Johnstown Town Council 3/17/25
by Nanci Wendland
Main Points
Technical difficulties with the sound and video system caused the first half of the meeting to go unrecorded. This portion included the following:
- Special Presentation and donation to the Senior Center
- Public Comments
- Consent Agenda – items shown below*
- Town Manager Report
- Resolution 2025-08: Declaring Water Conservation Level 2 effective immediately through Oct. 15, 2025.
Ditch water shares have not been adjudicated for municipal use and must be reviewed by the water court and engineers.
The Johnstown Municipal Code has been amended to outline the scope of special police officers’ powers which will allow more flexibility for staffing special events.
Johnstown adopted the 2024 edition of the Model Traffic Code.
The developer of the Waggoner Farms project received approval for a zoning change and the preliminary subdivision plat. The first request failed a final vote at the Feb. 19 Council meeting.
Mayor Pro Tem Young asked the Town Manager to please get the continuing issues with the council chambers sound system figured out.
*All items on the Consent Agenda:
- Mar. 3, 2025, Meeting Minutes
- Feb. 2025 Financial Statements
- Second Reading Ordinance 2025-267: Insurance benefits for part-time employees and elected officials. The town clerk confirmed this ordinance was approved. Part time employees, elected officials, and library employees will be eligible to receive benefits.
- Second Reading Ordinance 2025-266: Adding Section 13-10(G) to the Johnstown Municipal Code concerning access to indoor water meters and repealing and readopting Article VI of Chapter 13 of the Johnstown Municipal Code concerning water conservation. The town has chosen a plan to get access to read indoor meters or to better estimate usage when access is denied.
Details are provided in the packet.
Resolution 2025-09 declares a short-term moratorium on acceptance of dedicated ditch water shares that have not been adjudicated for municipal use. According to Town Manager LeCerf, the town received a decree in new water yield for the upcoming year by the Consolidated Home Supply Ditch & Reservoir Company. The decree still needs to be reviewed by the town’s water engineers. LeCerf said he expects to provide the council with results within 77 days. Ditch water is used for irrigation only.
Ordinance 2025-268 was unanimously approved. It amends the Johnstown Municipal Code concerning special police officers and the scope of their enforcement powers. The proposed ordinance will allow the Chief of Police to determine the best staffing models necessary for public safety during non-urgent community activities such as using community service officers and code enforcement officers.
Ordinance 2025-269 was unanimously approved. It adopts the 2024 edition of the Model Traffic Code updated by the State Legislature every 4 years. Town Attorney Rocklin said this updated version addresses roundabouts and reinforces previous regulations regarding traffic yielding to emergency vehicles. Full details are in the packet.
Ordinance 2025-265 was unanimously approved providing a change in zoning from a Planned Unit Development (PUD) to a Multi-family and Commercial use code (MU-NC) for the Waggoner Farms development. This proposal was originally made at the Feb. 19 council meeting, however the ordinance couldn’t receive a second motion to approve, so it failed.
Resolution 2025-06 unanimously approved the Waggoner Farms preliminary subdivision plat. The subdivision is approximately 17.44 acres. The preliminary plat approval is good for 2 years. There are 8 lots: 7 lots are for commercial use, and 1 larger lot will be used for multi-family residential. The developer, MIC TDC Highway 60 Johnstown, LLC, received a $2 million grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) for improvements to the Highway 60 and Colorado Blvd. intersection. The developer said if there are monies left over, he would consider adding some affordable housing options on the property.
Mayor Pro Tem Young asked the Town Manager to please get the continuing issues with the sound system figured out. Young added that they paid a lot of money for it.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:10 p.m. The council went into Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter under C.R.S. Section 24-6-402(4)(f) – the Town Manager evaluation.
Next Meeting
Apr. 7, 2025 @ 7:00 p.m. 450 S. Parish Ave., Johnstown, CO 80534, or online Town of Johnstown Facebook page.
Members’ Present
Mayor Duncan; Mayor Pro Tem Chad Young; Council Members: Dee Anne Menzies, Dianne Morris, Jesse Molinar, Jr., and Andrew Paranto.
Council member Damien Berg was absent.
Others Present
Chief of Police Jeff Strossner; Town Manager Matt LeCerf; Deputy Town Manager Mitzi McCoy; Town Clerk Meghan Martinez; and Town Attorney Avi Rocklin.
Meeting agenda and packet
Recorded Meeting: Available by Live Stream
Agency Mission (from the Johnstown website): “Enhance the quality of life of our residents, businesses, and visitors through community-focused leadership.”
*Citizen Observers further the commitment of the League of Women Voters to its principle of Citizens Right to Know, however, we are not acting as journalists. Omissions and errors are possible. It is assumed that users of this information are responsible for their own fact-checking. This could include contacting a government clerk, conversing with an elected official or staff, and/or asking us to speak to the Observer who attended.