Members Present: Doug Brown, City of Longmont; Clark Griep, City and County of Broomfield; Mark Hamilton, Town of Superior; Ken Lenarcic, Town of Jamestown; Mark Ruzzin, City of Boulder; Ron Stewart, Boulder County; Dickey Lee Hullinghorst and Sheree Stroud, Staff

Clark Griep, City and County of Broomfield, reported that there will more development along SH 7 and I-25. The NW Parkway has been open for several months and is doing well. They have created a Solid Waste Task Force that will study consolidating waste hauling and recycling.

Mark Hamilton, Town of Superior, said that the biggest activity has been the final transition of taking over the Metropolitan District. Their recent election included a lot of citizen involvement. They hoped that plans for the McCaslin Interchange were near but now the project needs to go through DRCOG to meet federal requirements. They are in the final phase of completing the Superior Marketplace.

Mark Ruzzin, City of Boulder, told members that the November election resulted in five new council members. It’s a great group and they are coming together well. The council set five goals – Transportation, Environment, Economic Vitality, Community Sustainability, and Housing. Crossroads will be redeveloped as 29^th Street. The council plans to look at water rates as they anticipate that as an issue this summer. There are also a lot of downtown projects nearing completion. Mr. Ruzzin suggested a discussion of West Nile Virus at the next meeting. Boulder will be taking an aggressive stance on larvicide in hopes of avoiding spraying.

Doug Brown, City of Longmont, thanked Boulder County for their help in creating a buffer to the east. City revenue is up in the last few months. Council is starting on a work plan and Main Street revitalization will be a major topic along with a Transit Plan that would work in conjunction with FasTracks if it passes. They will also work on an anti-graffiti plan and a new water plant.

Ken Lenarcic, Town of Jamestown, reported that after last year’s Overland Fire, they have reached an agreement with the county and fire services to implement the aerial spraying of straw. Their election passed a 6.7 mil levy increase for fire safety projects and eliminated term limits. The Board includes two new Trustees.

Don Brown, City of Louisville, said they are moving forward with the overpass over the NW Parkway and are working with Superior on the McCaslin Interchange. The new police department will open in May or June.

Ron Stewart, Boulder County, reported that the Worthy Cause sales tax ballot issue passed last fall and this will allow smaller non-profits to apply for funds for capital projects. An RFP will be issued. Another ballot issue that passed will add 70 new beds to the jail. The county and various municipalities will receive the MetroVision Award for the Super IGA. The Board appointed a new Social Services Director, Paula McKey. This is a large department that has an impact on the entire community. The county is pleased that Lyons has decided to have the Boulder County Housing Authority build a 12-unit senior project. The county has been working on budget cut issues, especially in the human services area. They aren’t as severe as they would have been without the significant efforts made at the legislature. There are several regional transportation projects underway including the expansion of Valmont Road East. A pedestrian underpass at 79^th and SH 52 will eventually be a significant link in a Longmont/Boulder trail system.

Mark Hamilton moved to approve the August 6, 2003, minutes. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Ken Lenarcic noted that the application is directly related to the Overland Fire. The funds will be used to purchase a fire apparatus and is part of an overall plan to update the Jamestown Fire Department. According to the criteria, the proposal rates high regarding both direct and indirect energy/mineral impacts. The area within and around the town was heavily mined and the miners built many roads and trails. This has caused erosion and watershed patterns that affected reforestation. The reforestation is thicker than what would be expected without mining and cause the area to be at greater risk for wildfire. The application rated very high in need. Jamestown has always relied on a volunteer fire department and donations of old equipment from other fire departments. Last year’s Overland Fire proved the need for more updated equipment and training. They also rated high in their inability to fund the acquisition without assistance. They have passed a 6.7 mil property tax levy. Part of this funding will go toward 15-year loan payments for this equipment that demonstrates a strong local commitment. Don Brown moved to recommend approval of this application. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Deanne Butterfield, Boulder County Civic Forum, said her group has identified affordable housing as a critical issue from the beginning. When you consider median incomes, Boulder County looks strong. But, the distribution of income is skewed with many households above the national average median income and many households with less than one-fifth of the national average. The median housing cost is above $300,000. Many residents pay more than 40% of their income on housing; the recommended percentage is 30% or less. This holds true for both homeowners and renters. Even median income households cannot afford the median priced home which would be $230,000. There are few homes for sale in this price range. Many representatives from various housing organizations were present at the meeting, including Kevin Marchman, Executive Director of Boulder County Housing Authority; John Pollak, Director of Housing and Human Services, Boulder, and Cindy Brown, Co-Executive Director of Boulder Housing Partners; Kathy Fedler, CDBG and Affordable Housing Programs, Longmont; Kathy McCormick, Rees Consulting on behalf of Lafayette; Sheri Marsella, Councilmember, City of Louisville, and Aaron Miripol, Executive Director, Thistle Community Housing. Each gave an overview of the services and programs in place in their jurisdiction for affordable housing.

Deanne Butterfield told the Consortium there is good cooperation between the various entities, but there are still gaps in terms of having an umbrella for all of the entities. She suggested that the Consortium might want to consider sponsoring a needs assessment. Longmont and Boulder have already collected data but other areas of the county have not. Once data is collected and analyzed, policy gaps can be studied. The housing agencies will come back to the Consortium with an outline of suggested steps in terms of research and dialogue. Don Brown said this was a tremendous opportunity for collaboration and if the experts can define primary objectives, then elected officials can join in. Doug Brown suggests the Consortium also look at social and economic issues, i.e. why isn’t income keeping up with housing? Commissioner Stewart asked the group to report back at the next meeting.

The next meeting will be June 2. A suggested topic was West Nile Virus.