City Gov: IndyBlog, Colorado Springs Independent

Bach mum on road closing

Pam Zubeck — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:21:00 -0600

Despite the passage of several weeks since the Broadmoor Hotel announced it wants to close a segment of Cheyenne Mountain Boulevard, people still seem to care quite a bit.

The Broadmoor would like to land big-name golf events, such as the U.S. Open, which have certain requirements.…

Aimee Cox joins Bach's team

Pam Zubeck — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:37:00 -0600

Aimee Cox, who's worked for the City Council as its first administrator under the council-mayor form of government adopted two years ago, has been lured to the other branch by Mayor Steve Bach. She'll receive an 11 percent raise, to $90,000 a year.…

Police chief: Looking at helicopters and drones

Pam Zubeck — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:51:00 -0600

Last week, Police Chief Pete Carey said he was looking at reactivating the Police Department's helicopter unit, as well as unmanned aircraft — drones, in other words.

His comments came during Mayor Steve Bach's town hall meeting at Broadmoor Elementary, after a citizen asked what can be done to get aviation assets to respond to wildland fires quicker and whether drones are viable for early detection of fires.…

Bach plays paperboy for Gazette

Pam Zubeck — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:14:22 -0600

Mayor Steve Bach sure has an interesting relationship with the daily newspaper.

Take, for example, what happened when Gazette reporters wrote a perfectly serviceable story about the city's Waldo Canyon Fire After Action Report, released April 3.…

So sue me, Bach says

Pam Zubeck — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:32:00 -0600

Once again, the issue of whether Colorado Springs City Council is getting the sound and unbiased legal advice it needs has arisen.

This is not a new issue, as the daily newspaper would have its readers believe.…

Anti-fracking group sues city

Kirk Woundy — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:51:00 -0600

Yesterday, Colorado Springs Citizens for Community Rights filed suit against the city in its ongoing effort to put a ban on fracking before local voters.

As explained in this week’s paper, the Initiative Title Setting Review Board last week rejected CSCCR’s proposed amendment to the city charter that would prevent “the extraction of natural gas or oil, including but not limited to, the processes commonly known as hydraulic fracturing and/or directional natural gas and oil well drilling, within the City of Colorado Springs.” The board contended the amendment violated the city’s rule against having multiple subjects addressed in a single ballot measure; CSCCR disagrees with that assessment, and even argues that the single-subject rule itself may not be legally valid.…

Fix your sidewalk! No really...

J. Adrian Stanley — Wed, 08 May 2013 11:53:00 -0600

What with the stinky economy, the poor job market, and the increasing cost of basic goods like food and gas, we know that most of you spend your free moments worrying about the deplorable condition of the sidewalk outside your home.

It's amazing how weathered concrete just haunts your subconscious.…

Broadmoor road-closing meeting is tonight

Pam Zubeck — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:56:00 -0600

Tonight, folks at the Broadmoor will lay out their plans for millions of dollars in improvements to the resort, in addition to the closing of a well-established route through that part of the city, Cheyenne Mountain Boulevard.

The meeting, by invitation at Broadmoor Hall, is expected to draw a good number of the 1,700 neighbors who were invited.…

Tommy Smith to serve as interim fire chief

Pam Zubeck — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:18:00 -0600

Deputy Fire Chief Tommy Smith as been named interim fire chief for Colorado Springs, the city says in a news release.

Deputy Chief Smith has served on the Colorado Springs Fire Department since 1991 and has been a firefighter, paramedic, Lieutenant, Captain and Battalion Chief.…
[ Read more ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

UPDATE: Austin Bluffs widening project awarded

Pam Zubeck — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:32:51 -0600

UPDATE:
The city's procurement department advises the contract was awarded using a Request for Proposals process (Best Value), not a low bid process. The evaluation criteria included construction phasing and traffic control, cost, project approach, qualifications, construction schedule and overall quality and value of the proposal.…

City seeks help in promoting the airport

Pam Zubeck — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:49:00 -0600

Bids were due at 3 p.m. Thursday for a consulting contract to promote Colorado Springs Airport.…

UPDATE: Fire Chief Rich Brown retires, will get paid as 'consultant'

Pam Zubeck — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:07:00 -0600

The city has been in touch regarding Chief Brown’s current salary: It's $147,657.

---ORIGINAL POST, TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 1:36 P.M.---

Here we go again. Another department head, this time Fire Chief Rich Brown, is retiring, the City of Colorado Springs has announced in a news release.…

Springs Utilities: Not for sale

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:30:02 -0600

Remember when Mayor Steve Bach was feeling his power and sent a letter to City Council urging a study of selling or leasing the city's electric utility?

Well, 11 months and a lot of brain damage later, the Colorado Springs Utilities Board today killed a study that could have cost ratepayers $500,000, an action we predicted in a blog post yesterday.

The unanimous vote came after a fairly lengthy presentation by Utilities Policy Advisory Committee member Terri Carver, who outlined what the study would cover; including a call to hire a consultant to act as project manager to help hire yet another consultant that would place a value on Utilities' power generation, distribution and transmission assets.…

City Councilor Collins and 'the little people'

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:17:00 -0600

Today, the City Council, with six new members, met for the first time as the Colorado Springs Utilities Board of Directors.

Chairman Keith King laid down the ground rules, among them that members would refer to one another as "Chairman King," or "Board Member [Val] Snider."…

Bach wants to spend $12 million for critical needs

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:52:00 -0600

Mayor Steve Bach will ask City Council next week for permission to spend nearly $12 million from the city's reserve fund on fire and flood mitigation, emergency preparedness, vehicles replacement, raises for personnel and other needs.

At a news conference today, his Chief of Staff Laura Neumann outlines the spending package as follows:

— $10 million for flood safety improvements, including $8.8 million for rebuilding and restoring Camp Creek and Douglas Creek in the Waldo Canyon Fire burn area, $100,000 for training of personnel in emergency response and management, $100,000 for the city's part in a study of the fire, and $1 million for forest management and fuels reduction.…

UPDATE: Bambi to the rescue

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:19:00 -0600

Update, 11:19 a.m., April 19: Fort Carson has issued a correction to its press release, saying that the Colorado Springs Fire Department was not involved with the base on this training.

———

I don't know why it's called a Bambi Bucket, but it could come in mighty handy when we get our next forest fire, as long as the Pentagon agrees to allow the buckets to be used in the firefight.…

Elders to lead City Council

Pam Zubeck — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:29:20 -0600

The two oldest Colorado Springs City Council members were elected by their colleagues today to leadership positions.

Former state legislator Keith King, 65 64, elected April 2 to represent the southwest District 3, will serve as president, and Merv Bennett, just a few months younger than King who's mid-way through his first four-year at-large term, will serve as president pro tem.…

Council president: Who will it be?

Pam Zubeck — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:55:00 -0600

The decision about who will serve as president of the Colorado Springs City Council is just over 24 hours away, and it's anybody's guess who will prevail.

The front-runners are said to be President Pro Tem Jan Martin, who's in the midst of her second four-year term and is the only member with more than two years' experience on Council, and Keith King, who served 12 years in the state Legislature but is new to municipal government.…

No ethics violation by Dougan, panel rules

Pam Zubeck — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:57:00 -0600

Outgoing City Councilor Angela Dougan did not commit an ethics violation, because the complaint didn't allege a violation of the Ethics Code, according to a ruling by the city's Independent Ethics Commission:

Here's the letter:

In response, Dougan issued a news release, which follows:

At its meeting yesterday, the Colorado Springs Independent Ethics Commission (IEC) unanimously confirmed that District 2 Councilmember Angela Dougan committed no violation of the city Ethics Code.

During the recent City Council election campaign, William Murray, also a District 2 candidate for City Council, accused Councilwoman Dougan of a conflict of interest for receiving a campaign contribution from a city cable franchisee.…
[ Read more ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

City keeps settlement details secret

Pam Zubeck — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:44:00 -0600

When we got word earlier this week that the city had settled former finance director Terri Velasquez's wrongful termination and discrimination lawsuit, we wanted to know a couple of things:

1. How much?
2.…

Council-president battle takes shape

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:46:00 -0600

Newly elected Springs City Councilman Keith King wants to be king of the Council. And he wants at-large Councilor Merv Bennett to be his vice king, King says in an interview today.…

City settles three lawsuits, paying out $9 million

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:32:00 -0600

The city of Colorado Springs has coughed up over $9 million to settle lawsuits in the last few weeks. Here are the city's news releases, in order of value, most expensive to least expensive:

$8 million for transit workers:

After over three years of litigation, the City of Colorado Springs and First Fleet/First Transit have reached a tentative settlement agreement over the City's decision in November 2009, to terminate a 2006 contract with First Fleet/First Transit services.…
[ Read more ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

That's one expensive (former) finance director

Pam Zubeck — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:40:00 -0600

The city has agreed to pay former finance director Terri Velasquez a whopping $250,000, it states a news release.

The City of Colorado Springs and former City employee Terri Velasquez have reached a final agreement to resolve all claims the parties may have against one another.…
[ Read more ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Bach says city's hands were tied in Waldo fire

Pam Zubeck — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:55:00 -0600

During his regular interview with FOX21 News on April 4, the day after the city released its Waldo Canyon Fire Final After Action Report, Mayor Steve Bach made the following statement:

"It started in the county. We had no authority go to into the county and put that fire out ourselves.…

City Council breaks the law

Pam Zubeck — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:23:00 -0600

Open Letter to City Council and City Attorney Chris Melcher:

Can you please stop violating the state's Open Meetings Law by making decisions behind closed doors?

Seems you've become so brazen in this regard that now Melcher even acknowledges such law-breaking in writing. You, Mr. Melcher, cavalierly note in an undated memo to Council:

"Closed executive legal discussion of this item was held on March 25, 2013.…