Montrose, CO — City Councilors met for their regular meeting Tuesday evening, August 2, to approve a number of ordinances and resolutions and consider contacts to conduct a housing needs assessment and a water resources master plan.
Councilors Barbara Bynum, Dave Frank, Doug Glaspell, David Reed, and Ed Ulibarri met in City Council Chambers along with city staff.
The following is a summary of the primary topics discussed during the meeting.
Watch the meeting here.
PUBLIC COMMENT
No members of the public offered any comments to the council.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the July 19, 2022, regular City Council meeting.
The city’s archive of past meeting minutes can be found on the new Public Meetings Portal and at CityofMontrose.org/ArchiveCenter.
SPECIAL EVENTS ALCOHOL PERMIT
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve a special events alcohol permit in conjunction with the closure of Apollo Road for FUNC Fest, scheduled for August 13.
ORDINANCE 2593 - FIRST READING
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve an amended intergovernmental agreement, or IGA, with the Montrose Emergency Telephone Service Authority, METSA, to continue offering emergency telephone service for the City of Montrose, which is a member of the METSA board.
City Attorney Ben Morris provided the council with an annual ordinance to set the rate for METSA. The rate is charged on monthly telephone bills and provided to METSA to fund the local emergency phone service provided by WESTCO Dispatch, the local 911 provider.
The rate increase in 2022 will compensate for inflation. The council will consider the ordinance on second reading at the August 16 regular meeting.
RESOLUTION 2022-12
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve a resolution authorizing city staff to file an annual grant application for the Victims Assistance Law Enforcement program that the department uses to fund one-half of the salary of the victim advocate.
Montrose Police Cheif Blaine Hall told councilors that victim advocates are professionals trained to support victims of crime by offering information, emotional support, help in finding resources and filling out paperwork, and sometimes accompanying them in court.
Chief Hall said the department's advocate, Chantelle Bainbridge, is an invaluable resource for the community, and this grant is a routine funding resource to help pay for her services.
Bainbridge said in the department has seen a 91% increase in sexual assault investigations during the first six months of 2022 compared to 2021 and a 41% increase in domestic assaults. Bainbridge said her overall number of on-scene responses has also increased dramatically over the past year.
CITY OF MONTROSE HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT CONTRACT AWARD
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve a contract totaling $48,890 for the completion of a City of Montrose Housing Needs Assessment.
Community Engagement Specialist Ross Valdez said the City of Montrose applied for the DOLA Innovative Housing Strategies Planning Grant in December 2021 after receiving authorization from City Council via Resolution 2021-25. The program provides grants to local governments to help them better understand their housing needs and adopt policy and regulatory strategies in order to promote the development of affordable housing.
On January 27, the city was awarded $114,000 from DOLA’s Planning Grant Program with the understanding that the city would provide a matching contribution of up to $76,000. Through this grant, the city will conduct a housing needs assessment and will pursue the adoption and refinement of an affordable housing policy and regulatory strategies supported by the city’s Envision 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Request for Proposals and Design Team Recommendation
On June 17, the city issued a request for proposal to procure a consultant to assess current housing conditions and needs, make projections/predictions of future housing conditions and needs, and provide recommendations for policies, practices, and regulatory changes that can be implemented to address gaps between housing needs and supply.
Based on the vendor evaluation criteria and ratings, city staff recommended a contract award to Points Consulting, which had the most cost-effective bid.
Project Schedule
The Housing Needs Assessment is proposed to be completed by March 2023 with work commencing as early as August 2022.
Project Financials
Through the adoption of Resolution 2021-25, the city committed to a matching contribution of up to $76,000 or 40% of the grant award. Funds spent in 2022 will be included in the same year’s supplemental budget and project costs in 2023 will be included in the Planning Services budget.
WATER RESOURCES INVENTORY AND MASTER PLAN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve a contract totaling $75,000 to LRE Water for the completion of a water resources inventory and master plan.
In July City Councilors were presented with an outline of the city’s proposed Water Resource Inventory and Master Plan Project and a summary of proposals received to perform the work.
City Engineer Scott Murphy said that, thanks to the work of our predecessors, the City of Montrose’s water resource portfolio is secure and has room to grow as the city is using less than 50% of its currently-available water resources. That being said, it is important that the city responsibly manage and utilize this precious resource for many generations to come; especially in the face of continued growth, prolonged drought, and aridification of the region. To that end, this project looks to accomplish the following goals:
1. Prepare an inventory/master plan report that can be used to educate city staff/management, City Council, and the public regarding the city’s water resources and their management. This will also prove useful for succession planning within city departments involved with water.
2. Utilize the inventory/master plan findings and report to facilitate and guide responsible development, effective land-use regulations related to water, practical water conservation programs, efficient city water operations, and capital improvements to reduce consumptive water use.
3. Understand if the city’s existing water resources are adequate to cover the anticipated urban buildout within the city’s service area boundary. Based on these data, the project will identify the amount of conservation or water resource expansion that would be required to fully develop the city’s service area. The city also receives requests for the expansion of its service area from time to time and growth projections will help to determine if these requests should be entertained.
4. Understand risks to the city’s water supply due to prolonged drought, a Colorado River compact call, local calls within the Uncompahgre watershed, climate change, and/or watershed damages (wildfire, spills, etc).
5. Develop Montrose as a local leader in responsible water resource management and ultimately serve as a resource to other communities looking to do the same.
As is typical of other city master planning efforts, this project will include various types of citizen outreach and engagement to understand and incorporate the community’s desires as they relate to water resource management and conservation.
This planning effort is scheduled to extend into the third quarter of 2023. Originally the project was envisioned to be completed in 2022; however, the present workload and availability of both city staff and consultants have extended the project timeline. The initial 2022 project efforts will focus on answering questions regarding water demand projections and the potential expansion of the city’s water service area. Expansion requests are becoming more frequent due to continued development interest along the edges of the city’s current water service area.
CEDAR CREEK TOWNHOMES SUBDIVISION PRELIMINARY PLAT
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve a preliminary plat of the Cedar Creek Townhomes Subdivision.
City Planner William Reis said the Cedar Creek Townhomes Subdivision is a proposed residential development on the northern side of Montrose. The property is approximately 0.3 acres in size and is located at 708 Cedar Creek Ave, on Lot 46 of the Cedar Creek Subdivision. The proposed subdivision will consist of 5 townhomes with additional common elements. The property is zoned “R-4” High-Density District. The Planning Commission recommended approval of the Cedar Creek Townhomes Subdivision Preliminary Plat on July 13, 2022.
Applicant: Garret Smith, Color Red Construction
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