Estes Park’s Town Board members decided Tuesday evening to dissolve the Transportation Advisory Board, an appointed group of citizen volunteers formed 13 years.
Following an extended discussion during their meeting two weeks ago, the Trustees directed staff members to prepare a resolution to sunset the advisory committee.
In their deliberations, Trustees made it clear that their unanimous vote did not concern the individuals who had served on the advisory board and that their action was not intended to be punitive.
Trustee Frank Lancaster made the motion, “I would move approval of Resolution 76-25 to formally sunset the transportaion board, but I also would like to add with the appreciation, thanks, and respect of the Board for all the current and past members of the TAB.”
The motion was seconded by Trustee Kirby Hazelton. The motion passed unanimously.
Moving forward, the Trustees discussed different ways community members could formally provide advisory input to the Town Board on various matters.
“The focus group model allows us to form specific groups for specific projects,” Trustee Frank Lancaster said. “I think it will give more people the opportunity to participate.”
Lancaster proposed that such citizen advisory groups be formed ad hoc and suggested that many community members might be interested in serving on a time-limited basis for a specific reason rather than on a long-running committee.
Trustee Cindy Younglund expressed interest in exploring the possibilities of time-limited, ad hoc committees. Other Trustees suggested that advisory committees should have open or rotating membership.
Over the past several months, concerns raised about the group’s direction and reports about conflicts between the chair, Belle Morris, and the Town Board liaison, Mark Igel, resulted in the Trustees voting to remove Morris from the TAB in June and exploring other organizational models for volunteer citizen groups.
“They were an active, functioning group,” said Trustee Kirby Hazelton. “It’s proven that they’ve been functioning for a number of years, even if you didn’t agree with them, and that’s my perception,” she said, “but there has been a change in the past several years, a shift in tone and combativeness.”
Lancaster said that sunsetting an advisory board is a separate issue. While acknowledging TAB’s past contributions, he said a standing board meeting every month was unnecessary.
The Trustees also discussed possible guidelines for advisory groups, including term limits for board members and redefining the roles and responsibilities of the Town Board liaison assigned to citizen-led committees.
In other Town Board news
Mayor Gary Hall presented a proclamation setting Aug. 9 as Estes Recycles Day. This event will be held at the Estes Park Events Complex parking lot from 9 a.m. to noon. Hard-to-recycle items will be accepted at this event. For a complete list, visit the League of Women Voters’ website.
A representative of Via Mobility, the shuttle service offered free of charge to Estes Park’s older adults and individuals with disabilities, presented a funding report. Routes include trips to Longmont and Loveland.
Tammy Zimmerman, the Town’s finance director, presented an ordinance to extend the maturity for CoBank Loan Series 2022A, which was obtained to improve the water distribution system of the former Prospect Mountain Water Company. The Trustees voted unanimously to approve the ordiance.
Extending the financing arrangement became necessary because United States Department of Agriculture funds, previously granted to the Town’s water department specifically for the project that provides Estes Park water to the subdivision, have not yet been received.
In a concluding action, the Town Board adjourned at approximately 8:30 p.m. to meet in an executive session to discuss and consult with its attorney about the potential relocation of the Estes Park police station.
The next Town of Estes Park Board meeting will be held on August 13 at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall Board Room, 170 MacGregor Avenue.