Observer Name: Nanci Wendland
Agency: Red Feather Lakes Planning Advisory Committee
Date & Meeting Time: June 22, 2023; 1:32 PM – 3:30 PM
Members Present: Daniel Defibaugh, Patrick Grissom, Ryan McAdams, Lora Mann, Don Rogers, Lucille Schmidt, Ryan Zigray, John Johnson, Vice Chair - Caryn Hughes, Secretary - Roger Svendsen, Chair – Janice Weixelman
Members Absent: Phillip Meyers (3rd meeting missed), Tamara Hadley-Riser
Others Present to Note: Commissioner Liaison – John Kefalas; Commissioner Staff Liaison – Tracy Hicks; Christina Scrutchins, Administrator; Matthew Lafferty, City Planner.
Relevant Document Links:
Meeting packet: Same as the Agenda
Recorded Meeting: Not posted to youtube yet.
The Red Feather Lakes Planning Advisory Committee (RFLPAC) is a committee of citizens who live, work/volunteer or own property within the Red Feather Lakes Plan Area, appointed by the Larimer County Board of Commissioners. Its purpose is to provide an organized forum to facilitate communication with the County and within the community on issues that impact Red Feather Lakes.
Summary:
There were two (2) key issues for this meeting. One was to give an update on the Centerline project, which is part of a Community Enhancement Goal for developing a structure to prioritize the maintenance of roads through a partnership with Larimer County. The second discussion was revisiting the bathroom petition from the May 25th meeting. A petition was presented to the community, but they didn’t have enough signatures to make it on the November ballot. The committee needed to decide on the next steps.
Issue one, Centerline Project including road maintenance, was tabled until September 2023; and issue two, the additional restrooms project, has become the main summer focus for the Advisory Planning Committee.
Meeting Notes:
No Public Comments
Communication Items
Commissioner Updates: John Kefalas informed the committee of two (2) key state ballot issues that would affect increased property tax values:
Prop HH: would reduce the residential property tax rates over a period of ten (10) years which would property tax relief to resident owners. Prop HH would also create a limit on local government revenue with a new cap on state revenue, allowing the state to retain that revenue instead of refunding it through TABOR.
Initiative 21: this would be a constitutional amendment that would cap property tax increases.
If either of these passes, it could lower the amount of property tax revenue for Red Feather Lakes. If these do not pass, one of the budget scenarios being considered is to lower the mill levies already in place or issue a mill levy credit to give residents some relief from increased property values. The Budget managers from Larimer County will be at the July Advisory Planning Committee meeting with more details.
Another update had to do with permitting for special events. John attended a Chamber of Commerce meeting and learned that in 2017 a new Larimer County code was enacted requiring any event expecting 40 or more people attending must have a special events permit. Red Feather Lakes has held numerous events and has not had permits. The committee will ask the new Community Development Director to attend the July meeting and give more details.
Janice Weixelman, Chair Updates:
Phillip Meyers, a committee member who has been absent from the meetings, has resigned.
Jenny Axmacher is the new Larimer County Planning Manager.
Janice asked if it was time to petition Larimer County for boundary changes so that this advisory committee could include more areas that are oftentimes affected by this committee’s decisions, such as, Poudre Canyon, Livermore, Rist Canyon and Glacier View. Matt Lafferty, City Planner, will talk to the Town Attorney and get back with the committee in July. Matt is thinking of doing something like Summit County: combining the local Fire Districts for better unity.
Discussion Items
Restroom Petition Update:
Residents of Red Feather Lakes want additional public restrooms available on weekends and after hours. The library restrooms are the only ones available to the public but closed after hours and on weekends. A petition was started in May but there were not enough signatures to add this to the November ballot.
There was a lot of discussion about how to lower the cost of adding restrooms, redo the petition, and add a flyer to make it more appealing and understandable to residents. There are also conditions to consider such as type of building, meeting the new building codes to withstand increased winds, how to keep the water pipes from freezing, and where to place the additional restrooms.
One idea was to consider adding additional bathrooms to the library on an outside wall with an outdoor entrance and exit. The library already has direct water usage, and a 2,000-gallon cistern could be added for back up water if needed on a busy weekend or during a special event.
A decision was made to proceed with an updated petition (they now have another year to get signatures), create a flyer with pictures and information, and explore the option to use a PID special assessment to cover costs.
Centerline Project update:
The Centerline Project was proposed earlier in the year to develop a Red Feather Lakes internal structure to prioritize the maintenance of roads with Larimer County. So far, not enough people are interested in this idea, and not many would sign the petition to get this project started (see link above).
The problem is that the roads need improvement on the east side. The west side of Red Feather Lakes already has a PID special assessment, their roads are maintained and always open. Many large insurers and lenders are now requiring that roads be better maintained and that there be better access to all properties. Because an easement was required a survey is now with attorneys for review.
The committee decided that residents need to be better educated on the importance of well-maintained, accessible roads, and will table this project until September.
The meeting adjourned at 3:30 PM.
Follow-up Questions: None