City Council held a work session Tuesday, Jan. 11, and decided on a path forward in hiring a permanent chief of police. Human Resources Director Kelly Padilla outlined three options for the city.
The first option is to post notice of the vacancy internally and to hire from within. The second option is for the city’s Human Resources Department to conduct a broader search using print and digital media; the third option is to hire an outside agency to conduct the entire process, including the actual hiring.
Padilla’s report presented very detailed descriptions of each of the three options, with pros, cons and costs. Mayor John Graham praised the thoroughness of her presentation.
Discussion was fairly brief, with council overwhelmingly preferring to post and hire from within.
Council’s satisfaction with Interim Chief of Police Bill Otto was equally apparent. Three police officers addressed council to praise his performance, especially improvements in community relations, including crisis intervention training and new certifications in the past year.
Councilor Julie Wolfe asked if Otto is interested in the chief’s position. City Administrator Denise Howell said that conversation had occurred and Otto is interested.
Padilla and Howell will start the process right away and invited councilors to submit interview questions.
The process could take as long as six weeks, requiring:
● Three business days for posting and collecting resumes;
● One week for the city administrator and Human Resources to review resumes;
● One week for City Council to review resumes;
● Two weeks for the three interview panels; and
● One week for City Council to make a decision.
Otto’s interim appointment runs until March 1; he replaced former Police Chief Brian Churchill.
Councilor Judith Chandler asked that council discuss COVID-19. The item was slated to be on the Jan. 18 regular meeting agenda but the rapidity and breadth of the omicron surge, and accompanying data, prompted Chandler’s request.
Padilla explained that the city currently has 315 rapid tests available, enough to test known unvaccinated staff members for seven weeks. Off-site testing requires the employee to miss several days’ work.
She added that the city can order only 96 tests at one time and that she has done so, but the delivery timetable is unknown.
Staffers typically miss a little more than a week’s work when they contract COVID-19; between actual illness and outside testing, Padilla expressed concern that the city’s ability to serve the public is compromised.
Howell told council that city staff is rigorously observing all COVID-19 protocols. Boards and commissions have been asked to meet remotely and she has requested that City Hall be closed, with modification for the special election on Jan. 18.
Council discussed attendance at upcoming meetings, including the possibility of delaying the strategic planning retreat scheduled for Feb. 5. The possibility of hybrid in-person/Zoom council meetings was also discussed, with councilors preferring the present YouTube/in-person meeting format.
They decided that the present format for council meetings can continue for the Jan. 18 meeting, with the situation being monitored on a day-to-day basis and adjusted as appropriate. The city’s COVID data will be reviewed at the Jan. 18 meeting.
Mary Pulvermacher of the Preserve and Renew Our Carnegie Library Task Force and consultant Kimberly Sherwood briefed council on the financing plan to expand the Carnegie Library building. The city owns the building, while the Pikes Peak Library District operates it.
John Spears, the district’s CEO, also addressed council, saying that the 20-year project has entered a new phase, with the time at hand for the city to take the lead. He noted that the pre-COVID use figures for the library were 50,000 annually and that Manitou Springs “punches above its weight.”
Sherwood said that the project, including final construction, will cost $3.2 million, with construction able to begin when 80 percent, or $2.6 million, is collected.
The $2.6 million will be raised through a commitment from the city, grants and gifts. This process is expected to take as long as 18 months, followed by a 12- to 18-month community campaign to raise $600,000 to $800,000.
An in-person public meeting in City Hall is scheduled for 6 p.m. Feb. 23, followed by a virtual public meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 24. These meetings will deal with the building’s final design. Howell pointed out that COVID considerations could alter the meetings’ schedules.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, the Historic Preservation Commission, the Planning Commission and City Council must approve architectural firm RATIO’s design. Council approval is scheduled, tentatively, for June 7.
City Engineer Dole Grebenik will manage the construction.
The entire text of Sherwood’s very detailed report can be found at the library’s web page on the city website: www.manitouspringsgov.com/633/_Carnegie-Library.
Graham announced that City Council will not meet Tuesday, Jan. 25.