Members Present: Amy Bayless, Town of Nederland; Chris Berry, City of Lafayette; Clark Griep, City and County of Broomfield; Mark Hamilton, Town of Superior; Sheri Marsella, City of Louisville; Don Mock, City of Boulder; Valeria Skitt, City of Longmont; Ron Stewart, Boulder County; Staff Dickey Lee Hullinghorst and Sheree Stroud

Commissioner Tom Mayer and former Consortium representative from Louisville introduced the new representative from Louisville, Sheri Marsella. He told members that she brings talent and will represent Louisville well. Tom wanted the members to know that Denver is thinking of expanding Gross Reservoir, which is of concern to the region and bears watching to make sure that additional capacities do not diminish Boulder and Broomfield Counties’ water.

Clark Griep, City and County of Broomfield, reported that development and the economy have both slowed down in Broomfield. They are contemplating putting in a reservoir but part of the proposed area for this is zoned residential, so they are trying to work out a trade. The Northwest Parkway is coming along and will probably open early – perhaps in November.

Amy Bayless, Town of Nederland, told members she is taking over as representative from Scott Bruntjen, who was recently elected mayor. Nederland’s economy has also slowed and they are also considering building a reservoir on land they have had for some time.

Don Mock, City of Boulder, said they are facing issues regarding Boulder Valley School District and announcements forthcoming in April of school closings and consolidations. There is ongoing controversy regarding the jobs/housing balance and Boulder will hold a critical hearing on February 11. They welcome input from cities and towns as they consider this a regional issue and realize that Boulder’s decision will impact other communities. There have been budget cuts but since reserves were increased a few years ago, that has helped.

Mark Hamilton, Town of Superior, reported that they are also concerned with the Boulder Valley School District’s decisions. The town is doing reasonably well in the drought situation but are talking about conservations measures. They are dissolving the metropolitan districts, which will simplify town government.

Chris Berry, City of Lafayette, thanked the County for dinner the previous night and said that many issues were discussed and progress made. Water is the main issue in Lafayette, but they are making headway in completing the 75^th Street pipeline. Last year’s mandatory water cutbacks totaled a 50% usage reduction and they are proud they were still able to keep the golf course and pools open. There is some economic development in the city with a regional hospital being built and a new marketplace going in on US 287. The Council decided to buy the open space north of Waneka Lake that was platted for development. It was expensive but in the city’s best interest. They are also concerned with the affects of the school district and RTD issues.

Valeria Skitt, City of Longmont, said they have begun their Comp Plan update with an extensive public input process. They recently met with the City of Boulder to discuss RTD and jobs/housing issues. Fred Wilson has been appointed as a new Council member. They attended a Council Retreat and set goals: work on water conservation and budget balancing. Boulder Valley School District decisions will also have long-term effects in Longmont. The Council is interested in collaborating with the St. Vrain Valley School District and look for ways to assist them.

Sheri Marsella, City of Louisville, is a new member, so former representative Tom Mayer gave the report for Louisville. He said that their Council is also considering the drought issue. There are development plans for the old K-Mart and they are working to get a connection at 96^th Street to the Northwest Parkway. Louisville is also working with Superior on an interchange.

Ron Stewart, Boulder County, told the Consortium that six new elected officials recently took office. The County is dealing with budget cuts, especially in the human services area. They are glad that 1A passed which has given the County some money to help fill in the gaps of state cuts. There will be community meetings to discuss prioritization of regional trails as approved in the 2001 ballot. The County is continuing to buy open space, working on adding more affordable housing, and implementing the 2001 transportation tax initiative.

Chris Berry moved to approve the minutes of December 4, 2002. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Clark Misner, Boulder County Transportation Department, introduced Christine Anderson and Tracy Winfree from the City of Boulder. He told the Consortium that they have been evaluating anticipated RTD service cuts as they relate to Boulder County. They propose that the cuts be delayed. The JUMP and DASH operate at high frequencies in an effort to increase ridership. Cutbacks on frequent service would critically disrupt this plan and there is also concern about the long-term future of these popular routes after grant money runs out. Overall, RTD needs to cut $7.2 million from their budget because of revenue shortfalls; however, transportation staff are concerned that cutbacks in Boulder County reflect a larger percentage of cuts than in other areas and in relation to the revenue the County gives to RTD. It appears there may be an equity issue. Don Mock questioned whether the issue was a discrepancy in numbers or a difference in philosophy. Tom Mayer sees a problem with the method of measurement since RTD measures boardings whereas in Boulder County people travel several miles which reflects greatly on congestion and air quality but doesn’t count as many boardings. Will Toor agrees there has always been a difference in philosophy but it never affected services until RTD had a financial crunch. Chris Berry believes the county has a lot to lose and feels the County should only take their fair share of cuts and should take an aggressive stance to get the issue to the table and agree on numbers.

Options were discussed on how to deal with cuts. One option is to maintain service and make up the shortfall, but that is a short-term solution. The members discussed the draft letter to RTD. Ron Stewart believes a letter to RTD should include reference to all cuts across the County. Valeria Skitt agrees that the Longmont revenue contribution is significant. Tom Mayer mentioned that the problem is RTD’s assertion that Boulder gets more service than they deserve and thinks it would be helpful if the County and RTD could come to some understanding of each other’s criteria. The group was concerned that if Boulder provided the funds to make up the shortfall that is too easy and agreed this option should not be proposed in a Consortium letter. The group also wants to clarify numbers, equity and criteria. Chair Ron Stewart suggested that key staff work with RTD on the numbers. He also went through the draft letter point by point to outline what the Consortium will send to RTD in the next few days. Mark Hamilton moved to approve the letter with the recommended changes. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. A copy is attached.

The Consortium also discussed the possibility of a task force to work on the RTD and other transportation issues. Perhaps hearing could also be held so that all the communities could be involved. Some alternatives on how to structure this will be discussed at the next meeting.

Chris Berry suggested that members e-mail Dickey Lee Hullinghorst with three topics that the Consortium should deal with in the coming year. They can be prioritized at the next meeting. Don Mock mentioned they have performed a study of per capita sales tax revenues in various cities and can provide copies to anyone who is interested. He offered to host the April 2 meeting in Boulder. The meeting was adjourned.