City Council Recap: September 19th, 2023

The Edgewater City Council met Tuesday, September 19th for a work session and business meeting. As has been the case recently, the meeting began with a work session. During the work session, Council considers and discusses issues that may appear before the Council at a later date, but takes no formal action.

First on the work session was public comment, there was none, so the session moved on to the next item, a joint meeting with the History, Art, Recreation and Parks (HARP) Board. Parks and Recreation Director Amber MaGee spoke at length about what the board has been up to and what they are considering for the future. Of note is with the Harlan Street Bridge Project wrapped up, as well as the Edgewater History book, the board will now have more time to focus on new projects, including organizing, inventorying, and displaying the collection of Edgewater Historical items located in the upstairs of the Civic Center. Next was a presentation concerning cost recovery. Most of the services offered by Parks and Recreation operate at a significant loss in revenue to the city, and the board is aiming to recover approximately 40% of costs through possible increase in fees (be it for leagues, classes, etc.).

The last portion of the work session focused on possibly turning over collection and remittance of Edgewater’s sales taxes to the State of Colorado. Many smaller municipalities use the State to collect and remit taxes. Turning over tax duties to the state would free up time for city staff to focus on other duties. There was a discussion about the pros and cons of doing so, and as the discussion ended, it was unclear if the Council agreed it was a good idea.

After a short break, the business portion of the meeting commenced. A quorum was present, with Councilperson Donovan absent. The Pledge was recited. Next was the consent agenda. Councilperson Conklin moved to have an item expanding the scope of current sidewalk project moved to the regular agenda, which it was.

Next came communications from City staff. City Clerk Lenore Pedroza informed the Council that the City had hired two new part time employees, an administrative assistant and a finance assistant. City Manager Maples spoke next, telling the council the City had bought a table at an upcoming DRCOG (Denver Regional Council of Governments) and encouraged those on the Council to attend, otherwise the seats they bought will be surrendered back to DRCOG.

Public Comment followed, with Edgewater resident John Thompson taking the podium to extend his thanks to the Council for all their hard work

Next was the sidewalk project item originally in the consent agenda. City Manager Maples spoke that the current sidewalk expansion project on 20th has come in significantly under budget, and the City would like to use the money saved to expand the scope of the current project. The council agreed and the amendment passed unanimously.

The meeting was opened again to public comment, there was none and so it closed with Mayor and Council comments. The common theme this week was thanks and appreciation for the City staff, with many on the Council stating how impressed they are with the HARP Board and their presentation.

City Council meets twice a month on Tuesdays. The meetings begin at 6:30 P.M. and can be attended in person at the Civic Center or virtually through a portal on the City website.