Montrose, CO — City Councilors met for their regular meeting Tuesday evening, November 1, to consider a new brewpub liquor license, a number of ordinances and resolutions, and adding the Knight of Pythias building to the city’s historic register.
Councilors Barbara Bynum, Dave Frank, Doug Glaspell, David Reed, and Ed Ulibarri met in City Council Chambers along with city staff.
The following is a summary of the primary topics discussed during the meeting.
Watch the meeting here.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the October 17, 2022, special City Council meeting and the October 18 regular City Council meeting.
The city’s archive of past meeting minutes can be found on the new Public Meetings Portal and at CityofMontrose.org/ArchiveCenter.
NEW BREWPUB LIQUOR LICENSE APPLICATION
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve a new brewpub liquor license at 830 N. Townsend Avenue for Pomona Brewing Company, for consumption on the licensed premises and to sell malt liquor beverages manufactured on the licensed premises and packaged in sealed containers for consumption off of the licensed premises.
The City Council is the local liquor licensing authority for the City of Montrose. The council held a public hearing before approving the license.
ORDINANCE 2599 - FIRST READING
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 2599 on first reading concerning the 2023 City of Montrose Municipal Budget.
Finance Director Shanni Wittenberg delivered a brief presentation about the city’s budget process and the separate funds that make up the city’s operating budget. In October the city held its annual budget open house inviting the public in to inspect the 2023 budget.
Following Wittenberg’s presentation, the council formally voted to approve the 2023 budget ordinance. A second reading of the ordinance will take place at the November 15 City Council meeting.
For more information about the city’s budget visit.
RESOLUTION 2022-14
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2022-14 adopting the 2023 Fee Schedule and repealing 4-1-4 (G), subsections (1) and (2), of the Montrose Regulations Manual.
City Clerk Lisa DelPiccolo said some fees were updated to match current city regulations while other fees were eliminated altogether.
RESOLUTION 2022-15
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2022-15, opting out of the Colorado Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes § 8-13.3-522.
During a work session in October, City Attorney Chris Dowsey told City Councilors that FAMLI is a program for workers in Colorado to be able to take time off for certain life events, analogous to those in the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), while still having a source of income and not worrying about losing their status with their employer.
Currently, the city follows the FMLA leave policy that keeps its employees whole while they are out on FMLA leave. This leave can be used for 12 weeks in a rolling year. If an employee is out for a qualifying event, such as to care for a family member with a serious health condition, they must first use all accrued sick and vacation leave. Once this leave is exhausted, they may use a sick-leave bank held by the city, which is paid out for the duration of their FMLA leave.
With the city’s decision to opt-out of the FAMLI program:
- its employees may still opt into the program and receive the financial benefits;
- it will have to decide whether it will handle the administration of employees who opt into the program or leave that to the employees themselves;
- it may join the program at any point in time;
- it does not have to pay into the program; and
- it does not have to adhere to the job protection standards created by the FAMLI act.
Dowsey said most Colorado municipalities are opting out of the FAMLI program.
REQUEST FOR SUPPORT FOR MONTROSE REGIONAL HEALTH AMBULATORY CARE CENTER
City Councilors voted 2-1 with councilors Barbara Bynum and David Reed abstaining to approve a request to abate the actual cost of water and sewer connection fees for the Montrose Regional Health’s new Ambulatory Care Center currently under construction on the city’s south side. The estimated total to abate the connection fees is estimated at $47,533.
Deputy City Manager Ann Morgenthaler said the city is partnering with Montrose Regional Health to support the construction of a new ambulatory care center to care for city residents. Mayor Dave Frank held a public hearing before the council approved the request with a 2-1 vote.
THE FALLS AT VALLEY RANCH PRELIMINARY PLANNED DEVELOPMENT
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve two separate actions for The Falls at Valley Ranch Subdivision Planned Development and Amended Preliminary Plat.
City Planner William Reis said The Falls at Valley Ranch Amended Subdivision is a proposed single-family residential development on the south end of Montrose. The property is approximately 130 acres in size and is located south of Ogden Road, north of Otter Road, east of Otter Pond Circle, and west of 6725 Road. The property is zoned “R-1” Very Low-Density District, “R-2” Low-Density District, and “R-3A” Medium High-Density District.
The proposed subdivision will include seven single-family residential lots in the “R-1” Very Low-Density District, open space tracts, and Outlot A to be developed and subdivided in the future. This application amends the previously approved The Falls at Valley Ranch South Preliminary Plat, and creates a 34.0-acre planned development that will allow for deviations from city standards for road section designs, including drainage, utility, and irrigation easements. Approval of planned development by the city is purely discretionary. If the city and the applicant do not agree on all required conditions and the plan, the city may deny approval, or the city may unilaterally impose conditions. If the developer does not accept all conditions, that development must adhere to standard subdivision and zoning requirements.
The Planning Commission voted to approve the planned development and amended preliminary plat during the October 12, 2022, meeting. A final plat will also be required within five (5) years of approval of this preliminary plat (City of Montrose Municipal Code, Section 4-7- 5(C) (1) (a)).
THE FALLS AT VALLEY RANCH AMENDED PRELIMINARY PLAT
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve The Falls at Valley Ranch Subdivision Planned Development Amended Preliminary Plat.
The council held a public hearing before voting to approve the plat.
ORDINANCE 2600 - FIRST READING
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 2600 on first reading to amend the zoning designation of the Eagle Ranch P.D. Filing 1, Amendment 3, Outlot 1 from "R-2" Low-Density District to "R-3A" Medium High-Density District.
The council held a public hearing before voting to approve the zoning.
ORDINANCE 2598 - SECOND READING
City Councilors voted unanimously on a second reading of the ordinance to place the Knights of Pythias Building on the city’s historic registry.
City planner William Reis said the City of Montrose Historic Preservation Commission considered an application for historic property designation of the Knights of Pythias Building, located downtown at 33 S Cascade Ave, according to Section 4-15 of the Montrose Municipal Code. The commission voted unanimously to recommend City Council approval for the designation.
The structure meets the eligibility criteria per Montrose Municipal Code 4-15-3 (B) as follows:
- The building is over fifty years old.
- The building is significant for its association with the history of fraternal lodges in Montrose, having been erected as the second lodge hall in the city erected by the Knights of Pythias.
- The building, although altered, represents the Classical Revival style popular during the early twentieth century through its cornice with brackets, concrete courses, two-story pilasters with stone trim, and windows with arched lintels
The structure has been found to also meet the integrity criteria per Montrose Municipal Code 4-15-3 (C).
STAFF REPORTS
Ann Morgenthaler reported that City Clerk Lisa DelPiccolo was recently honored by her peers and public servants across Colorado with the 2022 Outstanding Contribution to the Colorado Municipal Clerks Association by a Municipal Clerk award. DelPiccolo’s service was recognized during the Colorado Municipal Clerks Association, CMCA, conference held in Canon City, Colorado, on Thursday, October 20.
Chief of Police Blaine Hall told councilors his officers were to be commended for their efforts to apprehend an armed robbery suspect and to safely resolve a mental health crisis involving an armed person over the course of the past weekend.
Hall said that although this activity isn’t normal for Montrose, his officers acted with great restraint to apprehend both subjects without harming themselves or others.
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All City Council meetings are recorded and made available online via 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 the 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 or on-demand through the city’s Public Meetings Portal.
For more city news visit CityOfMontrose.org.