In a meeting on Tuesday, the Cortez City Council will vote on whether to turn City Hall into a fully solar-powered building.
During the regular meeting, which starts 7:30 p.m., the council will vote on whether to add rooftop solar panels to the building. The council also will vote on whether to send out a request for proposal for a civil engineering firm to manage the downtown median project. Both the regular meeting and the workshop beforehand, which starts at 5:30 p.m., are open to the public.
During a workshop on May 8, City Manager Shane Hale proposed amending the city’s contract with Durango-based company Shaw Solar to add about 88 kilowatts of solar power to the building, enough to provide all its electricity. The contract would include a six-year lease on the panels, with the first payment amounting to just under $12,000.
In a memo to the council, Public Works Director Phil Johnson said it would be “in the city’s best interest” to hire a consultant to manage the median project, which was scheduled to begin in June, instead of having his department oversee it alone.
“Given the workload of our other capital projects, along with supporting private construction review and permitting, this investment will provide for a well-managed project,” he wrote.
He asked for authorization to spend up to $50,000 for the consulting services, and said he planned to advertise for bids from May 23 to June 6. The money would come out of the city’s 2018 street capital funds.
In the workshop, which starts at 5:30 p.m., General Services Director Rick Smith will discuss the results of a feasibility study that started in January with the intent of discovering whether the municipal government could become an internet service provider. Consultants from Finley Engineering Co. studied cost estimates for installing fiber to the home across the city, whether through an open-access or single-provider model. The city has scheduled another public meeting for Wednesday night to discuss the study results in detail. That meeting will be recorded and livestreamed on the city website and will include public comment.
In his last council workshop, Hale also plans to discuss the next steps in hiring his replacement and follow up on a May 8 staff training session by setting a consistent time limit on public comment in council meetings.
Other actionIn the workshop and the regular meeting, the council also will:
Undergo a brief security awareness training.Hear a presentation from City Clerk Linda Smith on employee fitness incentives.Vote on an ordinance authorizing the city to certify delinquent charges for collection as taxes.Vote on a resolution authorizing the expenditure of funds in order to meet the requirements of the Great Outdoors Colorado grant for the purchase of the old Montezuma-Cortez High School property.Vote on whether to reimburse the Montezuma-Cortez RE-1 School District for $4,844 paid for a water tap the district does not intend to use.Hold a public comment period.
