Bayfield town trustees started off 2017 Tuesday night by prioritizing a list of projects and goals for the year.
Their top pick was to update the town's 2005 comprehensive plan and the land use code.
Next was replacement of the two old green bridges on Bayfield Parkway. After a couple years of delays to deal with wetland, endangered species, and federal permit issues, the project is supposed to be advertised for bids today. There will be a mandatory pre-bid conference on Jan. 24.
Town Manager Chris La May presented a three page list of priorities and asked trustee to rank them. The list was started in 2011. It includes items that have been completed or are in progress as well as new items. They were grouped under headings of parks and facilities; streets, drainage and rights of way; sewer; water; land use; downtown redevelopment; economic development; law enforcement; vehicles/ equipment; information technology; facilities such as town hall and the senior center; and other.
One that got votes was to investigate making Bayfield a home rule town. "We get all our guidance from the state as a statutory town. Home rule is an opportunity to have more latitude regarding local issues," La May said. That includes things like land use, design standards, self-collection of sales tax, and personnel management, he said.
Town attorney Jeff Robbins added that home rule "frees you from the authority you are granted by state statute. With home rule, you get that plus all the local areas of concern. I think it's worth investigating. Many communities that look into it end up doing it."
Durango is a home rule city.
Mayor Matt Salka said he wants to know the positives and negatives of home rule. "You see small towns our size that are switching to home rule," he said.
"We don't see any down-sides, but I'm biased," La May said. Town voters would have to grant authority to appoint a commission that would draft a charter within six months, and then voters would have to approve the charter, he said. Now is a good time to have the discussion, with the town's current population, he said.
Other items receiving trustee votes were how the town will participate in a planned La Plata/Archuleta Water District (LAPLAWD) main line through Gem Village, a master street plan, and attracting new primary employers - businesses that produce a product or service that is sold outside the area, bringing new money into the local economy.
LAPLAWD has been installing main lines west along County Road 510. The plan is to reach Highway 160 and then go east to connect with the first part of the line at County Road 509. Even before LAPLAWD was created as a tax district in 2008, there was an issue of whether the town or LAPLAWD would get to serve the dense customer base in Gem Village. The town wants a guarantee, such as with implied consent agreements, that those customers will annex to the town when that becomes feasible.
The town share of the line between Gem Village and 509 is in the budget, La May said. "My conversations with LAPLAWD are, that may not happen this year. It might be 2018," he said. "We'll have to look at whether implied consent will be required."
