Patterson Hall, Westcliffe, CO
—December 19, 2022
Meat Waste Disposal and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act Ordinances Adopted, Town Considers Proposal to Take Ownership of Bluffs Park Parcel

by Becky Olson
The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees for the Town of Westcliffe was held on December 19th and convened as scheduled at 5:30 p.m. in Patterson Hall. A quorum of Trustees was present, and proceedings commenced after recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and unanimous adoption of the consent agenda.
Under old business, the Trustees re-visited the proposed Meat Waste Disposal ordinance to solicit additional public comment and confer with the owners of Elevation Meat Market on whether they had been able to research methods of compliance with the new regulations. After some detailed discussion and further comments from concerned residents, the Trustees voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance.
The Trustees next moved to the first item of new business: Consideration of a transfer of ownership of 5.3 acres at the Bluff Park from Colorado Open Lands (which recently merged with the San Isabel Land Protection Trust) to the Town of Westcliffe. This particular parcel is encumbered by a conservation easement that would also transfer to the town and would bring both ownership and management of all the parcels which comprise the park under a single entity. After representatives from Colorado Open Lands presented their proposal and addressed questions from the Trustees, a unanimous decision was made to proceed with having a non-binding Letter of Intent drafted by Colorado Open Lands for the Trustees’ consideration.
The Trustees next moved into a special session of the Board of Zoning Adjustments to discuss an appeal for a denied building permit for 302 South Second Street. The gist of the issue is related to some improvements that were performed on a pre-existing structure that turns out to be partially within the mandated setback distance. The initial permit for the improvements was previously approved by former Town Manager, Gabriel Shank, prior to when this issue with the setback was brought to light, which then resulted in a subsequent denial of the permit. The Board voted unanimously to approve the property owner’s appeal of this subsequent denial and grant a zoning variance, noting it was the actions of the town that led to this conundrum, not those of the property owner.
The Trustees’ next item of new business was final discussion and public comment on the proposed ordinance to codify and comply with the state’s new Plastic Pollution Reduction Act. There is quite a bit of concern and consternation related to overall education about and enforcement of this new law which requires certain businesses to start charging a fee for single use plastic and paper bags as of January 1, 2023. Town Clerk, Kathy Reis, reported on her efforts to educate both businesses and residents on this impending change. She is working with Silver Cliff Town Clerk, Ileen Squire, to harmonize the two towns’ education and enforcement efforts. Residents can expect to see signage on businesses as well as receive informational post cards in the mail offering a redemption for reusable bags for residents.
Next the Trustees voted to amend the town’s drug policy for non-DOT regulated employees to stipulate positive marijuana drug test results “may” result in disciplinary action and dismissal instead of the current policy which calls for “immediate dismissal”. There will also be a carve out for employees with formal medical marijuana cards issued by the state. There was one dissenting vote to this decision to adopt these changes. The last item of new business was a consideration of changing the Board of Trustees’ regular monthly meeting date from the current third Monday of each month to the third Tuesday of each month to avoid conflicts with national holidays. The resolution was unanimously adopted and will take effect starting with the January 2023 Trustees’ meeting.
There were no Staff Reports, so the Trustees voted to move into a brief Executive Session to discuss the possibility of bonuses for all town employees. Approximately fifteen minutes later the Trustees returned to the regular meeting session and announced the unanimous approval of $500 bonuses for all town employees. With no further discussion items or public comment, the meeting was adjourned.