New Council Member & Chief sworn in on Feb. 6

Oaths of office for a new council member and chief of police, maintenance work to the Town's water tower and liquor permits were all items of interest on the agenda for the Monday, Feb. 6 meeting of the Haxtun Town Council. Members met at the Haxtun Community Center for the 7 p.m. meeting that lasted just over an hour.

The February meeting opened with a public hearing for a special event liquor permit for the Haxtun Gun Club for a Feb. 25 event at the community center. According to information from the local gun club, the event will feature games, dinner and drinks along with a benefit auction as well as drawings and door prizes. Funds from the event will be used to help support growing demands of the club.

The Haxtun Gun Club hosted a similar event last year in which funds were used to purchase new LED lights for the trap leagues as well as skeet. Additionally, the gun club was able to purchase two new Garmin Xero trap shooting trainers for the youth program along with helping with hotel and other travel expenses related to the high school trap team.

For more information on the Haxtun Gun Club event later this month contact Dave Ridlen at (970) 520-3727.

The Haxtun Town Council later, in action items, approved the special event liquor permit for the gun club following no comment at the public hearing.

The Council also received a liquor permit from El Paso Mexican restaurant, opening soon on Colorado Avenue in Haxtun. Owners are currently remodeling the former Barlo building at the corner of Colorado Avenue and Highway 6. The local Council will host a public hearing on the liquor permit application on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at the Haxtun Town Hall. If approved locally, the permit will be sent to the State for final approval.

As the first item of business on the agenda, Dean Anderson took his oath of office to fill a seat at the council table. A vacancy remained following elections in November, in which the Town solicited interested from the community to fill. Two letters of interest were received, including one from Anderson and the other from Jon Brammer. Last month, council members opted to appoint Anderson to fill the vacancy. He took his oath of office in February and will fill a term until general elections in November 2024.

Last month, Anderson told the Council that while his resumé might make it appear that he has been gone from Haxtun for quite some time, he really has spent the majority of his life as a Haxtun resident. Anderson has been a part of the Haxtun Lions Club and served on the Haxtun Board of Education.

Council members reviewed and approve resolution 2023-3 for grant funds for the Haxtun Airport. The Town of Haxtun received a 90/10 split grant from the State of Colorado Department of Transportation to install new lighting at the airport. The total of the project is expected to be $65,000 in which the Town will be responsible for 10 percent of the cost.

Superintendent Ron Carpenter has been working on the grant will submit the final contract so that work may begin.

In sticking with topics of work, Carpenter spoke with the Council about maintenance repairs to the water tower. The Superintendent provided council members with a contract with Maguire Iron, Inc. out of South Dakota for work on the interior and exterior of the water tower.

According to Carpenter, routine maintenance is needed on the inside of the water tower and while Maguire Iron is here, plans are to also paint the outside. Some spots, he said, are beginning to show primer. The layer after which is steel and if not taken care of properly, rust may begin to develop causing an onslaught of other issues.

The total project is expected to cost $66,800. A portion of the interior work was included in 2023 budget expenses. The Council approved the contract with the direction to pay a portion out of this year's budget and the remainder in 2024.

Before moving onto discussion items and staff reports, the Haxtun Town Council voted to appoint Tom Bullard as Chief of Police. Bullard later took his oath of office to serve the Town of Haxtun in the Chief capacity.

Bullard started with the Haxtun Police Department 10 years ago. He was promoted to Sergeant just last year.

According to Town Clerk/Treasurer Kelsey Harms, Bullard will begin his Chief position at the base salary rate with a six month probationary contract. The Council also opted to allow Bullard to roll over four and a half vacation days from 2022.

In other business the Council:

• Approved an engagement letter with Lauer, Szabo and Associates for the annual audit. The audit is scheduled for the first week in April;

• Designated Carpenter and Mayor Mike Ensminger as Town representatives for the Colorado Association of Municipal Utilities organization.

• Authorized signatures on banking documents, specifically adding Ensminger as Mayor and Bullard as Police Chief;

• Discussed finds in the FPPA Old Hire Pension account. Those funds pertain to an account designated for former Police Chief Tom Davis. Due to recent circumstances, the account will need to be closed and collected funds need to be addressed. The account, now designated as idle funds, totals $118,000. Plans are to start the process to withdraw those funds, but to do so they will need to be moved from a pool account to a cash account. Once funds are available, per regulations, they can only be used for other retirement expenses;

• Reviewed the current chicken ordinance. Due to rising costs off eggs and State regulations that will require laying hens to be cage free by 2025, plans are to re-work the existing ordinance to make housing chickens more feasible for residents. Plans are to change set back distances for alleyways, neighboring properties and structures. The resolution will be on the March agenda;

• Carpenter said the final inspection of the plumbing at the new town shop happened last week. Plans are to be completely moved into the new shop by the end of the month;

• Harms reminded the Council that all pet licenses are due by the end of April.