Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Lafayette City Council Meeting – July 7, 2026: Cemetery Updates, Building Codes, and Water Park Tax Ballot

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, July 7, 2026

BodyLafayette, Colorado

SessionMeeting Portal

DateTuesday, July 7, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:36:38

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:11

Good evening, everyone.

0:12

Thank you all so much for joining us.

0:13

Uh the city council meeting for July 7, 2026 will come to order and we will begin with a pledge of allegiance.

0:22

I pledge to say, could we please get a roll call?

0:41

Mayor Tapia Vega.

0:42

Here.

0:43

Mayor Pro Tem Barnes.

0:46

Councilor Bolier.

0:47

Good evening.

0:48

Councillor Friedland.

0:49

Here.

0:50

Councillor Gallegos.

0:51

Good evening.

0:52

Councillor Gianola.

0:53

Here.

0:53

And Councilor Jensen.

0:55

Here.

0:55

Mayor, we have a quorum.

0:57

And Mayor Pro Tem just joined.

0:59

Amazing.

1:04

Are we going to see him on the screen?

1:07

Or we'll give him a second.

1:10

That's perfectly fine.

1:12

Thank you all for coming tonight again.

1:14

We'll begin tonight with public input as we do every week.

1:17

But being as the work continues with the subcommittee, I just want to ask Council if there was any objection to the subcommittee taking a few minutes up front.

1:26

Just kind of address and update the council as to what's been going on.

1:30

Great.

1:30

Seeing no objection, I'll go ahead and get us started.

1:34

First and foremost, I I think I I just have to start with a huge thank you for a few people.

1:42

Our community, of course, this has been a difficult project for a lot of people, and it's been a difficult process.

1:52

But the only way we really get through this is by working together.

1:56

So we truly appreciate for two reasons.

1:58

I appreciate the community greatly on this.

2:00

One, because again, it it's a difficult thing.

2:13

To give us feedback on what we've done so far.

2:23

So thank you for that.

2:24

And then for the second part, I really want to thank you just for being as patient as you have been.

2:35

Everyone wishes that, and so many people have told me that that I get it.

2:39

There's a certain sense of urgency.

2:41

Unfortunately, this is a process that's gonna take time, right?

2:44

I don't know how many times I've heard.

2:46

Don't do anything until you've looked at every possible option.

2:49

Don't make don't take action until everything has been looked at.

2:52

Don't leave anything on the table.

2:54

And I think we we have to look at both of those things, and we have to look at the sense of urgency and understand that we want an answer and our residents want an answer and plot owners want an answer.

3:02

While we also want to be thorough, we want to make sure that when we make when we take action, uh, we're doing the right thing for the future of our cemetery and the future of our city.

3:10

Uh so we certainly appreciate you being so patient and just sticking in there with us.

3:15

Um the other thank you is for our staff.

3:18

The the amount of work that I've seen done behind the scenes to try to get this across a finish line and try to really just find the proper answer, not just for this council, but for for the residents.

3:28

The one-on-one meetings that are happening, the the large uh dialogue sessions that are happening, just the ever the daily work that is happening by our staff, just a huge thank you to them.

3:37

Um just an update, right?

3:41

We had our first meeting on June 10th, and we had the second large community meeting on June 29th, and we thought both of those were very good by my estimation.

3:49

Um we we got a lot of feedback.

3:51

We we promised at the first meeting that we'd have we'd have options, we'd have uh possible scenarios by the second meeting, and we followed through on that promise and we had them.

3:59

And we got feedback on a lot of those, so we truly appreciate that.

4:02

We're looking now to ideally just kind of have the one-on-ones and get as much feedback as we can from the individual plot owners, and then hopefully bring something to you as soon as possible.

4:13

I don't have a date yet because there's still some things we have to really finish off, and of course we want to hear from everyone who's gotten a hold of us so far for those one-on-one meetings.

4:22

But eventually, very soon, uh, I know that something will come towards this council.

4:27

We will, as a subcommittee, bring a recommendation to this council and ideally uh do the right thing for our our residents for our plot owners, uh, and I'm very, very excited about that.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Parks and Recreation████████████████████████████████32%

Fiscal Sustainability████████████12%

Procedural███████████11%

Budget Equity Analysis████████8%

Public Engagement███████7%

Public Safety██████6%

Technology and Innovation█████5%

Community Engagement████4%

Historic Preservation████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Lafayette City Council Meeting – July 7, 2026

This meeting included updates from the cemetery subcommittee, public comments on cemetery issues and taxes, adoption of updated building codes, and a presentation on extending the tax for Lamont Does Park. Council also made appointments and formed a subcommittee on council norms.

Consent Calendar

Approved June 2 and June 16, 2026 council minutes; June 23 workshop summary; second reading of ordinance 13 series 2026 (sidewalk/street fees); and updates to the city investment policy. All passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

Frank Archuletta urged council not to pass Resolution 2613 and to abolish the moratorium, emphasizing unity and justice for 270 plot owners. He suggested using land near the recreation center for burials.
Alan Garcia presented a formal letter regarding municipal liability, asserting he holds deeds purchased from the city on August 1, 2000, contradicting the city’s claim that plot sales ended in 1999. He requested written acknowledgment of his vested property rights.
Pete Salas asked for employee demographic data and a racial equity plan for the city, and expressed concerns about e-bike safety on trails.
Mike Watson criticized the process around the cemetery and theater projects, and urged council not to cut health benefits for lower-paid city workers.
Roy Johnson opposed placing a tax question for the water park on the ballot, arguing funds should come from efficient budgeting rather than a new perpetual tax.
Ron Spaulding opposed an in-perpetuity tax extension for Lamont Does Park, supported a shorter term (e.g., 10 years), and questioned the need for synthetic turf.
Josh Johnson (phone) supported the tax extension, noting the $36/year cost is reasonable for a valued amenity.

Proclamations

Council proclaimed July 17, 2026 as Park and Recreation Professionals Day in Lafayette, recognizing the contributions of park staff. Passed unanimously.

Regular Business – Adoption of Updated Building Codes

Ordinance 12, Series 2026 repealed and reenacted Chapter 30 and repealed Article 3 of Chapter 45 to adopt the 2024 I-code package (building, fire, residential, energy, electrical, etc.) with local amendments. Chief Building Official Kevin Shulman presented the updates, including a 5.5% cost reduction and 7.25% energy use reduction over the 2021 code, and plans for future waste diversion requirements. The ordinance takes effect August 1, 2026 for permits submitted on or after that date. Council discussed compatibility with existing developments and future energy code improvements. The ordinance passed unanimously.

Presentation – Lamont Does Park Tax Extension Ballot Language

CFO and Community Services Director presented a draft ballot question to extend the existing property tax (approximately $36/year per average household, generating $713,000 annually) in perpetuity for capital, operations, and maintenance of Lamont Does Park and related facilities. Council discussed concerns about in-perpetuity taxation, potential voter fatigue after a large 2025 bond, and the need for financial assistance programs to ensure equitable access. Councilor Friedland questioned the wisdom of subsidizing a water park and the ad hoc approach of funding a single park. Councilor Jensen, Gianola, and Bolier expressed support for a limited term (10–20 years) rather than perpetuity. Direction was given to staff to return with a resolution that includes a defined timeline, consideration of a debt component if bonding is planned, and language about concurrent financial aid expansion. No vote was taken.

Council Appointments

Downtown Development Authority Board: Reappointed Tom Hardy and Ian Munding to terms expiring June 30, 2030. Councilor Gianola disclosed renting space from Hardy but saw no conflict. Motion passed unanimously.
Council Norms Subcommittee: Formed a subcommittee consisting of Mayor Pro Tem Barnes and Councilor Gianola to develop recommendations for improving council meeting efficiency and working norms. Motion passed unanimously.

Staff Reports

City Attorney: No report.
City Manager: Announced surveys for Bob Berger Rec Center and CO 42 intersection design, and the annual Public Safety Day on July 15, 2026 at Lamont Does Park. Cemetery subcommittee continues one-on-one meetings; agenda updates will be provided to council.

Council Reports

Councilors provided updates on library book sale, regional meeting on capped wells, public safety concerns with e-bikes, need for clarification on Erie’s mineral rights sale, and upcoming planning commission discussions on land use code – including a potential moratorium on data centers.

Key Outcomes

Consent agenda approved unanimously.
Proclamation passed unanimously.
Ordinance 12 (building codes) adopted unanimously.
Direction given to staff to prepare a tax extension ballot question for Lamont Does Park with modifications: a defined term (not perpetuity), potential debt language, and mention of financial aid program. Resolution to be brought back before September certification.
DDA Board appointments and council norms subcommittee approved unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. Thank you all so much for joining us. Uh the city council meeting for July 7, 2026 will come to order and we will begin with a pledge of allegiance. I pledge to say, could we please get a roll call? Mayor Tapia Vega. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Barnes. Councilor Bolier. Good evening. Councillor Friedland. Here. Councillor Gallegos. Good evening. Councillor Gianola. Here. And Councilor Jensen. Here. Mayor, we have a quorum. And Mayor Pro Tem just joined. Amazing. Are we going to see him on the screen? Or we'll give him a second. That's perfectly fine. Thank you all for coming tonight again. We'll begin tonight with public input as we do every week. But being as the work continues with the subcommittee, I just want to ask Council if there was any objection to the subcommittee taking a few minutes up front. Just kind of address and update the council as to what's been going on. Great. Seeing no objection, I'll go ahead and get us started. First and foremost, I I think I I just have to start with a huge thank you for a few people. Our community, of course, this has been a difficult project for a lot of people, and it's been a difficult process. But the only way we really get through this is by working together. So we truly appreciate for two reasons. I appreciate the community greatly on this. One, because again, it it's a difficult thing. To give us feedback on what we've done so far. So thank you for that. And then for the second part, I really want to thank you just for being as patient as you have been. Everyone wishes that, and so many people have told me that that I get it. There's a certain sense of urgency. Unfortunately, this is a process that's gonna take time, right? I don't know how many times I've heard. Don't do anything until you've looked at every possible option. Don't make don't take action until everything has been looked at. Don't leave anything on the table. And I think we we have to look at both of those things, and we have to look at the sense of urgency and understand that we want an answer and our residents want an answer and plot owners want an answer. While we also want to be thorough, we want to make sure that when we make when we take action, uh, we're doing the right thing for the future of our cemetery and the future of our city. Uh so we certainly appreciate you being so patient and just sticking in there with us. Um the other thank you is for our staff. The the amount of work that I've seen done behind the scenes to try to get this across a finish line and try to really just find the proper answer, not just for this council, but for for the residents.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com