Montrose, CO — City Councilors met online Tuesday evening, June 2, to consider a number of zoning requests, an update from the city’s Youth Council, and an update about the city’s police services. Councilors Roy Anderson, Dave Bowman, Barbara Bynum, Dave Frank, and Doug Glaspell met for about one hour, five minutes. The following is a summary of the primary topics discussed during the meeting.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Councilors voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the May 13, 2020, regular City Council meeting. The city’s archive of past meeting minutes can be found at: CityofMontrose.org/ArchiveCenter.
WATCH Tuesday’s meeting here.
YOUTH CITY COUNCIL MANUAL UPDATES
City councilors considered and unanimously approved the governing document for the city’s Youth City Council, which had not been revised since 2016. One such revision now requires at least one youth councilor to attend all regular City Council meetings.
The Montrose Youth City Council was established by the City Council to encourage greater youth participation in the city’s government.
Additional revisions included the creation of a Youth City Council mayor pro tem and public information officer. The youth council’s mayor and mayor pro tem are now required to attend or volunteer at four city events during each youth council term. All other youth council members are required to attend or volunteer at two city events.
HILLTOP ADDITION ANNEXATION
City Councilors considered and unanimously approved the Hilltop Addition, a proposed annexation approximately 15.75 acres in size. The parcel is located north of Locust Road and between 6600 and 6650 Roads. It is within the city’s Urban Growth Boundary, the Tri‐County Water Service Area, and the City of Montrose Sewer Service Area.
The owner would like to develop a senior living community with approximately 125 townhome units. A city‐county intergovernmental agreement gives the city the option to annex properties within the IGA. The area is urbanizing and more than one-sixth of the perimeter is contiguous to city limits. These factors support annexation. The development will require sewer and other utility connections.
City Councilors will vote again on the second reading of the annexation ordinance on June 16.
RIVER CROSSING ADDITION ANNEXATION
Councilors considered and unanimously approved the River Crossing Addition, a proposed annexation of approximately 36.33 acres in size. The parcel is located west of S. Townsend Avenue and between Ogden Road and S. Rio Grande Avenue. It is within the city’s Urban Growth Boundary, the City of Montrose Water Service Area, and the City of Montrose Sewer Service Area.
Senior City Planner Amy Sharp said the applicant wanted to connect to city utilities to develop residential (multi‐family) units and general commercial/retail. A city‐county IGA gives the city the option to annex properties within the IGA. The area is urbanizing and more than one-sixth of the perimeter is contiguous to city limits. These factors support annexation. The development will require sewer and other utility connections.
The city maintains a right-of-way through this property for a future project to extend and connect the River Landing area with Rio Grande Avenue.
City Councilors will vote again on the second reading of the annexation ordinance on June 16.
WESTCO AMENDED AND RESTATED INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT
Councilors considered and unanimously approved an updated intergovernmental agreement, or IGA, with WestCO Dispatch, to provide dispatch services for the Montrose Police Department.
Currently, WestCO provides dispatch services for the City of Montrose, Montrose Fire Protection District, the Town of Telluride, the Town of Mountain Village, Telluride Fire Protection District, the Town of Olathe, Montrose County, the Town of Ridgway, the City of Ouray, Ouray County, and the Olathe Fire Protection District.
Montrose Police Chief Blaine Hall said since new members, including Montrose County, joined WestCO last year the updated IGA needs to be approved by City Councilors and signed.
STAFF REPORTS
City Manager Bill Bell said the city continues to work with local businesses impacted by state-mandated closures that were put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses seeking information about city relief programs can find more useful information here.
Montrose Police Chief Blaine Hall said he wanted to update the council regarding recent protests that have occurred in Montrose resulting from the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed in police custody in Minneapolis.
"I just want to commend the rally and the members who are participating in that right now at Main (Street) and Townsend (Avenue). That is peaceful and they are exercising their First Amendment rights in relation to a really serious topic that we have in our nation right now. And that topic is racial injustice," Hall said.
Hall reassured the council that officers will be staffing a planned rally this Saturday to make sure the protest is peaceful and outside groups do not try to interfere with those protesting peacefully.
"We do not want to be the face of anger, and that is our message to the community; that we are a police department for everyone in our community," Hall said.
Hall said it is up to police administration to make sure men and women "who shouldn’t, frankly, be in this job" are not hired at the Montrose Police Department.
"The things that I saw happen in Minnesota with that officer were despicable," Hall said, adding that unwarranted, unjust, and violent behavior at the hands of Montrose Police officers will not be tolerated.
Gunnison Clamp and Harrison Hall of the Montrose Youth Council delivered a report concluding the 2019-2020 Youth Council term.
Hall said the council’s Roc the Rec event held during the winter was the highest attended of such events ever. The council’s street clean up program was also a success.
Clamp said the COVID-19 pandemic hampered the council’s planned Habitat For Humanity build day, but said the council will look to plan another build day in the future.
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All City Council meetings are recorded and made available online via on the city’s website and cable channels 191 for Charter subscribers and 970 for Elevate subscribers. Replays of council meetings are also broadcast at 6 p.m. on the same channels on days that council is not in session.
In addition, each regular meeting is archived on the City of Montrose’s YouTube channel.
Residents can watch all regular City Council meetings and work sessions live through the city’s website at CityOfMontrose.org/Video.