Next step in Police "Old Hire" Pension Board decided

Council will vote on whether an internal auditor from the city will be added to the Aurora Police "Old Hire" Pension Board.

Mayor Ed Tauer provided the determining vote in how proposed changes to the configuration of the city's board will proceed to the council chambers floor.

Changes that would see an internal auditor added as a seventh member trumped another proposed change, which would have seen the current six members vote on a seventh members.

Tauer opted for the first option after the rest of the council logged a tie vote on the question during study session.

Clarification of cuts

Councilwoman Renie Peterson expressed frustration at the planned closing of the Chambers Plaza Library.

While staff said the facility's closure was finalized at the Winter Budget Session, council members expressed confusion about the final verdict.

"I’ve been left confused because I thought this staff was going to look for dollars elsewhere. I was told that the announcement has already been made," Peterson said. "I’m a little bit agitated about that."

But Mayor Ed Tauer said that the decision had been made last month.

"My memory is is that one of those 16 items was a block of things ... Two common, visible closures – one of them was the Fitzsimons pool, the other was the Chambers library," Tauer said. "The council did give the city manager direction to go forward with those 16 things."

Council members discussed other possibilities to serve residents near the Chambers Plaza Library on the northwest corner of Colfax Avenue and Chambers Road.

City Council - Study Session Feb. 23, 2009 - Preliminary words

6:06 p.m.

Contentious issues that have been on the boiler plate for months are scheduled to find resolution tonight, as the Aurora City Council is scheduled to make final decisions on issues that range from granting health benefits to same sex couples to reconfiguring the city's "old hire" police pension board.

Both issues have spurred strong responses from opposing sides, and both are slated for votes at tonight's study and regular session.