HomeMy WebLinkAbout1982-08-12 (Special) Meeting MinutesSPEClAL Mf.ETING:
COUNCI L CHAMBERS
City of Eng lewood , Colorado
Aug u st 12 , 1982
The City Council of th e City o f Englewood , Arapahoe
County, Colorado, me t in special session o n August 1 2 , 1982 , a t
7 : 30 p . m.
Ma yor Otis , presid ing, cal l ed the mee ting to ord e r.
The invocation wa s given by Council Me mber Th o mas F itz-
patrick . Th e pledge of alleg iance was led by Mayor Eugen e Otis .
Ma yor Otis asked fo r r oll c all . Up on a call o f t he r oll ,
the f o ll o wing we re pr esent :
Council Member s Nea l , Fitzpat r ick, Weist, Bilo ,
Bradshaw .-Oti c .
Abs e n t: Coun c il Memb e r Higday .
The Ma yor decl a red a quo r um pr ese n t .
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Also present we re: City Manager Mccown
Assi stant City Ma nager Va r gas
City Attorney D~W itt
Assistant Dir,ctor of Communit y
Devel op,,1ent Romans
Deputy Citv Clerk Watkins
CO UNCIL MEM BER BRADSHAW MOVED TO OPEN THE PUBL I C HEARING
TO CONSIDER AN ORDINANC E ADDING PARAGRAPH 22 .1-8 TO THE COMPREHEN-
SIVE ZONING ORDINANCE TO CLARIFY TH E EXEM PTION OF CITY OWNED OR
OPERATED UTILIT I ES FROM ITS RE QUI REMENTS AND REGULATIONS . Co uncil
Me mber Fitzpa trick seconded the mo ti on . Upon a cal l of the rol l,
the vote resulted as follow s :
Ay es:
Nays :
Coun cil Me mbe rs Neal , Fitzpatrick ,
Weist , Bi l o , Bradshaw, Otis .
No ne .
Augu st 12, 1982
Pag e 2
Ab sent: Cou nc il Me mb e r Higd ay .
Th e Mayo r decla r ed the mot1 un carried .
City At t o rn ey DeWi tt sta t ed the purpo s e of the h ea ring wa s
to co n s ider an ordinanc e th at wou ld exempt public ut ilities no w and
in t he future fr o m zoning ordin a nces . Mr . DeWitt s t a t ed the r ea -
son s fo r the ordina nc e we r e vital to the pr oces s of the Ci ty's
wat e r ~ystem , a nd t o ~orrect a misu nder s La nding con c e rnin g publ ic
utilitie s .
Mr . DeWitt introduced George Zoell ner, special l ega l co un -
sel, who provided inform at ion t o s ubs t an tia te th e pr o pose d o r di -
nance, Mr. Zoe llner s tated th e or di nance gi ve s t h e Ci ty Counc il
f l ex ibility i n answe r ing th e n eeds of publi c uti lities fo r the
City . Mr . Zo e llner st a t ed the proposed o r din a nce was l egis lati on
that sh o ul d have been passed y ears ago . It was not be in g p res ented
only t r alleviate the wate r to we r case . Mr. Zoellne r stated the
ordinance exte nds a powe r Co un cil ha s to plac e pub lic utiliti e s
o ut side to plac ing th em in s i de th e City .
The r e we r e no qu est ion s of Mr. Zoellne r at this tim e.
Mayor Ot i s a s ked fo r commen ts fr o m th e a ud i enc e .
Dick Ri ch ards , 10 90 West Oxford Ave nu e , appea r ed before
Co un c i l. Mr . Richa r ds ex pr essed con ce rn s that th e o r d in a nce pro -
voked an anti -democratic process in t h at it a llow ed t he City to
place public utilities with out i nfo rm i ng it s ci tizens . Furth e r th e
o r dinance pro v oked an emotional l evel in citizens that would le ad
t o mist ru st and a disco nn ecte dn ess am ong it s citizens .
Robe rt Lehr , a t to rn ey fo r Miller & Leh r, r ep r esen ting the
oppos ing parties in th e water to we r case , ap peare d be f o r e Co unci l.
Mr. Lehr p r ovided informat i o n conce rning his c lients ' oppos itio n .
Mr . Le hr sta t ed it was wr ong f or t he City to pass an ordi n a nce
e xempti ng the City from it s zo nin g o r dinances . Mr. Lehr a rgu ed the
Co urt h as ru led on th r ee occa sions that the City is bound by it s
zoning ordi n ances . Mr. Leh r stated th e co n s titu t ion a lity of th is
ordinance wil l b e a r g ued in Cou r t and th e str uggle will go on in
the matte r of the water t owe r.
Ass istant Di re ctor of Com munity Development , Dorot hy
Rom ans , appea r ed bef o re C0uncil . Ms . Roman s en t e red into t he
rec o rd the f ollo wing: 1) staff repo rt pri o r t o th e pu bl ic hea ring
of Jul y 20 , 1982; 2) th e mi nutes of the public hea ri ng of July 20 ,
198 2 , before the Planning & Zoning Comm i ss ion; and 3) th e findings
of f act of t he Pl ann ing & Zo ning Com mission hear ing held July 20 ,
1 982 .
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Au gust 1 2 , 1982
Pag e 3
Co un cil r eca!l ed Mr. Zo e llner. Coun c il Memb er Bradshaw
ask ed f o r examples of. c itie s having power out si d e I ts city li mits
t o pl ace pub li c utiliti e s ,
Mr . Zoe l lne r r espo nd ed if Che rr y Hill s wa nt e d t o build a
utility i n Eng lewood , it would hav e the powe r t o d o so and may
wi th o ut following any bu i ld in g c rit er ia .
Mr. DeWitt e xplain ed the City has built u tilit i e s ag a inst
zoning ordi nances i n the pa s t . Ex amp les are th e Zuni wa ter towe r,
sewe r lin es , wa t e r lin es , elect ri ca l li nes , an d sto rm sew e r s. Mr .
DeWit t st a t e d th e Colorado State Statut e s allow th e munic i pa lity t o
prov i de utiliti es t o me et commu nity ne eds .
Th e re we r e no fu r th e r c omme nts.
CO UN CIL MEM BE R BRADS HAW MOV ED TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HE AR ING.
Co uncil Me mbe r Fi t zpat r ick seco nde d th e moti o n. Upon a call o f th e
r o ll , th e vote r es ult ed a s follow s :
Ayes:
Nays:
Absent:
Counci l Me mbe r s Ne al , Fitzpatrick,
Weist , Bile, Br ads h a w, Ot i s .
None .
Coun cil Membe r Hig d a y .
The Ma yo r dec l a r ed th e mo ti on car ri ed .
OR DINAN CE NO, 3 4
SER I ES OF 1982
BY AUTH ORI TY
COU NCIL BILL NO . 20
INTR ODU CED BY CO UN CIL
MEMBER FITZPAT RICK
AN ORD I NA NCE AD DING PARAGRAPH 22 .1 -8 TO TH E CO MPREH ENS I VE ZONING
ORDINANCE TO CLARIFY TH E EXEMPTION OF CITY OWN ED OR OP ERATED UTIL I -
TIES FR OM IT S RE QU IREM EN TS AND REGULATI ONS .
COUNCIL MEMBER FITZPATR I CK MO VED TO PASS COUNC IL BILL
NO. 20 , SERIES OF 1982 , ON FIN AL READ IN G. Council Me mber Neal
seco nde d the motion.
Coun c il Memb er Br ads haw s t a t e G s he was not comf ortable
wi th th e ordi n a n ce a nd wo uld oppo s e i ts pas sag e .
Counci l Me mber Weis t s tated he was in favor of th e o r d i-
n an c e . Mr . We ist st ated wa t e r was a vital ut i l i ty and some ci t i -
z e ns we r e be ing de pr ived of wa t e r press ur e because t h e tow er was
Augu st 1 2 , 198 2
Pag e 4
not in ope r ation. It was his re spo ns i b ilit y to d o what h e th o ugh t
was the prope r a ct Jo ~ to ta ke in o rd e r to mee t these demands.
Upo n a c a l l of th e r o l 1 , t h e v o te r en uJ ted a s f o llows:
Ayes: Co un c i l Me mber s Neal , Fit z i,a tr ick ,
We ist , Bi l o , Brad s has·, Ot i :,.
Nays : No n e .
Absent : Co uncil Me mb er Higda y .
The May o r d ec lared t h e mo tion Lotr ied.
Due t o s p,.l a l statu s of th e meeti ng , no fur t her b usi ness
c o uld be disc ussed.
COUNCIL MEM fC R NEAL MOVED TO ADJO URN THE MEETI NG. Council
Member Bradshaw s ece, ,led the mot i o n . Upon a ca l l of the ro l l, th e
vote r esulted as f o llows:
Ay es:
Na ys:
Abs ent:
Counc il Membe r s Neal, Fitz pa trick ,
We i s t , Bi l e , Bradsh a w, Otis .
No ne .
Counc il Membe r Higd ay .
Th e Mayo r d ec lared t he mot io n car ried an d adjo urned th e
mee ti ng at 8:30 p.m,
r'-\,,.., ' j 11',J. )/(Q(.,,2) 7d (lt f'., ,.J.I
Deputy City Cle rk
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