City Council Workshop - May 26, 2026: Communications, Park Funding, Building Codes, and Cemetery Subcommittee
City Council Workshop - May 26, 2026
The City Council held a workshop on May 26, 2026, covering four major agenda items: an overview of the city's communications and engagement program, a discussion on potential ballot funding for Lamont's Park and the Great Outdoors Water Park, a proposed update to the city's building codes, and new ideas including the formation of a subcommittee on the cemetery issue. The workshop featured presentations from city staff and extensive council discussion but no formal votes except a straw poll on the subcommittee.
Communications and Engagement Program Overview
- The deputy city manager introduced a presentation on the city's communications framework, highlighting the goal of informing, engaging, and inspiring the community through clear, timely communication.
- New Communications Director Aaron Frazier was introduced; her first day was May 26. She was selected from 158 candidates and brings over 20 years of communications experience from CU Boulder. She expressed enthusiasm for serving the city where she has lived since 1999.
- The communications team is small but includes a communications manager, bilingual communications coordinator (Sebastian), and a citywide network of departmental liaisons. The team has been stretched thin, especially during the winter public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) and drought communications.
- Key metrics for 2025 were shared: 809 request tracker requests (down from previous year), 1.6 million website page views, 42,000 combined social media followers (up 10% from 2024), a 39% increase in impressions, and a 12% increase in engagement. The bilingual channel "Somos Lafayette" was launched to create original content for the Spanish-speaking community.
- Council discussion touched on website ease of use, the need for accessibility testing, monitoring Reddit for misinformation, cultivating a renter engagement list, and challenges reaching the Spanish-speaking community due to trust and safety concerns.
- Councilor Jensen suggested evaluating website navigation qualitatively and recommended exploring a renter-focused engagement list. Councilor Ferdland asked about setting measurable goals for outreach campaigns; staff cited examples of adjusting strategies when initial tools underperformed.
- The presentation also covered new internal tools: a citywide engagement framework and an inclusive community building lens (equity lens) to guide staff efforts.
- Councilor Gallegos inquired about emergency communication platforms; staff noted City Alert is most effective for real-time updates, alongside social media sharing from police/fire.
- Councilor Johnson raised concerns about limited time between agenda posting and council meetings, particularly for complex issues like the cemetery; staff explained that workshops are intended to provide earlier public exposure.
- Councilor Mayor Pro Tem asked about proactive versus reactive communications; staff acknowledged the challenge and cited recent adjustments to the cemetery webpage as an example of responding quickly.
Lamont's Park / Great Outdoors Water Park Funding Discussion
- Staff presented a potential ballot question to extend an expiring 0.5 mill levy (originally authorized in 2014 for $5.5 million in bonds) to fund ongoing capital and operating expenses at Lamont's Park, particularly the aging lap pool (built 1972) and water park infrastructure. The current tax expires at the end of 2026.
- The maximum annual revenue from the extension would be $713,000. For an average home valued at $712,000, the annual tax impact at the maximum rate would be about $36 (just over $3 per month). Residents currently pay $22 per year as the bond nears payoff.
- The funds could be used for both capital improvements (e.g., boiler replacement, filtration systems, lap pool replacement estimated at $2.8 million) and operating costs, as the water park is partially subsidized by the general fund.
- Council expressed mixed reactions. Councilor Gianola struggled with repeatedly asking voters for funding, noting the recent $75 million bond measure and the need to balance constituent fatigue. Councilor Jensen emphasized the park's value as a youth hub and the importance of financial assistance programs for low- and middle-income families.
- Councilor Ferdland questioned the long-term sustainability and whether the city should present a broader capital needs assessment rather than a single-purpose tax. Staff noted that the opportunity to ask this form of ballot question (without technically raising taxes) exists only while the original debt service expires.
- Councilor Bullier supported exploring the measure but stressed packaging it with other needs to avoid annual requests. Councilor Mayor Pro Tem suggested potential revenue enhancements like food trucks but warned of conflicts with in-house concessions.
- No decision was made; staff will bring draft ballot language and further financial details to a future meeting, likely in August ahead of a September certification deadline.
Building Code Update
- Chief Building Official Kevin Shulman presented a proposal to adopt the 2024 International Code Council (ICC) codes, updating from the 2021 codes adopted in 2023. The update includes adoption of the Metro Cohort Model Code, which aligns with surrounding jurisdictions (e.g., Broomfield, Boulder).
- Key proposed amendments: adoption of the 2026 National Electrical Code, requiring window replacement permits, regulations for radon systems, removing the soft landing for residential fire sprinklers (three-year transition ends), and updating energy standards. The 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is expected to reduce energy use by 7.31% and energy costs by 5.5%.
- The city will align with the Colorado Low Energy and Carbon Code (LECC) via the Metro Cohort Model Code, which is considered equivalent but simpler. Electrification requirements will be strengthened by removing an exception for subdivisions platted before August 1, 2023.
- EV charging requirements will be adjusted to align with state code; current requirements were seen as too high. A construction waste diversion amendment is under development with regional partners and will likely not be ready for this cycle; it may come as a mid-cycle update or with the 2029 code cycle.
- The city has received a grant to hire an energy code compliance specialist to aid in enforcement and future amendments.
- Council expressed strong support for the energy efficiency improvements. Councilor Johnson asked about dark sky requirements; Shulman confirmed these will be enforced via the land use code. Councilor Gianola requested more about existing building stock; staff noted the existing building code is also updated.
- Councilor Jensen inquired about tiny homes and ADUs; building codes apply equally regardless of size, but modular homes are state-regulated.
- Next steps: Planning Commission review on May 27, first reading June 16, second reading July 7, effective date August 1, 2026. A permit rush is expected before the cutoff.
New Ideas
- Councilor Ferdland raised revisiting ways to shorten meetings, suggesting incremental changes. Councilor Gallegos agreed and volunteered to work with Ferdland and Bullier to tier ideas into manageable steps. This discussion will be scheduled for a future meeting.
- Councilor Gallegos proposed forming a two-person subcommittee to take charge of the cemetery issue, with the goal of listening to the community and exploring options. All council members expressed support. After a straw poll, Mayor Gallegos and Councilor Bullier were informally designated as the subcommittee members, to be formalized at the June 2 regular meeting.
- Council agreed that the June 10 community meeting should be a listening session rather than a solution-oriented meeting, allowing residents to share concerns before any decisions. Staff may engage a neutral facilitator.
Key Outcomes
- Cemetery Subcommittee: A straw poll confirmed council support for a two-person subcommittee (Mayor Gallegos and Councilor Bullier) to lead engagement and develop recommendations. Formal appointment will occur at the June 2 meeting; the subcommittee will prepare for the June 10 community dialogue.
- Building Code Update: Council direction to proceed with first reading on June 16 and second reading on July 7, with adoption effective August 1, 2026. Staff will incorporate feedback on dark sky, appliance efficiency resources, and continue developing waste diversion language.
- Park Funding: Staff will continue developing a potential ballot measure for the November 2026 election, with draft language and financial analysis to return to council in August.
- Meeting Efficiency: Councilor Ferdland, Gallegos, and Bullier will collaborate on a tiered list of potential process improvements for future discussion.
- Communications Program: Noted as informational; council encouraged further work on website usability, renter engagement, and proactive communication strategies.
Meeting Transcript
Um welcome to the City Council workshop for May twenty sixth, twenty twenty six. Uh we have a few agenda items tonight, and we also will have Councillor Giannola. He did text me, he's a few minutes late, but he should be here shortly. Um we'll get right into it. Uh our first um presentation of the night is our communications and engagement program overview, and I think a presentation of our newest staff member, which we're very very excited about. Uh, I will turn it over to our deputy city manager. Good evening, Mayor and City Council. Thank you. Um, this evening we're excited to talk about the City of Lafayette communications. Um, communications is really something that's critical for the organization, um, for the community and connecting our community members to all the work that we do here at the City of Lafayette. So we're gonna spend some time this evening um going through an overview of the city's communication program and the approach, and also to introduce our new communications director. The agenda for this evening is to talk about the approach and our framework around communications. We'll talk a little bit about how we communicate, engage and listen, including the channels we use, the tools and our approaches, and then we'll delve into net next steps and questions. So we'll kick it off with a little bit more about our communications and approach and framework, and starting with an introduction to our new communications director, Aaron Frazier. We're excited to have Erin here this evening. Today is her very first day. So she's just kind of having her initiation here this evening with council and a full day today with introductions and just kind of getting settled and getting to start to know the organization. So we're really excited to have Erin here. She went through a highly competitive search here with over 158 competitive candidates. She brings more than 20 years of communications experience with CU Boulder. Most recently served as the assistant vice chancellor for constituent engagement and has a lot of other experience in various different communication roles with the CU. She's got a deep knowledge of the Lafayette community and a lot of experience with the Lafayette community as well and is a Lafayette president. So she's just on the road. So we're really excited to have her here. Welcome, Erin, and I'd love to have you share a little bit more about yourself. Oh, thank you so much. And I'm very, very excited to be here. As I said during the interview process, I think it's a real honor to get to serve the city that I love so much. I moved here in 1999, started volunteering almost right away when I got here, served on LOSAC for many years, have volunteered in many capacities in the community. I've had a range of experience from community engagement to internal communications to emergency communications at CU. So I'm excited to build on the great program and really get to know the city better from the inside as well. Thanks. All right. Okay, and I would like to talk about the communications team. We have a small but mighty communications team, and I would be remiss if I didn't start by thanking Natalie Miller, our communications manager. She has been serving as an interim communications director and has done an excellent job covering with a lean crew over the past six months as an interim community communications director, and there's been a lot going on during this time. Everything from some of the top issues we've had throughout the winter with the PSPS. You might have already forgotten about those, but right into drought. A lot of issues going on, capital projects, working on the capital bond project all through last year. And so Natalie and Sebastian have really been keeping things going, and we're really grateful for all the work that they've done. So thanks very much. A little bit about our communications team. Well, we have a small team in the communications department. We have a communications manager and bilingual communications coordinator here with Erin. And we also have a citywide communications team, which is comprised of the communications experts and staff that work within the departments across the organization to help contribute to our kind of communications bandwidth across the whole organization. So other department heads across the organization also oversee dedicated department outreach staff, and those come in different forms, whether it's sort of more of a marketing type staff or an outreach staff, or someone who has a sort of lesser amount, a small maybe slice of their position might be dedicated to communications. And it look it comes in different forms. And so those folks kind of they kind of roll into the citywide communications team and all work together to create sort of what we strive to have aligned and strategic communications effort across the entire organization to have internal and external communications out to our community and here within the organization. So I'll just say a little bit about the communications capacity across the city, and then I'll turn it over to Natalie here to talk a little bit more about the work we do. These are some of the departments, most of the departments that we have.
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