and they're always there in the morning.

We prioritize um those cases, they come in in the morning, they're the first cases we call.

Um, if a person, if we know ahead of time that the person needs a different language, we will do our best to interpret uh to schedule an in-person interpreter for other languages.

If we learn that someone is there, um, we use language line, which the whole city uses, and it's a huge resource because we don't have to turn people away and be like, sorry, can you kind of understand in your broken English what's supposed to be happening?

And if they really can't get through it with language line, then we'll reschedule it with them with language line so that at least they know they leave knowing when their next court date is.

Um, and then the next three topics.

I'm gonna pass off to Genevieve because this is her stuff.

Um, so we also modernized our documentation by simplifying and updating numerous court forms just to improve clarity for court users and also to make sure that we were aligned with current legal requirements.

Internally, we optimized several key procedures to increase overall throughput to make sure we're moving cases through the system quickly and efficiently.

This includes things like a language option on our tickets so that officers could communicate to us up front if someone needs an interpreter on the for their court appearance.

We also instituted new paperless processes for discovery and uh prosecutor motion, and then a major milestone for us this year was securing a grant through the statewide internet portal authority to purchase and implement a new case management system.

Um it's a 350,000 grant, and we're gonna be back in front of you in a couple of weeks to review and approve that.

This is a significant investment to modernize what we're doing for our court and for our community.

What?

Oh my god, I hate this.

What do I get?

So it means that I'm invested though, right?

You're doing great.

Thank you.

So our current legacy system lacks a lot of the modern features that we really need.

There's no automated workflow.

We can't we can't send automated text reminders.

The text reminders we're sending right now are manual.

We have to we have to copy and paste and put in every single phone number that by hand.

So this will be an automated one.

We can't do secure online case access, and there's there are a lot of automated enhanced online payment features that we're missing right now.

With the new system, we'll be able to do all of that.

So professional leadership, and what I should have put in here also is community engagement.

So I'm going to touch on that really quickly.

So as the judge, I try to get out in the community so people see me not only in the courtroom.

So I used to teach or historically up until 2026 this year, I would teach at the CU law school doing their inner intercession trial advocacy.

So I have contact with the law school and law students.

I have my son is an Angivine, and we had our first international women's day event fair last year at Angi Vine, and we're going to be doing that again next week.

If anybody wants to go, reach out to Natasha Wright.

We'd love to have you there.

And so Genevieve and I also have been talking about how we can do more community engagement with local elementary schools, right?

Fourth and fifth graders are doing lots of government and civics, and so it's something that is something that we're looking into.

As far as our professional leadership and development, Genevieve and I are really active in our Colorado organizations.

I'm part of something called Colorado Municipal Judges Association.

Geneviva's part of CamCA, which is the Colorado Association for Municipal Court Administration.

I have been on the board of CMJA for four years.

I'm finishing out my term as an office.

Well, actually, I've been on the board for longer than four years, but I'm sure I'm finishing out my term as an officer.

So I'm president currently.

In addition to being involved with Campus, she Campka, she's also a board member, which has actually been really helpful because she is able to let our clerks know about upcoming trainings and we can really adjust calendars and schedules so our clerks can attend those trainings.

In addition to that, Genevieve is working towards her completion of the National Center for State Court Certified Court Manager Program.

And it's important for me to share this with you guys because we're really trying to modernize our court.

We truly want to put forward best practices, and we we want to be leaders in the state of Colorado for how municipal courts should operate.

And some of the things that we're doing, like my anecdotal example is as some of you know, I'm also the municipal judge for the city of Federal Heights in the town of Erie, and we've been kind of trying to figure out how to go paper light.

And so I had my new court administrator and Federal Heights call Genevieve and say, like, what are you doing now when we have this antiquated system?

We're not gonna be able to change it.

And so I really do feel that we're doing our best to really be a leader in the municipal courts across the call of Colorado.

And then, of course, we encourage our court clerks to participate in operation and annual trainings through Campca.

Um, so I think that wraps up 2025.

Um I'll hand up our biggest project for 2026, which is the case management system.

Um okay, so as we look toward 2026 and the years ahead, uh, our focus is on strengthening the court's infrastructure and expanding access to justice and exploring innovative ways to support accountability and community engagement.

I don't think innovation probably surprises you after everything we've talked about up to this point.

Uh, our first major priority is infrastructure for service excellence.

One of the most transformational changes coming this year is that new case management system.

Um, with that transition, we will move toward fully paperless case processing.

Uh, we'll streamline workflows and improve both accuracy and efficiency across every stage of a case.

It will support automated text message notifications so court users will receive timely reminders of their court dates and clear instructions.

This is going to be a really important tool to reduce missed appearances and follow-through.

Well, improve follow-through.

We want to continue making sure that our court users have meaningful access to justice, um, which in this case does need more access to technology.

Um, so to continue to update and enhance our court webpage.

Uh, so things like having that new sentencing structure online so people can know what they're they're facing, um, making sure that the five the traffic find schedule, how do you pay your ticket online if you don't want to come to court?

Being able, we'd like to evaluate and create a customer service survey to make sure that we're meeting our mark and we're actually doing the procedural fairness that we are hoping to achieve.

Live streaming of criminal proceedings.

So there is a bill that requires all state courts to live stream.

Municipal courts are required to, if they have the technology and the staffing.

We don't.

As most of you know, we share the community room with the police department, which is just not set up for live streaming.

The few times we've had to live stream, we have to call IT and we get an OWL camera and we kind of sit in the middle of the courtroom and we do the best we can.

And so that's something that we're working on going forward with and the online public portal that Genevieve had mentioned.

The other thing that I'm looking for forward to for 2026 and beyond is exploring alternative sentences options, sentencing options as well as community uh engagement and inner department engagement.

One of the things that's really been exciting since Chief started is the even though we're separate, being able to use the police department with our juvenile defendants, um, to be able to do ride-alongs, right?

We sometimes a juvenile defendant either needs a sanction or they just need to look at law enforcement in a different way.

Um, and I think doing a ride-along and spending some time with an officer in that different capacity can serve both of those things.

And so the chief and his command staff has been really um supportive in us trying to get um pilot programs like that off the ground.

Um, things like working with the library in Federal Heights.

I had a bunch of defendants making hygiene kits for community service hours, and I have like hundreds of hygiene keys and hygiene kits in Federal Heights.

And so I stop by the library and I was like, Do you want these hygiene kits?

And the library is like, yes, we've run out.

And so kind of being able to see what we can do here to work interdepartmentally within the city, because we have this amazing city and these great departments.

Um, and so how can we use it to enhance our sentencing alternatives?

Um, and also long term, right beyond 2026, um, Genevieve and I think it would be really important to get a probation officer here in the city so we can serve our defendants locally here, and for those more challenging cases, the defendants with greater needs, you know, I don't want to have to send them to Boulder.

I would like to be able to service them here.

So that's you know, that's big changes down the road, but it's something that I think um is important to put on your um radar, so to speak, as is um our new civic center and the the capital bond project.

So we will work with city management in order to um help with the design for the new home for the municipal court at the civic center, which is something that I'm really excited about, right?

We we share a small space with the police department.

Um we have to juggle, you know.

We noted in the memo, jury trials have to be scheduled based on not only my availability and the process prosecutors' availability, but whether or not the police department is using the community room.

And so for us to have a new home in the civic center, um, so the police department can fully use their building and we can have a place where we really are have that perceived independence from the police department is something that we're really excited about.

Um but again, that's further down the road, but important to get on your all's radar.

Um, and like I said, I always want everybody to come observe us.

I'm really proud of the work we do.

Um this I think is in the memo.

If it's not, it's on our website, but just kind of an idea.

We have court the second Thursday, third Thursday afternoon, and fourth Tuesday of the month, usually you can check our website, um, or you can always call me or email me because um if you have if you want to schedule a time to come or if you have questions, if you want to learn about my judicial philosophy, a lot of you didn't have the opportunity to interview me when I was appointed.

And so if you want to learn more about um me, I am happy to do that.

Um so that's it.

Questions for us?

Any questions from counsel?

Councilor Poly.

Oh, Council Jones, please.

Councillor Polar.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Um thank you so much for this very detailed presentation.

I am so glad to hear this.

Um judge and administrator, my question is if you wouldn't mind going back to slide 12.

We're talking about the life cycle of a case and the last column, if you will, was sort of about sentencing.

And I'm just wondering if you could expand a little bit.

I remember that so there's probation, jail, and fines.

Within probation, do you have flexibility and do you use flexibility to assign folks community service, jumping jacks?

What sort of different like approaches do you have that are tailored?

Yeah, I'm kidding.

Uh tailored to like an individual circumstance.

Yes, so um the things that we use on probation are community service classes.

Uh, we work with two private companies called ISAE and CEMA, CIMA, um, and they do most of our educational classes.

Um, for example, for gun safety classes, sometimes I'll have somebody do go to this the Colorado Parks and Wildlife and do a hunter safety course.

Community service, I try to be as as creative as possible for community service.

What else do we do?

The ride along sometimes, things like that.

And as far as your your joke about jumping jacks, like sometimes with juvenile defendants, I'm like, if you can get this done, I will do 10 push-ups with you.

I will do 10 jumping jacks with you.

Like you sometimes with kids, you got to engage with them.

Um, but with I would never do that to an adult.

That those are the types of alternative sentencings that we have.

Outstanding.

Thank you so much.

I will take you up on your offer for coffee and you can cry in front of me anytime.

Thanks.

I'll try not to.

Counselor Johnson.

So just to be clear, that the people who are on probation now, they have to go to Boulder.

Is that where they get?

No, so we do have unsupervised probation here, where basically myself and the court staff, we're making sure that people are are finishing their requirements.

Um, but some people need to meet, you know, what we're doing now, the prosecutor um and I are doing now when you have those those high-level defendants, we schedule monthly reviews where they come in, they're like, have you done the things that you've checked off your list?

But that has to always be it can't be a separate meeting, like the defendant can meet with the prosecutor separately, but I can't meet with the defendant separately because that would be ex parte communication.

So everybody has to be there.

So the idea of having a probate supervised probation is so that you're meeting with that defendant on a more regular basis to make sure that you're getting the compliance that you need, supporting them with that they need, you know, sometimes like sentencing alternatives like I just need you to go get your ID, right?

But people don't even know how to get an ID, they don't know where to get their birth certificate, they don't know where to apply for vouchers.

Um and so a probation officer or a case manager can help work them through those things.

So some of those higher risk um defendants, I I just don't have the resources to supervise them that closely.

And so what happens then?

They get nothing or they get sent somewhere else.

So I'll do unsupervised probation, right?

But I think it limits the police department's ability to write certain tickets into our court.

Um, right?

They might say, you know, this person's better suited to be written into state court, or luckily I haven't had it happen here in Lafayette, but in my other courts, I've had to say this defendant can't be written in here anymore because I can't, I can't supervise them.

I can't give them the support that they need.

I can't change, you know, I can't give them the resources they need to get them to engage and the and behavior that would be safer for the community and safer for them.

So primarily it's unsupervised probation, or you have to write them into a different court.

If you if you want supervised probation.

Okay, all right.

And then on code, uh, I'm looking for the right slide where you have um mentioned um that you have adult criminal, then you have code enforcement and animal control.

Is code enforcement considered criminal or civil?

It depends.

So a lot of it is civil.

If it's high if it's charged as a public nuisance, that is criminal.

Um, so those are building department violations, stop work orders, um, things like that are the code enforcement um types.

So do you ever do evictions or how evictions are handled in the county?

Okay, okay, all right.

And then with the new data system, you know, I'm now the designee on the HR human rights board for Lafayette, and I know they want to look at everything with an equity lens.

So my question is with this new data system, could you give us reports on the number of people of color, disabilities, trans, or other kinds of demographic data that would help us evaluate whether our system it is got any equity issues in the future with this new data system?

The answer is potentially, and the reason I say that is it all depends on what is collected on the front end.

So it depends on what's collected when the ticket is written, because I can my my data, I can only put whatever data I get into the system.

So the those fields can be available, but I don't I don't always get a lot of that data right now, if that makes sense.

Yeah, I I think it would be really important.

I know from talking to my fellow council members that equity is a strong concern for everybody sitting up here.

And if it requires redesigning forms uh with the new data system so that we get the answers to the questions we would like to have.

I don't uh um in order to be able to see that we don't have a disproportionate number of some group or you know, maybe we're picking on senior citizens or or whatever it might be, you know.

But I think for us, that data, and and I don't want to speak for everybody else here, but I know that everybody does care about equity.

So being able to evaluate our system with an equity lens would be really valuable to me personally.

And um, I don't know if we have to discuss, you know, how that happens, but given that you're doing a new data system, it seems like it'd be an appropriate time to build that into the structure so that next year we can say, you know, we had this many disabled people or this many uh whatever it is we're looking for, so that we know you know that maybe they are disproportionate share compared to the population of certain groups that we are seeing, and it may not be that there's an inequity, it may be there are other problems, like certain groups are uh not getting the things they need in our community that then end up in the criminal justice system because they don't have enough food and they're stealing bread, or you know what I mean?

It I'm not trying to put the blame on anybody, but I think it's good data for us to have so we can see patterns that are important for us to know about.

So there's there's a couple of things to consider right now.

We get sex, race, age, they that's that's it.

That's it.

Um we don't get all of the tickets that are written into the city, right?

So that our data from the court is only gonna be a tiny snapshot.

So what happens to the rest?

They go to the state, county or state.

Oh, I see what you're saying.

Uh-huh.

Yeah.

So well, and you can't, yeah, you can't tell us that.

But I know they do uh get that kind of data, and that that sort of equity lens is reviewed by the division of criminal justice all the time.

So and I I mean, I that's their problem, you know, to think about, but we have to think about it from our perspective as a municipality.

That's all.

And and so to the extent we can build that into the system, I would love to see that.

It's good feedback.

It's something that in the criminal justice system is extraordinarily important.

Um, and that data is tracked, like you said, nationally, locally, statewide.

Um, and so it's something that I'm glad that you brought up with as we can look at and we can talk to the police department and see what we can do.

It's something that we can certainly easily put at the end of a customer service survey, you know.

So there we can get some information that way that we'll probably be able to get more, and then it's voluntary, right?

Because some people might not be comfortable identifying as a certain race, yes, or disability.

Right, or whatever gender identity.

And so certainly putting it at the end of a customer service aid survey is a really important place to put it, and just having that data, I think is helpful.

I don't know how we can quantify it or use it, but I think it's a it's a good place so that our court users know that this is something that the city cares about.

I'm sorry to complicate this.

I love the equity lens that council Jensen is bringing.

I am as someone that that trusts y'all that trusts our police department here that trusts city staff, but has a lot of distrust for what other users may want to do with some of that data.

I I wouldn't I I I would love to know, particularly if there's disproportionate um findings, as counselor Jensen has noted, but I wouldn't want someone to be able to pick up a stack of those digital reports and know who's where.

Right.

So I'm sure y'all are already thinking about that, but maybe that's a thing we could revisit down the line.

It's it's an interesting question.

But with what's going on in Kansas right now with driver's licenses, I'm just very concerned about anything that could be misused.

Thank you, Mayor.

Good point.

No thoughts.

Thank you so much for that point, Council Volier.

You know, and thank you, Judge, for you know, identifying the voluntary disclosure portion of it, because I think it's one thing for someone to you know be willing to give that information.

Um, it's another for you know, an officer or someone to try to assume some information that maybe they they just are incorrect, and so we're not tracking the the correct information on that.

Um just a couple of other um questions and comments for me.

First, congratulations on the case management system.

Sounds like that's a really uh uh needed piece of software and will improve things immensely.

Sounds like maybe it's a lot of work to get it in place, but you know, congratulations and you know, kudos on that.

Um you talked a little bit about uh that we have a court uh appointed prosecutor, and then there was a just one liner in there about the city's public defender, but we didn't talk a little bit.

Could you just say a little bit of a the city prosecutor is an employee?

Um Maryland will have to tell the details about how they we contract with the firm, but so that's Mary Lynn's house.

I I'll let you if you want to kind of just just briefly our uh our city prosecutor is by contract, and so um and under the supervision of the city attorney's office and city manager, but yeah, that's separate from I think where you're going, right?

And then so we do have what people commonly call our public defenders.

So we have court appointment council.

In order to qualify for court appointing council, you have to be indigent.

We follow the federal poverty guidelines.

I follow the same standard that the the state court does, and you have to be facing jail.

It has to be a jailable offense.

And if you meet those two criteria, then I can appoint an attorney to represent you.

There is a state statute that makes sure that that process is transparent, that those people are being monitored, that it's you know, I'm not like handing out contracts to people.

Um, so what we do to to make it clean is we only use attorneys that have already been cleared by um the Colorado Alternative Defense Council, right?

So if you qualify for a state public defender and they have a conflict, then you get the court appointment counsel from the state.

They have created this municipal branch that oversees us, and all of the lawyers that we use have already been approved by them, and that just makes it cleaner so we know that somebody else has already made um sure that they're doing what they're supposed to be doing.

Um, you know, with municipal work, we have a list of six or seven, maybe more twelve, but like three or four of the ones that are available, right?

But we try to keep it broad because we want it to be um, we don't want there to be favoritism, right?

We want to have that, but just location-wise, you're gonna have three or four people that are the ones that are on your regular rotation, with the exception of the person that's in custody, it's one person.

She had to get a special badge so that she can walk around the jail to make this work, and then she has a backup trained.

Um, so that person does kind of have exclusivity on that, but that's for jail safety because they can watch, she can walk around the jail.

Thank you.

Just one more uh question.

Yeah, there was some discussion about you know municipal charges or state charges.

What kind of distinguishes when something goes to municipal court or state court if there's an equivalent?

Right.

So there's some things that have to go to state court, sure.

Like felonies, they have to.

Um, and then really what is filed into municipal court is really up to the the police department's discretion.

Um this city is a community-based um, and so I you know, I think it's whether can the the defendant can the community's needs be met here in the municipal court.

Okay, thank you.

Any other thoughts or questions from council?

Mayor Proto.

Thank you, Mayor.

And I just like our recommended to the rest of the counselors to uh sign up for to do a write along with our officers.

I highly recommend you go and see uh uh what's cooking over at the municipal court because I I don't know if you know what cooking means, but the I have seen busy people before, but I was absolutely amazed.

And this was coming out of a really interesting transition.

And I remember when the judge came and presented the your goals and work plans, and I suddenly was like, How in the world are you gonna get all that done?

And that was 2024, and then 2025, we saw another really assertive um campaign, and it was introduced.

I how long I was new.

I've been here since October 24.

Yeah, and I was like, I hope you know what's about to happen.

It's gonna it's gonna move quickly.

And I am I can't tell you how happy I am that we have the questions that I'm hearing from my fellow counselors because these were not questions that were gonna come up when we initially made the transition because there wasn't bandwidth.

There were a whole lot of there was a whole lot of cleaning up that had to happen, and you've done it.

And I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that you have risen out of the you know the transition fog and are really making a difference, and it's one more reason.

I think the city is absolutely amazing.

So thank you for everything you've done.

Uh I'm I I don't even doubt that your goals are you know um out of reach after seeing two years of just smoking through um some really really um how should I say this efficient, well-directed project management and uh open communication.

I didn't expect the unicorn.

I wish I could take credit for the unicorn.

I'll do it here, no one's gonna argue.

But I I really do appreciate you, and I I can't wait to get you all into the New Civic Center so people can understand how important that was, and I I think we should share how important it is in order to um for Lafayette to grow to continue to make that uh an incredibly important part of the way that we recognize our community.

Thank you for your work.

Thank you.

It's our pleasure and honor.

Thank you.

Anything else from members of council?

All right, not saying anything else.

Thank you so much for your work.

I'm gonna echo the sentiments here.

Thank you for the presentation.

Thank you.

We will move on to our second presentation of the night.

Um, agenda item H, 200 North Public Road request for proposals process update.

That I will turn it over to our economic development director, Bridget.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

I'm here to provide a brief update on 200 North Public Road.

This is a property that we're selling.

Um, as you know, I'm the economic development director.

I also serve as the executive director for our downtown development authority and urban renewal authority.

So our agenda for this evening, I'm gonna give a brief overview of the property, discuss the dispositions, disposition strategy, and timeline, uh, do an overview of our request for proposal process, uh review committee, and then next steps.

So uh, as you are familiar with, 200 North Public Road and 108 North Public Road is located on the corner of North Public in East Geneseo.

Uh in 2024, Chase Bank relocated to Nine Mile and uh had plans to put both of these properties up for sale.

The Urban Renewal Authority had been leasing 108 North Public Road for public parking for about a decade.

And when that came up for sale, they wanted to make a strategic purchase of that site.

Unfortunately, Chase was smart and said we're not going to put both of those separate, we're gonna put them together.

It's a stronger sale by having those lots combined.

And so the Urban Renewal Authority approached the city and city council to partner to purchase both of these sites with the opportunity to preserve that public parking, but also there was a strategic opportunity to ensure that 200 North Public Road didn't sit vacant for a long period of time, and we could actually activate this with the sales tax generating use.

Um we are holding 108 North Public Road, and the goal is to sell 200.

Um, this building was built in 1976.

It's actually over 8,000 square feet, which is a little deceiving.

It has a very large basement.

Um, and it's a large lot, which is exciting because we can kind of rethink about how the slot is used.

Right now, the parking is facing public road, but there are drive-thru lanes that maybe you could reorient the parking to the other side of the lot.

Um, this site is really suited for adapted to reuse, but also maybe an addition or even new construction.

Uh I just wanted to uh highlight briefly 108 North Public Road because being able having been able to purchase this now gives us a lot of more lot more flexibility about this key asset in our downtown.

When we were releasing this from Chase, they um would not allow us to activate it with any events due to their insurance requirements.

So now we're able to have another key asset by expanding our farmers market or even doing pop-up events in partnership with our DDA.

Um, we've actually always envisioned this site to be activated.

This is a fun rendering from one Laura did the streetscape project, the front porch.

And you can see that it's been intentionally designed to have different events on there, so a couple of food trucks here.

So we're excited that we've been able to secure this lot.

Um I wanted to just briefly reflect on why we were able to purchase both of these.

Um, as you know, municipalities and urban renewal authorities are able to acquire property for public purpose, which is that key point.

Um so that includes transportation, housing, utilities, and economic development.

And with this project, we were able to secure it due to the fact that we were securing that parking, that transportation need and economic development.

So to facilitate this, as I mentioned, Laura partnered with the city, and the city used general funds to front the whole purchase of 2.6.

And Laura has then reimbursed the city for 1 million, and so now we are ready and have put 200 North Polar Road uh on market for 1.6.

So we were able to discount it from that original 2.6 price.

So now I'm gonna move into the RFP process and where we are with it, and this is just an informational report out.

Um typically in a real estate transaction, if you want to buy something, you put in a bid and they the seller will uh review proposals and pick the highest one.

But because we are uh municipal government, um, we're gonna be doing this through a request for proposals process to make sure that our goals are being achieved.

Um and so we've developed guiding principles to be that north star and to anchor respondents into what the city's interested in seeing.

I'm not gonna read this word for word, but a couple things I wanted to highlight is um that a proposed project should fit into the character of the old town district, it should promote year-round activity, integrate welcoming public realm elements, integrate sustainability best practices.

Um these last two points I think are really important, not that the others aren't, but to demonstrate financial feasibility.

There's gonna be a lot of great ideas, but we also need to make sure that if we're partnering someone, they can execute it.

They have the experience, the financial capacity, if they need to get a mortgage, they're able to do that, and that their business model makes sense.

And then the last point about integrate opportunities for small businesses, whether it's our comp plan, our economic development plan, the DDA, so many of our work.

Small businesses really are at the heart of Old Town, and so making sure that this project will highlight small businesses.

And so we're hoping that we're able to get a small business or small developer that's local to propose on this.

So our evaluation criteria includes adherence to those guiding principles, the financial ability to close and execute the proposed project, experience and qualifications of a team, and then this last point, which kind of was reflected in the guiding principles.

Um we're gonna be giving special consideration to projects that demonate the demonstrate the inclusion of a sales sector in any reuse or uses and have meaningful participation by local businesses and/or minority and women-owned enterprises.

So this achieves a lot of our goals within our strategic plans, and we're hoping that this is an opportunity to get someone really special in that space.

So the RFP process, um, we're gonna have two phases, which I'll go into in a second about what is included in those.

The phase one proposals, which is um a shorter narrative, we'll be accepting on a rolling basis through the end of April, and then we'll invite a selected amount who meet our guiding principles uh to go into phase two, and we'll accept those proposals at the end of May.

Um we have a council has authorized the Lure Executive Director to assemble a review committee.

And so we'll have that review committee um review proposals, shortlist them, interview them, and then we'll actually do community outreach to get the community's feedback on a selected number of what do you like about this, what concerns do you have, just be another data point for us in making a holistic decision.

And then our goal is to bring a recommended proposal or proposals to council in July, and then um ultimately you will select the um respondent, and then we'll move into that negotiation and closing in fall and winter.

Depending on how complicated the project is, it might be a longer closing.

Um, but since there might be an adapted reuse, we think that there could be an opportunity to close this year.

So going into what is those two phases, um, since we know that it is a big lift to put in a put together an RFP, we wanted the phase one submission to be pretty high level.

So one to two pages that um details what they want to do.

And so um acknowledging the purchase price of 1.6 and any um transaction terms, who who you are, what your proposed project is, the timeline, how it meets the guiding principles, how you plan to finance it, the overview of your team, and then we plan to have a first writer refusal on this property, um, just in case it goes up for sale and we're in a situation where we want to take that back, we want to be able to have that first writer refusal.

Um, and so by being able to have a shorter um one to two pager, we're able to say this is something that we're interested in, keep working on your proposal because we're gonna need more information, or this really doesn't hit the mark.

Um, thank you, but this might not be the right project for you.

So phase two is more robust in a narrative, but also visual um representation of your project, and then also financial.

And so purchaser details, the vision, the transaction, do you plan to get a loan, what your closing date would be, the capital investment, an initial operating performer will be important.

Um we want to make sure that if you have a business plan that it if you feel comfortable that you can purchase this price and you can operate your business in the old pencil.

Um if there's any gap financing, we have a number of different incentives, whether that's through the city or through the DDA.

Um, do you plan to execute some of those in order to get this project done?

Uh funding, financial stability, experience, innovation, sustainability, and timeline.

So this is a much more robust package, and we wanted that phase one.

So no one didn't spend too much time without the assurance that we're interested in.

The RFP review committee is gonna be uh two members of LURA, two members of the DDA, and likely one or two members of city staff.

And their role is to oversee this whole process and make a recommendation or recommendations to council.

And um, as I mentioned, we plan to do uh engagement through Lafayette Listens.

It's a great platform where we're able to cast a wide net of getting different respondents and ultimately uh council, your role is to have that final approval over the selected um proposal.

So, brief brief report out, but I just wanted to let you all know where we are.

Uh the RFP is live, it has hit the market.

We're really excited.

We're working with a broker from market real estate to help field questions, do tours.

Um, and if you know someone interested, send them my way, we'll connect them with Annie.

And as I mentioned, phase one proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis through the end of uh April.

And I'm happy to turn it back to Mayor for any questions.

Any questions from council?

Thoughts, Council Friendland.

Um awesome.

It's amazing to see it at this point.

Um, really exciting, really innovative, really cool.

Um I'm curious, just the timeline for phase two.

That feels like a harder lift and also shorter.

So I guess, but I'm not familiar with how these things usually go.

So is that a you know, is that typical?

Um yeah, tell me how you how you thought through that.

Yeah.

Um, especially since we're doing this on a rolling basis, our selection, our review committee has a standing weekly meeting.

And so if you submit a proposal next week, we're going to um put together the review committee, review it, and then provide feedback.

So the idea is that people are submitting and they're getting started on phase two.

They're not waiting till the end of April to know that they're they're moving forward.

Awesome.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Um, I'm also curious.

I think in phase one, one of the kind of guidelines that you put in was like uh was it local expansion?

Expansion of a local business.

Did I see that somewhere?

Maybe I AI put in extra words.

No, just kidding.

Um, maybe on the guidelines, the guiding principles.

Oh, yeah.

Um is it is it there?

I read it.

I thought I read it somewhere, but it's okay.

Maybe I'm maybe I misread it.

Um, it's in the last bullet right there on the other slide.

Locally owned businesses.

Yeah.

Never mind.

Okay.

All good.

Well, we're totally supportive of businesses expanding in Lafayette.

So if you know of any, send them our way.

But it's not just local businesses already, it's you know, folks that have good ideas from outside of our community.

Totally.

Yeah, I the idea is that um we really want to see someone who is rooted in our community, whether that is the Lafayette community, the Boulder County community, or the Denver Metro region, that it wants to invest in.

If you go a few slides back to the 200 North Public Road, it's the first, it's the first one right there.

Oh, yeah, this one.

Or yeah, for an existing local business.

I think I was just I I appreciate your what you just said about it, because I that's what I was thinking you missed.

Um, I just want to make sure that we were casting a little wider net.

Totally.

Um, this bullet is definitely, and thank you for catching that.

Um, we have a goal of pathways their ownership through the DDA, and then also just through our economic development plan.

And this is really because we're seeing throughout the front range that there are just real across the country, real estate investors coming in, and it's harder for businesses to stay here if they don't have control over their own real estate.

So this is um more of an opportunity to see if if this could happen, but casting a wider net.

Thank you very much.

Yeah, Council Ginolo.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh thank you for the presentation.

Really great.

Um just a couple questions for me.

You know, the the sale without the parking lot, you know, Chase wouldn't sell it without the parking lot because it's more marketable.

Now we're trying to sell it without the parking lot.

It do we see that as problematic?

So it just means that a different user is gonna be interested in it, right?

Like a national bank was interested in 200 North Polych Road because at the time when people were doing a lot of banking, they probably had a big parking lot.

Um, there is a that lot is um, let's see if I can pull up a good photo of this.

This lot is very large.

It's actually one of our larger lots in Old Town.

You can see that it covers the entire space of our um parking lot and then a lot over, so it's almost like two lots combined.

Um just talking with our broker, we feel like this is a really great site, and we're also discounting it a million dollars less than both of them together.

And there still is parking on that new 200 North Public Road.

Correct.

Okay.

Yeah, but I I just was confused about that.

Um great question.

You talked about the review committee, so I can cross scratch that question off.

Um, this rolling submission process.

Do people get a chance to redo phase one?

Is there a limit to the number of submissions someone could make under phase one?

Um we we we did not contemplate that, but you can totally make more than one submission, right?

Yeah, I mean, my thought is if someone says, hey, I got this great idea, yeah, and you say, I'm sorry that doesn't match.

Right.

Try it, try again.

Totally.

I mean, a great example, all hypothetical.

If someone said, I want to do high density market rate residential here, and you're like, this doesn't really work with many things, right?

And you say these are our goals, and they come back and they're like, got it.

Now, what about this?

That would be a great example of how they could submit multiple times.

Okay.

Okay, great.

Um, you talked about the right of first refusal for the city to sort of get the next bite at the apple.

Should this in the future um come up for sale again?

Can you just talk a little bit more about that?

Yeah.

Um, so we didn't want to put a deed restriction on this because it it just limits the type the type of buyer and being able to get a mortgage by having a sort of deed restriction about like it needs to be this in perpetuity.

And so having the first right of first refusal, depending on if a business is there or developer, right?

For 10, 15, 20 years, in 20 years from now, we might say we got what we needed out of this project.

We're gonna let the free market just decide what happens next.

The investment was in there.

Um, and so this is just a gut check for whenever that comes up for sale if the city's interested in purchasing it.

Okay, thank you so much.

My other question was about uh deed restrictions, and you answered that, so thank you so much.

Yeah.

Thank you, director.

Uh, this is so exciting and such an interesting contrast to some other development efforts that we're all collectively exploring.

So thank you very much for the presentation.

Um, so our first question we're discounting it uh by a million to 1.6.

Um why was that decision made?

So we um one uh we did an appraisal about both lots.

Um 108 North Pollock Road was appraised at a very low dollar value, which we think was just in inaccurate.

Um by being able to discount it to 1.6, it just opens a wider range of um applicants who could be able to respond.

We're really hoping to get that local business in there, and so it's just an easier entryway while still being um fair and uh market value.

Yeah.

I think you'll see in many situations across Boulder County that things are overpriced.

And so we want it to be competitive in saying that this is something that we wanna we want to see individuals actually propose on and not let it sit.

I love that.

Thank you.

Um what will you and the committee do to prevent the possibility of someone putting forward a great proposal then kind of just acquiring and holding it, which obviously is a challenge we grapple with.

Totally.

Um so in our RFP it contemplates that we'll do an economic development agreement where we will be able to put some terms in there about um you do this and you'll be able to purchase this, right?

Especially if there's incentives, then we have a real good claw in there about being able to put a promissory note and a deed of trust of saying you need to execute this with this sort of milestones.

And so we we contemplate that we're going to have an economic development agreement for some assurances that the project that we're buying actually happens.

Outstanding.

Thank you.

Um is it possible for uh multiple parties to submit a response to to the RFP for say you know the two of us want to go into business together?

Can we submit a joint application?

And is that clear?

That would be called a joint venture.

Okay.

Um, where you know, if there's a developer that's really good at getting projects done and I'm the business, and then you need someone who helped finance it, bring those all together.

Okay.

That's super exciting, particularly because um I was talking with uh a Lafayette resident who gave me this great term uh that I would give him credit for, which is like preventing the Breckenrigification of public road.

Um obviously we want to bring in revenue, but we don't want it to sort of just look like a certain kind of business for certain kind of people, want to reflect the vibrancy of the community.

So I guess this last question is ideally we get a lot of different really compelling proposals.

How will you and the committee balance this mom and pop shop that looks like it would really serve one aspect of the community well, but maybe not bring in as much revenue as this other one?

How would y'all make that decision?

Yeah, I think the guiding principles are our anchor, right?

And if we have projects, that's why we say projects that might come forward to you.

If we have a couple that are really strong and achieve different goals, we're the review committee is gonna say these all are financially financially viable, they meet our guiding principles, they achieve different goals, and we feel comfortable recommending one, two, three to you all to figure out.

Well, you're gonna put it on us.

That's your role.

Yeah.

Okay.

But I mean, that's the that's a great scenario, right?

It's also we're in a very difficult climate, right?

And so if we had multiple, that'd be a great scenario.

Um, I've talked to a few people who are really interested in it.

If they can make it all work, just getting one would be great.

Cool.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Good luck.

Thanks.

Any other questions, thoughts from council?

Mayor Fronto.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

I I'm uh I don't know if you all know this, but I'm a council representative on the DDA.

And it is really exciting to see the way this situation has been managed and aligned with the not the guiding principles, but the ideals that we put forth.

And uh all the members of the DDA are very interested in making this uh feasible for local small businesses as possible.

And all I really appreciate these questions, and I can tell you that a lot of them came through the DDA members in the process of making this work, and our executive directors, your multiple directors, uh has really guided this project to a point where I think a lot of people will really be happy.

And I I welcome multiple proposals.

So I this is super exciting, and I think it'll also give uh local small businesses an understanding that this is not the first of what the DDA is going to bring forward.

We also hope to um make it possible for other small business owners and people with the concept to uh keep an eye on what the DDA is doing.

So I think we're right in line with where we want to be.

Thank you for all your work.

Thank you.

Just want to say thank you for emphasizing the city plans in here.

I I've been a strong proponent of adaptive reuse.

I think there's high potential for this site.

So I'm glad to see that's focusing, you know, given the requirements for building and just the energy and effort that goes into that.

I think that can simplify things a lot, and I'm hopeful that you know the successful uh RFP applicant also does an adaptive reuse project.

So thank you so much.

Yeah, and I'll just finish this off by saying I'm super excited.

This is one of the coolest projects ever.

I'm excited to see what happens with the building.

Yeah, I'm excited to see what they do with such a large basement.

Yeah, okay, cool.

And then as the city, and not putting any other cities down, as the city with the best farmers market.

I'm excited about the expansion.

So thank you so much.

There's a lot of exciting things.

Thank you, Council.

With that, we will move on to proclamations.

And for our first proclamation tonight, Council Giannola.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, so we'll talk next about the fix a leak week proclamation.

I just want to preface by saying, you know, this winter's been really dry, uh drier than usual.

I think we're all really quite aware of of that and how limited our water resources are.

Um water efficiency is a big part of you know, a foundational part of our climate action plan, our long-term resilience uh efforts.

Um, this fix a leak week highlights highlights one of the simplest and most effective um actions that our residents can take, um, finding and repairing household leaks.

Um a single leak, I think as we'll hear about, uh can spend a lot of water.

Um if we can check our faucets, toilets, and irrigation systems and take advantage of city programs like slow the flow, our community can make a meaningful impact on reducing water usage.

Small actions add up, and together they help protect Lafayette's finite water supply today for today and for future generations.

I mean, with that, uh the fix a leak week proclamation for the week of March 16th to 22nd, 2026.

Whereas the City of Lafayette's climate action plan recognizes water as a foundational strategy for building a resilient community and emphasizes the meaningful progress.

That meaningful progress depends on informed and engaged residents taking everyday actions to protect water resources, improve efficiency, and reduce outdoor water usage.

And whereas, according to the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, household water leaks are a widespread and costly source of water waste, with the average household losing more than 10,000 gallons of water each year due to leaks that often go unnoticed without regular checks.

And whereas even small leaks add up quickly, and according to the EPA, a dripping faucet can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water annually, demonstrating that routine household maintenance and seasonal irrigation checks by residents can collectively result in water savings across the community.

And whereas finding and fixing leaks supports water Lafayette's climate action goals by improving water efficiency, reducing demand on limited water supplies, and strengthening community resilience and residents play a vital role in checking toilets, faucets, and irrigation systems, performing seasonal inspections.

And whereas through its partnership with Resource Central, the city supports residents in taking actions to reduce water consumption through the slow the flow program, which provides free sprinkler system evaluations, customized water schedules, professional recommendations and opportunities to install smart controllers and rain sensors, making it easier for households to use water wisely.

Now, therefore, the mayor and city council of the city of Lafayette, Colorado, do hereby declare March 16th through 22nd, 2026, fix a leak week in Lafayette and call upon all residents, businesses, schools, and organizations to take part in locating and repairing leaks, utilizing water efficiency programs such as Slow the Flow and joining together in advancing the city's climate action plan by protecting our finite water supply for current and future generations.

So moved.

Second.

We have a motion, we have a second for the proclamation.

Any further discussion?

Council Gallegos.

So I appreciate the timing of this proclamation because two weeks ago I received a hang tag on my door that said you might have a leak.

And it also instructed me the steps that I needed to take to figure out where that leak was.

So thankfully we were able to figure it out and get it under control.

So I appreciate the timing.

Can I was that inside or outside?

It was inside, it was a toilet leak.

And is that kind of as we do this proclamation?

Is that kind of instruction available to someone who thinks they might have a leak where they could follow those same steps?

Could we put that online along with this so that I think I might have a leak and I have no idea how to find it, you know, what where would I go?

So it'd be really nice if along with this proclamation we had that information.

That's a great idea.

Council Genola.

I just want to thank our um public works director for the presentation last week about water and the discussion about you know contacting our uh billing team who can give you the information about your water usage on I think an hourly basis or even even shorter time frames, um, but you gotta call them and say, hey, can you tell me all the water is shut off in my house?

What was the water usage for the last you know couple hours, and then you can check again later.

So there's ways that you can explore a little bit around that.

So um just want to put that out there that that is a resource that's currently in place for folks to use to try to do some some digging on their own.

Again, we have a motion, we have a second.

Any further discussion on this?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Anyone opposed say no?

No one opposed, that passes unanimously.

On to our next proclamation, Councillor Gallegos.

So proclamation for International Women's Day and Women's History Month, whereas International Women's Day and Women's History Month honor and commemorate the contributions and achievements of women throughout the history of the United States of America and internationally, and whereas International Women's Day grew from efforts in the early 20th century to promote women's rights, especially suffrage.

And whereas in its campaign for female enfranchisement, the Socialist Party of America in 1909 held the first National Women's Day, and whereas encouraged by German activist Clara Zetkin, the International Socialist Congress agreed in 1910 to create an international version of the U.S.

holiday.

And on March 9th, 1911, the first International Women's Day was held in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.

And whereas in 1921, the date of International Women's Day was officially changed to March 8th.

And whereas Women's History Month had its origins in 1981, when Congress passed public law 97-28, which authorized and requested the president to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as women's history week, and whereas President Reagan issued presidential proclamation 4903 proclaiming the week beginning March 7th, 1982 as the first women's history week.

And whereas International Women's Day and Women's History Month honor and celebrate the struggles and achievements of women throughout history.

Women have worked to gain rights not simply for themselves, but for many other underrepresented and disenfranchised groups as well.

Now therefore, the mayor and city council of the city of Lafayette, Colorado, do hereby proclaim March 8th, 2026 as International Women's Day, and March 1st through 31st as women's history month in the City of Lafayette, and call upon all its residents to celebrate with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities, and invite residents to learn more about the vital contribution to women to our history.

So moved.

Second.

We have a second uh any discussion on this proclamation.

Councilor Gallegas.

So I'm honored to work alongside so many amazing women here in the city on council, in city departments, city staff, our city managers, city attorneys.

I just think it's wonderful to have so many women represented in various departments.

Council Ginola.

Councilor Jensen.

I I want to echo what Councillor Gallego said.

Um, there would have been a time when a woman city manager and city attorney were just unheard of.

And we have department heads who are women, and we have fabulous leadership.

And it's part of why Lafayette is so well run and why we have the kind of community where people appreciate being here.

And people who testify always come and say this is a great place, but we want you to work on this still, you know, and that we can continue to talk to one another with respect about appreciating how wonderful we are, but how there may be room for growth.

And that that vibe, I think, is in part because of what our leadership has brought to us, and I'm very grateful.

I also want to say, you know, women still don't make as much as men.

Uh the Olympics was a very good example of some of the crap that female athletes have to go through, and we've got work to do.

And so I hope that all of you will continue that work and go Denver Summit.

Council Genova, did you have something?

Yeah, thank you, Mayor.

Um, I just want to echo everything that's been said already.

You know, I I'm a my lane has always been so to be surrounded by women my entire life, uh, even tonight.

You know, it's great.

Just part of my life.

Part of my life where where I'm at.

Um, and I'm thankful for those women in my life.

I'm thankful for the women in in society in these uh positions of power.

You know, every time I drive by our lovely sign out there that says, you know, we're building an inclusive community.

I'm proud of that.

Um I think Lafayette's doing great.

Um, so I'm happy to support this.

Any other counselors?

Uh, before we vote, I'll just finish this off by echoing the thoughts of everyone here.

Um looking over to our leadership team.

We just we're so lucky in the city of Lafayette uh for who we have on staff and who who runs the day-to-day lives of our residents.

So just a huge shout out to to our team uh to all the women that do incredible work here in the city of Lafayette.

And with that, uh, we have a motion and a second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Anyone oppose saying no?

No one opposed, that passes unanimously.

Next, we will move on to regular business.

And for the two items, I believe item K and L, we will have the same presentation.

That is correct.

So I will pass it over to Leslie Yuey, engineering and capital project division manager.

Speaking of women, speaking of women.

Oh, speaking of women, yes.

Yes, I'm Leslie Huey.

I'm with the public works department.

I lead the engineering and capital projects uh division group.

Awesome group.

Uh tonight we're gonna I'm presenting to you two different easements.

Uh the first is the first reading of ordinance number five, series two of 2026.

C dot easement, and this item L, first reading ordinance number six, series 2026, Boulder County Easement.

That's great.

Oh, thank you, Alex.

I don't often have to come before you like this, but bear with me.

I'm usually in my PJs at this time.

Um so tonight's agenda is I'm gonna prepare, give you all uh just a very brief overview of the types of easements that might come before you on your tenure with council.

Those easements include permanent easements for which we have one tonight, a temporary easement.

We have another one of those tonight, prescriptive easements, and sometimes you'll see uh revocable license agreements, which do affect easements that the city of Lafayette may hold.

So our first easement for your consideration tonight will be the grant of a temporary easement to CDOT, and a grant of a second one is a grant of a permanent easement to Boulder County.

And so for both of these easements, these are easements that other agencies have approached the city to get an easement on city owned property, for which that's the reason we're here tonight.

So the city's home room charter bestows upon city council the ability it or the your you have purview over any real property that the city owns.

So I'm not going to read to you the whole charter section, but that is why I am before you tonight.

So what is an easement?

An easement grants a legal right to use another person's property for a specific purpose, but without transferring that ownership right.

So we have a few easement types I just mentioned earlier: permanent, temporary, prescriptive, and then a license agreement, which can't affect any of those easements.

So I'll start with a permanent easement.

This is the one that we typically see.

It's a long-term property right that stays with the land, even if that land is sold.

Ways that permanent easements are acquired by the city are by subdivision plat.

That's often the plats do convey rights of way and easements, often it's drainage or utility or some other type of access easement.

Or you may see a separate instrument, which is just an easement agreement that has an exhibit with a legal description of the parcel or the easement in question and an illustration of that easement.

Types of easements for an easement grants are right for a portion of the property to be used for a specific purpose, and those easement agreements will spell out what those purposes are, or on a plat, there would be dedication describing what the easement's purpose is.

So what's great for the city is when we have an easement, we can enforce provisions of our municipal code with regard to easement so we can regulate what activities can occur in and around our infrastructure within a given easement.

The same thing will happen if a requester comes to the city, they would then be able to control the activities that occur within their easement.

So grants of easement can also occur with compensation.

So if the city approaches a property owner to acquire an easement, the normal process is we would have they would we would offer a price, but there would be an appraisal involved.

And so there is compensation for the encumbrance.

When we do enter agency easement grants, that compensation may not be something that occurs.

We may do that as a courtesy.

So similarly, temporary easements are just like what's in the name.

This is a very short-term purposed type of easement.

Usually it's a very um, it's usually around a memorandum of agreement like with the CDOT easement tonight or some other written agreement.

Occasionally you'll see a temporary easement shown on a plat, often around like cul-de-sacs that may be taken out in the future when the road is extended.

But the easement agreement or the temporary easements can be done by rent agreement, a subdivision plat, and sometimes by separate instrument.

But temporary easements usually, once that purpose is done, the the easement become it will extinguish.

Such activities that would be prohibited if someone tries to erect a structure in an easement or you may have a crossing agreement if someone needs to cross the agreement or cross the easement.

Again, grants may include a compensation component to it.

The prescriptive easements are a little different beast.

These are usually when a facility has been in place for longer than 18 years in Colorado, the facility can have a right associated with it.

We most commonly see prescriptive easements related to irrigation ditches and laterals.

Those facilities have been in the ground forever.

But the ditches and ditch companies have rights associated with them, even though they may not be shown on a plaid or in a separate easement agreement.

And again, prescriptive events does not take ownership of the land, it just protects a long-standing right of access or to use a facility the community has relied on.

And again, the prescriptive right in Colorado is established after 18 years.

So a license agreement is a little bit of a variation on easements.

So when the city has a business owner, say on public street or north public road, and they want to install an awning on their building.

And that awning might project over into the city's rights away or utility easement.

We as the property owner can enter an agreement with them to license that encroachment into the easement and allow it until such time as we say we can't have that anymore.

Sometimes signs are done in a similar fashion.

So I put some of these examples on.

I won't read them all to you tonight.

But these license agreements enables the city to regulate our easements while still being friendly to other users that might have a need for occupying the space, but it creates a situation where we're not putting a permanent encumbrance on city property.

Okay, so now we're down to the regular business.

So the first easement before you tonight is a grant of a temporary easement to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

This is occurring at the intersection of Colorado 7 Arapahoe Road at 95th Street, also known as Colorado 42 south of the intersection.

This is affecting Outlaw F-A of Forest Park Replat A subdivision.

That is a mouthful.

That is a piece of property that the city does own.

It is a park and a detention facility for the Forest Park subdivision.

And the request from CDOT is that we grant them a temporary easement at the very extreme northwest corner of that larger property.

The easement is for the construction of sidewalk facilities to be able to get construction access and to provide some slope grading for those facilities.

So not terribly large.

They're going to effectively lease the space for a little over $1,800 per year with a 5% increase every each year it's occupied.

The duration of the project that the CDOT is proposing is only 18 to 24 months.

So we don't, it's not a large compensation over time.

Once the CDOT project is complete, that easement will terminate.

This is actually in an unincorporated Boulder County, but it is a city-owned piece of property.

And this property houses one of our pump stations.

Boulder County is looking to replace a bridge that crosses baseline road.

You can kind of see it in the very property's in green, the easement is in blue, and then the bridge that they're replacing is just at the very southeast corner of that property.

Okay.

So there isn't a you have baseline on the bottom here in this picture, but no north-south streets.

There aren't any any close by.

This is well out West Baseline Road.

Like 120th, where what would be the closest?

Is it the closest cross street, Melanie?

It's near so it's hi, I'm Ellen Aspet.

I'm the principal utility engineer for the city, and I try to support anything water and sewer.

I love it.

So as you guys learned last week, we have two reservoir complexes.

We pump water to the treatment plant.

This is the pump station that pumps the water from baseline reservoir to the treatment plant.

So it's just east of baseline reservoir on I was thinking way west, so thank you.

We are we're way west.

Um way east near Dry Creek Trailhead.

Yeah, it's right by um Dry Creek Trailhead.

So it's way west out by baseline reservoir.

So that's it, Cherry Vale and baseline.

There's baseline.

So we're over here.

So it's a beginning.

Sure.

Okay.

At West, yeah, I had my West and East mixed up.

Yes, I get it.

Sorry.

Yes, uh, that's what I was thinking.

I just wasn't saying it right.

Okay, thank you.

Yeah.

So before I present motion language, uh, are there any questions about either of the easements that we can address for you tonight?

Yes, so we have two easements before us, uh Councilor Johnson, you want to start with questions?

Yeah, on the temporary easement to CDOT where it says construction of sidewalk and slope grading, will they leave that sidewalk and will that be beneficial to us?

So, yeah, the sidewalk that will be constructed, there's two different components.

There is a multi-use path that's located just north of the easement that the slope grading will be supporting, and then there's a small sidewalk connection that actually connects into the private forest park circulation network.

And then there's a small sidewalk connection that actually connects into the private forest park circulation network.

So that connection that's still shown within that easement is a benefit to the city because it does enhance connectivity through that corner, that quadrant of the intersection.

Okay.

And then I have another another question on a topic that you didn't cover, but it wasn't listed, but I I really appreciate the sort of primer on easements and how they work.

Um do we have conservation easements in Lafayette?

And are they permanent or temporary?

Okay, I'm gonna get out of some territory that I'm not as familiar with.

I don't know that the city of Lafayette holds any conservation into easements.

That is something I typically have seen that it affect county properties.

Usually when they sell their development rights off or not, so if they transfer to development rights off the property, they'll then be required to conserve the property with a conservation easement.

I don't those do convey with the land based on my experience, but they can be extinguished for certain purposes.

So it's like but any easement, even though there's called a permanent easement, if there is a there can be changes, but it usually takes an act of legislation to or to vacate or otherwise uh easement.

So I hope that answers your question.

That's very helpful, yes.

Thank you so much.

I really appreciate it.

Any other questions from council?

Okay, Councilor Buller.

Uh maybe just real briefly.

Um thank you, engineer.

I'm an engineer, yes.

Thank you, engineer.

Ask it.

Um is there any reason that council would ever say whoa whoa whoa?

This just seems so straightforward.

I understand the process that we need to review it and concur to move forward, but this just seems like such an absolutely slam dunk to do that.

What what like possible landmines or reasons to look askance?

What do we have?

Typically the ones I've seen are slam dunks, and often we would have these on consent agenda.

We just thought we'd take the opportunity to explain easements tonight.

Brilliant.

And that was my pause to try to think of possibilities and landmines.

Um I can't think of anything just right off the most most of the ones in my career have been relatively slam dunks.

So it is your part leaf.

So that is your your I just wanted you guys to have you know some basis for making these decisions.

Okay.

Mayor Proto?

I got one question.

Oh, good.

Uh so in the event we do grant uh permission for this easement.

Would that it looks like the the access to the pump station?

The the concrete has it's not it needs some it it's and it needs love, yes.

Yeah, uh are they are they going to do anything with that with this easement and are we can try to do that?

I have to look back at my supporting person, Melanie here.

So at this one, um we're gonna take pictures of what it is now, and then when they leave, if it is not in the condition, if it's worse than the condition it is now, then they have agreed to help us repair it.

So a lot of construction will be happening, so it's a possibility.

And they and they would not be allowed to restrict access to our pump station.

Absolutely not.

Okay, that was yeah, that one of them are that's great.

Yeah, and we would never bring it to you if that was a possibility.

Yeah, that would have gotten caught with the city office.

But yeah, before it got here.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Exactly.

Appreciate it.

Yeah.

Council Genesis.

Thank you, Mayor.

Would you mind putting the photograph, the aerial photograph back up real quick, if you can?

Let's see if I can do that.

There's a we're talking before the yeah, that one.

Okay.

Um, there's a blue line on there.

Can you talk a little bit what that blue line is?

Are we talking about this dashed blue line?

Yeah.

So that one represents the new dry creek carrier ditch.

So what they're gonna be replacing is that box culvert that carries the ditch underneath baseline road.

And so they needed that easement because they need to do a little bit of regrading on the corner as they realign it for the new box culvert.

And so the I see that represents the ditch.

Okay.

Yeah, I just was a little bit confused reading the language.

Um, and the picture is worth a thousand words, so thank you so much.

That really clarifies things for me.

Fantastic.

Uh, I just have one question, and it's just kind of a point of clarification.

I'm looking at these slides, and before anyone reads any motion language, if you go past the two motion language slides, there's one more slide, at least in my presentation.

I want to make sure we're not missing anything with this one.

Oh, this one was just supposed to be hidden.

If we had any questions tonight about the CDOT work at that intersection, I did bring exhibits for it.

It's not part of the 42 project or the highway seven project.

It's the it's it's a little bit of both.

It's a 95th and Arapaho intersection project.

Right, which is part of both projects.

Yes.

Yes.

So which one is it part of this this easement?

Is it part of the Highway 7 project or the Highway 42 project?

In this location, both roads are affected.

So it is primarily the Colorado 7 project, which is adding additional lanes through the intersection to an attempt to relieve congestion.

But in order to do that, they're also extending that work a little bit to the south on Colorado 42.

So the 95th Street intersection is going to have additional through lanes to hopefully uh really alleviate some of the congestion north south as well.

So my apologies for leaving that in there that we're supposed to be at the slide.

But thank you for bringing that to my attention.

Okay, so we have two motions.

We want to go back to the first motion language.

Uh and if uh what did I do?

All right.

Sure.

If there's any council that would like to read it, I'd be happy to.

I move to approve on first reading ordinance number five, series 2026, approving a memorandum of agreement between the city of Lafayette and Colorado Department of Transportation and granting a temporary easement to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Second.

We have a motion.

We have a second uh any further discussion.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Anyone opposed say no?

That passes unanimously, and we have a second one.

I'll move to approve on first reading ordinance number six, series 2026, approving an access and maintenance easement for the benefit of Boulder County.

Second.

We have a motion, we have a second.

Any further discussion?

No further discussion.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Anyone opposed say no?

No one opposed that.

Passes unanimously.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That concludes our regular business tonight.

And we will move on to staff reports beginning with our city attorney report.

Thank you, Mayor.

I do not have any reports for you this evening.

Thank you.

Now turn over to our city manager's report.

Thank you, Mayor and Council.

Good evening.

Um, few items to update you tonight.

Um, yesterday, our spring 2026 board and commission recruitment opened up.

Uh, please have interested folks apply by March 20th.

The website link is right there.

We currently are soliciting applications for the Cultural Arts Board, the Historic Preservation Commission, Human Rights Board, and the Older Older Adults Advisory Board and the Sustainability and Resilience Advisory Board.

So please help us spread the word for anybody that might be interested in serving.

Also, this Friday, new banners will be installed throughout the old town featuring artwork celebrating Lafayette.

A few of them are pictured here.

Um, there are 13 large, uniquely designed banners.

We'll highlight some of Lafayette's um treasured places, traditions, and designations.

And we're excited to share these installations with the community all along public road.

Um late last year, representatives from the city departments, um, almost every city department, I believe, uh, collaborated on a standard approach for community engagement, which is uh kind of that picture that you see on the bottom left.

And the process resulted in kind of establishing overall guiding principles for engagement, suggested processes, so that really when we do community engagement, it can feel consistent across the department.

And so I just want to thank the team that put this all together and keeping uh the city organized when we do engagement with our community members.

And then finally, uh the top pictures.

Um excited to announce some calls the newest member of the city, but Eddie, our um Eddie the Trout will serve as the city's water efficiency ambassador, and he'll be featured in various water efficiency program communications uh to remind us as we did a little earlier tonight that every drop counts uh related to water, and I believe we'll be launching a water-wise Wednesday um suggestion each week from here on out.

So look for um them throughout the organization on future print materials.

Looking forward to March 17th, you'll have your ordinances from tonight on second reading.

Uh two contracts, one you heard about tonight, which was the court case management system, and then also our annual concrete rehabilitation uh contract, as well as a proclamation and a presentation on the affordable housing fee study that's following up from your prior workshops on the land use.

March 24th, you'll have a quasi-judicial training through um SURSA, our agency that provides this.

Um we will be following up on the summary, kind of report out and next steps following your retreat, and then potentially any potential ballot items, and we'll talk a little bit more as we get closer to that meeting, what that might look like.

So that's what I have tonight.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Moving on to counseling.

Can I ask if you're talking about potential ballot measures that would come from us or that our other people are doing that we might want to engage in?

This is typically what the city might want to propose.

So in the past, we've had the mayor to make a call out to um the council members to see if there was anything that they wanted to put on in advance.

And staff have met, and um, we might have a charter cleanup for council's consideration, but other than that, we don't really see anything this year.

Thank you.

Yeah, thank you for the clarification.

Fantastic.

Okay, over to council reports.

Uh actually, I always start on this side.

Let's go on this side.

Counselor Gino.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um the Boulder County Recycling Center is turning 25 years old this year, so that's kind of an exciting uh uh anniversary.

They're doing a kickoff celebration and open house on March 17th in the morning from 9 to noon.

Uh that they'll have a special screening of one of our old favorites, the Lorax.

Um, I speak for the trees.

Um Ecocycle, Wildfire Partners, Boulder County Master Gardeners will be there.

They'll have coffee and cocoa.

Um, I think it's gonna be you know, a fun event at the recycling center.

And that's just the kickoff of their kind of 25-year uh anniversary uh celebrations.

Um next, I just want to say, you know, we've heard a lot um tonight from folks talking about the cemetery and the plaque.

I am not up to speed on that.

I'd love to have this come before council for consideration in the future, so I'll just put that out there.

Um, and then finally, just want to give a shout out and special thanks to our open space division for all their hard work uh in maintaining and improving and protecting our open space.

Thank you so much.

And just before we move on to Counselor Jensen, uh there was a lot of uh talk tonight from our from our residents about this.

So I just want to kind of get consensus.

Are we do we feel okay about kind of sending us to staff and having them come back to us with something for the cemetery plaque?

Can I just add some specific maybe to that?

Of course.

I think we've already explored the cost of the plaque with the names.

Um, so I think you know, we could have a pretty specific proposal of like if we wanted to do this or not, what the cost would be, so we can make really informed decisions.

Okay.

Everyone feel good about that.

Counselor Jensen.

So I signed up today or yesterday, I can't remember, for one of the rain barrel workshops that is being put on through Boulder County, and they have one in Lafayette, and it is um April 16th, and they had free rain barrels for the first so many people.

I think I signed up like soon as they opened and got a free rain barrel.

I think they may be out of free rain barrels by now.

But the idea is to teach you how to use a rain barrel.

And I have a vegetable garden, so I'm hoping to, you know, be able to use this, especially in light of the potential uh you know, water limits that we may have to impose on ourselves this summer.

But I they have like six or seven different options in the county for places you could go for one of these workshops.

So if the Lafayette one is full, you could probably try the other, and it's the Boulder County Resource Conservation Division.

If anybody is interested in participating in that.

Um, the other thing I wanted to say is that so I have a son who's a teacher, and they are uh struggling at his school because of the broomfield measles um situation, and many teachers, including him, no longer have their shop records and don't know if they've had a measles vaccination.

And I guess I because they are uh experiencing this.

I wondered if the city of Lafayette is now, especially people who come in contact with children, like at the rec center, a library, other places.

If we are paying attention to making sure our staff uh know who has, and he's my son is probably gonna have to uh go get another one because he doesn't I don't have a shop record, and neither does he.

So um it looks like you know, for him he's got to get another shop, but I thought we should think about that, um, given that we're so very close to Broomfield.

And that is all that I have.

Thank you so much.

Uh let's change the order.

Counselor Gallegos.

Sure.

So the Youth Advisory Board is in the process of planning an event uh for April 8th called Teens Talk Adults Listen.

It's gonna be held at the library from seven to eight if you're interested.

So it's just an evening of conversation on topics affecting youth here in Lafayette.

We'll have a panel of teens made up from the youth advisory board and other youth leaders, and they will answer questions about their lives, experiences, and issues that motivate them.

So please join us if you can.

What is the date?

It is April 8th, 7 to 8 p.m., lower level library.

Thank you.

Council Fridlin.

Nothing to report tonight.

Thank you.

Councilor Folio.

Thank you so much.

A few things.

Um, so first uh recognize the the crowd has winnowed, but just huge thanks to the public for the incredible commentary we heard tonight.

I, you know, Mike Watson mentioned like what a joy it is to be in community with it's like such rich perspective, such history going back centuries.

It was really beautiful.

Um, and in particular, of course, Frank and Doug for the history they've done.

Carol Sadler for the privilege of sharing pictures of her family lineage.

Uh interesting that they looked a lot like my Greek ancestors at that time period.

Um, former mayor Jamie Harkins talking about flock.

Um, I want to return to that in a moment.

Um, but one thing it really has made me think about that I'm kind of turning over in my head is how we as council engage in conversation with our community and with our our residents.

And at this point in the evening, let's see, it's um it's 8 44, and so folks have gone home, take care of kids, get to bed, etc.

Um, yeah, other than these these diehards.

And sir, I wish you would sit over there.

That way you're all spot.

But I guess after such beautiful remarks, I kind of felt this compulsion to just sort of respond.

Um, but recognizing how our agenda is structured, hold fire until uh sort of the end of Council Swag.

I'm kind of want to put on for consideration how we want to engage in conversation and feedback with our residents, with our community, because it's one thing for someone to speak about, you know, a pothole that needs fixing.

It's another thing to talk about their heritage and the hurt that they feel in our city.

And I guess just as the newest member of council, I just feel a little awkward kind of listening to someone's uh pain and heartbreak, but also hope and just kind of nodding and then waiting two hours, two plus hours uh after other important city business to then kind of talk when um other other than these people who I love, but you weirdos, uh, but everyone else has gone home.

So I just kind of want to put that for our consideration uh in terms of what we maybe could do to have a bit more contemporaneous uh feedback to to our community.

Um the next thing, Flock.

I understand we're gonna talk about this more, so um I don't want to go too deep on this, but with again thanks to former mayor Harkins for bringing it up.

This is a tremendous uh issue in our community and in the county and the region, as all of you know.

Um, there's a pretty significant regional protest uh occurring, I believe, on Saturday, March 7th, um, up and down the front range against Flock.

Um I think as folks know well, given what's going on uh in the country, that that concern we should address that sooner than later.

So I I think that's in front of center for many of our minds, but I would just sort of put on the table.

I'd love to see that in the agenda um in the future very soon.

Um next, I was privileged to attend the Colorado Municipal League with Councillor Fridland and our city manager recently.

Um thank you very much for your robust notes.

Uh it was fascinating to see CML's perspective on things and see where that aligned with me or where with our council with our city and where maybe we saw things differently.

So I'm excited to take part uh in that again.

Um and then sort of lastly for this evening, um, in my conversations with some local small business owners and hopeful small business owners, it's kind of come up again and again the lack of affordable space to lease.

So it's one thing to work out of your garage, out of your home, but to get some affordable space to lease.

But then I'm aware, as everyone here is that there's a fair amount of vacant commercial property in town, the lease rates of which are in my small view very exorbitant.

And so just kind of channeling what I've heard from some of these local small businesses.

I would love for us to explore what we can do to incentivize or disincentivize folks from holding commercial space vacant at infinitum.

Uh, I'm not an economist.

I know we have an excellent director of Econ who wears many hats.

But I I'm struggling to understand how it makes sense for someone to own a vacant commercial property that just sits there for years on end that would be rented out or leased out at this rate when there's lots of buyers who are willing to pay this rate.

I don't understand the economics, and I believe that we have the authority and the responsibility to lean and encourage folks to make it more open to small businesses.

Um lastly, thanks to the chief.

I'm now gonna think about who is older and who's younger than 1967 Colt Rifles as a metric for time on Earth.

Uh thank you very much.

Just before we move on to our mayor present, I heard a few things there flocked, your public input and then uh vacant spaces.

You're saying we should consider that are you thinking like future workshops, maybe new ideas?

Are you I want to make sure I'm clear as to what exactly you're asking?

Um Thank you, Mayor.

Uh maybe all of the above.

I think one thing that I think is so remarkable and wonderful about our communities that we do lead.

Uh and yet, as as former mayor Harkins noted, other municipalities in the region are well ahead of us on the flock issue set, and I think it's incumbent upon us to at least keep pace.

Uh we can't let longmotch be more forward leading on this.

We love Longmont.

Um so I think getting that in front, hearing from the police department, hearing from city staff, um, whether it's a workshop or whether it's a presentation like we've heard this evening.

I'm agnostic, but I would like us to look into that sooner than later.

Um, and then on the public comment, I think that might be an interesting topic for our workshop since I'd be really interested.

I have a sense of how some folks feel, but I've been really interested in how everyone sees this issue.

I certainly'm sure there's good reasons for us not responding immediately, but I'd love to hear what they are, because again, there were like 40 people in the room earlier, 35.

And now we have a smaller number, which I'm so glad you guys are still here.

And then um the last one you mentioned, Mayor.

Um that I would love to, I think we need like some formal presentation.

That seems more like a workshop thing.

Fantastic.

Thank you.

Can I just add to that?

Because I appreciate thanks for bringing those things up.

And I think the new ideas at our workshop is the right time for that.

Um, there was a really interesting kind of discussion last night at the historic preservation um uh commission around this topic and how you know what's their role to play.

And also, you know, they saw some of the state programs that exist, main streets from Dola, things like that.

So I do think there's a significant opportunity that we could have just to convene people and have the conversation.

So I think we should bring it back up at maybe new ideas and and dive in.

Amazing.

Thank you.

Mayor Proto.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

I'm hearing this is thank you for bringing up these comments.

And I I I would say that there was a conscious effort to uh the last council had chatted about how do we provide feedback to residents.

And as you've mentioned, uh we we don't have as many residents here at this moment for the schedule time for feedback.

Uh so that was something with which we struggled in the in the last council.

I think uh maybe it's at some point we skip we can schedule one of the time to chat about that.

Um there are a couple things I'm not sure that everyone is aware of, but an art night out.

We have a chat chat with council uh booth, which was a not meant to be a permanent uh way that we chat with the community.

Originally there were more structured ways that chat with council happened, and we did have the uh city man, the city manager with us, not A, but the city manager with us, and uh at Josephine Cameron Commons was one of the locations, and we chatted with members of the public there, specifically on uh certain topics.

So it's something we could revisit if that's a structure that uh makes sense so that we could have maybe save uh time for those uh chats with members of the public so they could bring it up and we could have longer conversations about uh issues that they come up with.

So right now it's art night out and potentially another commitment.

It was all it was a lot at the time to commit to those events, the the way chat with council was structured.

And uh the vacant commercial property question.

I think I think we could before we go and have that discussion.

Um, I think city staff could provide background on one of those, not right now.

Um, it's just gonna say it's planned.

So if you look at some of the look aheads, you'll see it there.

So there's all there's a lot behind um the challenges with uh how do we engage with the vacant city property issue.

And uh my last piece uh that I wanted to mention is that I'm wearing purple tonight for counselor Sonia Briggs, who uh unfortunately was the only thank goodness, the only uh counselor we've had in office.

Uh her birthday was yes, would have been yesterday, it would have been our 47th birthday.

And um her favorite card was purple, so I just wanted to um give a shout out to uh it's Nash, you know, is it National Women's uh history month?

And um she gave an awful lot to this community, an amazing amount to this community.

So just want to give a shout out to uh counselor Tommy Briggs uh on her birthday or one day.

Yeah, that's all I have now.

Amazing.

Okay.

I will move us into executive session and just council bear with me.

There are two motions here, so we'll do one and then the next.

I move to adjourn our executive session pursuant to subsection 4B of Colorado revised statute section 24-6-402 for purposes of receiving legal advice from the city attorney's office on specific legal questions regarding the terms and conditions of contract pertaining to the operation and use of certain city facilities.

Do I have a second?

Second.

Um all those in favor?

Aye, aye, aye.

Any opposed, none opposed.

Fantastic.

Uh secondly, I move to adjourn to the executive session pursuant to subsection 4B of Colorado revives statutes section 24-6-402 for the purpose of conferring with the city attorney to receive legal advice on specific legal questions regarding the terms and conditions of city contracts for public safety equipment and software services.

Do I have a second?

Second.

Motion we have a second.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed say no.

No one opposed.

Uh the city council will adjourn to executive sessions.

We will not return to an open meeting.

The time is 8 54 p.m.

Thank you so much.