Opinion LCCOC discusses city manager, LCHS and...
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South Platte Sentinel Wednesday, July 16, 2014 Page 10 Opinion "We serve those who love and remember." • Monuments • Cemetery Lettering • Granite & Bronze Markers • Sandblast Signs • Historical Markers SINCE 1918 STERLING MONUMENT COMPANY 522-0537 1350 W. Main St. • Sterling • 522-5104 See Store For Details. Open: Mon.-Sat., 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m./Sun., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. & Farm Center knows it’s fair time! 20% Off Wrangler Shirts For Men, Women & Children Mr. D's Ace Home Including RIGGS Workwear Shirts George Strait Collection Rock 47 by Wrangler Wrangler Retro Wrangler 20X Western Snap National Patriot “Tough Enough To Wear Pink” Sale Good Fri.-Sat.-Sun., July 18-19-20 LCCOC discusses city manager, LCHS and TNR By the Logan County Citizens Oversight Committee Special to the Sentinel A broad range of topics captivated an interested crowd at Monday night’s Logan County Citizens’ Oversight Committee (LCCOC) meeting. New city manager – The search for a new city manager has been going on since November when the previous city council ended the previous city manager’s contract. Bob Murray Associates was hired by council to help find an appropriate individual to fill Sterling’s top spot. Over 40 applications were received. At last week’s City Council meeting, three finalists were announced: Shawna D. Burkhart of Converse, Texas; Stephen Rasmussen of Jefferson City, Mo.; and Donald Saling of Pueblo West. Many people are curious why not many details have been made available to the public about the process and the final candidates other than what was reported in last week’s South Platte Sentinel indicating two of the three finalists were let go from their previous city manager positions. Pat Kloberdanz questioned why more information was not available about the strengths of each candidate and what they have been doing since they left their last city manager job. She also wondered why there was no opportunity for the public to meet the candidates. From the audience, Councilman Councilman Bob McCarty (Ward 1) remarked, in his opinion, city managers have a “thankless job” as they serve at the pleasure of elected officials. “While one council may really like a city manager, the next council may not,” he said. Because of this phoneme, the fact that an applicant was terminated from their previous position is not necessarily a concern. McCarty said he feels the council narrowed the field to three very good candidates. All three finalists hold a master’s degree and all have extensive experience in running a city. He said, “You would be impressed.” Council interviewed eight people on Tues., July 1. At last night’s council meeting, they prioritized their choices and prepared their first offer. McCarty cautioned the first or even second choice may not be the individual who ultimately accepts the offer. June TNR Clinic – Several individuals who volunteered and worked at the June Trap Neuter Release (TNR) Clinic described their experience as “wonderful” and “one of the most awesome weekends ever.” Linda Gebauer said, “There is only one purpose and that is to help those kitties. It is our obligation as humans!” While the weekend clinic was a huge success, finding funding for the event stirred a bit of controversy. When the Northern Colorado Friends of Ferals (NCFF) agreed to do a weekend TNR Clinic for the feral cats of Sterling, they applied for a grant from Animal Assistance Foundation (AAF) to cover out-of- pocket expenses. NCFF, a 501c3, had received funding from AAF for the past 5 years to help with the cost of TNR Clinics throughout northern Colorado. They were disappointed to learn their grant for the Sterling clinic was denied. Pam Steiner explained, “We lost the grant because someone here did not want the TNR Clinic in Sterling and that is very shameful.” Riste Capps asked Dr. William Fredregill, the head of the Logan County Humane Society (LCHS), if he was the one who “thwarted the grant.” Fredregill’s cited health depart- ment requirements and suggested the group call AAF and talk to them about why the grant was denied. Tuesday morning, the LCCOC posed that question to AAF and had not received their response by press deadline. NCFF decided to do the weekend TNR Clinic and pay for it themselves. Over a 3-day weekend, NCFF fixed and immunized 298 cats. Their total cost was $5,614. Donations and fees total $2,894 leaving a balance of $2,720. Judy Nierling and Linda Kloberdanz applied for and were awarded a Wal-Mart Community Grant. NCFF received a check for $1,500 from Wal-Mart leaving a balance of $1,220 that, unless further donations are received, will be paid out of the personal pockets of NCFF volunteers who do not even live in Sterling. New animal shelter - Dr. Fredregill displayed drawings of the new LCHS animal shelter, which has been in the works for years. In 2008-09, the Walsh Family Foundation gave LCHS an $875,000 grant to build a new animal shelter. The original plans were approved by the Sterling Planning Commission. The shelter has not yet been built. The original plan was to use Department of Corrections labor to build the facility, however, with changes in the system, that is no longer possible. Six years later a downsized version is now in the works. The land for the shelter is out by the prison, just below the halfway house. The city has also given utilities - water and sewer. The 3,200 sq. ft. facility will have room for 24 dogs, double the current shelter capacity. Dr. Fredregill was not sure about how many cats will be accommodated. Cost is just under $200 sq. ft. or $640,000. The floor plan includes cat and dog adoption areas, an isolation area, stray cat and dog areas, office space and the ability to keep all the animals inside with a fenced outdoor exercise area. Steiner, who runs a low cost spay/ neuter/immunization and vet care clinic in Ft. Morgan, stated 95% of the humane societies throughout the country have on-site low cost clinics. She asked whether the new facility will have that option. Dr. Fredregill said that a surgical area would be too expensive. Steiner said it does not cost that much as she had just built one in Ft. Morgan. Dr. Fredregill explained the current stall of the project is obtaining a special use permit for the city. Kline Construction is the contractor for this project. They specialize in building animal shelters. Several people had questions and comments about the com- munity’s relationship with Animal Control and the LCHS. Lee Rothe expressed the frustration felt by many when he asked, “Why has it taken 6 years to get this far and still no animal shelter has been built!?” Jamie Bauer-Knox said she feels the main problem with the humane society is lack of transparency. People in the community care about animals yet get no information about what is going on. The Humane Society needs to set scheduled board meetings and publicize meetings in the paper so the public can attend and be involved. Citizen ballot initiatives - Citizens are circulating petitions to get two different initiatives on the November ballot. Denise Bradshaw and her friends have been working on allowing up to six hens in the back yards of Sterling. Cecilia Bouy is working with Chris Herrera on allowing medical marijuana businesses within city limits. Both groups must have 526 verified registered voter signatures delivered to the City Clerk’s office by Aug. 4 to make the November ballot. Anyone wishing to sigh these petitions should contact Bradshaw or Bouy. Signing the petition does not mean that one approves or rejects these initiatives, only that they should be put on the ballot for the citizens of Sterling to vote on in the November election. This is the first time in Sterling history that citizen driven initiatives may be headed for a ballot vote. RE-1 Valley School District - Board of Education Director B. J. Ball followed up on issues discussed at previous meetings. Jim Leh asked if the spreadsheet showing what standardized tests were required throughout the district promised by Superintendent Dr. Jan Delay was forthcoming. Ball said now that the school calendar is completed he will ask her about this. Please See LCCOC Page 19
Transcript of Opinion LCCOC discusses city manager, LCHS and...
South Platte Sentinel Wednesday, July 16, 2014 Page 10 Opinion
"We serve those wholove and remember."
• Monuments • Cemetery Lettering• Granite & Bronze Markers
• Sandblast Signs • Historical Markers
SINCE 1918
STERLINGMONUMENT COMPANY
522-0537 1350 W. Main St. • Sterling • 522-5104 See Store For Details. Open: Mon.-Sat., 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m./Sun., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
& Farm Center
knows it’s fair time!
20% Off Wrangler Shirts For Men, Women & Children
Mr. D's Ace Home
Including RIGGS Workwear ShirtsGeorge Strait Collection
Rock 47 by WranglerWrangler Retro Wrangler 20X Western Snap
National Patriot “Tough Enough To
Wear Pink”
Sale Good Fri.-Sat.-Sun.,July 18-19-20
LCCOC discusses city manager, LCHS and TNRBy the Logan County Citizens Oversight Committee Special to the Sentinel A broad range of topics captivated an interested crowd at Monday night’s Logan County Citizens’ Oversight Committee (LCCOC) meeting.New city manager – The search for a new city manager has been going on since November when the previous city council ended the previous city manager’s contract. Bob Murray Associates was hired by council to help find an appropriate individual to fill Sterling’s top spot. Over 40 applications were received. At last week’s City Council meeting, three finalists were announced: Shawna D. Burkhart of Converse, Texas; Stephen Rasmussen of Jefferson City, Mo.; and Donald Saling of Pueblo West. Many people are curious why not many details have been made available to the public about the process and the final candidates other than what was reported in last week’s South Platte Sentinel indicating two of the three finalists were let go from their previous city manager positions. Pat Kloberdanz questioned why more information was not available about the strengths of each candidate and what they have been doing since they left their last city manager job. She also wondered why there was no opportunity for the public to meet the candidates. From the audience, Councilman Councilman Bob McCarty (Ward 1) remarked, in his opinion, city managers have a “thankless job” as they serve at the pleasure of elected officials. “While one council may really like a city manager, the next council may not,” he said. Because of this phoneme, the fact that an applicant was terminated from their previous position is not necessarily a concern. McCarty said he feels the council narrowed the field to three very good candidates. All three finalists hold a master’s degree and all have extensive experience in running a city. He said, “You would be impressed.” Council interviewed eight people
on Tues., July 1. At last night’s council meeting, they prioritized their choices and prepared their first offer. McCarty cautioned the first or even second choice may not be the individual who ultimately accepts the offer.June TNR Clinic – Several individuals who volunteered and worked at the June Trap Neuter Release (TNR) Clinic described their experience as “wonderful” and “one of the most awesome weekends ever.” Linda Gebauer said, “There is only one purpose and that is to help those kitties. It is our obligation as humans!” While the weekend clinic was a huge success, finding funding for the event stirred a bit of controversy. When the Northern Colorado Friends of Ferals (NCFF) agreed to do a weekend TNR Clinic for the feral cats of Sterling, they applied for a grant from Animal Assistance Foundation (AAF) to cover out-of-pocket expenses. NCFF, a 501c3, had received funding from AAF for the past 5 years to help with the cost of TNR Clinics throughout northern Colorado. They were disappointed to learn their grant for the Sterling clinic was denied. Pam Steiner explained, “We lost the grant because someone here did not want the TNR Clinic in Sterling and that is very shameful.” Riste Capps asked Dr. William Fredregill, the head of the Logan County Humane Society (LCHS), if he was the one who “thwarted the grant.” Fredregill’s cited health depart-ment requirements and suggested the group call AAF and talk to them about why the grant was denied. Tuesday morning, the LCCOC posed that question to AAF and had not received their response by press deadline. NCFF decided to do the weekend TNR Clinic and pay for it themselves.
Over a 3-day weekend, NCFF fixed and immunized 298 cats. Their total cost was $5,614. Donations and fees total $2,894 leaving a balance of $2,720. Judy Nierling and Linda Kloberdanz applied for and were awarded a Wal-Mart Community Grant. NCFF received a check for $1,500 from Wal-Mart leaving a balance of $1,220 that, unless further donations are received, will be paid out of the personal pockets of NCFF volunteers who do not even live in Sterling.New animal shelter - Dr. Fredregill displayed drawings of the new LCHS animal shelter, which has been in the works for years. In 2008-09, the Walsh Family Foundation gave LCHS an $875,000 grant to build a new animal shelter. The original plans were approved by the Sterling Planning Commission. The shelter has not yet been built. The original plan was to use Department of Corrections labor to build the facility, however, with changes in the system, that is no longer possible. Six years later a downsized version is now in the works. The land for the shelter is out by the prison, just below the halfway house. The city has also given utilities - water and sewer. The 3,200 sq. ft. facility will have room for 24 dogs, double the current shelter capacity. Dr. Fredregill was not sure about how many cats will be accommodated. Cost is just under $200 sq. ft. or $640,000. The floor plan includes cat and dog adoption areas, an isolation area, stray cat and dog areas, office space and the ability to keep all the animals inside with a fenced outdoor exercise area. Steiner, who runs a low cost spay/neuter/immunization and vet care clinic in Ft. Morgan, stated 95% of the humane societies throughout the country have on-site low cost
clinics. She asked whether the new facility will have that option. Dr. Fredregill said that a surgical area would be too expensive. Steiner said it does not cost that much as she had just built one in Ft. Morgan. Dr. Fredregill explained the current stall of the project is obtaining a special use permit for the city. Kline Construction is the contractor for this project. They specialize in building animal shelters. Several people had questions and comments about the com-munity’s relationship with Animal Control and the LCHS. Lee Rothe expressed the frustration felt by many when he asked, “Why has it taken 6 years to get this far and still no animal shelter has been built!?” Jamie Bauer-Knox said she feels the main problem with the humane society is lack of transparency. People in the community care about animals yet get no information about what is going on. The Humane Society needs to set scheduled board meetings and publicize meetings in the paper so the public can attend and be involved.Citizen ballot initiatives - Citizens are circulating petitions to get two different initiatives on the
November ballot. Denise Bradshaw and her friends have been working on allowing up to six hens in the back yards of Sterling. Cecilia Bouy is working with Chris Herrera on allowing medical marijuana businesses within city limits. Both groups must have 526 verified registered voter signatures delivered to the City Clerk’s office by Aug. 4 to make the November ballot. Anyone wishing to sigh these petitions should contact Bradshaw or Bouy. Signing the petition does not mean that one approves or rejects these initiatives, only that they should be put on the ballot for the citizens of Sterling to vote on in the November election. This is the first time in Sterling history that citizen driven initiatives may be headed for a ballot vote.RE-1 Valley School District - Board of Education Director B. J. Ball followed up on issues discussed at previous meetings. Jim Leh asked if the spreadsheet showing what standardized tests were required throughout the district promised by Superintendent Dr. Jan Delay was forthcoming. Ball said now that the school calendar is completed he will ask her about this.
Please See LCCOC Page 19
