HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 03/25/2025 PUBLIC HEARING
March 25, 2025
Present: Jeanne McQueeney Chairman
Tom Boyd Commissioner
Matt Scherr Commissioner
Jeff Shroll County Manager
Jill Klosterman Chief Financial Officer
Ben Morris Senior Assistant County Attorney
Kathy Scriver Deputy Clerk to the Board
This being a scheduled Public Hearing,the following items were presented to the Board of County
Commissioners for their consideration:
Constituent Input
Chairman McQueeney opened and closed constituent input, as there was none.
Commissioner Updates
Commissioner Scherr had no updates.
Commissioner Boyd had no updates.
Chairman McQueeney had no updates.
County Manager Updates
Jeff Shroll stated that he had no updates.
Consent Agenda
1. Resolution 2025-029 of Approval for VIS-009472-2024 117 Diamond Star Ranch Variance from Improvement
Standards.
Julie Pranger,Engineering
2. Second Amendment to Agreement between Eagle County and Schmueser Gordon Meyer, Inc. d/b/a SGM,Inc,
for Construction Administration Services for the Eagle County Building Geothermal Project.
Ron Siebert,Facilities
Commissioner Boyd moved to approve the Consent Agenda for March 25,2025, as presented.
Commissioner Scherr seconded the motion. The vote was declared unanimous.
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Business Item(s)
1. Resolution 2025-030 Concerning Appointments to the E911 Telephone Service Authority Board
Beth Dobranky, 911 Citizen Board
Executive Summary: Requesting approval for the 2025 911 Board Member appointment for March 2025.
Reappointment of Mark Novak and appointment of Brandon Daruna to replace James Bradford who is choosing to
step down.
Beth Dobransky with the Sheriffs Office presented the resolution.
Commissioner Scherr moved to approve the Resolution Concerning Appointments to the E911 Telephone
Service Authority Board.
Commissioner Boyd seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous.
2.Agreement between Eagle County and Community Office for Resource Efficiency dba CORE for Energy
Services for Eagle County Residents in the Roaring Fork Valley
John Gitchell, Resiliency
Executive Summary: This agreement between Eagle County and the Community Office for Resource Efficiency
(CORE) is for administering the Energy Smart Colorado and ReEnergize Eagle County programs for the benefit of
Eagle County residents and businesses located in the Roaring Fork Valley. The services detailed in this agreement
support Eagle County's strategic goal of reducing community greenhouse gas emissions while also reducing energy
cost for low-and moderate-income households.
John Gitchell, Climate Action Manager with Eagle County, stated that this was an agreement with a
Community Office for Resource Efficiency d/b/a CORE. The Community Office for Resource Efficiency(CORE)
has been operating for 30 years,assisting Eagle County residents in the Roaring Fork Valley with energy efficiency
improvements. The new agreement expands services for income-qualified households in the Eagle County portion
of the Roaring Fork Valley and initiates a new program to assist large building owners. He introduced Tara
Stitzlein, Chief of Staff with CORE,to provide background and additional program details.
Ms. Stitzlein presented on the background and history of the CORE program. CORE has been dedicated to
reducing emissions in industry-leading projects, administering over$20 million in grants and rebates over the past
30 years. It has invested in the community through support for more than 6,000 energy efficiency projects and
offers home energy assessments as part of Energy Smart Colorado. Looking ahead to 2025,CORE anticipates
significant growth, supported by local government and increased revenue,and seeks innovative partnerships with
government and utilities.
Mr. Gitchell believed it was important to state that CORE had hired a professional mechanical engineer
onto their staff to assist with larger commercial buildings.
Ms. Stitzlein stated that they were continuing to recruit project managers, also with an engineering
background. She showed a breakdown of their funding request, listing the amounts for each program.
Mr. Gitchell requested approval of the agreement and noted that the funds were in the budget.
Commissioner McQueeney asked how it was funded.
Mr. Gitchell stated that the funds were out of the General Fund through the Resiliency Department.
Commissioner Scherr believed CORE was one of the first to address greenhouse gas emissions and
mitigation and had been a leader in the Nation. He asked about the heat pumps and having the capacity to do the
work.
Ms. Stitzlein stated that in 2024,they attempted to foster close relationships with contractors and vendors.
Some were more enthusiastic about installing heat pumps than others.
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Commissioner Boyd wondered from Ms. Stitzlein's perspective if the counties and municipalities were in
alignment with one another.
Ms. Stitzlein stated that they had tried to streamline on the CORE side as far as incentives and offerings across
communities and counties. Code alignment was also important in the construction process.
Commissioner Scherr believed the program was of tremendous value to homeowners and mentioned that
the Town of Avon was holding its Net Zero Building Expo on April 18.
Commissioner Boyd moved to approve the Agreement between Eagle County and Community Office for
Resource Efficiency dba CORE for Energy Services for Eagle County Residents in the Roaring Fork Valley.
Commissioner Scherr seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous.
3. Resolution 2025-031 Adopting a 2nd Supplementary Budget and Appropriation of Unanticipated Revenues for
Fiscal Year 2025, and Authorizing the Transfer of Budgeted and Appropriated Monies Between Various Spending
Agencies
Anna Earl,Finance
Executive Summary: Public notice will be completed by March 20th, and the review and request for these
additional appropriations will be made in the March 25th,2025 public meeting.
Jill Klosterman,Eagle County CFO,provided an update on the 2024 year-end financials. With auditors
scheduled to arrive in two weeks,Klosterman anticipates closing the year approximately$80 million above the
budgeted amount. This would result in a fund balance of about$277,181,243,with$31 million carried forward
into the 2025 budget. The Eagle County Commons project, although budgeted for 2024,was not completed by
year's end and will not be included in the final budget. However, some ongoing projects will be reflected in
carryforward amounts. She acknowledged the complexities of managing the General Fund budget,with 35
departments overseeing 35 separate budgets. She emphasized the legal requirement to stay within appropriated
spending limits and expressed hope that new budget software would improve departmental budget management.
Anna Earl,Director of Finance,presented the 2nd supplementary budget. The summary included some
very large projects, such as the GEO Thermal Project and the Eagle County Commons Building in Edwards. In
collaboration with various departments, she assessed new requests and carryforwards to identify potential savings
within their existing budgets. The provided background materials offered a thorough explanation of each request.
Fund Name Department Project/Request Name Total Revenue Total Expenses
1001 -General Fund Finance Transfer into the ClFund $ 500,000
Resiliency Dept. Energy Smart Colorado $461,348 $443,864
1001 -General Fund Total $461,348 $ 943,864
1160-Airport Airport Snow Removal Equipment Building $ 150,000
Approach Procedure Maintenance $40,000
Northside Airport Parking Lot Paving $ 60,000
Wayfinding Study $ 10,000
1160-Airport Total $260,000
1200 -Public Health Public Health and Environment
United Way Funds for Healthy Aging Volunteers $ 10,000 $ 10,000
1200 -Public Health Total $ 10,000 $ 10,000
1210 -Mental Health Finance Marijuana Tax Revenue Reduction $(50,000)
1210 -Mental Health Total $(50,000)
1220 -Lodging Tax Admin. Lodging Tax Marketing Committee $ 35,082
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1220-Lodging Tax Total $ 35,082
1401 -Housing Operations Homeless Services $ 331,187 $441,583
1401 -Housing Operations Total $331,187 $441,583 •
2150-Capital Improvements Engineering South El Jebel Road Construction Project $45,000
Facilities Geothermal Project Eagle County Main Campus $ 5,000,000
Finance Transfer into the Capital Improv Fund $ 500,000
2150-Capital Improvements Total $ 500,000 $ 5,045,000
3600-Solid Waste&Recycling Solid Waste and Recycling Landfill Emissions Testing $ 60,000
Ute Creek Road Overlay $ 100,000
3600-Solid Waste&Recycling Total $ 160,000
3670 -Eagle County Housing and Development Authority
Housing Colorado Mountain College Building#2 Purchase $ 2,800,000
Eagle County Loan Fund contribution $ 250,000
3670-Eagle County Housing and Development Authority Total $2,800,000 $ 250,000
Grand Total $4,052,535 $ 7,145,529
Commissioner Scherr moved to approve the Adoption of the 2nd Supplementary Budget and
Appropriation of Unanticipated Revenues for Fiscal Year 2025, and Authorizing the Transfer of Budgeted and
Appropriated Monies Between Various Spending Agencies.
Commissioner Boyd seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous.
Public Hearing - Eagle County Room
1. Planning File No. SD-009518-2025,Early Childhood Development Service District
Trent Hyatt, Community Development
Executive Summary: This time is reserved for a public hearing pursuant to C.R.S. §§ 32-1-203-204; 32-21-107
for presentation of public testimony and evidence regarding whether the service district service plan filed
February 14, 2025 in furtherance of formation of the Confluence Early Childhood Development Service District
(the"Plan") should be approved. The Plan seeks formation of a new Title 32 service district focused on
facilitation of access to and delivery of early childhood education and development services. This district would
be regional in scope, including all of Pitkin and Garfield Counties, and the southwest corner of Eagle County. If
the Plan is approved by all three counties' boards of county commissioners, and later approved by the courts,the
matter of whether this district should be created would then go to the voters in an election.
Chairman McQueeney stated that she had known about the proposal to create a special early childhood
district for years and understood the concept,but the details were unclear to her until she read the application.
She also stated that nothing she knew or had been told about the proposal would influence her decision.
Commissioner Boyd shared a similar statement. He believed he could be fair and neutral on the matter.
Commissioner Scherr concurred with Commissioner Boyd's comments and remained neutral.
Trent Hyatt from Community Development reviewed the Confluence Early Childhood Education
Coalition(CECE)application for creating a special district that supports childhood development. He noted that
the application pertains to 123,921 acres within the Roaring Fork School District in Eagle County and that
identical service plans were filed in Garfield and Pitkin Counties. State statutes outline the applicable standards
and procedures for the creation of such a district.
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Maggie Tiscorniz, director of the Confluence Early Childhood Development Service District,reviewed
the proposed Service Plan for a new early childhood development special district. Authorized by the legislature in
2019,this would be the first such district in the state. The district's goal is to address gaps in services by providing
subsidies to help families pay for early care tuition and grants for outreach and administrative costs. Funding for
the district would be contingent upon voter approval of a.25% sales tax. An elected 5-member board of directors,
each of whom would represent a specific area of the district. Community support for the initiative has been strong
and growing. Upon filing the service plan, a$500 fee was submitted,as a non-profit coalition,they respectfully
requested that the fee be waived.
Tom McCauley from Aspen Valley Hospital voiced his support for the special district due to the financial
strain and lack of services in the community. He noted that many community members are employed by his
business, and emphasized that early childhood programs are important for workforce retention. He urged the
board to vote yes.
Nate Bruggeman,Recht Kornfeld PC,reviewed the mandatory legal requirements in C.R.S. 32-1-203 and
the criteria identified in the state statute. He stated that creating the proposed special district would be in the best
interests of the area it would serve. While the service plan provides a framework,the elected officials would be
responsible for decisions about the district's operations. The drafted plan allows for flexibility.
Comm Scherr asked if the District could construct, own, or operate a facility.
Mr. Bruggeman stated that it would be up to the elected board of directors to make the decision.
Commissioner Scherr asked about the tax exemptions.
Mr. Bruggeman explained that state law specifies what is exempt.
Kelly Esch from the Early Childhood Network spoke. She expressed her excitement about being present
to support the special district and discussed the landscape of Early Childhood in the Parachute to Aspen region.
The data showed that childhood care was both unaffordable and in short supply. She emphasized that childhood
care was a necessity, and that most families required two incomes to afford it. As an advocate, she expressed
enthusiasm for the proposal and asked the board to approve the plan.
Valerie Carlin of the Aspen Community Foundation reviewed the mandatory requirements, discretionary
criteria,and data. The special district proposes a .25%sales tax that would generate approximately$10 million
annually. This revenue would help to offset the$17,000 annual tuition cost for 3,072 children. Currently,
statewide resources total$6.5 million. Ideally, families would contribute 7%of their household income towards
tuition costs. If the service plan is passed,up to $10 million of the funding gap would be filled.
Commissioner Scherr asked if the resources were subject to reduction in the future.
Ms. Carlin stated that the discretion could be if the city decides to allocate more to housing and less to
childcare.
Chairman McQueeney asked about the possibility of losing the funding from the Colorado Child Care
Assistance Program(CCAP).
Ms. Carlin acknowledged the uncertainty and expressed that their goal for year 2 was to anticipate a more
typical operating year. In that year,the anticipated allocation of funds would be 93%for program operations, 5%
for short-term expenditures, and 2%for legally required items.
Hannah Berman,representing Aspen One, analyzed both the community's interest and the discretionary
criteria for the area. Her extensive work in philanthropy and community programs provided valuable insight.
Berman's review of existing services revealed inadequate resources and support,particularly in early childhood
development. The demand for such services was evident, and the proposed special district offered a solution by
providing much-needed resources.
Ben Morris,Assistant County Attorney, asked that the board accept the revised presentation as evidence
for the hearing.
Commissioner Scherr moved to have the revised presentation accepted into the record.
Commissioner Boyd seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous.
Trent Hyatt presented the staffs findings and stated that the application identified the current needs and
service gaps. He confirmed that a public notice had been issued prior to the public hearing, although mailing
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notices and posting signs were not mandatory. To date, one letter of support has been received. Staff confirmed
that the application met the relevant requirements of C.R.S. Title 32 for creating an Early Childhood
Development Service District, and staff recommended approval.
Chairman McQueeney noted that on slide 7,the staffs summary of the proposal differed slightly from the
applicant's. The language included disadvantaged and vulnerable children, and the applicant just used the term"
children.
Mr. Hyatt stated that the language was identified from the service plan.
Chairman McQueeney opened public comment.
Kylie Urban, a nine-year resident of the Roaring Fork Valley, spoke about her residency and work with
Aspen One. Urban,who lives at 64 Deer Run in El Jebel, is a parent and has experienced the challenges of
accessing childcare in the community. The CECE's proposed plan will help ensure that all families have access to
affordable,high-quality childcare. She supported this plan because childcare costs were second only to her
mortgage.
Carbondale resident Rob Stein, a lifelong educator with a growing appreciation for the importance of
early childhood education,expressed his strong support for the proposed special district and service plan. He
emphasized that the early childhood years are crucial for development and lay the foundation for future success,
citing scientific research to support his claims. He highlighted two key aspects of the proposal: first, it empowers
families to choose the program that best suits their child's needs; second,it includes funding to support the
recruitment and retention of educators.
Rob Pew of Woody Creek spoke. He had been part of the Coalition since 2017 and respectfully requested
support for the service plan. If approved, the Service District would provide significant benefits for children,
working parents, employees,and the community at large. The service plan presented to the board was a result of
countless conversations with parents and early childhood educators. To date,they'd collected endorsements from
dozens of community organizations.
The Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Council's director, Stacy Petty, a resident of Leadville,expressed
her pleasure in being part of the Coalition and voiced her support for the Early Childhood Special District
proposal. She believed the proposed Special District would create a new and sustainable public funding stream to
benefit the community's young children and families.
Lenay Hansen, a consultant for the applicant, spoke in support of the proposal. She stated that the current
funding and services were inadequate to meet the existing need,resulting in a gap in services. Ms. Hansen
asserted that this proposal would be in the best interest of the area and offered to answer any challenging
questions.
Chairman McQueeney closed public comment.
Commissioner McQueeney asked who would conduct the election and if it was a coordinated effort.
Mr. Bruggeman stated that the Garfield County Clerk&Recorder would be the coordinating official.
Commissioner Scherr asked if any polling would be done before the election.
Ms. Hansen stated that they would go out and poll again in the spring or summer.
Commissioner Scherr determined that the application met the standards and need. He expressed
confidence in the District's ability to provide service within its boundaries. Regarding the waiver,he believed it
aligned with the county's support for early childcare, and therefore supported waiving the filing fee.
Commissioner Boyd agreed. He was grateful that the applicant understood the process. He believed that
this was worthy of going to voters and was in support of a motion to waive the filing fee.
Chairman McQueeney supported the application and believed it met the standards. She thought the
applicant had sufficiently demonstrated the "need" standard. McQueeney was in favor of waiving the$500 filing
fee and forwarding the application to voters. She stated that positive polling results were crucial for the
community to understand and support the need.
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Commissioner Boyd moved to approve File No. SD-009518-2 Confluence Early Childhood
Development Service District, incorporating staff findings, as the Application complies with the requirements for
the creation of a C.R.S. Title 32 Early Childhood Development Service District, and hereby direct staff to draft a
resolution for approval of the same as required by C.R.S. §§ 32-1-204(4), and 32-1-205. After approval of such
resolution,the same shall be issued to the applicant within twenty(20)days of today and to waive the $500 filing
'fee.
Commissioner Scherr seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous.
Work Session(s) - Eagle County Room
1. Colorado State University Extension in Eagle County Update
There being no further busi • 'IA oard, the meeting was adjourned until April 1,2025.
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Attest: lig �Olosao yryloGut_,,,,
Clerk to the Board Chairman 0
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