The Buena Vista (BV) Board of Trustees (BOT) ran a fast-paced meeting Tuesday, January 9 with a packed agenda. From certifying the town’s mill levy to swearing in a new police officer, this is a breakdown of the evening’s outcomes.
The agenda included a variety of business items to start off 2024. All were unanimously approved by the Board.
Mill Levy Certification and Ballot Question on Publishing Ordinances in the Newspaper
The Board approved the mill levy certification of property taxes to Chaffee County for the 2024 budget. The town will levy a tax of 9.034 mills with a temporary rate reduction of 4.327 mills and an abatement credit of 0.001 for a total levy of 4.708 mills upon each dollar of the total valuation of taxable property within the Town.
Local taxpayers can expect to see about a seven percent increase from last year for their property taxes explained Town Treasurer Phillip Puckett.
The ballot language has been approved to ask the public whether the town can publish ordinances by title only rather than requiring the publishing of the full text in the local newspaper.
According to Town Clerk Paula Bartlett, in 2023, nineteen ordinances were published in the Chaffee County Times. The total publishing cost was $4,863 with an average cost per ordinance of $255.
The estimated cost of publishing the same number of ordinances by title only is $345 with an average cost of just over $18 per ordinance. A full breakdown of costs is available in the BOT meeting packet beginning on page 131.
Trustee Sue Cobb suggested expanding the language for the ballot question to clarify that the full ordinance would be available on the town’s website. The new ballot question will read: “To save the Town of Buena Vista significant publication costs, and provided the full language of ordinances is available on the town website, shall the Town of Buena Vista be authorized to publish its ordinances by title only, rather than publishing its ordinances in full?”
This will be included as a ballot question during the upcoming April 2024 Buena Vista municipal election.
Topside Business Park Annexation Takes Next Step
The BOT found the language of the petition for the Topside Business Park annexation to be in substantial compliance and set the public hearing for February 27. Dormie Capital Partners Founder and Principal Matt Call and Homestead Project Manager Brandon Sockwell, who is assisting with Topside business park, spoke during public comment about the project.
Sockwell cited fiscal benefits to the community, claiming $19 million in net taxable values over the next decade, while Call focused on why they hoped to build in Buena Vista.
“We love BV. We love how it captures the quintessential kind of mountain vibe of the Colorado high country,” said Call. He continued to explain that they turned to building in BV due to the existence of a “qualified opportunity zone.”
This federal incentive program encourages long-term private investment, but it expires at the end of 2026, so the clock is ticking to take advantage of it.
Call said they intend to be involved on the project for at least ten years to ensure the quality of the project.
The Topside Business Park is a 30-acre development that would be located just south of Antero Circle in Buena Vista. More information about the plans is available in the October, 10 2023 BOT meeting packet here, beginning with the memo on Page 3.
Topside Business Park development location. Image from Page 10 of the October 10, 2023 BV BOT meeting packet.
New BVPD Officer Takes Oath and January 2024 Declared General Aviation Month
At the start of the BOT meeting, Buena Vista Police Department (BVPD) Chief Dean Morgan read the Oath of Office to new Police Officer Meghan Schoonover. Schoonover’s family was in attendance as she accepted her badge and swore to protect the citizens of Buena Vista.
Schoonover recently graduated from the Pikes Peak State College Law Enforcement Academy.
After the new officer took the oath, Mayor Libby Fay read a proclamation declaring that January 2024 be known as General Aviation Appreciation Month.
Colorado aerobatic pilot Dagmar Kress in her Pitts S-2C appeared at the Salida Airport Air Fair Saturday, June 26, 2021. Courtesy photo.
“General aviation not only supports Colorado’s economy, it improves overall quality of life by supporting emergency medical and healthcare services, law enforcement, firefighting, disaster relief, investments in sustainable fuels and technologies, and investments in innovative experimental technology like Vertical Takeoff and Landing vehicles, and by transporting business travelers to their destinations quickly and safely,” read Fay.
The proclamation continued, “The United States faces a shortage of aviation professionals; leaders should invest in this critical infrastructure to ensure future economic growth and our next generation of aviation professionals and pilots.”
Executive Session and Direction to Bring 50 Acre-Feet Deal to Next BOT Meeting
The BOT held an hour-long executive session to discuss an agreement with the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District (UAWCD) to acquire fifty acre-feet of water for town use. Water access has been a crucial topic with the BOT throughout 2023 and will continue to be considered in the new year.
At the conclusion of the executive session, the Board reconvened and unanimously approved bringing forward the agreement with UAWCD for discussion at the upcoming BOT meeting on January, 22.
Other Business Items
The Board approved an extension request to push out the deadline for Phase 3 of the South Main Planned Unit Development (PUD). South Main Development Project Manager JJ Kinsfather submitted the request after the development missed the deadline for Phase 3, citing a lack of workers as the reason for Phase 2’s delay.
The BOT also approved applying for a Colorado Tree Coalition (CTC) grant to renew tree plotter software. The grant would provide $2,000 for the TreePlotter Inventory software, whose license is set to expire this coming June. According to Public Works Director Shawn Williams, this would be the third CTC grant the Town has applied for, and both previous application were awarded.
Fire Marshal Kira Jones updated the BOT on the Chaffee Fire Protection District (CCFPD), which is down to their final three candidates for fire chief. They hope to have someone hired and in place by the end of February.
The BOT approved an ordinance to amend Chapter 7, Article VIII of the Buena Vista Municipal Code concerning open fires and open burning. This will update the language in the code to remove reference to the disbanded Buena Vista Fire Department and provide more consistency with the Chaffee County Fire Protection District. The ordinance was drafted with considerable input from Jones.
Consent Agenda and Staff Reports
The consent agenda was unanimously approved. It included minutes from the December 12 BOT, November 2 Beautification Advisory Board, December 5 Trails Advisory Board, and November 1 Planning and Zoning meetings.
The following items were approved as part of the consent agenda:
- December Treasurer Report.
- The Transformational Affordable Housing Grant (TAHG) program grant agreement to fund public improvements to the childcare parcel at Carbonate Street.
- The State of Colorado grant agreement for State and Local Fiscal Recover Funds (SLFRF) to cover infrastructure for the Carbonate Street Apartments project, the Subrecipient agreement between the Town and Carbonate Street Apartments, and the subordinate deed of trust.
- The Gates Family Foundation Grant Agreement for the Carbonate Street childcare core and shell construction project.
- Designation of the place for posting notices on the meetings of the Board of Trustees, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Town Advisory Board.
- Appointing Christopher Sturm as a regular voting member of the Water Advisory Board.
- Reappointing Blake Bennetts and Tony LaGreca as regular voting members and appointing Thomas Brown as a regular voting member of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Staff reports were delivered by Police Chief Dean Morgan, Planning Director Joel Benson, and Public Works Director Shawn Williams.
All 2024 agendas with packet links will be available on the Town’s website here.
The full recording of Tuesday’s meeting is available on the Town of Buena Vista’s YouTube account.
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