The Council study session held on October 21st was, primarily, a continuation of the preceding meeting about geographic notification requirements. The meeting was opened with a discussion and presentation by Tom Clark, Chief Executive Officer of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, about the historical efficacy of the Economic Development Code of Ethics that Greenwood Village, and some other 50 counties, have abides by over the years. This code, as discussed by Mr. Clark, has proven to grow and continue to expand on Colorado’s economic prowess within the Nation. Mr. Clark personally thanked the Mayor for Greenwood Village’s past agreement to the code. The Mayor then signed the ledger in continuance of this agreement for this year.

Once the “ceremonial” – pictures, handshakes, ..etc – the study session shifted focus onto further discussion of the geographic notification requirements. Once underway, a new proposal was made to address the issues of the previous policy. Once on the table, this proposal was heavily – for lack of a better word – scrutinized as to its possible drawbacks. Not all was negative as several council members praised the new proposal’s changes, but the remainder of the discussion proved to be very meticulous thinking over what about the proposal was lacking. Most of this thinking and discussions was very speculative and presumptuous of the thinking of potentially affected citizens. This thinking, in my opinion, became far too speculative. One scenario was that a structure built on a residences lot, if next to a public park or trail, would need to meet much heavier notification standards as it may affect a higher volume of people; therefore, the proposed policy must be changed entirely to meet his scenario.

This is meticulous thinking. I find it would be more effective to work out the first layer of the most visible issues with a proposal, implement that proposal, and make adjustments with trial and error. The longer it takes to implement an already agreed upon better policy change, the longer citizens are left to deal with the less effective policy. Obviously my expertise in the implementation of local government policy is limited, but when it comes to policies like these, proposals should be made, passed, and implemented so that the government can further its efforts onto bigger and better things. It will be interesting to see how many more study sessions occur before this policy reaches fulfillment with all council members and the mayor. I would also like to note that these discussions do not adhere to political affiliation of a particular council member, but rather adhere to the good of the city as a whole. All in all, these study sessions highlight how hardworking an thoughtful, sometimes too much so, our council members are and make me more confident in my local government.