Greeley city council municipal judge and city attorney to receive retroactive pay increase for 2021 and other city council business

By Trenton Sperry

Greeley Municipal Judge Mark Gonzales and City Attorney Doug Marek will receive retroactive pay increases following a vote by the Greeley City Council on Tuesday evening.

The council voted unanimously to extend a recent spate of pay increases to the two officials after the most recent revenue reports gave the council some fiscal wiggle room. Judge Gonzales’ salary will increase 2% to $164,169. Marek’s salary also will increase 2% to $223,915.50. The increases will be retroactive to March of this year.

Spending federal COVID-19 money

Also on the city’s fiscal front, Greeley is for the third time changing how it wants to spend more than $1 million in federal money to combat and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The council voted 7-0 to increase spending by $360,000 to provide services at the new cold-weather shelter and Housing Navigation Center day-use facility. That money will become available by reducing the amount spent on the Bonell personal isolation facility by $135,000 and abandoning plans to purchase the cold-weather shelter, which the city instead opted to rent: The council set aside $225,000 for that effort.

Additionally, the city hasn’t found a way to spend about $420,000 of the federal aid. Plans to purchase a building to be used as multi-family housing fell through when a property identified for that purpose was no longer available, according to city documents. On Tuesday evening, Benjamin Snow, Greeley’s director of economic health and housing, said the city has until September 2023 to spend all of the federal dollars, so there’s still time to come up with some solutions.

Consideration of rezoning a property near NCMC to house a Starbucks

Also on the agenda for the council was a first reading of an ordinance to rezone a long-vacant property at 2000 16th St., just south of North Colorado Medical Center. The location is being pursued as a Starbucks location that will include a drive-thru, which will require a rezoning of the plot from commercial low-intensity to commercial high-intensity.

Councilman Tommy Butler (Ward I) noted during the meeting that the rezoning effort failed to get a recommendation of approval from the Greeley Planning Commission. Members of that body said during a meeting Oct. 26 that the plans were too intense for a spot of land so close to a small neighborhood, in addition to the traffic problems the drive-thru could create so close to a hospital. l. A member of the commission motioned for the plan’s approval, but there was no second.

Councilman Dale Hall (Ward IV), however, noted that the Planning Commission is just an advisory group, and that they lack the ability to “kill” any proposals. Though city staff told the council it was possible for them to kick the rezoning proposal back to the planning commission for further discussion and recommendations, Hall said that would just delay the project for bureaucratic reasons. Ultimately, the council voted unanimously to approve the ordinance’s first reading.

Brainstorming to combat homelessness

As far as new business goes, Butler advocated for a city commission to brainstorm, coordinate and collect feedback on ways to combat homelessness in Greeley, particularly in the downtown area, which Butler represents. Interim City Manager Raymond Lee III said city staff already are preparing something to bring to the city council in a work session. Hall says the last thing he wants is more talk and no action on the matter, however, and that he wants private property owners to have a voice in the conversation. Butler said he appreciates staff’s efforts to bring something to council but that he wants a homelessness commission to remain a possibility.

There were also some resolutions the city passed in favor of pursuing grant funding for various efforts, including affordable housing. They include:

  • A state grant for law enforcement agencies to help provide mental health services to police officers, as well as to support officers in handling people with mental health disorders. There is no requirement in the grant funds for a spending match by the city, but the potential size of the grant funding, should it be awarded, is also unknown.

  • Up to $3 million from a state program approved by the legislature this year to defray the costs of affordable housing projects. Greeley has identified a Habitat for Humanity project already underway which could benefit from a shortened building timeline should the funds be awarded. The city would have to match 20% of the grant funding, though city documents claim “this can be met with currently planned infrastructure supported by the city and also the development project.”

  • A citywide housing assessment, including the possibility of creating “sub-area plans” within “opportunity areas,” in order to boost the availability of affordable housing. This state program also stems from a bill approved by the state legislature this year. It also would require a 20% match of grant funds by the city, up to $62,500. Documents provided by the city indicate this money would come from approved but unspent money in the Community Development budget for this year.

Other council business

Those portions of Tuesday’s meeting represented the most consequential initiatives the council discussed and voted on. Other matters the city addressed:

  • The council proclaimed Nov. 25 to Dec. 10, 2021, as 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. The proclamation notes that Nov. 25 is International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women, and that Dec. 10 is International Human Rights Day. The Zonta Club of Greeley was recognized for its local efforts in this area.

  • Updates to the intergovernmental agreement with the town of Windsor and Weld County regarding the Poudre River Trail Corridor. The municipalities and county, as well as the trail board, realized it had been a while since the language of the agreement was revisited. The council approved the updates unanimously.

  • Raymond Amaya and Bart Smith were appointed to the Citizen Transportation Advisory Board.

  • Dominic Anaya was appointed to the Greeley Art Commission. There is still one seat available on that commission.

  • Cynthia Welsh was reappointed to the Greeley Urban Renewal Authority.

  • Christen DePetron and Robert Brunswig were reappointed to the Historic Preservation Commission.

  • Monica Ramirez was passed over for a spot on the Stormwater Board. The council instead voted to recruit additional applicants for the seat.

  • Greeley Mayor John Gates wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. The NoCo Optimist does, too!

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