Business in the Village

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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August 5, 2013

Aug 072013
 

photo-1While listening to the study session presentation on increased Lightrail ridership before the August 5th City Council meeting, I was struck by the extent to which trends in Lightrail usage mirror the many changes that have occurred in Greenwood Village in recent years. Having lived and gone to school in the area for my entire life, I have witnessed the municipality begin to transform from an area with many open fields and mainly single-family dwellings to one with many more apartment buildings and multi-family residences. Since its creation in 2006, the Lightrail system has propelled some of these changes. With a quite effective and popular public transportation option, Greenwood Village is no longer a city in which having a car is an absolute necessity. Such changes, coupled with recent power outages in one of the city’s larger retail areas, bring up questions about how the Village will respond to various modernizations. Moving forward, the city will need to consider the fact that with such a viable transportation option in Lightrail, not all residents may own a car. Does this mean that a grocery store should be built within walking distance of some of the newly constructed apartment complexes? Furthermore, it may also be necessary for the city to change some aspects of its electrical system as a growing population increases the demand for power and taxes the current system. Although these questions do not currently have clear answers, they will need to be considered by City Council while making future decisions. As Greenwood Village itself continues to grow and transform, the city’s government must be sure to adapt as well to best serve the area’s changing needs.

July 31, 2013

Aug 052013
 

photo-1I was given opportunity to sit on the bench with Greenwood Village’s residing judge, and the number of cases scheduled for arraignment astonished me. On an ordinary Wednesday night arraignment session, I was informed, around 60 cases usually make it onto the docket. The docket for July 30th, however, held 80 arraignments, mostly for traffic violations. The sight of the courtroom and lobby of City Hall filled with citizens waiting to see the judge reminded me of a discussion that took place during the June 17th City Council study session.

At this June meeting, the City Council deliberated E-Citations, an electronic ticketing system growing in popularity in municipalities throughout the country. Whereas those ticketed currently are required to appear in court to accept plea bargains and point deductions for traffic offenses, with E-Citations, citizens could simply pay fines and accept plea bargains online. In such a system, plea bargains would automatically be offered to everyone, eliminating the complications arising from outdated addresses and wait times in the traditional method of extending plea bargains through the mail. Of course, citizens could always opt to come into Court for traffic violations instead of using E-Citations. Individuals with violations over six points would especially want to consider this option, as past driving history would not be considered in plea bargains for offenses of this level unless the driver makes an appearance in court. In all, E-ticketing seems to have many advantages, including saving paper, time, and staff resources.

After witnessing the majority of people having to wait hours simply to come up to the stand to accept a plea bargain for a driving violation, I began to consider E-Citations as a quite practical option for the city. E-ticketing would not only help conserve the resources of Greenwood Village’s judges, staff, and even the city itself, but the technology would also further benefit citizens by eliminating the $25 fee that accompanies an appearance in court. However, should E-Citations be used in the city, it would be necessary for officers to check that a citizen have regular access to the Internet before issuing an E-ticket rather than a paper citation. Nowadays, with Internet access so widespread, it is easy to assume that everyone would be able to take advantage of the conveniences of E-ticketing, but it is important to remember that this may not always be the case and have a procedure in place for such times.