Johnstown Town Council 4/15/24
by Nanci Wendland
This was a two-part meeting. The first meeting was held to say farewell to a mayor of 25 years, and the second re-opens to swear in the newly elected.
Part 1
For more information (including members in attendance) see the full notes document here.*
View the meeting agenda and packet.
A video recording of the meeting is available on the Johnstown Government Facebook page.
From the Johnstown website: “Enhance the quality of life of our residents, businesses, and visitors through community-focused leadership.”
Public Comments
Two residents expressed their concerns about a plan to change the zoning of the Blue Spruce Ridge Annexation project from R-1, single family residences to R-2, multi-family residential. These residents own property adjacent to the annexation. The previous property was zoned R-1 and has always been rural, agricultural property. According to one resident, there is marshland with diverse wildlife residing there. She also said that, in the 2021 Johnstown Comprehensive Plan, a paragraph refers to the town’s agreement to “retain and preserve” communities.
Council Member Morris asked that Item #3 Ordinance No. 2024-247 be removed from the Consent Agenda to be discussed separately after approving the Consent Agenda. The Council unanimously approved Morris’ request and Item #3 (included below) was removed.
Consent Agenda
“The Consent Agenda is a group of routine matters to be acted on with a single motion and vote.” The Town Council unanimously approved all items except #3.
- April 1, 2024, meeting minutes.
- Ordinance No. 2024-246: Annexing certain unincorporated lands located in Larimer County, consisting of 41.1 acres, known as the Blue Spruce Ridge Annexation, Second Reading.
- Ordinance No. 2024-247: Approval of Mixed Density Neighborhood (R-2) Zoning of the property known as the Blue Spruce Ridge Annexation, located in the County of Larimer, consisting of approximately 41.1 acres on Second Reading.
- Consideration of Annexation Agreement for Blue Spruce Ridge Annexation.
- Ordinance No. 2024-248: Amending Article III of Chapter 13 of the Johnstown Municipal Code to add Section 13-86 establishing a special fee concerning regional water storage tank improvements to be paid by benefitted properties in the subject area and remitted to the Water Utility Enterprise.
- Resolution 2024-19 Amending the Town of Johnstown Fee Schedule.
- March 2024 Financials.
Council Member Morris asked the Council to reconsider the zoning in Ordinance No. 2024-247 from R-1 to R-2. This is the second council meeting where residents spoke up against the zoning change. Morris said even the Planning council recommended R-1 zoning and residents want to keep it R-1. So, she asked, “Why is Council ignoring everyone and changing the zoning to R-2?”
Mayor Mellon took a 10-minute recess to discuss with the Town Attorney how to reopen a Public Hearing. The Attorney said all they need is a motion to reopen a hearing later in the year. The Council agreed the public needs 24-hour notice of a new hearing. New council members sworn in tonight will need to review the material before voting, and the Planning Director can repeat his zoning presentation from the April 1 meeting.
The council voted unanimously to move Item #3, Ordinance No. 2024-247 to the May 6, 2024, Council meeting.
A new Mayor, Michael Duncan, was elected April 2, and will be sworn in tonight. Council members thanked Mayor Mellon for his 22 years of service to Johnstown. Since 1998, Mellon has served the Council in different capacities with only one 4-year break.
This meeting adjourned at 8 p.m. A new meeting started immediately after to swear in the new Mayor and a newly elected Council member. A separate observer report with a different agenda is available.
Part 2
For more information (including members in attendance) see the full notes document here.*
View the meeting agenda and packet.
A video recording of the meeting is available on the Johnstown Government Facebook page.
Key Points
The newly elected Mayor, Michael Duncan, and one newly elected Council Member, Dee Anne Menzies, were sworn in to the Council tonight, along with re-elected Council Members Berg, Paranto, and Young.
Mayor Duncan requested an item be added to new business for discussion: termination of a previous signage contract and reallocation of the budgeted $1.2M for more dire needs of the community. The council unanimously approved.
The Council voted on a new Mayor Pro Tem, Chad Young, who will replace Damien Berg.
Resolution No. 2024-20: Adoption of Level 2 Drought Condition Water Conservation Measures was unanimously approved. Utilities Director Hilbig requested the summer watering schedule remain unchanged for summer 2024. The schedule allows residents to water lawns 3 times per week. Hilbig said having a schedule helps grass remain resilient throughout the summer should drought conditions become present. The ordinance is for lawn watering only and does not apply to hanging flower baskets and/or outdoor pots.
Council Member Menzies asked if the verbiage “drought” can be dropped from the code. She says the word drought implies there is no water available and that’s not necessarily true. Town Manager LeCerf agreed and said water conservation should be the focus. He thinks the schedule should be permanent and suggested modifying the utility code after this summer season. Then after modifying the code, he thinks the town should put together a marketing campaign emphasizing water conservation to help the lawns and future needs of the town.
Town employees and council members listened to residents who previously spoke out about the waste of money for additional signage in Johnstown. Some said the new signs were hideous (March 4 notes). As a result, Phase II of the signage project, currently on pause, has been terminated. According to Town Manager LeCerf, no money has been spent on Phase II yet, so he asked the council to approve terminating the contract. LeCerf said with 30 days’ notice, there should be no penalties for terminating the contract. The remaining $1.2M in funds for the project are already budgeted and available for use in a Capital Improvement fund.
Mayor Duncan asked for a vote to terminate the project. The Council voted unanimously to terminate the signage project. Mayor Duncan wants to proceed with a Town Council Work Session to discuss options for the remaining funds. Once the Council has a list of potential improvement projects, he wants final public feedback before deciding.
Approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes into the new meeting (2:19:56 on the video), online viewers lost audio on the town Facebook page. A Public Hearing had been scheduled for Yellow Roof Annexation. It is unclear whether the hearing proceeded or if it was postponed to a future Council meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 9:41 p.m.
Next Meeting
May 6, 2024 @ 7:00 p.m. 450 S. Parish Ave., Johnstown, CO 80534, or online Town of Johnstown Facebook page.
Questions to Consider
When will the summer watering schedule begin?
Will a statement be added on the town’s website, so the online public knows what happened when the audio failed?
*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.