City Council - Study Session Dec. 15

7:00 - Bad news for anyone waiting for resolution to a bevy of issues on the city council's menu for tonight's study session.

The question of granting insurance benefits to city employees' same sex, domestic partners has been tabled until January. As has an ordinance that would have created a set of registration and maintenance guidelines for foreclosed properties in the city. Oh, and that question of outsourcing the city's Business Development Center? That's been deferred, too.

A presentation detailing the planning process for the proposed Solar TAC facility in Aurora is taking up the latter part of the session and, while the prospect of the alternative energy hub in the city promises a slew of future changes for the city, it remains largely conceptual at this early stage.

With a regular council agenda marked mostly by contract awards, pay plans, AURA agreements and an IGA with Denver for water lines, it seems the most dynamic issues will have to wait until 2009 for evolution.

Public comment

Questions and answers from the presentation follow:

Would special districts be regulated by TABOR? Yes.

Comment: Maintaining integrity of outreach without muddling the language too much in legal vocabulary and confusing terms.

Tauer: What we really need you to do is to tell us what's important to you.

Council commentary

Larry Beer: "One of the things that occurred to me … is the responsibility of telling my constituents in ward 3 the way things really are in the city even if it isn’t necessarily what they’d like … It is absolutely true that every line in the city budget, every program that we operate, everything that we buy … has somebody … who is a passionate advocate for that one thing.

Every person who works for the city is delivering a service and everything that we spend money on has some community benefit.

For those of you who live in ward 3, I’ll commit to you that I’m going to be unsentimental about the way that we work through this process."

Bob FitzGerald: "I’m kind of blown away by the number of people here. It’s a great community outpouring.

We’d like for you to be creative in your thinking."

 (FitzGerald suggested a transportation tax and a security tax).

Ryan Frazier: "We pretty much have a case of our revenues are unable to keep up with our expenditures.

There’s a way that I’d like for you all to consider … It has everything to do with self service. The demand for services amongst the citizenry has not diminished … How can we provide more self service."

Steve Hogan: "We’ve been at these studies for literally years and this is really an opportunity to be as creative as you want to be. Those opportunitiess don’t come often, but it is an opportunity here in Aurora because you’ve got a city council that’s open to it and you’ve got a mayor that’s open to it and you’ve got an economic situation that virtually demands it."

Mayor Tauer spells out the issue

Mayor Ed Tauer addressed the crowd at the AMC, spelling out the structural revenue issue. Selected quotes:

"We have what we call a structural budget issue. I don’t know what a better word for it is.

It says that in the city of Aurora, like most cities, expenses are rising more rapidly than our revenues are.

So we’re essentially being attacked from both sides.

So far, this is a really rosy picture, I know, but there is a way out of it.

The bottom line is if we’re going to get out of it, it’s going to take bold action."

Suggested remedies include creating special districts, levying new property taxes and finding new ways to encourage business development in the city.

Special Study Session - Dec. 1

5:30 - The special session addressing proposed structural changes to the city's budget has not yet started, but the crowd milling in the Aurora Municipal Center's city council chambers is already larger than at most regular council meetings.

This first meeting represents the first step in a process that will decide the fate of the city's libraries, recreation centers and other amenities, as current structural shortfalls in the city's budget demand future cuts.

The city council is assembled in a more casual pose, seated at the tables in front of the room instead of their usual high perches at the back.

Let's see what develops...

Meditation music

A timeless piece of music for those long nights in the office ... Or for me, in city hall.

New water rates approved

7:50 p.m. Proposed water rate fees for 2009 and 2010 have finally been approved.

After a delay last week, the measure returned before a full configuration of the Aurora City Council.

After a motion by Councilman Broom, which was seconded by Councilman Hogan, Councilman Bob FitzGerald gave a quick quote.

"I found a quote that I thought was very interesting from Benjamin Franklin," FitzGerald said. "When the well runs dry, that's when you'll know the worth of water."

Tauer followed by calling the question, and the measure was approved by a vote of 7-3 (Beer, Wallace, Peterson voted no.)

For more specific information regarding the increases, see the main Sentinel site for Monday's council preview and tomorrow's follow-up.

Regular session - Ceremonies

7:35 p.m.

Mayor Ed Tauer has introduced Paul Suss as the recipient of the Downtowner of the Year. As a business owner on Havana Street and an originator of the Havana Business Improvement District, Suss has carved a prominent role for himself in the area.

"One of the thing that's so important about Aurora ... It's the people that make this a special place," Tauer said. "They don't come any better than Paul.

"It's an honor very well deserved," Tauer added.

Suss cited the activity in the area.

"On behalf of everyone on the BID board, we thank you," Suss said in his acceptance. "There's an enthusiasm on the street, even though times are tough right now ... Things are happening to us."

7:40 p.m.

"We're also very proud of the people who work for our city government," Tauer said to introduce the recipients of the Partnership for Safe Water Award and American Water Works Association Award to the Wemlinger Water Treatment Plant.

Gary Zimmerman, the executive director of the AWWA explained the award, which recognizes water quality.

"I do want to say a couple of words to express the magnitude of this honor," Zimmerman said. "Aurora water is only the sixth - that's the sixth of 11,000 eligible utilities ... It should be a great source of pride for Aurora Water ... and the entire city of Aurora."

Employees from the Wemlinger Plant assembled behind Zimmerman looked on during the ceremony.

"The fact that these men and women decided to strive for this level of excellence is a reflection of their sense of duty," Zimmerman said before presenting the award to Kevin Linder.

APD Update - Council feedback

Councillors gave feedback regarding Aurora Police Chief Oates' presentation:

Councilwoman Wallace -

"For district one, some of the officers are eager, are excited for this," Wallace said. "I'm hopeful that it will succeed. I've talked to a few of them in my ward, and they're excited."

For the mediation program, Oates said that it would be funded through seizure funds.

"We're hoping for a very favorable contract where we only pay for it if we need it," Oates said.

Councilman Broom -

"Opening up those desks and those other two (districts) really make a lot of sense," Broom said. "I think that's good."

Councilwoman Markert asked about disparities between officers' work shifts under the suggested 12-hour program.

Oates: "I'm confident that everybody's going to work the same amount of hours here."

Councilman Beer

"This is really positive ... Will there be anybody who is being assigned to patrol who doesn't want to be assigned to patrol? This isn't going to be punishment duty for anyone, is it?"

Oates: "No, they signed on to be police officers."

Beer asked if City Manager Ron Miller could find a way to measure the efficacy of the cited changes.

Councilwoman Sue Sandstrom

"Some of these things may not work ... but you're willing to take the chance and try them," Sandstrom said. "I really applaud all of these things."

Oates lauded Lt. Brown for suggesting the 12-hour shift concept.

Mayor Ed Tauer

"I like the idea of changing things," Tauer said. The mayor followed up with specific questions regarding the 12-hour shift, the tactical day and customer service.

Tauer also asked for specifics about data from the recent matrix study, specifying changes regarding the ratio of detectives in the department.

"On the whole, the matrix gave a lot of praise to how we distribute the workload," Oates replied. "I think for the time being we've addressed them."

Tauer also asked about the vocabulary of the 'verbal judo' program in regards to de-escalation. Oates replied that the name of the program in trademarked, and that it's designed to help diffuse conflicts through dialogue.

 

APD Update

Police Chief Oates is reviewing changes and initiatives in the department for 2009.

Oates said the department is implementing new initiatives to provide better customer service. These include

- 12-hour patrol shifts at district 1

- increased patrol staffing

- sector policing

- front desk operations in dist. 1 and 2

- specialized training

- mediation program

- interactive website

For the 12-hour patrol shifts, Oates explained, "This will be a pilot program for one year ... It will be only in district 1 and there will be a nine-month evaluation period.

"There is no dispute ... that a 12-hour tour puts more cops on the street. The issue is whether or not it works," Oates added, pointing to factors like fatigue.

"In order to do this, we are going to change the policing model in district 1 a little bit," Oates said. "For this to work, we have to shift to a sector type policing, where groups of officers patrol a series of beats."

Oates said that going to sectoring would add to the force's capacity to respond to calls.

"It's something we have to watch very carefully," Oates said.

For the changes in front desk operations, Oates said the department was going to try to open up front desk operations at stations in districts 1 and 2.

"Some officers are going to have to be assigned to front desk work," Oates said. "Our goal is to utilize injured and light duty officers whenever possible.

"This is actually attractive to the work force," Oates added, stating that it will help keep officers assigned in one district.

Oates also explained that a centralized watch commander, located at district 2 headquarters, would  be provided at one location, 24 hours a day.

For supervisory audits, the goal would be for sergeants to randomly audit the conduct and performance of officers.

"With us logging and tracking that, (we can) see what we learn from it," Oates said.

Oates said the department hopes to specifically assign a car in the district to just take reports.

"The goal is to assign a report car ... to specifically work that effort and to keep in communication and tell the complainant - we will get to you within a specific time," Oates said.

The effort would be coordinated with the Public Safety Communications department.

For the specialized training and mediation program, which are department wide, Oates said the goals would help train and teach officers in new communication methods. The purpose would be to teach officers to help de-escalate tense situations and improve communication between officers and citizens. For the mediation program, Oates pointed to success of a similar program in Denver.

Oates also discussed a substantive upgrading of the APD's website as a customer service tool, which will go before the Public Safety Committee at the end of the month. Oates estimated about 140 new pages available to the public through the website.

"We want to design a way ... to capture information and evaluate every one of these changes," Oates said, citing specific concerns regarding the 12-hour shift concept. "We have to watch that very, very carefully."

Prairie Waters Bid Package

The last major bid package for the Prairie Waters Project - a sum that would go toward segment three of the conveyance system pipeline - just one part of the whole that will comprise three pump stations and 34 miles of pipeline. The system will carry water from the South Platte River to the new Aurora Purification facility.

 

D. Hogan of the water department is giving updates on this part of the project and the progress of the bids.

- Construction award for the third segment of the pipeline would cover 10 miles in total, 15 miles of pipe.

- Bid results (original estimate was about $42.4 million)

- lowest bid - Garney Construction - $32.5 million

Markert - "On the bid results ... are any of those contractors local?"

Hogan replied that Garney Construction is a local firm.

"They're all local for Garney Construction."

"I like that," Markert said.

"Since we're saving so much money on this project ... I think it makes sense for the water committee to take another look at the Rampart Pipeline," said Councilman Bob Broom. "Why wait until the prices go back up again?"

After brief discussion, the item will continue on to a regular council agenda next month.

Live from City Hall - Nov. 24

Study session has started, and the discussion so far has revolved largely addressing house issues - introducing Director of Development Services Diane Truwe's eventual successor, nailing down the council meeting schedule for 2009, announcing a prescription discount program for National League of City member cities.

Tonight's agenda's meatier issues include discussion of a bid package for the Prairie Waters Project, discussing 2009 APD Customer and Operations Initiatives and finalizing proposed water rate increases during the regular council meeting.

More to come ...

Art Walk/Second Friday

Last week's Art Walk in Aurora took place less than 48 hours after Aurora Code Officer Rodney Morales lost his life mere blocks away. Only hours before, a suspect had been arrested in the Montbello neighborhood in Denver.

But the tragedy and drama did not keep members of the community and visitors indoors.

Instead, they perused the canvases, the jewelry and the sculptures on display at the East Ends Applied Arts gallery. They crowded in the lobby of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. They took in the selection of crafted signs at The Other Side Arts. They braved the first tinge of winter weather and  ferried between the different galleries along East Colfax Avenue in pedicabs.

Clearly, Friday's event stood as a sign of the area's growing prominence as an arts resource in the metro area, as artists, residents and visitors converged to share input and expressions. More subtly, the turnout was a collaborative commentary on the events of last week. Gallery owners, artists and event attendants that I spoke to cited an overwhelming concern for community. Many saw attendance at the art walk as a first step in recovery.

Encouraging the arts on the funky strip of East Colfax seemed to take an added significance Friday night, as the locals clung even more tightly to their cultural treasures in the immediate wake of tragedy.

Slain code officer remembered by city council

7:40 p.m. - At the outset of the regular council meeting, the 9 city council members in attendance paid tribute to Aurora Code Officer Rodney Morales. Selected quotes:

Councilman Larry Beer: "This has obviously been a heart-rending tragedy for the Morales family and all of us in the city of Aurora ... Events like this have made us cry, made us pray."

Councilwoman Deborah Wallace: "No matter what job you have in life, you never know what you can experience ... As a member of the Aurora city council, we all are here to help."

Councilman Brad Pierce: "It's a loss to the Aurora family."

Councilman Bob FitzGerald: "Mr. Morales died in the line of duty and should be honored."

Mayor Ed Tauer: "We had a real tragedy within the city of Aurora this week ... Our hearts are really with you," Tauer said, addressing his comments to the family of Officer Morales. "Every once in a while, even in tragedy, you see who your friends are," he added, referring to the outpouring of support in the community, as well as the aid of the Denver Police Department during the investigation last week.

Vacant residential properties measure deferred

6:50 p.m.

An ordinance that would require lenders to register abandoned residential properties with the city and pay a registration fee has stalled, pending additional input from the city's Business Advisory Board.

"If we could bring it back ... one more time, I think that would be advisable. I would vote we do that," said Councilman Bob FitzGerald, who helped champion the measure. "It has, however, gone through every conceivable place known to man, at least through the city government," FitzGerald added, referring to the proposed ordinance's lengthy review process, which has involved  the Code Enforcement Policy Committee, the Aurora Foreclosure Task Force and the Aurora Association of Realtors' Governmental Affairs Committee.

The measure will come back before the council in December.

FitzGerald - New Mayor Pro Tem

6:40 p.m.

Bob FitzGerald will replace Molly Markert as Mayor Pro Tem.

Aurora Scholars Program

6:20 p.m.

Councilman Larry Beer and Deputy City Manager Tom Nicholas have presented preliminary plans for the 2009  Aurora Scholars Program, a city initiative that would recognize scholastic achievements in the Aurora Public School District, the Cherry Creek School District in Aurora, charter schools and private and parochial schools.

Modeled loosely on the Denver Mile High Scholars program, the Aurora equivalent would seek to recognize a host of scholarly achievements, not just in terms of academic. Leadership, character and other contributions would all be considered viable criteria.

"What the students and families get is principally the recognition of their accomplishments," Beer said. "There aren't big prizes."

Superintendents of both APS and Cherry Creek have so far expressed support, and the program has earned financial commitments from Lend Lease Communities and the Aurora Sentinel as a media sponsor.

Cost for the program has been estimated at $8,000 to $12,000, including staff time.

Councilwoman Molly Markert posed specific questions regarding process, and how the program would function with the districts' current asset programs.

Similarly, Councilman Steve Hogan stressed the need to include all students in Aurora in the program, including children from Douglas County schools and Brighton schools that fall within the boundaries of Aurora.

Hogan also said the program should be added to the 2009 budget if it required funds.

Beer said that the program would cast a wide net, recognizing achievements across categories and age ranges.

"Just the way that it has worked for DPS, it is for kids that are overcoming obstacles that are great citizens of the school that are making contributions in lots of ways," Beer said. "I would ask that it not be limited, because the younger kids need as much encouragement to achieve and to stay in school as the high school kids."

Mayor Ed Tauer voiced his own tempered support.

"I know there's a lot of details to work out, but I'm a huge fan," Tauer said. "Please just keep council informed."

The measure passed by an overwhelming majority.

Coming storm with RTD

Mayor Ed Tauer hints at conflict to come with RTD regarding its approach to the flailing FasTracks program. In his update from the Metro Mayors' Caucus, Tauer hinted at widespread dissatisfaction with the Regional Transportation District's current plan.

"There is no proposal before RTD ... that finishes our corridor before 2030 without a tax increase," Tauer said regarding the RTD board's current approach to addressing their funding woes. "They're fully funding three corridors and then they're dividing what's left. There's really a problem with that."

Let's see what drama follows.

Happy Bday Denver

According to Mayor Ed Tauer, Aurora is going to send a card to Denver for its 150th Anniversary. Awwww.

Live notes from Study Session - Nov. 17 Part 1

5:35 p.m.

After a 45-minute delay, the Nov. 17 study session is finally beginning.

There are plenty of meaty issues on the agenda tonight, but the discussion has started with a recap of the "Hopper Session" from earlier this month (see above blog post).

New details regarding an initial meeting planned for Dec. 1 revolve largely around the specific format for citizen input.

"On the Dec. 1 meeting, we have to look at inviting a wide range of groups," said Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer. "The first priority is to share with the community what we all discussed at the study session."

Suggested attendees included realty representatives, business officials and citizen spokesman, while potential formats for input ranged from written forms to online entries.

Now the argument's over the site - city council chambers? the Central Library?

"I know it probably sounds too formal, but we ought to sit up there," said Councilman Steve Hogan. "Someone has to be in charge ... There's got to be some structure and process to it. I don't see any reason why we shouldn't sit there."

Councilman Brad Pierce suggested an even bigger forum - like the Doubletree or the Red Lion Inn.

Tauer again stressed the purpose of the community meeting.

"We're not expecting people to give us answers at that meeting," Tauer said. "As they caucus with their own groups, then they give us feedback."

Councilwoman Molly Markert stressed the need for a more structured approach to the meeting.

"I see our goal as to give people about four choices," Markert. "My struggle around our role as leaders is do we present four options? We have to hang our hat on something ... I guess that's just what I'm figuring out.

"I do think it's a campaign," Markert said. "I think it's going to have to be special interest groups campaigning for their special interests ... I just want us to be honest. This is going to be long and this is going to be hard and we can't pretend it's not."

Tapped out

For any hard-core fans of municipal hijinks, next Monday night should prove exciting.

The agenda for the Nov. 17 city council meeting is packed full of action,  from the election of a new mayor pro-tem, to a ward map discussion, to new measures to deal with the booming number of vacant residential properties in Aurora neighborhoods.

What may be of most immediate interest to the casual observer, however, is the final vote scheduled for new water rates in 2009. Approved by an 8-1 margin during the Oct. 20 council meeting, the new structure would see increases of 8 percent next year and 7.5 percent the following year, a spike that would raise monthly water bills for the average home $5.53 in 2009 and another $5.44 in 2010.

"We think we were very reasonable with an 8-percent increase next year and a 7.5-percent increase the following year," said Councilman Bob FitzGerald in August.  FitzGerald chairs the city's Water Policy Committee.

The suggested increases come in response to an estimated 3.5 percent increase in Aurora Water's operating costs last year, a spike that stems in part from rising costs in chemicals, pipes, fuels and other materials.

Councilwoman Deb Wallace provided the lone vote of dissent on Oct. 20, as the rest of the council lent their approval to the plan to boost costs, in part to help cover the construction of the city's $754 million Prairie Waters Project, which has been slated for completion by 2010.

Monday's vote will stand as the final step before the new rates are approved, and while the added costs are going toward a vital piece in the city's future infrastructure, it seems like a bad time to increase costs in any sector.

It begs the question - will such rising costs add to the roster of more foreclosed properties in Aurora?

R.I.P. Jimmy Carl Black 1938 - 2008

With my obscure musical tastes, it's rare that I see any mention of my musical heroes in the mainstream media.

So you can imagine my surprise this week, when, as I was raptly watching CNN to see updates on the presidential election, I saw this headline scroll across the bottom of the screen:

"Mothers of Invention drummer Jimmy Carl Black dies of lung cancer."

In high school, as my peers listened to No Doubt and Weezer, I blasted Frank Zappa albums in my rusted, silver Nissan Stanza, and sung the praise of albums like Freak Out!, We're Only In It For the Money and Uncle Meat.

Black, who was the Mothers of Invention drummer on the first 10 Zappa albums, was an essential contributor to those early records. The early configuration of the Mothers featured the most outlandish members of the Los Angeles freak scene, including Black, whose Cherokee heritage and hobo-aesthetic helped make those first vinyls an anathema to suburban mothers worried about their teenage sons and daughters.  In addition to his solid, dependable drumming, he also gave us unforgettable quotes like, "Hi boys and girls, I'm Jimmy Carl Black and I'm the Indian of the group."

His death last week of lung cancer at 70 years old marked the passage of an unforgettable character in my early musical education, one who will be sorely missed.

Rest in peace, Jimmy.

Libraries and Rec Centers in the Hopper

Just when you thought it was safe to take a few deep breaths and revel in the post-election calm, municipal leaders go and make their own bid for the headlines.

Last night's special study session at the Aurora Municipal Center, nicknamed the "Hopper" session for its theme of narrowing down cost savings solutions, saw a new direction in the city council's continued discussion regarding its budget woes.

It was a plan that could draw the ire of book and pool lovers alike.

Here's the bottom line: the city is spending more than it's making, a structural shortcoming in the budget that's made balancing a headache for the past five years or so. As the local financial outlook darkens for the coming year, and as the problem becomes more pronounced, city leaders are scrambling for ways to cut costs.

The latest proposal? A plan that would cut city funding to the city's libraries and recreation, leaving their ultimate fate to the voters and their willingness to pay more. 

Want to keep your neighborhood pool? Want to keep your favorite Aurora library open for business? The funding structure to keep them alive -  a special district, most likely - would have to come with increased taxes.

While Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer was quick to stress that such a solution wasn't final, he also urged swift action. What's more, the suggestion saw little dissent from the rest of the city council.

"We'll have to make some real clear decisions - there's probably something that we'll need to stop doing that we're doing today," Tauer said. "We need to create a real impact on the budget, and not in two years, but in the next nine to 12 months."

Speaking of the need for special district, Tauer said the burden of the decision of saving libraries and rec centers could fall squarely to the voters - and their willingness to pay a heftier tab.

"Essentially, they make the decision. We're going to reduce services here to make sure we keep them strong in our highest priority," Tauer said, referring to public safety and police services. 

"As we do that, if you don't want us to make that cut, it's OK ... If you don't want it, we have to increase some kind of tax to take care of it."

The discussion of cuts was tempered by a separate discussion, one that sought new avenues to encourage business in the city. By tweaking the city's current business application and permitting processes, city councilors want to make Aurora one of the most attractive sites for new businesses in the West.

For all the positive discussion about new business in Aurora, the prospect of the special district stood out as one of the boldest measures to address the city's structural budget problem. The mere mention of closing libraries and pools has brought out the ire of citizens during recent months, and this new plan may very well prove to be a hard sell.  

Indeed, while it seems that leaders are betting on the likely approval of special districts, the very prospect of an Aurora sans libraries or rec centers is surreal. As a native of the city, one of my earliest memories is standing at the counter in the Aurora Central Library beside my mother in 1983, straining to see across the counter to the reams of books hidden behind the clerk. Seeing that resource disappear in the face of current budget woes would alter the cultural and physical landscape of the city immeasurably.

As Tauer emphasized, the special district plan is not written in stone, and voters may agree to contribute more in the form of property taxes in order to save these facilities.  After all, the recent passage of the APS bond initiative shows that citizens are willing to pay for important civic priorities, even in tough times. 

But the question remains: In this weak economy, would a proposed  tax hike to save these resources survive? Would citizens' already-strapped pocketbooks allow such an added expenditure? Would the future of libraries and rec centers in the city be assured?