Montrose, CO — City Councilors met for their regular meeting Tuesday evening, December 15, to consider a number of liquor license applications, annexations, and hear a local sales and use tax report from October.
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. The public was also invited to attend via the Zoom platform. The following is a summary of the primary topics discussed during the meeting.
NOTE: Due to a technical issue, Tuesday's meeting recording is incomplete. The recording on the city’s YouTube archive begins seven minutes into the meeting following public comment, the approval of the minutes, and the appointment of Planning Commissioners.
PUBLIC COMMENT
No members of the public offered public comments.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Councilors voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the December 1, 2020, regular meeting. The city’s archive of past meeting minutes can be found at: CityofMontrose.org/ArchiveCenter.
WATCH Tuesday’s meeting here.
PLANNING COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS
City Councilors voted unanimously to appoint Phoebe Benziger and Jan Chastain to the city’s Planning Commission.
Members of the Planning Commission serve at the pleasure of the City Council and are appointed for four-year, overlapping terms. Both Benziger and Chastain currently serve on the commission and had applied for new terms on the commission.
More information about the city’s Planning Commission can be found here.
FERMENTED MALT BEVERAGE LICENSE APPLICATION
City Councilors held a local liquor license hearing Tuesday before approving a Fermented Malt Beverage License for the new Maverik service station at 1140 North Townsend Avenue for consumption off of the licensed premises.
Representatives of Maverik attended via Zoom to answer questions from the council.
BREWPUB LIQUOR LICENSE APPLICATION
City Councilors held a liquor license hearing before approving a Brew Pub Liquor License for San Juan Brews LLC, doing business at 512 East Main Street.
Representatives of San Juan Brews LLC attended via Zoom to answer questions from the council. The application states the business wants to sell malt, vinous, and spirituous liquor to the public and offer bottled beer to customers to consume off-premises.
HILLTOP ADDITION II ANNEXATION
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2020-28 and Ordinance 2521 on first reading, approving the annexation of the Hilltop Addition II.
Senior City Planner Amy Sharp said the property is located at the intersection of Locust and 6600 roads.
The council will vote on the second reading of Ordinance 2521 at the January 5, 2021, regular meeting.
ORDINANCE 2522 - Hilltop Zoning
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve, on first reading, the zoning of the Hilltop Addition II as a “R-4” High Density District.
The council will vote on the second reading of Ordinance 2522 at the January 5, 2021, regular meeting.
RAINBOW TROUT ADDITION ANNEXATION
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2020-29 and Ordinance 2523 on first reading, for the annexation of the Rainbow Trout Addition.
Senior City Planner Amy Sharp said the property is located east of Marine Road along the Uncompahgre River on the city’s northwest side. Sharp said the city could use the area for a future park, and that is why the land would be zoned “P” for a Public District.
The council will vote on the second reading of Ordinance 2523 at the January 5, 2021, regular meeting.
ORDINANCE 2524 - Rainbow Trout Zoning
City Councilors voted unanimously, on first reading, to approve the zoning of the Rainbow Trout Addition as a “Public” District.
The council will vote on the second reading of Ordinance 2524 at the January 5, 2021, regular meeting.
ORDINANCE 2519 - SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET ORDINANCE
City Councilors unanimously approved a supplemental budget for 2020, which was impacted by unexpected revenues from federal Coronavirus funds and grant awards to community projects. Tuesday’s vote was on the second reading of the ordinance.
On Monday, November 30, during a City Council work session, councilors were briefed on proposed Ordinance 2519, which amends the original 2020 budget ordinance that was passed in November 2019.
Each fall, the council reviews a supplemental budget when additional appropriations are deemed necessary for the public health, peace, or safety of the city’s residents.
City Finance Director Shani Wittenberg said 2020 was a unique year in that the annual supplemental budget will be larger than in recent years due to an influx of funding from the CARES Act.
The city also acts as a pass-through for local grant funds. This year, the city passed approximately $600,000 in grants to other local organizations. Most notable are the new roof for the Center for Mental Health's walk-in crisis center and a new playground at Columbine Middle School. The amount of additional funding the city received through grants, CARES Act, and other special projects totaled $1,952,852.
Mayor Barbara Bynum held a hearing to accept public comment during this agenda item. No comments were received.
The 2021 budget can be viewed at CityOfMontrose.org/Budget.
ORDINANCE 2520
City Councilors unanimously approved, on the second reading of the ordinance, revisions to the city's Municipal Code related to public safety.
The updates pertain to miscellaneous offenses related to open burning within the city limits, unlawful entry and/or trespassing on private property, window peeping, indecent conduct, and new terms related to identifying a person with various mental states.
Assistant City Attorney Rachel Allen, along with city Public Safety Attorney Matthew Magliaro delivered an overview of the changes. In November, both Allen and Magliaro delivered a similar presentation during a City Council work session and answered a variety of questions.
During the November work session, City Attorney Stephen Alcorn said that many of the proposed changes come from recent cases before the city’s Municipal Court. Alcorn said making these changes will better clarify definitions of offenses in the city’s code.
INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve an intergovernmental agreement, or IGA, with the Montrose Recreation District regarding shared services. The city and the district partner each year on a number of mutual services provided to the public.
City of Montrose Grant Coordinator Kendall Cramer said the city and the rec district have streamlined services within the community to save tax dollars.
Under the new IGA, the city will take on responsibility for all weekday and weekend restroom cleaning at Cerise Fields. Trash and recycling services fees have been updated and payment and cost schedules have been added to clarify how trash and recycling services are assessed.
STAFF REPORTS
City Finance Director Shani Wittenberg delivered a sales, use, and excise tax report for the month of October 2020.
Read the report in its entirety here.
YOUTH COUNCIL REPORT
Youth City Councilor Gunnison Clamp said the council is working on collecting items for the new city time capsule. Clamp said the council is publishing social media posts, newspaper ads, and a press release to spark interest from the public.
Mayor Barbara Bynum said she is writing a letter to the citizens of Montrose in the year 2070.
COUNCIL COMMENTS
City Councilors took turns to wish the residents of Montrose a “Merry Christmas” and are looking ahead to a better and more prosperous new year.
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All City Council meetings are recorded and made available online via 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.