Wellington Board of Trustees 8/27/24
by Nanci Wendland
Main Topics
- Adopting the 2025-2029 Strategic Plan
- Updating the Model Traffic Code
- Adopting Bob’s Rules of Parliamentary Procedures and Rules of Order
The Consent Agenda was unanimously approved.
- Resolution No. 43-2024: Appointing a Town Clerk: Town Administrator Patti Garcia was appointed Town Clerk. The previous Town Clerk Ethan Muhs resigned his position effective Aug. 23.
- Aug. 13, 2024, Regular Meeting Minutes
- Aug. 20, 2024, Special Meeting Minutes – the board met to discuss increasing the town’s Hardship Utility Grant (H.U.G.) to assist residents with high water bills.
- Resolution No. 44-2024: Making an appointment to the Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Trails Board. After reviewing applications and interviewing candidates, the board appointed Joe Burke to begin immediately and term ends April 2026.
The Town Administrator and Clerk Patti Garcia presented Resolution No. 40-2024: A Resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Town of Wellington, Colorado, Adopting the 2025-2029 Strategic Plan (details of the plan are in the packet). These are the 4 strategic objectives of the plan to build the town goals.
- Grow responsibly
- Cultivate and nurture community spaces
- Foster economic vibrancy
- Ensure strong town operations
The town contracted with the Otowi Group to facilitate the process. The Otowi Group reviewed community input, conducted interviews with town Board of Trustees and senior staff, and reviewed the Comprehensive Plan and 2024 Budget.
The board unanimously approved adopting the 2025-2029 Strategic Plan.
Ordinance No. 08-2024: Model Traffic Code update. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) periodically updates and publishes a traffic code for Colorado Municipalities. The last CDOT updates were 2020 and 2024, however the town of Wellington has not adopted a new CDOT traffic code since 2014. According to CDOT, a benefit of adopting the most recent Model Code is the uniformity of road regulations across the region. Traffic enforcement in Wellington is conducted by the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, which also enforces similar road rules across the county. The Model Traffic Code has 13 amendments; below are 4 of the recent updates (details are in the packet):
- 110.5 - Automated Vehicle Identification Systems - The criteria for the use of red-light cameras and speed cameras have been refined.
- 242 - Automated Driving System - This section was added in 2020, providing regulations for automated driving systems.
- 1402.5 - Vulnerable Road Users - This section provides enhanced penalties for incidents causing injury to pedestrians and other "vulnerable road users."
- 1412.5 - Controlled intersections - This section authorizes bicycles and similar vehicles to yield at stop signs, instead of stopping.
Several trustees had questions and potential modifications to the code they thought might better fit the town of Wellington. Attorney Sapienza said he would investigate their questions, and recommended postponing a vote to adopt until he could write and present the amendments or changes.
The board unanimously approved postponing the adoption of the latest Model Traffic Code until the Sept. 10 board of trustees meeting.
Town Attorney Sapienza presented Ordinance No. 09-2024: Amending the Town of Wellington Municipal Code regarding Rules of Parliamentary Procedure. Sapienza explained that using Robert’s Rules of Order does not follow the procedures desired by the Board of Trustees, including allowing for regular public comment on agenda items and allowing for variances of the rules for quasi-judicial decision making and other important roles of the Board of Trustees. Sapienza would like to have the board adopt other Rules of Parliamentary Procedure that are more appropriate for the Wellington town board. Below is Attorney Sapienza’s revision:
“Meetings of the Board of Trustees shall be conducted by the mayor, according to procedures and rules of order adopted by the Board of Trustees unless otherwise provided in town code or state statute.”
The board unanimously approved the revision.
Town Attorney Sapienza then presented Resolution No. 41-2024: Adopting Bob’s Rules of Order for the Wellington Board of Trustees. Sapienza also asked for the adoption of Bob’s Rules of Order. Sapienza said that using Robert’s Rules is more for larger bodies such as the State Congress and doesn’t necessarily apply to small towns and boards. Each Trustee had previously been given a copy of Bob’s Rules, a simpler version of Robert’s Rules. Sapienza said that neither Bob’s Rules nor Robert’s Rules can override town codes and ordinances. These are rules and procedures for conducting town business, not laws or bylaws of the town, Sapienza said.
The board unanimously approved adopting Bob’s Rule of Order for Trustee meetings.
The meeting was adjourned at 8 p.m.
Questions To Consider
- How might the town trustees decide to modify CDOT’s regional traffic code?
- How much was spent on the new Strategic Plan and how will progress be judged?
- Will Bob’s Rules be enough to help the trustees work with respect and efficiency?
Next Meeting: Sept. 10, 2024, 6:30 p.m. online Zoom, or in-person at The Leeper Center, 3800 Wilson Avenue, Wellington, CO
Members Present 8/27/2024
Trustees: Rebekka Daily, David Wiegand, Ed Cannon, Lowrey Moyer, and Shirrell Tietz. Mayor Pro Tem Brian Mason and Mayor Calar Chaussee.
Others Present to Note: Town Administrator Patti Garcia; Town Attorney Dan Sapienza; Planning Director Cody Bird.
Documents
View the recorded meeting here.
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.”
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