City Council Meeting Recap

April 5, 2022

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City Council has resumed in-person meetings. View ways to participate remotely and in person at lafayetteco.gov/CityCouncil  

APPROVED 7-0: CONSENT AGENDA

• March 15, 2022 City Council Meeting Minutes
• March 28, 2022 City Council Workshop Summary
• Items Pertaining to the 2021 and 2022 Budgets
  -Second Reading / Ordinance No. 09, Series 2022 / Retroactive 2021 Budget Supplemental
  -Second Reading / Ordinance No. 10, Series 2022 / 2022 Budget Supplemental
• Resolution No. 2022-17 / Amending the Superseding Easement Agreement between Richard R. Rollins and the City of Lafayette Pertaining to a Stormwater Discharge Lateral and Bullhead Gulch Outfall
• Resolution No. 2022-19 / Temporary Closures of Public Road for the 2022 Art Night Out

PUBLIC HEARING
APPROVED 7-0: First Reading / Ordinance No. 11, Series 22 / Willoughby Corner Zoning  
Boulder County Housing Authority (BCHA) is seeking to zone a 23.8-acre property in the area of E. Emma and N. 120^th Streets from an industrial to a high density residential zone in anticipation of a future affordable housing development project. On March 9 the Planning Commission reviewed the item and forwarded a recommendation approving the application.
 
BCHA and the City purchased the property and entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for the property to be developed as permanently deed restricted 400-unit residential project to include both rental and ownership options for residents based upon income qualifications. Approximately 90% or 360 of the homes will be permanently affordable at 80% of Area Median Income (AMI) for Boulder County. The remaining 10% would be at >80% to 120% of AMI. Approximately 20% will be for sale and 80% will be for rent.
 
PRESENTATIONS
Future 42
The Cities of Lafayette and Louisville entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) in 2020 to complete a conceptual design plan for transportation improvements along the State Highway 42 corridor. Three alternatives are proposed for each intersection in the study area, with the intention of determining which design features were most important to the communities. Kimley-Horn Consulting provided a presentation to City Council summarizing the alternatives and an opportunity for council members to ask questions.
 
Greenhouse Gas Inventory
The City has set an ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2050 from the 2005 baseline. To track the progress of this goal, staff worked with Lotus Engineering and Sustainability to update our greenhouse gas inventory using 2019 calendar year data. From 2005 – 2019 Lafayette’s population grew by 31% while there was a 16% reduction in emissions. The reduction of emissions was mainly from Xcel Energy’s addition of renewable energy to their electrical supply. For the 2019 inventory, staff also requested that food consumption, transboundary aviation and others be calculated to paint an inclusive picture of community wide emissions. Due to different methodologies and assumptions a perfect comparison cannot be made between the 2005 and 2019 inventories. 
 
Conducting a greenhouse gas inventory is essential to track emission sources and to gain valuable information to guide strategies and priorities to reduce emissions. Staff plans to update Lafayette’s communitywide inventory and report every two years as outlined in the Sustainability Plan. The detailed presentation of data is included in the agenda packet.
 
REGULAR BUSINESS
Items Pertaining to Waste Hauler Services
Motion Passed 4-3: In support of selecting Republic Services
Motion Passed 6-1: In support of staff recommendations for alternative contract add-ons
 
The City has held a contract with Republic Services for the residential Three Cart Program since 2014. On December 20, 2021, Republic Services and Western Disposal submitted proposals in response to a request for proposal (RFP) for the City’s consideration. At the March 15 City Council meeting, staff conducted a comprehensive overview regarding the scoring of the proposals, proposed contract modifications, and contract alternatives. Staff also released information and a simplified one-page info sheet for residents to review a high-level summary of each proposal. 

<COUNCIL discussion>
Western pros: customizable bin options/combinations, once a month pick up for lower cost, will only be a few pennies more for many customers – or residents will save money, there is a cost savings/monetary incentive to divert waste and make an impact on the environment and help Lafayette meet sustainability goals, electronic and bulky disposal options, if you don’t have the waste or space for bins you have more options, quieter currato trucks, supporting a local company, unsure why Republic can cut their fees so drastically from what is currently being charged, the lowest bidder may not be sustainable,
 
Republic pros: The most common bin configuration will be less expensive, other combinations will be less expensive, Republic can lower current fees because they’re not amortizing vehicle equipment costs over the new contract.
 
Alternatives: weekly collection of organics is important, additional recycle cart is desirable since there is no associated cost, should offer weekly organic pick up to encourage more composting,
 
APPROVED 7-0: Resolution No. 2022-18 / Water Reclamation Facility Site Plan Review
The City is planning a Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) expansion that includes the addition of six buildings (totaling approximately 8,400 sf), five circular settling tanks, a new sedimentation basin, an expansion of an existing sedimentation basin, and a backwash basin. The plan also includes the location of the proposed pipe system and vaults connecting the structures on recently annexed property adjacent to the existing plant.
 
APPROVED 7-0: First Reading / Ordinance No. 12, Series 2022 / Regulating the Use of Fireworks
Each year the fire and police departments respond to complaint calls for fireworks within neighborhoods and around the community. Fireworks can cause a negative effect on residents in terms of noise pollution, wildfire risk, and quality of life. City departments and the community will benefit from a concise city ordinance that is easily applied and understood.
 
This ordinance has three aspects related to fireworks. First, it explicitly bans the sale, use, and possession of fireworks which are clearly defined in parallel to state statute. Second, the ordinance references the International Fire Code as adopted by the City of Lafayette as the sole pathway for permitting of pyrotechnics. This reference allows the Fire Marshal to apply the current fire code, and future fire codes, which contain language regarding permitting, fireworks, and professional displays. Lastly it removes all other references to fireworks from the City code and places all of the information in Section 75 – Offenses, Miscellaneous.   
 
PROCLAMATIONS
National Library Week / April 3-9, 2022
First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and communities across the United States each April. National Library week celebrates the impact of libraries on community as well as the acknowledgement of the contribution of library workers.
Each year City Council recognizes the Lafayette Public Library and the Library staff for their contributions to the community.
 
Astronaut Jessica Watkins Day / April 19, 2022
Dr. Jessica Watkins, whose hometown is Lafayette, is currently assigned to fly to space for the first time as a Mission Specialist on NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled to launch no later than April 19, 2022 (at the time of this writing). This proclamation recognizes the accomplishments of Dr. Watkins and the fact that she will be the first Black woman to join the ISS.
 
COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS
Council approved the re-appointment of Zack Rogers to the Lafayette Energy Sustainability Advisory Committee (LESAC) for a three-year term that runs through March 2025.

COUNCIL REPORTS
Mayor Mangat

• Mayors meeting on Wednesday.

Councilor Barnes

•  Happy Earth Month! Check out all the events in April at www.lafayetteco.gov/EarthMonth

 Councilor Samson

•  Art Night Out is back the second Friday of the month. They need about 100 volunteers per event. www.lafayetteco.gov/ANO
• Artist in residency at the Collective starts this week and will be centered around the Lafayette community. https://www.lafayetteco.gov/Calendar.aspx?EID=9317

Councilor Walton

•  DRCOG held a retreat. Highlights included proposed projects for a regional sustainability plan, incubating initiatives in health, expanding data partnerships
• Northern Water Tour on April 27.

Mayor Pro Tem Wong

• Historic Preservation Board interested in using funds for scanning historical documents and are hosting a retreat in May.
• Consortium of Cities meeting tomorrow: topics ARPA funds, economic sustainability, regional wage
• Acknowledge the Police Dept. and Lafayette for earning an award for the fourth safest small town in Colorado
• Spring Cleanup starts this week www.lafayetteco.gov/SpringCleanup