Johnstown Town Council 3/3/25

Main Points

• Project Manager Brandon Torrez who is overseeing the Sandra Drive Storm Drainage project, submitted Change Order #3, requesting an additional $214K.
• Town staff will lease office space at approximately $8K per month, including utilities, maintenance and property taxes while a new Town Services building is being constructed.
• Town Manager LeCerf asked the council how to handle a reported $467,000 loss by the Johnstown YMCA in 2024. Several council members said the facility is in disrepair.
• Ordinance No. 2025-266 was unanimously approved, adding a Right to Entry concerning access to indoor water meters. Other verbiages will be changed to clarify water conservation levels and potential penalties.
• Benefits for the mayor, councilmembers, part-time employees, and library staff were approved and will include health, vision, dental, and life insurance.
• McWhinney Real Estate developers announced a $5K donation to the Johnstown Senior Center. Mayor Duncan asked the council to approve a dollar-for-dollar match to show good faith support to the senior community.

Public Comments

A resident, previously a schoolteacher, expressed concern about an incident near the middle school. Two students were crossing an intersection. An oncoming vehicle saw the students and stopped. However, a truck behind the car did not see the stopped vehicle and hit it from behind, pushing it into the intersection. The two students were unharmed. The resident asked for better student protection at this busy intersection or police presence in the morning and afternoon.

All items on the Consent Agenda were unanimously approved:

1. Feb. 19, 2025, Meeting Minutes
2. Feb. 2025 List of Bills
3. First Amendment to Building Division Services Agreement with SAFEbuilt Colorado, LLC

Details are provided in the packet.

Project Manager Brandon Torrez with Alfred Benesch & Company, oversees the Sandra Drive Storm Drainage project. This project was initiated after an unprecedented rainfall event in spring of 2023. Torrez submitted Change Order #3, requesting an additional $214K. Torrez said they are redesigning the use of the detention pond, which proved too costly in the original design. The change is to direct overflow water by installing piping using a ditch that eventually directs water to the Granary stormwater infrastructure at WCR 15.

The council unanimously approved Change Order #3.

A property lease agreement was unanimously approved for 15-month temporary office space while a new town Services building is constructed. The cost of the lease will be approximately $8K per month and includes utilities, maintenance and property taxes.

Town Manager LeCerf asked the council how to handle a reported $467K loss by the Johnstown YMCA in 2024. Council member Menzies said Johnstown agreed to contribute $30 million to the YMCA, and in return the YMCA agreed to report financials to the Council. The town makes monthly payments to the organization. Menzies said she’s been in the YMCA recently and said it’s rodent infested, the staff is not properly trained, and last year they spent $250K on pool maintenance and repair. Menzies recommends a 3-year audit covering 2022, 2023, and 2024, along with hiring new management. Several council members agree that the first step should be to confront the YMCA management team during a special council work session.

No vote was taken on this resolution, and the special work session is scheduled for March 24.

Ordinance No. 2025-266 was unanimously approved. It adds Section 13-10(g) Right to Entry to the Johnstown Municipal Code concerning access to indoor water meters and repeals and readopts Article VI of Chapter 13 of the Johnstown Municipal Code concerning water conservation. There are 3 main issues with the Johnstown water conservation effort:

1. Johnstown has approximately 3,000+ residences with water meters inside the home. The indoor water meters are owned by the Town and tend to fail every 10-15 years, often due to a dead battery. When the battery fails, the meters fail to report and water usage is not accurately reported for payment by the homeowner. The town needs to access the residences to replace batteries or meter components, and managers say that in many cases residents fail to respond back. The town manager is asking for approval to charge a monthly fee of $10 if the customer continues to disregard the inquiries by Town Staff to access the meter.
2. Town Manager LeCerf said he wants to update Article VI verbiage from Levels of Drought Condition to Levels of Water Conservation and clarify the restriction levels. Restriction levels affect the day and times for outdoor watering.
3. The other notable change is the ability to disconnect service to Homeowner Associations in the instances that they fail to comply with water restrictions after formal notification. The town experienced this several times in 2024. HOA green areas were being watered during restrictive hours. Staff reported that effective enforcement and issuing citations were extremely difficult to navigate.

Ordinance No. 2025-267 was unanimously approved authorizing health, vision, dental, and life insurance benefits for the mayor, councilmembers, part-time employees, and library staff. The above group would pay 20% of the cost and the town would pay 80%. No final cost to the town was given.

McWhinney Real Estate developers announced a $5,000 donation to the Johnstown Senior Center. Mayor Duncan asked the council to approve a dollar-for-dollar match to show good faith support to the senior community. This would give the senior center a total of $10K to apply wherever needed. The council unanimously approved and will take the funds from the Legislative fund.

The meeting adjourned at 8:58 p.m.

Questions to Consider

• How do residents feel about how the YMCA serves them?
• Are homeowners with interior water meters avoiding access because they think it saves them money?

Next Meeting

Mar. 17, 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, Damien Berg, and Andrew Paranto.

Council member Jesse Molinar, Jr., was absent.

Others Present

Chief of Police Jeff Strossner; Town Manager Matt LeCerf; 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.”

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