Montrose, CO — City Councilors met for their regular meeting Tuesday evening, November 17, to approve the 2021 Municipal Budget, along with a number of resolutions and ordinances related to land annexations.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, City Councilors Roy Anderson, Dave Bowman, Barbara Bynum, Dave Frank, and Doug Glaspell met online along with city staff via the Zoom platform. This is the first fully virtual regular council meeting to be held since the council returned to in-person meetings on July 21. The public was also invited to attend via the Zoom platform. The following is a summary of the primary topics discussed during the meeting.
PROCLAMATION: Small Business Saturday
Mayor Barbara Bynum proclaimed November 28, 2020, as Small Business Saturday in the City of Montrose. Bynum said the city “celebrates our local small businesses and the contributions they make to our local economy and community. According to the United States Small Business Administration, there are 31.7 million small businesses in the United States, representing 99.9 percent of all firms with paid employees in the United States, and responsible for 65.1 percent of net new jobs created from 2000 to 2019.”
Bynum encouraged residents in Montrose to support local businesses that create jobs and boost the local economy while preserving the community as a whole.
Bynum said the City Council “urges the residents of our community, and communities across the country, to support small businesses and merchants on Small Business Saturday and throughout the year.”
PUBLIC COMMENT
No members of the public addressed the council Tuesday.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Councilors voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the November 2, 2020, special meeting and the November 3, 2020, regular meeting. The city’s archive of past meeting minutes can be found at: CityofMontrose.org/ArchiveCenter.
WATCH Tuesday’s meeting here.
2021 BUDGET APPROVAL
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 2514 on the second reading to approve the city's 2021 budget. Finance Director Shani Wittenberg said the budget process used this year was the same as in years past with public meetings and council and staff retreats to go through each line item of the budget before publishing it for public review. Wittenberg said the city's total budget is approximately $78,196,824. The city is poised to begin several capital improvement projects in 2021, including infrastructure to support residential housing developments, street improvements, and park improvements.
Councilors also approved Resolution 2020-25 formally adopting the 2021 Municipal Budget.
There were no public comments during this agenda item.
The budget can be viewed at CityOfMontrose.org/Budget.
RESOLUTION 2020-26
City Councilors approved a resolution repealing and replacing language in Chapters 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3 of the city’s Regulations Manual to update the fee schedule. Councilors were briefed on the changes during a work session earlier in November. The fee schedule is updated from time to time to revise fees as they pertain to building inspections, trash and recycling, and other city services.
The updates contained in the resolution pertaining to fees associated with administrative functions, land use, parks and private use of public property, and trash and recycling. City Clerk Lisa DelPiccolo said the changes were more housekeeping in nature to update the language.
Public Works Manager Jim Scheid said an updated fee schedule for residents to dispose of hazardous household items like TVs, tires, and fluorescent light bulbs is proposed. Scheid said the adjustments would make the fees comparable to the Waste Management landfill.
The fee schedule will go into effect on January 1, 2021, and will be updated on the city’s website at CityOfMontrose.org.
ORDINANCE 2511
City Councilors voted unanimously on second reading to designate the former BPOE Lodge Building, located at 107 South Cascade Avenue and currently housing the city's Office of Business and Tourism, a historic property that will be added to the city's own historic registry.
The building is associated with the legacy of fraternal lodges in Montrose, having served as the home of the Montrose Elks from 1927-1969. The building has been the site of numerous social gatherings, not only for Elks members but also for the community since its construction.
This is the second city building to be added to the city's registry.
Learn more about local historic preservation here.
ORDINANCE 2515
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve, on second reading, an ordinance amending the zoning district designation of Lot 5 of the Elder Homestead at Montrose (Parcel Number 3767-353-04-005) from "R-3" Medium Density District to "R-4" High-Density District.
This parcel is located east of Pavilion Drive, south of Robins Way, and north of Stone Bridge Drive. The parcel is approximately 1.99 acres in size.
ORDINANCE 2516
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve, on second reading, an ordinance for the annexation of the Woodgate Addition No. 4.
The Woodgate Addition No. 4 is approximately 0.49 acres in size and is located east of S. Townsend Avenue, west of Woodgate Road, and in between Oak Grove Road and Odelle Road. It is within the city’s Urban Growth Boundary, the City of Montrose Water Service Area, and the City of Montrose Sewer Service Area.
The annexation of this property resolves an orphaned parcel of land surrounded by incorporated parcels. The City of Montrose applied for this annexation on behalf of the landowner in support of the upcoming Woodgate Road realignment project.
ORDINANCE 2517
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve, on second reading, an ordinance to zone Woodgate Addition No. 4 as a "B-3" General Commercial District.
ORDINANCE 2518
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve, on first reading, an ordinance amending the zoning district designation of Lot 1 of the Britney Boundary Line Adjustment from “R-3A,” Medium High-Density District to “RL”, Rural Living District.
This parcel is located west of S. Townsend Ave/Hwy 550, north of Racine Road, and east of 6500 Rd. The parcel is approximately 21.551 acres.
The council will vote on a second reading of the ordinance at the December 1 regular meeting.
RESOLUTION 2020-27
City Councilors voted unanimously to set January 5, 2021, as the hearing date for the annexation of the Lynch Addition.
The Lynch Addition is a proposed annexation of approximately 16.84 acres in size. The parcel is located north of Hwy 50, south of Locust Road, west of 6700 Road, and east of 6600 Road. It is within the City’s Urban Growth Boundary, the City of Montrose Water Service Area, and the City of Montrose Sewer Service Area.
STAFF REPORTS
City Finance Director Shani Wittenberg delivered a sales, use, and excise tax report for the month of September 2020.
The report shows that tax collection was up as compared to September 2019. The year-to-date budget variance in 2020 was more than $1 million above 2019.
Read the report in its entirety here.
Wittenberg delivered a third-quarter budget review Tuesday, detailing that, with 75 percent of the year completed, 78.3 percent of the projected General Fund revenues have been collected and 71.5 percent of the 2020 budget has been expended.
Learn more about City of Montrose finance here.
YOUTH COUNCIL REPORT
Montrose Youth City Council Mayor Harrison Hall said the Youth Council is meeting virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hall said the council is working on creating a new time capsule to replace the 50-year-old time capsule recovered from under City Hall in October.
STAFF REPORTS
Assistant City Manager Ann Morgenthaler said the city is working with community partners to monitor the changing COVID-19 situation in Montrose. She said that customer service is the city's highest priority and if anyone has questions to feel free to reach out to the city.
COUNCIL COMMENTS
City Councilors want to remind the public to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic and to please wash hands and wear masks.
City Councilor Roy Anderson said he and the council encourage the purchase of Montrose Bucks as a way to support local businesses. For every $100 in Montrose Bucks purchased the city will match $20, increasing the local buying power to $120.
Find out more about Montrose Bucks here.
MEETING CONCLUDED AFTER 54 MINUTES
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All City Council meetings are recorded and made available online via on the city’s website and cable channels 191 for Charter subscribers and 970 for Elevate subscribers. Replays of council meetings are also broadcast at 6 p.m. on the same channels on days that the council is not in session.
In addition, each regular meeting is archived on the City of Montrose’s YouTube channel.
Residents can watch all regular City Council meetings and work sessions live through the city’s website at CityOfMontrose.org/Video.
For more city news visit CityOfMontrose.org.