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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.council.19870402Special Meeting Aspen Citv Council __April 2, 1987 Mayor Stirling called the meeting to order at 5:10 p.m. with Councilmembers Isaac, Walls and Fallin present. REQUEST TO USE MALL - Aspen Skiing Company City Manager Bob Anderson told Council included in the last packet with a request to have a banner was a request to use the mall for display of Audis, along the line of Subaru during Winternational. Anderson explained this request went to the CCLC and they advised the Skiing Company to use private property. Anderson told Council there are some zoning problems which prohibit this use by the Skiing Company. The Skiing Company went back to CCLC and amended their request from 2 cars to 1 car. The CCLC agreed to pass this on with a favorable recommendation; however, they do not think this is the type of use they want on the mall over time. The CCLC would like to meet with Council and draw up standards f or the f uture. Dan Arrow, CCLC, said they feel there may be other problems with people who want to use the mall for commercial purposes. Arrow said the CCLC feels this issue is worth sitting down with Council and coming up with guidelines. Spencer Butts, Aspen Skiing Company, told Council placing the Audi in the mall is in support of the World Professional Skiing Championship races taking place on Aspen Mountain this weekend. Butts said this is not strictly a commercial venture, and the race is bringing in over 200 people to town. (Councilman Collins came into the Council meeting). Councilwoman Fallin moved to allow one Audi Quattro to be placed on the mall for the World Professional Ski Championships April 3, 4, and 5; seconded by Councilman Isaac. Councilman Isaac agreed that Council should get together with the CCLC and set up a policy for the future and that this not be a precedent for the future. Councilwoman Walls asked why this car cannot be placed at Little Nell. Butts said he talked to the building department and there are some problems with open space provisions. Butts said the Skiing Company is taking two cars up to the site of the race. All in favor, with the exception of Councilwoman Walls. Motion carried. ORDINANCE #13, SERIES OF 1987 - Eighth Penny Sales Tax Mayor Stirling opened the public hearing. City Attorney Taddune noted changes in the ordinance since first reading. Page 6, Section 4-3 added language to say that the 1 Special Meetin4 Aspen Citv Council April 2, 1987 Council may amend the ordinance "except as to the 1 percent, except that the city Council may not increase said 1 percent tax subsequent to adoption by majority v ote of the City Council". Taddune said the idea is that the Council may have flexibility with regard to other amendments, like the food tax rebate. Taddune pointed out the bond questions will be going to the electors with each particular project. Taddune said any amend- ment would be by ordinance with a public hearing. Richie Cohen asked if one aspect of the ballot question fails, what happens to the money. Is the sales tax reduced? Does Council get to spend it any way they want. Taddune said if the sales tax question is passed, the city will have whatever revenues are generated to spend in accordance with purposes provision of Section 5 of the ordinance. Mayor Stirling said if any one of the bond questions fails, the Council is still guided by this section. The 8th penny is earmarked. The ballot questions are asking for specific permission to bond up to a certain amount for specific projects. Fritz Benedict asked if there is still something in the ordinance for Nordic trails. Taddune said trails are not identified specifically. Mayor Stirling said Section 5 says for the establishment of recreational facilities, and this could be deemed to include Nordic. Jon Busch said he feels this is a good issue to go to the voters. This is an outstanding issue in the future f or Aspen to grow as a community in terms of recreation, performing arts, and the parking structure. Busch urged approval of this ordinance on final reading. Karen Smalls, merchant on Galena Street, told Council in her business there is daily resistance to the existing 7 percent sales tax. Ms. Smalls said there are a great many shoppers who avoid the tax by having their purchases shipped. Ms. Small said she wants to see the parking problems addressed and a performing arts center but would like to see these financing some other way. Dick Butera said he is concerned about raising taxes. Butera said the 7 percent sales tax is the most talked about negativ e issue. Butera objected to the voters being asked to make judgments on issues like parking, recreation centers and perform- ing arts centers. Butera said taxpayers ought to be asked to pay for things that are necessary and that the benevolent organiza- tions ought to take care of the nice things. Butera told Council he has analyzed the report by Hastings, and it falls apart upon analysis. Butera said there is an election coming up and people are basing their judgement on this report. Jim Breasted said he is in favor of a recreation facility. parking solution and a Nordic trails solution; however, this tax is premature. Breasted said this is very complex and urged 2 Special Meetin4 Aspen Citv Council April 2, 1987 Council not to put it on the ballot. Susan Michael said the present ice rink is appalling. Ms. Michael said if the community does not face and solve the problems of facilities for music and ballet, the town will be in grave difficulty. Ms. Michael said the middle part of the process of looking at the figures for the ice rink seems to have been skipped. Ms. Michael said there is no price tag on the performing arts facility. Ms. Michael said this election places the arts groups in an uncomfortable position of wishing the ballot question were more responsibly worded. Ms. Michael said on the recreation and performing arts center a better way to go would by with public/private financing. Tony Kronberg asked why these facilities are not being funded out of the present city budget of $22,000,000. Mayor Stirling said the general fund has about $4,000,000; the rest of the monies are in enterprise funds. Ms. Kronberg said these are 3 areas that need to have some direction. The town does need changes and some constructive things done. Ms. Kronberg said she would like to see the tax issue go to the voters to see how they feel about it. Councilman Isaac pointed out that the city has not had nor does it have now the ability to bond these 3 projects to pay for them out of existing available cash. Bill Shorr said he does not feel people will vote for a tax that has not been clearly defined, how it will be used, how the money will be spent, the amount s of money to be spent. Shorr said these issues have been presented in a confused and disorderly fashion. Jon Busch said some of these projects have been around for more than 18 years. Busch suggested having this election later so that there could be more work done on these facilities and the voter would have a much clearer understanding. Les Anderson said a sales tax is a very agreeable way to accomplish the things proposed by these ballot questions. Anderson said what people will be voting on is if these are recognized needs in the community. Anderson said it would be nice to have models and a complete program of what is planned. That is an expensive and lengthy process. Ms. Kronberg said people are saying they do not want to vote for a project that they do not know the specifics on. Councilwoman Walls pointed out there are caps for each project. Councilwoman Walls said she is not interested in paying architects to draw up plans before it is known if there is money to build these buildings. Councilwoman Walls said she is in favor of determin- ing if the funding is available before spending more money on a project. Doug Carlson said the city is asking the voters to make decision on things they are not trained on. The facts have not been completely analyzed. 3 Special Meeting AsAen Citv Council ___A~ril 2, 1987 Wainwright Dawson said this government is here is administer the policy that people decide. Dawson said the Council has not discussed how the maintenance and operation of this facility will be paid for. Flug pointed out the arts community is the second largest business in town and is bringing $16,000,000 to the community. The M.A.A. facilities are 25 years old. Flug said it is time to bring these issues to the voters and let them deter- mine their priorities. Councilwoman Walls said Council was very clear they did not want to ask for a bond that they could not service with the tax as well as providing operation and main- tenance for the facilities. Bil Dunaway said the people that should decide on what improvements are needed are the voters. Dunaway said the resolution puts specific limits on each program. Dunaway said the city cannot spend $100,000 on plans only to have them turned down by the voters. Mayor Stirling closed the public hearing. Councilwoman Fallin moved to adopt Ordinance #13, Series of 1987 on second reading, as amended; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. Councilman Isaac said this ordinance addresses a funding mechan- ism to reach goals the community desires. Councilman Isaac said it would be remiss to put it off and study the goals again and again. Councilman Isaac said the city has a plan for a recrea- tion center. This will be a public and private venture; the community has committed to raising private funds for this facility. The study has shown that the city can meet the operating expenses. Councilman Isaac said he feels it is time for the community to get together and work for these goals. Councilman Isaac agreed more specific plans are needed but the city needs approval for the bonds first. Councilman Collins said he feels this whole issue has been put together too hastily. The city has a 5 year capital improvement plan, and some of the issues on the ballot resolution have not rated very highly on the capital improvement plan. Councilman Collins said city hall will cost 52,000,000 to fix; the city is participating in an improvements district for sidewalks and streets that will cost the city 5800,000. Councilman Collins pointed out the city shops needs 51,000,000 worth of work. The city has streets that need to be fixed, a car impound lot that needs to be addressed and a solution for a snow dump site. Councilman Collins said this started out as a single issue and has blossomed into 3 or 4 for a total of 514,000,000. Councilman Collins said no one can figure out what the operating deficits on these facilities will be. Councilman Collins said presently between the city ice rink and the swimming pool, the city is running deficits of 5150,000 per year. Councilman Collins said he would like to see these projects done in a more deliberate 4 Special_Meetinq Aspen Citv Council April 2, 1987 fashion. Mayor Stirling said he is against any new taxes. The city should marshall their existing sources more prudently. Mayor Stirling said there is $4,000,000 available under the financial guidelines. Mayor Stirling reminded Council they rejected funding at the end of 1986 for a recreation facility because they f elt it was too expensive and more of a facility than the community could handle. Roll call vote; Councilmembers Collins, no; Fallin, yes; Isaac, yes; Walls, yes; Mayor Stirling, no. Motion carried. RESOLUTION #12, SERIS OF 1987 - Ballot Questions Mayor Stirling outlined the 8 issues proposed to be on the ballot for the May 5, 1987 election. Councilwoman Walls moved to adopt Resolution #12, Series of 1987; seconded by Councilwoman Fallin. City Attorney Taddune pointed out the changes in questions 2, 3, and 4. These changes are at the request of bond counsel to conform with some previous city issues. City Manager Bob Anderson noted one of the issues if a question of city hall financing. The city has been working with the county to discuss some options for sharing space. Anderson said $2,000,000 would be enough to do city hall with 2/3 of the basement being renova- ted and using city hall f or current departments and the joint departments already here and including moving the building department into city hall. Anderson said an option has come up to not renovate the basement and move city administrative depart- ments and some joint departments to the community center. Anderson told Council the renovation plan to bring the county administration offices to city hall, move the joint department to the community center would be about $1,300,000. If Council wants to restrict themselves to that option, the bond issues could be lowered to $1,500,000. Councilman Isaa c asked if this could be done without bonding. Anderson said no unless the county were to break tradition and pay for the remodelling of city hall. Anderson said every city and county office space and financing would have to be relooked at. Councilman Collins suggested the bond issue be left at $2,000,000 until Council is sure there is a satisfactory arrange- ment for office space. Councilman Collins asked why there is a ballot question for general obligation bonds f or city hall and nothing for the improvement district. Anderson said staff has found for the special improvement district this does not need approval by the voters. 5 Special Meeting Asgen City Council April 2, 1.9.87 Councilman Collins said the city is spending a lot of money on trails and asked if it is coming from the land fund. Anderson said the city has been through several capital improvement plans and this is the option that Council has chosen for funding. Councilman Collins said city hall should have a v ery hig h priority, and if the voters vote against city hall, what will be done. Anderson said some options are to sell city hall. Anderson said the city hall question has nothing to do with the eighth penny sales tax. Councilwoman Fallin said many voters want to see city and county in a shared facility. It should be pointed out to the voters that plans to share facilities are being made. Anderson agreed it is incumbent upon the city to get facts out to the voters. Councilwoman Fallin moved to amend Resolution #12 question 5 to read $1,500,000; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. All in favor, with the exception of Councilman Collins. Motion carried. All in favor, with the exception of Councilman Collins and Mayor Stirling. Motion carried. Councilman Coll ins moved to adjourn at 6:35 p.m. ; seconded by Councilwoman Walls. All in favor, motion carried. Kathryn S Koch, City Clerk 6