TRI LAKES 12.26.12
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Tri-Lakes
December 26, 2012
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Tri-Lakes Region, Monument, Gleneagle, Black Forest and Northern El Paso County • Volume 9, Issue 52
Board approves budget
FINALLY, A LITTLE SNOW
Pay adjustments and capital finance included By Lisa Collacott
lcollacott@ourcoloradonews.com
Snow, ice and drifting conditions greeted Tri-Lakes area residents Wednesday morning and closed local schools in D-38 and D-20. Steams and reservoirs are low enough that no one is complaining too loudly about snow-packed roads and white, holiday ground coverage. Photo by Rob Carrigan
The Monument Board of Trustees approved the 2013 budget which will include cost of living adjustments and performance raises. The board of trustees had been originally presented with two budgets, one included a three percent COLA increase and a one percent performance increase and the other budget had a two percent COLA and one percent performance increase. Trustees voted unanimously on Dec. 17 to approve the budget with the three percent COLA and one percent performance increase. The COLA increase will take effect Jan. 1. A program will have to be put in place by department heads for the performance increases. “At this morning’s meeting we discussed that the department heads would have a pool of money based on one percent of their employees gross budget based on 2012,” town treasurer Pam Smith said. “Take one percent of that and that’s your pool and that’s what you have at your discretion to use.” The budget also included full capital finance. Smith said all the capital requests are in the budget however they don’t necessarily have to be funded next year. “They are there to be funded if you so choose,” Smith told trustees. Mayor Travis Easton said he would like the board to consider for 2014 a zero COLA and four percent performance increase. “Coming into this next year I’d like to entertain that discussion,” Easton said.
Commissioners move forward with ordinances Pass resolution prohibiting use on county property, Will vote later on retail and manufacturing rules By Lisa Collacott
lcollacott@ourcoloradonews. com The El Paso County Board of County Commissioners has made some decisions regarding the sales and use of marijuana in the county. The BOCC passed a resolution at the Dec. 18 meeting that would prohibit the possession, consumption, use or display of
marijuana on county property. They also approved the first reading of an ordinance that would prohibit the operation of marijuana cultivation facilities, product manufacturing facilities, testing facilities and retail marijuana stores in the unincorporated areas of El Paso County. The second reading is scheduled for Jan. 15 at which time the commissioners will vote for or against the ordinance. This
‘We need clear guidance and direction on whether or not they are going to enforce this.’ Darryl Glenn, Commissioner
comes on the heels of the passing of Amendment 64 which makes the recreation use of marijuana legal. The ordinance does not affect medical marijuana regulations and is not a ban on the use or possession of marijuana. Amendment 64 allows municipalities to adopt regulations with regards to retail sales, growing and manufacturing of recreational marijuana. Several citizens spoke out in opposition to the ordinance telling commissioners that they should wait on direction from the governor’s task force and enacting an ordinance turns down sales tax revenue and makes marijuana more readily available on the black market. Commissioner Darryl Glenn said that one reason to enact the ordinance now is that the county is trying to push for some federal and executive clarification. “We need clear guidance and direction on whether or not they are going to enforce this. We don’t need a speech. We need
a policy statement on whether or not they are actually going to honor this,” Glenn said. Commissioner Sallie Clark said many people have pointed out that the tax from marijuana sales will go to help education but they are not allowed to charge sales tax or excise tax unless it goes to the voters and it is not going to help fund education. Clark said the public was misinformed by the proponents of the measure when they were told the money could be used for education. Even though the legalization of marijuana passed in Colorado possession, use and sales of it is still illegal under federal law and Glenn said there was an important issue regarding a law enforcement impact that was not brought up. “We rely heavily on federal grants and federal spending with regards to law enforcement. Because of the arbitrary nature with what’s been happening with enforcement from
the federal government, the federal government would be able to use precedent to withhold those funds to law enforcement agencies,” Glenn said. “It becomes an unfunded mandate that we would have to try to fill. We keep pushing up against federal government. This is something they can do if we send the signal that we aren’t willing to follow federal law.” Amendment 64 passed in Colorado by 55 percent of the vote and passed by 10 votes in El Paso County. In unincorporated EPC, 55 percent of voters voted against it. Commissioner Peggy Littleton voted against the first reading of the ordinance saying she would like to wait for direction from the state.
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