Aug 172013
 

The Council of Greenwood Village is generally a jolly group. At meetings, they poke fun at one another, and are always relaxed with staff and citizen representatives. Nothing is ever taken too seriously, even when conflict among the council arises.

Until you try and cross them.

At the most recent council meeting, three representatives from Excel Energy discussed recent power outages at the Village Shops at the Landmark. The company attempted to describe their system for checking their power systems. In a very confusing and roundabout way, the representatives basically said that a power system must have the same failure twice in the same 12 month year, two years in a row in order to be deserving of the company’s attention. And although the Landmark has experienced two power outages within the same year, because the system hasn’t failed in the same capacity both times, it will not be examined by Excel.

This was obviously very concerning to the Council, as any revenue lost by the Village Shops is revenue lost by the city. Yet Excel’s lack of concern over these power outages only demonstrate the dangers of having a “controlled monopoly,” like that held by the by Excel. If this were any other business, the council could simply switch providers (if your internet continually failed, you could easily choose to switch to a different company). But the Council doesn’t have that option. They must do business with Excel, even though their service is poor, and their preventative measures lacking.

Even a controlled monopoly must raise their customer service levels to a basic standard. And continual power outages do not meet that standard.

  •  Posted by on August 17, 2013 at 4:17 pm
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Jul 312013
 

Brett ManeyCities, like businesses, need a source of revenue in order to continue to function. Services like street sweeping, park maintenance, and capital improvement are all products of the revenue produced by the city. Whereas the profits of businesses come from consumers and clients, the revenue of a city comes from its taxes. The tax dollars payed by the commercial and residential constituents of Greenwood Village fund both the operating budget of the city, as well as the capital improvement budget.

It was the capital improvement budget (CIB) that was the focus of Monday night’s meeting. The Council needed to decide which projects needed funding, and in order to do so, was provided some background information about the city’s finances. The outlook given to the council was grim. Given the council’s current capital commitments in combination with its planned capital projects, the CIB would run out of funds just a few years down the road. This news set the tone for the rest of the meeting, with all council members mindful of  Greenwood Village’s slow economic recovery. As discussion shifted to the installation of a new turf field for a local park, the council members carefully weighed the pros and cons of the pricey investment.

After the 2008 crash, economic recovery is slow, not just in the Village, but around the country. Commercial growth is still slow, despite the slight improvements in the market. With the majority of the funds for the CIB coming from commercial sales tax, the council must remember that the Village has a largely commercial based economy. It might be time for the council to drop some of the less important projects, in order to save the budget.

  •  Posted by on July 31, 2013 at 9:04 am
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Jul 052013
 

Before the most recent City Council study session, a special meeting was called to discuss a citizen complaint about the traffic violations on Clarkson Street. At the meeting were Councilmembers Presley and Rose, as well as the Director of Public Works, the Manager in charge of traffic, along with the Greenwood Village Police Chief and Sergeant. The complaint came from a group of citizens concerned about the speed at which people (Littleton High School students specifically) drive through the neighborhood.

Clarkson connects Belleview to Littleton Boulevard, and as such, it is used constantly by LHS students coming from Denver. And while the
Already, the city has placed two radar signs in both the north and southbound directions. These signs have proven effective; they have lowered the average speed of drivers on Clarkson by 3 miles per hour. What’s more, the street also has numerous roundabouts as well as an increased police presence, all which help to slow any potential speeding. Greenwood Village Police have, in the past, worked with the Village council and staff to appease the concerns of Clarkson residents, a recent influx of complaints have the police taking a second look at the street.

Yet the residents of Clarkson are still concerned over the average speed of the cars. Citizens have requested speed bumps be added to further slow drivers. But the complexity of the street makes the next action of the Village complicated. Not all of the houses lining Clarkson are Greenwood Village residents. Englewood, Littleton, and some unincorporated properties would be affected by the addition of speed bumps to the road. In addition, officers remarked that a seeming equal number of citizens have expressed the opinion that in fact, too much is being done to slow drivers. The divide between citizens has police and Public Works concerned that any further action could come as an unwanted intrusion. The councilors decided that a public forum would be the best next step, and will hopefully be held before school starts again in the fall.

  •  Posted by on July 5, 2013 at 3:39 pm
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Jun 202013
 

The meeting on June 17th was not a formal City Council meeting. Instead, it was a study session, designed so that the Council members can have a better understanding of the issues and people which they govern. Nothing is voted on. It is merely a chance for the Council to learn and debate problems that arise in the Village.

One of the issues the Council learned about was the Village’s control of traffic, specifically around the Tech Center and in school zones. Public Works has slowly integrated new traffic light systems throughout the Village, in order to make traffic run more smoothly and safely. As the Tech Center employs around 35,000 people, the Council was concerned with getting these people to and from work in a timely manner. By sending around an ever increasingly specific survey (which is sent around every 4 years) the Council and Public Works are able to hear from their constituents about which areas and which intersections cause the most problems. The Council discussed the benefits of improving traffic light sensitivity specifically, as opposed to adding more lanes to the roads in the Tech Center. There was a general consensus that the new system would help the citizens more, as it will be able to predict the traffic flow at all hours, even at 3 am Sunday morning. It is more economical to spend less money improving the flow of traffic at all hours of the day, rather than spending much more money just to decrease congestion at two distinct times. As Council Member Roemer put it, “There will be traffic no matter what”.

  •  Posted by on June 20, 2013 at 3:43 pm
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Jun 062013
 

At the most recent City Council meeting, there was one issue to which the council members allotted the majority of their time. The topic under debate was the Maximum and Mandatory fines that could be issued for chapters 1, 4, 7 , 8, 9, and 11 of the Greenwood Village Municipal Code (agenda number 8A). The Council Members were worried about the language of the ordinance, as well as the level of discretion that would be left the municipal judge to hand out fines. Many members were concerned about the idea of a mandatory minimum for all infractions. It worried some that a $1000 dollar fine could be given to a constituent guilty of merely running their lawn mower at too early an hour. And while there would be a minimum fine, it would be entirely up to the police whether an infraction ticket was even administered. At this, the Council Members were obviously relieved, noting that their police force was known for being reasonable.

As the debate continued however, Council Members Rose and Schluter were at odds when discussing whether there should be a mandatory fine prescribed for all infractions concerning the sale of alcohol to minors. While Rose believed that the maximum fine should be applied to everyone guilty of selling alcohol to minors, Schluter, citing her experience on a Greenwood Village jury in such a case, believed there should be a certain amount of leniency when approaching such a manner. In the end, it was decided that the amendment would pass immediately, if only because it was just the first read of the ordinance. The particulars of the  language and phrasing would be decided at a later meeting.

  •  Posted by on June 6, 2013 at 11:38 am
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