Wellington Board of Trustees 10/14/25
by Nanci Wendland
A recording of this meeting is available here:
Highlights
Town Administrator Garcia and Finance Director/Treasurer Redavid presented the first draft of the 2026 budget, which still needs cuts and may affect the bid for home rule.
Wellington is considered a news desert with no local media source for dedicated news coverage. An instructor from the Colorado State University (CSU) Department of Journalism & Media Communication was denied a grant proposal to provide news for the community.Adoption of the 2024 International Building Codes was approved to proceed. This process is happening in many towns now.Attorney Sapienza said he has resigned effective Oct. 29.
Town Administrator Garcia said there has been $1.2 million in budget reductions for 2026, however there is still -$300,000 that must be reduced for a balanced budget.
Town Administrator Garcia and Finance Director/Treasurer Redavid presented the first draft of the 2026 budget. A full presentation is included in the packet. Some of the highlights included:
- Property Tax and Sales Tax continue to increase.
- Total projected revenue will decrease by approximately 18.3%.
- An overall decrease in building permits also decreases revenue from building administration fees, occupational fees, and use-tax fees.
- Several projects have been delayed to 2027
- 2 vacant Public Works positions will remain vacant due to a hiring freeze
- Community surveys will now be conducted every 4 years (last completed in 2023)
- Compensation studies will now be conducted every 3 years (last completed in 2024)
- Cemetery mapping and a Public Works/Parks Administration Facility are delayed.
Final budget approval is scheduled for Nov. 18.
The items below on the Consent Agenda were unanimously approved. Details are in the packet.
- Sept. 23, 2025, meeting minutes
- Resolution No. 40-2025: Cancelling regular meetings during the holidays: Nov. 25 for Thanksgiving and Dec. 23 for Christmas.
Jenny Fischer, instructor from the Colorado State University (CSU) Department of Journalism & Media Communication, requested a grant of $4,647.36 to assist in developing a business plan in conjunction with the Rocky Mountain Student Media Group to create a local media outlet. Jenny said Wellington is considered a news desert with no local media source for dedicated news coverage.
Trustee Cannon said he supports the grant funding. He said 8 years ago North Forty News had an office in Wellington that provided unbiased news coverage. Now, Cannon said, people rely only on social media coverage. The other Trustees and Mayor Chaussee said they do not support the initiative. They said funds from the town could be misinterpreted as if they influenced the news source. Trustee Tietz said that journalism should be kept independent from the government.
The grant request failed with 4 votes No and 2 votes Yes.
Planning Director Bird presented the first reading for adoption of the 2024 International Building Codes. A vote in favor of the adoption would allow the Planning Department to schedule a public hearing and proceed with policy changes to incorporate the updates. Updates to the fire district codes have been added to the changes discussed at the Aug. 26 board meeting (electrical and solar). Director Bird recommended a public hearing be scheduled for Nov. 12.
The adoption was unanimously approved.
Attorney Sapienza said he has resigned effective Oct. 29. The town has put out a public bid for his replacement.
Town Administrator Garcia said there has been $1.2 million in budget reductions for 2026, however there is still -$300,000 that must be reduced for a balanced budget. Garcia asked the board if they still wanted to move forward with Home Rule consideration. She said this is a very costly process. Trustees Tietz and Moyer recommended postponing the cost of changing Wellington from a statutory town to Home Rule Governance. The estimated cost would be $125,000. The mayor and other Trustees said they want to continue pursuing Home Rule.
Garcia also mentioned potentially closing the batting cages at Wellington community Park. She said the annual cost of electricity and maintenance is approximately $22,000 while revenue from using the cages is only $3,600. All Trustees and the Mayor agreed the town needs to keep the batting cages open for the youth. Parks and Recreation Manager, Cooksey, said he would investigate the cost of automating the batting cages machines could save some money.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m.
Next Meeting
Oct. 28, 2025, 6:30 p.m. online Zoom, or in-person at The Leeper Center, 3800 Wilson Avenue, Wellington, CO
Members’ Present
Mayor Calar Chaussee, Mayor Pro Tem Brian Mason and Trustees: Ed Cannon, David Wiegand, Lowrey Moyer, and Shirell Tietz. Trustee Rebekka Daily was absent.
Others Present to Note: Town Attorney Dan Sapienza; Town Administrator Patti Garcia; Town Clerk Hannah Hill; Planning Director Cody Bird; Building Official Kelly Dykstra; Parks & Recreation Manager Billy Cooksey; Finance Director/Treasurer Nic Redavid; and CSU Journalism & Media Communication Instructor Jenny Fischer.
Questions to Consider
- What would be lost if Wellington postpones Home Rule?
- How will the town resolve its $300K budget shortfall?
Documents
From the Wellington Board of Trustees website: “The Mayor and Trustees are elected at large for terms of 4 years; the Town opted out of term limits. The mayor presides at all meetings of the Board of Trustees and has the same voting powers as any member of said board. The public is always welcome to attend these meetings.”
*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.