By John Fryar
Daily Times-Call, Longmont, Colo.
LONGMONT, Colo. — Longmont City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday night to accept an $86,262 U.S. Department of Justice grant for special equipment and personal protection items for police to use during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Jeff Satur, deputy public safety chief for police services, said Friday that the equipment will protect officers and other first responders — and at times, members of the public — in situations that may arise during the pandemic.
Satur said that could apply not only to coronavirus-related responses — such as when officers are dispatched to make welfare checks of Longmont residents to be present during medical calls — but also in the event any demonstrations on non-COVID issues threaten to get out of hand.
Also on Tuesday, the Council:
Approved an intergoverrnental agreement with the Colorado Department of Public Health And Environment to sample Longmont’s raw sewage and wastewater for the presence of COVID-19. Longmont is one of as many as 16 communities expected to participate in the program, which officials have said could provide early warnings of coronavirus outbreaks.
Approved a resolution urging residents to vote “yes” on a November ballot question seeking voters’ authorization for the city to issue up to $80 million in bonds to finance various improvements, upgrades and expansions of Longmont’s drinking-water treatment, storage, transmission and delivery systems. Council had voted on Aug. 11 to advance that measure to the ballot.
Gave final approval to an ordinance advancing another question to the ballot, one that seeks voter approval of a municipal charter amendment that would allow Longmont to lease city-owned property to tenants for terms of up to 30 years, an increase from the 20-year maximum lease periods permitted by the current charter.
Approved a resolution urging residents to vote “yes” on the charter change to allow for 30-year leases of city property.
All those measures passed on unanimous votes except for the resolution urging voters to support the charter revision on lease lengths.
Councilwoman Polly Christensen dissented in the 6-1 vote on that item, although she’d voted for the ordinance advancing it to the ballot. She said she didn’t approve of the language “urging” voters to support the measure.
Mayor Brian Bagley, however, said, “I think it’s totally appropriate to urge people to vote for things” the Council has voted to place on the ballot.
©2020 the Daily Times-Call (Longmont, Colo.)