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Meetings

5PM City Council Meeting @ City Hall

,   and  Barb Warden
5 min read
golden city hall - light tan brick building with 3 flags on pole in front
Click to enlarge

Study Session (5-6:40PM)


5-5:30PM Visit Golden Subcommittee Update
In the 1990s, Golden was struggling. The historic downtown had many vacant stores and the City's infrastructure was badly in need of upgrades and repair. Several efforts were underway to address these problems: the citizens approved a 1% sales tax to fund city infrastructure and improvement. The downtown merchants and residents approved formation of the Golden Urban Renewal Authority.

In 2000, the businesses agreed to contribute 2.5% of their sales tax (which they had previously kept, in exchange for filing their taxes on time) to a Community Marketing Fund. This fund was originally managed by the Economic Development Commission and the Marketing Stakeholder Committee (which included business representatives, the Chamber, and the Golden Cultural Alliance). In 2011, EDComm dropped out and the Marketing Stakeholder Committee was left in charge.

Over time, the fund has become quite substantial, as Golden's businesses thrive: it is about $600,000 in 2024.

The City initially hired a half-time person to run the program, who would be paid by the City, and not out of the Marketing Fund. This soon turned into a full-time salaried position, and more recently the City had begun using some of the Marketing Fund to pay that employee.

There has always been a certain amount of frustration in the Stakeholder Committee, because they felt that the City exerted too much control over what should be a business function. The City's Marketing Manager made the decisions, in coordination with paid consultants, and the Stakeholder Committee was left with little decision-making to do. Their monthly meetings consisted of listening to status reports by the consultants. Their frustration grew after the Covid shut-down, because the Marketing Manager began working at home part-time.

The most recent Marketing Manager left in February. The Marketing Stakeholder Committee members saw that as an opportunity to change the way the program was run. They wanted the businesses who funded the program to have more control over how the money was spent.

The Stakeholders proposed a new approach: they wanted to form a new non-profit organization (similar to the Chamber) and have that group hire its own Marketing Manager. They wanted someone who would spend time visiting Golden businesses (both downtown and in other business areas) and who would attend special events outside of working hours. They were uneasy about the City's goals of moving to a 32-hour workweek and working from home, because they felt that the Marketing Manager needed to be full-time, available, and thoroughly embedded in the community.

After the Marketing Manager left, the Mayor appointed two City Councilors (Rob Reed and Lisa Vitry) to evaluate the marketing program and make recommendations. They will present these recommendations tonight, which are outlined in a memo included in the meeting packet.

The recommendations are quite the opposite of what the Marketing Stakeholder Committee had proposed. They gave two alternatives:

1) Create a new City board, similar to the other boards and commissions, answerable to City Council.

2) If a new non-profit were to be formed, as the Stakeholders had suggested, it should be packed with City employees and representatives from City Boards and Commissions. They suggest the following for a 9-member board:

1 Golden Chamber
2 Golden Cultural Alliance
3 Appointee by City Council
4 Appointee by City Council
5 Appointee by City Council
6 Representative from the Downtown Development Authority board
7 Representative from the Golden Urban Renewal Authority board
8 City Councilor
9 Representative of the City Manager

Under this plan, the only way a merchant would have a place on the board is if City Council chooses him or her as one of the three Council appointees.

The memo is 24 pages long. The Councilors' recommendations appear on pp. 4 and 5.

The recommendations made by the Stakeholders Committee (written before Council's recommendations were published) appear on pp. 22-24.

One other interesting inclusion in the memo appears on p. 4, above "OPTIONS FOR FUTURE." It suggests that some of the Marketing Fund be used to finance things that the City currently covers:

In addition, individuals representing interested groups have suggested allowing broader use of the Fund to enhance the visitor experience through a destination stewardship program, enhanced in-town transit, wayfinding, better parking management, etc.

5:30-6:10PM Parking Management Program Update
The new parking management system is generating a new revenue stream for the City, with more money coming from parking tickets than from paid parking. Public input has included the thought that $50 is too expensive for a parking violation; neighborhood permit zones should be enforced after 5PM, and residents of the City think they should park for free, since they pay municipal taxes. Learn more.

6:10-6:30PM Jefferson County Affordable Housing Blueprint
This item includes a brochure describing county-wide goals to build more affordable housing and a Resolution saying that Golden City Council supports the goals outlined in the Blueprint. Learn more.

6:30-6:40 Small Business Economic Impact Grants
On July 25, 2023 Council passed an ordinance banning flavored tobacco products, effective January 1, 2024. The retailers who sold those products have reported economic hardship from the loss of those sales. The City proposes giving those businesses grants of up to $10,000 to make up for the loss. Learn more.

City Council Business Meeting - 7:15PM


Public Comment - attendees may speak to Council for 3 minutes. Alternatively, they can send email comments to PublicComment@cityofgolden.net by 3PM.

Strategic Plan Update
The Deputy City Manager will report on the City's progress toward Council's goals regarding Net Zero, Park Plans, adding new zoning, Transportation Demand Management, REDI, and Affordable Housing to the Comprehensive Plan, more affordable housing, more Creek strategies, rollout of an Art and Culture Plan, Racial Equity Diversity and Inclusion Plan, regional homelessness, Emergency Management training, changing the community marketing program, and building a new City Hall/Police Station. Learn more.

Calendar Item: The City will host a walking tour on September 18th at 5PM to explain their plans for a new City Hall.

Consent Matters (no discussion unless requested by a Councilor)

  • Approve a contract for $135,640 for new lighting at the Ulysses Park fields Learn more.
  • Appoint Stephanie Novello as Interim City Treasurer and Finance Direct beginning August 17th. Learn more.
  • Hiring Foothills Regional Housing Authority to manage two houses owned by the City (1020 Archer and 230 Depot St.). Learn more.
  • Withdrawing from the Rocky Flats Stewardship Council
    Learn more.

Proclamation
Women's Equality Day: August 26, 2024

Public Hearing re: repealing requirement for dog licenses
Dog owners have been required to buy licenses at Foothills Animal Shelter. The fees were intended to help pay for the Shelter. Compliance has been very low (less than 20%) so Golden, the County, and the other Cities who use that shelter have agreed to eliminate mandatory licensing and will pay a flat fee instead. Golden's share will be $36K. Learn more.

Fill a Vacancy on the Downtown Development Authority Board
Council will appoint George Riffel. Learn more.

Executive Session (no public, no cameras, no recording)
Council will discuss buying state land located withing the city limits of Golden.

Speculation
I believe the property in question is part of the Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center, which the City hopes to buy to build more affordable housing.

Related

Highlights