Council Connects

Boards & Commissions applicant interviews last night: was exciting but difficult to do these interviews. Why? Because we had so many fine citizen applicants. I was proud of the many that took the time to apply and interview.

As directed at last week's council meeting, a proposed resolution against conversion therapy will be on next week's agenda. The 2018 bill banning this type of therapy is still in the House and has not yet been scheduled in a Senate committee. Here is the link to check on its status: https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb18-1245.

I have received the below request from Boulder County Commissioner Elise Jones. I told her I would respond to her after our April 12 council meeting. Please read her message and be prepared to discuss briefly and give a thumbs up or down during council comments. I'll check with the Clerk and City Attorney to see if this is a proper procedure and, if not, how to remedy it.
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Marjorie—
Hi! I wanted to pitch you on an opportunity to have Golden join with Boulder County and many others in supporting putting public health, safety and welfare first before oil and gas drilling, a concept that is all the more important in the wake of last year’s home explosion tragedy in Firestone. Specifically, Boulder County has drafted an amicus brief for cities and counties to sign onto, urging the CO Supreme Court to adopt the appellate court ruling in Martinez v. Colo. Oil and Gas Conservation Comm’n, which held that the COGCC must ensure that any oil and gas development it approves is consistent with the protection of public health, safety and welfare. A draft of the proposed amicus brief is attached for your reading pleasure. To date, Boulder County, Boulder, Gunnison County, Erie, NWCCOG, Longmont and Lafayette have signed on, and a number of other jurisdictions are actively reviewing it as well. The deadline for submittal of briefs is May 7.
I hope Golden will consider signing onto this amicus brief. The Martinez case, as you know, provides a critical opportunity for making meaningful forward progress on the oil and gas issue. Thanks in advance for your consideration!
Best,
Elise
P.S. Our lawyers are writing this brief for cities and counties to sign onto, not individual city councilors and county commissioners. If Golden chooses not to sign on as a jurisdiction but you and/or other Golden City Councilors want to sign on as individuals, I can see if someone else is drafting an amicus brief that would work for that.
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Some background on the case:
http://www.coloradoindependent.com/168439/co-supreme-court-takes-martinez-appeal-reopening-debate-on-oil-and-gas-safety

More than you ever wanted to know about Colorado's changing-by-the-hour transportation funding discusion:
Why Sales Tax?
o Other revenue sources don’t raise enough and voters prefer sales tax
• Visitors help pay - 84.5M day and overnight visitors in 2016 generated $1.2B in state and local revenues – paid approximately 10% of state sales tax in 2016
• Highways are important, but transportation is more than just CDOT
o Nearly 75% of the paved lane miles in Colorado are maintained by cities (37%) and counties (36%)
• 23k lane miles (CDOT) + 32k paved lane miles (Counties) + 33k paved (Cities) = 88k paved miles in Colorado
o We need a comprehensive, sustainable and meaningful revenue source that allows us to meet the needs of rural, urban and resort areas, of motorists and the transit dependent and of the state and our local governments
What is the scope of the problem?
• $54B 20YR Shortfall: CDOT $24.9B (2040 Plan) + Multi Modal $17.1B (SWEEP estimate less unbuilt major rail corridors and $0-fare RTD) + Local Needs $12B (2035 Plan) = $54B
• Multi-modal is NOT just RTD – see Statewide Transit Plan shortfall projections below
o $126 million transit deficit through 2035 - Pueblo
o $244 million transit deficit through 2040 - Grand Valley
• What portion of the $54B could we fill with….
o 1% = 60% of gap
o .62% = 35% of gap
o .5% =29% of gap

What would it cost? What are we already paying?
• Assuming zero visitors – what would it cost me?
o 1% = 51¢/day or less
o .62% = 32¢/day or less
o .50% = 26¢/day or less
• Currently pay 85 cents/day for roads (CO & federal fuel taxes, FASTER & registration fees)
o CO gas tax last raised in 1993 & not indexed to inflation
• Indirectly pay much more due to congestion and poor conditions (TRIP 2017 data)
o Denver $2,162/per driver annually in lost time, wasted fuel and repairs waste 49 hours/year in traffic
• Metro is 56% of the state population, pays 60% of statewide sales tax but receives just 38-41% of CDOT
Metro will pay 59% of all dollars and get just 41%
o 1/3 of metro dollars spent outside our 7 counties
o Our dollars will help fund high priority projects in other parts of the state that otherwise won’t happen
o Windfall for outstate areas (“metro match” for the dollars they pay in)
o Multimodal is critical to addressing needs of aging populations, congestion & recreation/tourism
• When necessary dollars to finish big projects don’t materialize they are delayed and/or maintenance projects are postponed - vicious cycle
o General Fund (GF) Surplus is a short term bonus – not a long term solution
• Short term GF infusion from economic growth doesn’t help municipalities
• Projected to hit TABOR cap as early as FY 18/19
• What happens in next recession? How will CDOT meet debt service obligations when GF surpluses evaporate and legislature is forced to cut budget
o Everyone is very focused on $9B but that is state highway needs for next 10yrs – 20yr gap is $24B total gap is more than double that amount
• Nearly 75% of the roadways in Colorado are city or county
• The GF dollars will do nothing for cities, counties or multimodal
• The short-term GF growth will run against a TABOR cap as early as FY2018/19
Why now?
• CO is disadvantaged relative to other states due to our failure to raise new dollars
o Colorado invests $1 for every $3 from the feds – very dependent on increasingly scarce federal $
• President’s plan calls for 80-90% match & heavily weights new dollars raised in last 3 years
• GF$$ unreliable – commitments made this year could shift as politics change (PERA, A23/Negative Factor)

SMART CITIES INFO & THOUGHTS from the NLC Conference in Washington DC
- Towards "Mobility on Demand"
- Smart Transportation( Slide set available on NLC website)
-- focus: efficient and effective trans
-Things being done now:
1. Micro-transit with phone apps
2. Phone app fare collection
3. Autonomous shuttles & golf carts
4. Smart Commuter Van Pooling
5. Non Emergency Medical Transport (NEMT)

Connect Arlington (TX)
- VIA - Commercial Vans replacing big buses
-- ride sharing that is app based with no fixed schedule
-- $3 / ride
- Autonomous vehicles that share wide bike/pedestrian paths

N.I.T.A. (National Telecommunications & Information Administration)
(part of the the Federal Dept. of Commerce)
RESOURCES FOR CITIES: "Broadband USA" & "Smart Cities Taskforce"
- $ scare for grants for wireless technology
-- both Broadband and narrow band
---LTE and 5G
-One NITA Goal (make spectrum available)
-- Beyond the federal spectrum
--- spectrum sharing
--- including spectrums: Hi, Med, & Lo
---3.5 MHz: "citizen broadband"
-----Innovation band?
-----Auctions for it in the future?

DRONES
(Legislative expert: staffer for Congressman Jason Lewis, MN)
Tech. & Policy
(Feds ands locals collide)
--Who owns the air space? (FAA controls now)
--Locals need to be at the table
(Locals can't control the air (FAA) BUT '"can" prevent Drones from landing...

MY THOUGHTS
Maybe we/Golden "shouldn't" be Primary Adopters of Smart City Technology etc. but we should definitely be leaning that way. Technology is changing too fast to sit on the sidelines! Host a Colorado Smart Cities Brainstorming Summit? Team with DRCOG?

In light of a recent request for a proclamation, I looked to our rules of procedure for guidance -- and learned we have a rule about proposed resolutions and ordinances (mayor or two councilors may make a request at a meeting), but we have nothing on proclamations. After a web search, I saw that many cities (usually larger than Golden) have guidelines similar to Cleveland's:

Proclamations are ceremonial documents signed by the Mayor and issued for:
Public awareness
Charitable fundraising campaigns
Arts and cultural celebrations
Special honors (on the recommendation of the Mayor)
Proclamations will not be issued for:
Matters of political controversy, ideological or religious beliefs, or individual conviction
Events or organizations with no direct relationship to the City of Cleveland
Campaigns or events contrary to City policies
Other:
The Mayor’s Office reserves the right to modify or deny any proclamation request.
An organization may request only one proclamation annually.
More than one cause can be proclaimed simultaneously.
An organization does not have exclusive rights to the day, week or month of their proclamation.
A Certificate of Recognition or Congratulatory letter is an alternative where proclamation criteria are not met.
Who can make a proclamation request?
Request must be made by a City of Cleveland resident.
Proclamations must affect a broad group of people. We will not issue proclamations for individuals. For individuals, depending on the occasion or event, either a Certificate of Recognition or Congratulatory letter will be provided.
How should a proclamation request be made?
All requests must be made in writing. Request can be mailed, faxed or hand-delivered or email. If mailed or faxed, please call to verify receipt by our office.
Requests should be made at least 10 business days in advance of the date the document is needed. The exception to this rule is condolence requests- these should be made as soon as possible after a person’s passing.
What must the request include?
Contact person’s first and last name, address, and telephone number.
A brief summary and/or background of the event or organization.
The name and date (s) of the day, week, month or event to be proclaimed.
Draft text for the proclamation, including 4-6 “whereas” clauses.
An indication of whether the proclamation should be mailed or will be picked up and the date.
A date when the proclamation is needed.

Hi, all -

I just received an interesting call from a couple of Jim and Casey's constituents regarding traffic on South Golden Road. They live near the confluence of Lookout View Drive, Sunset Drive, Rimrock and South Golden Road (by the Seventh-day Adventist Church). Apparently it has become increasingly difficult to get out of their neighborhood due to traffic flow and traffic speeds and they are wondering about traffic calming measures. Since I walk and drive in this area a lot, I am very familiar with the issue. Perhaps we should consider adding this to the list of potential projects. . . .

Facts on state and local needs for transportation funding:
All trips begin and end on local roads and they make up the majority of Colorado's transportation network….
Over 74% of the paved lane miles in Colorado are maintained by cities (37%) and counties (36%)
23k lane miles (CDOT) + 32k paved lane miles (Counties) + 33k paved (Cities) = 88k paved miles in Colorado

National League of Cities Meeting in Washington DC:
Was great attending with Laura as we could attended different sessions & share. See my James Dale Facebook page for specific info on meetings with Senator Bennet and Gardner and also with Congressman Perlmutter. I got to share with Congressman Perlmutter the details our new Gun Violence Prevention (GVP) resolution. Both Senators committed to supporting GVP research!

The message copied below, which came through council connects, is quite legitimate. The group will be visiting with state officials, then Denver electeds, and they have selected Golden as an example of a small city. This is a chance to be hosts to international visitors, have a discussion about issues, and showcase Golden. We can talk further at our meeting next week.

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to you from a non-profit called WorldDenver which works in partnership with the U.S. Department of State to host a professional exchange program titled the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Participants in this program are hand-selected by U.S. embassy personnel to participate in a short-term professional and cultural exchange throughout various cities in the U.S.
The reason I am reaching out is to see if you or any of your colleagues would have time to meet with a group of 15 international visitors who will be in Colorado this April.
The visitors are part of project titled "US State and Local Government for Emerging African Leaders."
Specifically, they would like to meet with City Council members to talk about the challenges of governing a small city, including topics such as balancing historic preservation with economic growth.
Please let me know if you would have time to meet with these visitors (for about 1 to 1.5 hours, d

If you can go downtown tomorrow to deliver the letters let me know. We have an appointment with Sen. Gardner at 1 and Sen. Bennet at 2. Jessie Danielson won't be at the capitol but will be at the students' rally in the evening so we can give it to her then. I had Sen. Neville's mailed to him. We can stop at Ed's office on the way in. I haven't confirmed that yet, though. Thanks, all.

I really liked Jason's thoughts about hand delivery of Resolution 2610, which declares Golden's support for measures to reduce gun violence. It would be great if any councilors who can fit this into their schedule can join me. I am making appointments for next Wednesday, March 14 with our electeds who have offices in downtown Denver. The only confirmed appointment so far is with Bennet's community liaison, Lily Griego, at 2:00. Bennet's office is at 11th and Sherman (close to the Capitol). I am trying to set up a time to drop in on Jessie Danielson just before this meeting -- and we can also leave a copy of the resolution in Tim Neville's office. I have a message in to Cory Gardner's office in the downtown federal district -- a late morning appointment would be good. The resolution gives us an opportunity to make connections and have a photo opp. Depending on timing, we may also be able to enjoy a downtown lunch. Please let me know if you are available that day and interested in coming (or not). I'll update the times as they come in. There's a possibility of a stop at Ed Perlmutter's office on the way, but I'll wait to hear from Jessie and Senator Gardner before trying to arrange a time.

To help Rob and me in our subcommittee work on council procedures, please respond to either one of us with answers to the following questions, which were in the retreat packet:
Review of current “Council Rules and Procedures” and Meeting Protocols
o What questions do we have?
o What’sworking?
o What can we do differently?
o What need attention? What needs to change
o How do we anticipate and discuss big issues?
o Should we have standing Council Committees?
and
Internal Policies/Procedures/Needs
o Use of Guiding Golden
Thanks --

Info from Metro Mayors on a different proposal for statewide transportation funding, this one based on Specific Ownership Tax (SOT), which is paid as a vehicle fee and distributed as a property tax to local governments. The proposed increase to go toward transportation would come from raising the fee for vehicles over 10 years old, which are currently assed a flat $3.00 (affecting lower income residents) and perhaps a higher fee for first-time registration (affecting new residents):

Many concerns have been raised about the SOT concept, including it (a) raises very little money overall, (b) closely resembles the much-maligned FASTER fee increases, (c) has little if any dollars for local needs (d) provides no funding for statewide multi-modal needs, and (e) fails to capitalize on the opportunity to have Colorado's 80+ million annual day and overnight visitors help pay for our transportation system.
A number of new concerns have been raised that are important to share. See Kevin Bommer's recent blog post "Use specific ownership tax for state transportation funding? Forget it." laying out CML's opposition to the idea. The SOT increase, which supporters hoped would be referred by the legislature, is also not garnering the support of Senate Republicans according to this DBJ article: "Colorado Senate Republicans brush aside new business backed transportation plan." And finally, a new and troubling aspect of the SOT proposal has emerged — it is being paired with a proposed new resident penalty imposed on each new Coloradan registering a vehicle for a period of 1-2 years. Concerns are being surfaced that this element may negatively impact state and local economic development efforts, hurting the job prospects of both current and future Coloradans.

Whoever mentioned doing dna testing of dog poop during the retreat must have been clairvoyant. Look what arrived in my inbox this morning:

https://www.summitdaily.com/news/breckenridge-weighs-dna-testing-dog-poop-after-complaints-pile-up/?utm_source=boomtrain&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=local-news-flash

Another link -- this one discussing effects of small cell towers. https://www.denverite.com/denver-cell-poles-44976/?utm_source=Denverite&utm_campaign=3ad264333b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_03_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_dd2c9a8936-3ad264333b-139106225

A link to an article with a good explanation of the financing underlying affordable housing projects.
https://www.denverite.com/affordable-average-median-income-matters-denvers-housing-projects-48993/?utm_source=Denverite&utm_campaign=6610c5e1b0-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_02_23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_dd2c9a8936-6610c5e1b0-139106225

Notes from the DRCOG meeting of 221 Feb:
1. Briefing on the Winter Olympics Exploration for Colorado 2026 or 30.
2. DRCOG will sponsor a citizens academy on transportation
3. New officers we elected
4. Guidelines for transportation project proposals by sub-region (County & cities in each county) for the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) were discussed
5. A meeting on Metro Vision will be held on Mar 15 (sounds interesting but I'll be out of town)
6. Updates on Metro Vision were presented. Lessons from this Vision could be used in updating Golden visions and plans?
7. Population projections: Colorado will gain 1.2 M more in the next 20-25 years
8. Update briefing on the Front range Passenger Rail concept was provided
BRIEFING MATERIALS SHOUILD BE AVAILABLE ON www.drcog.org

CML LEGISLATIVE DAY
Always a lot happening during the legislative session. Here are some resources from CML's Legislative Day (and CMLPolicy Committee) meetings last week. Links to all of the bills that CML is following can be found at http://www.cml.org/current-session/. I can provide more information about the discussion on any of the specific bills if you are interested.

OPIOID EPIDEMIC PRESENTATION
My takeaway - there are many efforts happening in Colorado and Golden should leverage the public awareness material, grants for safe drug disposal and other resources for our medical professionals, residents and students.
* Colorado AG office - substance abuse task force - https://coag.gov/SATF
* Rise Above Colorado (prevent drug abuse by children) - http://www.riseaboveco.org
* Take Meds Seriously (prescription drug publicity awareness campaign) - http://takemedsseriously.org

BEER/LIQUOR LAW PANEL DISCUSSION
My takeaway for Golden - we need to be tracking what is happening at the legislature that may change the January 1st, 2019 implementation of full strength beer/liquor to current 3-2 beer license holders (e.g. grocery stores and convenience stores). Barring any changes during the session, we should conduct a review of our current city rules around store locations and density to understand any local impact of the change scheduled for 1/1/19.

At the quarterly Jefferson County Children and Youth Leadership Commission this morning, one of the members distributed the Executive Summary of a new report on Factors Impacting Housing Affordability. The summary states, “According to a recent Colorado Mesa University poll, housing affordability is the biggest issue facing Coloradans.” Respondents said housing/real estate was the biggest issue faced by their community (14%) followed by the economy (10%), crime/drugs/violence (9%), education (7%), and government (6%).
The executive summary further states that housing unaffordability is becoming the most significant threat to family economic security in Colorado.
To read the 3-page executive summary (or the whole report, 29 pages) please see:
http://www.shiftresearchlab.org/sites/default/files/2018-01/Housing%20Unaffordability_Final_Report_11.26.18_0.pdf