HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-09-20 Town Council Minutes• Vail Town Council Evening Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
6:00 P.M.
Vail Town Council Chambers
Council Members present: Rod Slifer, Mayor
Dick Cleveland, Mayor Pro-Tem
Diana Donovan
Kent Logan
Kim Ruotolo
Farrow Hitt
Greg Moffet
Staff Members Present: Stan Zemler, Town Manager
Pam Brandmeyer, Asst. Town Manager
Matt Mire, Town Attorney
The first item on the agenda was Citizen Input. There was no citizen input.
The second item on the agenda was a Construction Update. Public Works Director
Greg Hall provided an overview of construction projects occurring throughout the
community. Updates were provided on streetscape work on Bridge Street, utility work on
East Meadow Drive, streetscape work on Hanson Ranch Road as part of the Tivoli
Lodge construction, and continued progress in LionsHead with construction of the
Arrabelle at Vail Square. Sewer work has been completed at the West Vail roundabout
and a turn lane is under construction on the South Frontage Road for an employee
parking lot at the Vail Resorts maintenance yard (Holy Cross site). Hall said it was
unclear if the contractor for the Four Seasons project would be able to schedule
relocation of the Spraddle Creek culvert any time soon as approvals have not been
completed. Hall said he did not know what impact the delay would have on the project's
overall timetable.
The third item on the agenda was a transfer request for Eagle County Down Payment
Program. With a motion by Moffet and a second by Logan, Council voted 7-0 to
approve a request to transfer $10,000 from the town's buy -down program to the Eagle
County Down Payment Assistance Program. In presenting the request, Vail Housing
Coordinator Nina Timm noted the Eagle County program has helped 34 employees
purchase homes within the Town of Vail. She explained the town's buy -down program is
used to purchase free market housing units in Vail, convert them to deed -restricted units,
then re -sell the units to qualified buyers at a subsidized price. Timm said the town's buy -
down program has previously donated $17,000 to the county fund. The goal is to have
the county loan program be self-sustaining by 2008.
The fourth item on the agenda was Council Contributions. As part of the 2006 budget
process, Council reviewed 42 proposals from 37 organizations requesting funding and/or
in -kind services for next year in the categories of economic, educational, recreation,
arrangements and agreements, and Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT). Introducing the
• discussion Assistant Town Manager Pam Brandmeyer described the criteria used by
staff to evaluate the proposals: 1) Does the request bring people to town? 2) Does it give
guests something to do while they're here? and 3) Does it support them while they're
here? Brandmeyer asked council to provide direction, with additional review to take
place during first reading of the 2006 budget ordinance on 10.04.05, followed by second
reading on 10.18.05. Council then reviewed a worksheet identifying individual funding
recommendations from each member, as well as the town manager, and offered the
following direction for inclusion in the budget proposal:
Economic
Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival/New York Philharmonic, $100,000; Bravo! Vail Valley
Music Festival, $25,000 and 15 Ford Park permits valued at $1,350; TEVA Mountain
Games in -kind valued at $7,640; Vail Jazz Foundation Labor Day Weekend party,
$7,500; Vail Farmers' Market, in -kind services valued at $8,000; Vail Valley Foundation
Birds of Prey, in -kind transportation, $14,000 (contingent on bed base); Vail Valley
Foundation The Session, in -kind parking valued at $3,000; Vail Valley Foundation
American Ski Classic, in -kind parking valued at $3,000; Vail Valley Foundation
Streetbeat Winter Concert Series, $20,000 plus in -kind services valued at $6,500; Vail
Valley Foundation Vail International Dance Festival, $15,000; Vail Valley Foundation Hot
Summer Nights, $25,000 plus in -kind services valued at $2,800; Vail Valley Chamber &
Tourism Bureau Summer Air Guarantee, $10,000; Vail Valley Chamber & Tourism
Bureau Summer Air Administrative costs, TBD; Vail Community Host Program, seven
blue parking passes valued at $4,125; Vail Commission on Special Events, $650,000,
plus in -kind parking valued at $825; and $50,000 as a "placeholder" for economic
Is development/construction mitigation.
Educational
Eagle Valley Alliance for Sustainability, $15,000 "placeholder"; Vail Symposium, use of
Donovan Pavilion through cooperative partnership with Vail Library; Vail Valley
Exchange, $6,000; and Vail Valley Institute, $2,500.
Recreation
Battle Mountain High School Ski Team, up to 500 parking coupons, valued at $2,500;
Battle Mountain Huskies Hockey Booster Club, TBD; Skating Club of Vail, nine days of
ice, valued at $11,891; Ski & Snowboard Club of Vail, four days of ice valued at $5,285;
Snowshoe Shuffle, in -kind parking valued at $4,000; Special Olympics, 80 parking
coupons, valued at $1,280; Vail Junior Hockey Association, TBD; and Vail Valley
Medical Center Luncheon/Style Show, in -kind parking, valued at $4,000.
Arrangements and Agreements
Vail Valley Community Channel 5 operating, $64,000; Vail Valley Community Channel 5
capital improvements, $8,200; Youth Recognition Award, $7,000; Eagle Valley Child
Care, $40,000; and Vail Valley Athlete Commission, $4,750.
0 Real Estate Transfer Tax Fund
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• Vail Memorial Park Endowment Fund, $50,000; Eagle River Watershed, $100,000; Betty
Ford Alpine Garden Foundation operations and maintenance, $50,000; Betty Ford
Alpine Garden Foundation Educational Interpretive Stations in the Main Garden,
$30,000 based on a $70,000 Great Outdoors Colorado grant.
In reviewing the requests, Council members also redirected several proposals to other
funding sources, including requests by the Colorado Ski Museum and the Vail Valley
Chamber & Tourism Bureau (VCBA). Funding proposals for seven programs submitted
by the Vail Chamber and Business Association (VCBA) received the most attention
during the evening with Councilman Farrow Hitt expressing support for a $233,075
VCBA proposal to subsidize free gondola rides in LionsHead to help mitigate
construction impacts. The gondola program was part of a "passport" program
encouraging LionsHead business development. During the public comment period, Craig
Arford of Vail Ski & Bike Tech in LionsHead and Bill Jewitt of Bart & Yeti's shared their
support for the gondola proposal, saying the construction impacts in LionsHead were
taking a toll on the business community's ability to remain viable. While the two
acknowledged no sales tax revenues are derived from activities on the mountain, they
said the passport component of the proposal would generate sales tax elsewhere since
it requires recipients to visit businesses in LionsHead before a free gondola ticket would
be issued. Town Manager Stan Zemler urged caution in Council's evaluation of the
request, noting other businesses in other areas of the community are also being
impacted by construction. He suggested consideration of a mitigation program assisting
businesses across the community. While acknowledging the difficulties experienced by
LionsHead merchants and in lieu of the gondola proposal, Council agreed to set aside
10 $50,000 as a "placeholder" to be used for a yet -to -be identified program to improve the
business climate townwide as a result of the construction impacts. Other VCBA
proposals included $15,347 to fund a booth at the Colorado Snow Sports Expo in 2006;
$41,734 and a blue parking pass to fund the Premier Impressions customer service
recognition program; $14,700 to fund the Vail Gift Card program; $36,740 to fund the
Vail Guide; $8,345 to fund the Vail Loves You Coupon Book; and $11,555 for web site
funding. Kaye Ferry, VCBA Executive Director, was among those who spoke to explain
the value of the VCBA's funding requests. In particular, Ferry explained the perceived
benefits of participating in the Colorado Snow Sports Expo, the positive contributions of
the Premier Impressions program and the subsidy required to produce a comprehensive
guide for Vail that includes the listings of all business license holders. VCBA board
members Marka Brenner and John Cogswell also asked Council to support the
programs. While individual Council members favored contributing reduced amounts to
selected VCBA programs, the consensus of the Council majority was to leave the
requests unfunded unless otherwise resubmitted by the town manager. Other speakers
during the public comment period included Matt Scherr, director of the Eagle Valley
Alliance for Sustainability, Jeanne Reed of Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Jim
Brandmeyer, executive director of the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, and Sybill Navas,
Coordinator for the Vail Commission on Special Events. In addition, Rick Silverman
helped explain regulations related to Title IX during a discussion about a request for ice
time at Dobson Arena for the Battle Mountain Huskies. Silverman also suggested the
town impose an impact fee on developers to help fund programs to assist neighboring
businesses during construction.
The fifth item on the agenda was a Mountain Haus Request to Proceed. With a motion
by Moffet and a second by Ruotolo, the Council voted 7-0 to approve a request by the
Mountain Haus to proceed through the development review process for a new covered
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• entry and removal of the request to alter landscaping on the west elevation of the
existing building within the Town of Vail property surrounding Slifer Square. While
discussing the item, town planner Warren Campbell noted the entry improvements were
contained in a 1998 town approval, but were never completed. Councilmembers added
an amendment to the motion, requiring an easement should the improvements be
approved. Diana Donovan expressed frustration with the applicant for cutting trees,
calling the unapproved action "unforgivable."
The sixth item on the agenda was a Emergency Ordinance Setting Ballot Language for
Amendment to Vail Home Rule Charter, re: Vail Municipal Court Jurisdiction. Following
a motion by Moffet and a second by Cleveland, Council voted 7-0 to approve an
emergency ordinance to submit a Town of Vail Charter amendment to Vail voters at the
11.08.05 election. Town Attorney Matt Mire explained the ballot question was prepared
to address a recent Colorado Supreme Court case requiring Home Rule cities with
charter language similar to Vail's to use their municipal courts to handle zoning and land
use appeals. Due to the lack of appropriate resources, Mire noted the Eagle County
District Court has historically presided over such cases rather than the Vail Municipal
Court. The Charter Amendment, he said, would formalize the existing practice. The
ballot will read as follows: SHALL THE HOME RULE CHARTER OF THE TOWN OF
VAIL, COLORADO, BE AMENDED TO ELMINATE THE EXCLUSIVITY OF THE VAIL
MUNICIPAL COURT'S JURISDICTION OF ALL CASES ARISING UNDER THE
ORDINANCES OF THE TOWN? Due to its emergency status, the ordinance required an
affirmative vote from at least five of the seven Council members.
The seventh item on the agenda was a birthday recognition. Mayor Slifer interrupted
the meeting to ask those in the room to join him in wishing Kim Ruotolo a happy
birthday.
The eighth item on the agenda was an authorization of Town of Vail Matching Employee
Financial Contribution to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts.
With a motion by Moffet and a second by Cleveland, Council voted 7-0 to authorize an
expenditure of $3,500.50 from Council Contingency funds to match an equal amount of
dollars raised by town employees to be donated to the American Red Cross for
Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Council made a finding that providing matching funds is
for the public purpose of intergovernmental cooperation and assisting with the cost of
providing food, shelter, clothing and other necessities for the victims of Hurricane Katrina
in Colorado and elsewhere in the U.S.
The ninth item on the agenda was the Town Manager's Report.
• Pine Beetle Mitigation on Upper Bench of Donovan Park
Stan Zemler provided an update on the town's forest health program, which included
cutting pine beetle -infested trees on a 29-acre town -owned parcel above Donovan
Park. The work will also involve cutting of some aspen stands in an overall effort to
help rejuvenate the forest and reduce the fire danger.
• Holy Cross Easement
Following a motion by Moffet and a second by Ruotolo, Council voted 7-0 to grant an
easement to Holy Cross Energy for an underground electric transmission line in the
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• area of the Vail Associates snowmaking pump station and to allow the town manager
to execute the easement/agreement. The action follows previous approval of an
easement for the same area which was granted to Vail Resorts. However, in
explaining the need for a new easement agreement, Town Attorney Matt Mire
indicated the utility company preferred to take the easement directly from the Town
of Vail rather than Vail Resorts.
The tenth item on the agenda was Adjournment. Moffet moved with Ruotolo seconding
a motion to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously, 7-0 at approximately 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
ATTEST:
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Town Clerk
Minutes provided by Corey Swisher.
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Rodney E. Slifer, Mayor
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