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Silver Cliff discusses proposed sales tax increase in 2020
Silver Cliff Town Meeting
December 2, 2019
by Lisa Frank
The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call was taken with Mayor, Mayor Pro-Tem and trustees in attendance. There were no amendments to the agenda and the attendees introduced themselves. The Consent Agenda passed unanimously and the meeting immediately went into New Business.
New Business
a. Consideration of hiring Roger Squire as the Public Works Superintendent as of March 1, 2020 -Roger retires from Road & Bridge in 2020 and was unanimously voted in as the new Superintendent. He will become official March 1, 2020 and will work on a part-time basis as time allows until he becomes full time in March. Squire will join other Town’s administrators and he humbly accepted the applause after the vote.
b. First Reading of Ordinance #09-2019 Sales Tax Increase Ballot Question -The Town of Silver Cliff currently receives just two percent of the current sales tax returned to the town from the state and if the citizens approve the additional one percent, that money will be used for road improvement and maintenance only. The increase will be put to the voters at the regular election in April, 2020. Silver Cliff is not a “home-rule” municipality, although there are 71 Home-Rule cities, towns, and municipalities within Colorado. There are even two Home-Rule counties in the state, Pitkin and Weld. Of the nation's 50 states, Colorado is one of 30 recognized as a Home Rule State, having amended its constitution to grant municipalities the ability to exercise local control of their individual governments and collect their own sales tax without the state taking its “chunk” before sending it back.
c. Custer County Chamber of Commerce request for help funding the Visitors Center -President of the Chamber of Commerce, Kelly Smith, came once again before the Silver Cliff Town Board to ask for money to keep the Visitors Center open, staffed, and kept up. Smith came before the Westcliffe town board last month with the same request and will also be coming before the County Commissioners as soon as she can get on the agenda. She also suggested that a trustee join the board to ensure that Silver Cliff is getting its needs met. There was little conversation and Mayor Lasswell said that the board could take this up at their budget meeting to be held on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
d. Consideration of approval of the Right to Enter agreement with Seifert Enterprises at the Silver Cliff Pit - This is a yearly payment to the town for entry over land owned by Silver Cliff into the Silver Cliff Pit for mining the aggregate. The pit has four mineral rights owners; Silver Cliff Town at 20 percent, Iva Lou Bailey at 26.4 percent, Barbara Peterson at 4.62 percent and Viscount at 47 percent purchased from Mike Coleman. The new Right to Enter agreement goes from $1,500 per year to $4,500 for 2020 and rises by $500 each year until 2030. The Town’s new legal counsel, Dan Slater, was asked his opinion and he offered that he was uncomfortable with one item within the RTE agreement that was negotiated every two years. Much discussion and explanation followed. A geologist representing Seifert Enterprises was in the audience and gave an explanation of every question asked and the final agreement was to visit this one item in the fifth year of the 10-year agreement.
e. Consideration of approval of the Gravel Lease with Seifert Enterprises at the Silver Cliff Pit -Item e and item d were both involved in the conversation reported on above. Both items d and e were approved by the Board by unanimous consent. This does not mean it will be accepted by all parties involved but is moving everything forward.
f. Consideration of approval of the Meeting and Holiday schedule for 2020 passed unanimously.
g. Consideration of approval of the Agreement with the Fremont Humane Society -This agreement is identical to the 2018 agreement and was passed unanimously.
h. Consideration of approval of the Oak Disposal Contract -This is a two-year contract to be re-evaluated in the second year and it passed unanimously.
Staff and committee reports were given. There were no public comments and the meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
December 2, 2019
by Lisa Frank
The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call was taken with Mayor, Mayor Pro-Tem and trustees in attendance. There were no amendments to the agenda and the attendees introduced themselves. The Consent Agenda passed unanimously and the meeting immediately went into New Business.
New Business
a. Consideration of hiring Roger Squire as the Public Works Superintendent as of March 1, 2020 -Roger retires from Road & Bridge in 2020 and was unanimously voted in as the new Superintendent. He will become official March 1, 2020 and will work on a part-time basis as time allows until he becomes full time in March. Squire will join other Town’s administrators and he humbly accepted the applause after the vote.
b. First Reading of Ordinance #09-2019 Sales Tax Increase Ballot Question -The Town of Silver Cliff currently receives just two percent of the current sales tax returned to the town from the state and if the citizens approve the additional one percent, that money will be used for road improvement and maintenance only. The increase will be put to the voters at the regular election in April, 2020. Silver Cliff is not a “home-rule” municipality, although there are 71 Home-Rule cities, towns, and municipalities within Colorado. There are even two Home-Rule counties in the state, Pitkin and Weld. Of the nation's 50 states, Colorado is one of 30 recognized as a Home Rule State, having amended its constitution to grant municipalities the ability to exercise local control of their individual governments and collect their own sales tax without the state taking its “chunk” before sending it back.
c. Custer County Chamber of Commerce request for help funding the Visitors Center -President of the Chamber of Commerce, Kelly Smith, came once again before the Silver Cliff Town Board to ask for money to keep the Visitors Center open, staffed, and kept up. Smith came before the Westcliffe town board last month with the same request and will also be coming before the County Commissioners as soon as she can get on the agenda. She also suggested that a trustee join the board to ensure that Silver Cliff is getting its needs met. There was little conversation and Mayor Lasswell said that the board could take this up at their budget meeting to be held on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
d. Consideration of approval of the Right to Enter agreement with Seifert Enterprises at the Silver Cliff Pit - This is a yearly payment to the town for entry over land owned by Silver Cliff into the Silver Cliff Pit for mining the aggregate. The pit has four mineral rights owners; Silver Cliff Town at 20 percent, Iva Lou Bailey at 26.4 percent, Barbara Peterson at 4.62 percent and Viscount at 47 percent purchased from Mike Coleman. The new Right to Enter agreement goes from $1,500 per year to $4,500 for 2020 and rises by $500 each year until 2030. The Town’s new legal counsel, Dan Slater, was asked his opinion and he offered that he was uncomfortable with one item within the RTE agreement that was negotiated every two years. Much discussion and explanation followed. A geologist representing Seifert Enterprises was in the audience and gave an explanation of every question asked and the final agreement was to visit this one item in the fifth year of the 10-year agreement.
e. Consideration of approval of the Gravel Lease with Seifert Enterprises at the Silver Cliff Pit -Item e and item d were both involved in the conversation reported on above. Both items d and e were approved by the Board by unanimous consent. This does not mean it will be accepted by all parties involved but is moving everything forward.
f. Consideration of approval of the Meeting and Holiday schedule for 2020 passed unanimously.
g. Consideration of approval of the Agreement with the Fremont Humane Society -This agreement is identical to the 2018 agreement and was passed unanimously.
h. Consideration of approval of the Oak Disposal Contract -This is a two-year contract to be re-evaluated in the second year and it passed unanimously.
Staff and committee reports were given. There were no public comments and the meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
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