Posts tagged Boulder City Council
Boulder releases findings related to possible creation of a municipal electric utility
0February 21, 2013
The City of Boulder today released a 38-page report detailing the results of extensive research into the possibility of creating a city-owned and operated electric utility. The evaluation looked at a total of six options for meeting the community’s Energy Future goals. One is a baseline evaluation of staying with Xcel Energy with no change to the way it operates. The other five are options predicated on the city creating its own utility, which would be free from regulations that can limit innovation and customization.
The results show that there are several forms a new utility could take that don’t require trade-offs among the community’s core values. The Boulder community has said it wants cleaner and greener energy with rates and reliability comparable to or better than those provided by Xcel Energy. The community is also seeking more local control and a voice in decision-making, as well as an opportunity to enhance economic vitality by providing a test bed for emerging technology and a low-cost, high-reliability environment in which businesses can thrive.
When Boulder voters approved the continued exploration of a municipal utility in November 2011, they set limiting requirements in the Charter that must be met before City Council could proceed. These included provisions related to rates, revenue sufficiency and reliability, as well as plans to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase renewable sources of energy.
Specific Findings
Under some of the options analyzed, a municipal electric utility would meet the Charter metrics and have a high likelihood of being able to:
· Offer all three major customer classes (residential, commercial and industrial) lower rates than what they would pay Xcel, not just on day one, as required by the Charter, but on average over 20 years;
· Maintain or exceed current levels of system reliability and emergency response, and, if the community chose to, use future investments to enhance dependability;
· Reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 percent from current levels and exceed the Kyoto Protocol target in year one;
· Obtain 54 percent or more of its electricity from renewable resources; and
· Create a model public electric utility with leading-edge innovations in reliability, energy efficiency, renewable energy, related economic development and customer service.
The report also examines the impact that a variety of stranded cost and acquisition cost rulings could have on rates and revenue requirements over 20 years.
The full memo, with all attachments, is available at www.boulderenergyfuture.com.
Process and Participation
“We are excited to share the results of this detailed analysis with City Council and our community. We believe the findings demonstrate that a municipal utility could be good for consumers, good for Boulder businesses and good for our planet,” said Heather Bailey, executive director of Energy Strategy and Electric Utility Development. “We look forward to an informed conversation over the next couple of month about how best to proceed.”
Bailey said she is especially grateful for the participation of more than 50 community members, many of whom have industry expertise, who donated their time to serve on working groups. These groups helped to ensure that a variety of perspectives was included and that all modeling was based on reasonable assumptions and data.
“This has been a community-wide review process, and this has greatly enhanced the quality and integrity of our report,” Bailey said. “I wish to thank everyone who has played a role in this direct way, as well as the countless members of the public who have shared their thoughts and concerns with me over the past year.”
An Xcel Energy Partnership Alternative?
While the city is committed to exploring ways to achieve “the electric utility of the future,” it has acknowledged that there might be ways to do so short of creating its own utility – in the form of a new partnership with the existing electric provider, Xcel Energy.
In December, the city released a paper that outlined a variety of ideas that could achieve the community’s goals if Xcel Energy is interested. The city has since spoken with officials from the current utility several times, asking them to identify which of the suggestions they would be willing to consider, as well as any innovative approaches the company might like to propose. Xcel officials have said they are open to a dialogue but have not yet come forward with specifics about what ideas they would like to discuss.
The framework for considering how the city should proceed includes the possibility of modeling an Xcel partnership option, when and if additional details become available. There are, in the analysis released today, also at least two options that might be achievable with the participation of a collaborative and willing energy partner.
“What we are looking to do is move beyond a 19th century approach to providing energy and create a forward-looking, innovative and consumer-friendly utility model that reduces our reliance on fossil fuels,” Bailey said. “Xcel Energy has served us for decades, and in many ways, done an admirable job. It is possible they could help us meet our objectives. We would welcome their involvement in a meaningful, timely and transparent discussion.”
What’s Next
Boulder City Council is scheduled to hear a presentation based on this memo and ask questions at a Study Session on Tuesday, Feb. 26. The session will be broadcast live on Comcast Channel 8 for Boulder viewers and online at www.boulderchannel8.com. A recording will also be available at the above website for later viewing. There is no opportunity for public comment at study sessions, but they are an excellent way to learn more about a topic and the staff’s work.
City Council will discuss this issue again – and decide whether to move forward with the next steps related to the potential creation of a city electric utility – on April 16. This meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at 1777 Broadway and will include a public hearing.
Opportunities for Public Feedback
Between now and council’s April 16 decision, the city is providing multiple ways for the community to provide input about the analysis and how council might move forward.
As always, council accepts correspondence on any issue of community interest. In addition, there is a comment form available for this specific initiative on the project website.
In addition, the city is offering the following unique opportunities:
· An online questionnaire that will be available at www.bouldercolorado.gov between Feb. 27 and March 27;
· A conference telephone call designed to focus on rates and reliability, two key concerns for the business community, from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12 (please register in advance at www.bouldercolorado.gov/energyfuture/businesscall);
· A community open house exploring the pros and cons of each of the modeled options from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13, at the West Senior Center, 909 W. Arapahoe Ave.;
· Focused questions and examination of the options on the city’s new digital town hall platform, Inspire Boulder; and
· Presentations, by invitation, from Bailey or other members of the staff team to interested organizations and associations.
All input collected during the next couple of months will be shared with council in advance of the April 16 meeting.
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Boulder city budget on the uptick
0August 30, 2012
Recommended city budget provides limited and targeted growth in 2013
On Sept. 11, Boulder City Council will begin considering a proposed 2013 budget that supports master plans accepted by council in 2012, restores partial funding for police and firefighter training, and continues funding for existing community programs and services.
City officials said that while the local economy is improving slowly, the city’s General Fund revenues will see only modest increases in 2013. As a result, City Manager Jane Brautigam recommends continuing the conservative approach initiated during the economic downturn; limited new funding will be allocated to programs supporting the highest community priorities next year, including economic vitality initiatives and significant investments in Boulder’s public facilities and infrastructure made possible by voters in November 2011.
The $256 million Recommended Budget includes $33 million in capital improvement plan spending – an increase of $10 million over 2012 levels.
“Boulder is in a stable financial position, and the conservative approach taken over the past few years has helped the city to become more efficient and effective with public dollars,” said Brautigam. “Our focus on cost recovery, restructuring city functions and not using one-time revenues to pay for on-going expenses has enabled Boulder to reduce the projected $135 million annual structural gap identified by the Blue Ribbon Commission in 2008 to $75 million annually by 2030.
“Boulder’s guiding principles of separating one-time revenues from ongoing expenditures also emphasizes the need to accurately project future one-time costs in order to carefully save over several years in preparation for those expenditures to avoid impacting Boulder’s base budget,” added Brautigam. “Because the city purposely saved for the future, we are prepared to pay as we go for planned one-time expenditures without negative impacts to the 2013 base budget.”
The 2012 Boulder City Council is keeping an eye on revenue and expenses.
The recommended base budget reflects a 2 percent increase in base budget expenditures compared to the 2012 approved budget. Boulder saved an additional $16 million outside of that base budget to pay for one-time expenses that will be incurred next year. Most of that amount consists of funding for important transportation projects leveraged by the city using state and federal sources; a once every 11- to 12-year pay-period liability associated with Boulder’s biweekly pay system, and expenditures for Boulder’s Energy Future that are now included in the city’s budget document to reflect revenues approved by the voters in November 2011.
In addition to the continued long-term emphasis to stabilize revenues and expenditures, the Recommended Budget addresses community and council priorities with a major emphasis in the following areas:
- Restore non-personnel funding for police and firefighter training that was reduced during the economic downturn;
- Provide additional resources for Boulder’s Energy Future, the Civic Area Master Plan and adding a resource officer for homelessness initiatives;
- Carry out steps needed to implement master plans and department assessments, some of which began in the 2012 budget;
- Continue and strengthen the commitment to economic sustainability; and
- Boost the capacity of the city to renew its infrastructure and invest in technology.
The Recommended Budget provides for targeted growth in priority programs, adding one standard full-time equivalent (FTE) employee and 5.5 fixed-term FTEs in the General Fund to address these community initiatives.
Council is scheduled to begin studying the city manager’s 2013 recommended budget at its Tuesday, Sept. 11, study session. The study session will be aired live on Channel 8.
City Manager’s 2013 Recommended Budget is available online.
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Capt Underpants don’t want no Pledges of Allegiance to no America he doesn’t believe it
0February 18, 2012
“David Harrison, who has defended those issued camping tickets, responded to the most recent decision to eliminate jury trials for those issued camping tickets by saying, “What’s next?”
There is an assorted list of fascist policy decisions, laws and ordinances in recent years coming from of our Boulder City Council, that question resonated with me, What’s next?
How about a seminar about violence in the workplace where our City Attorney declares not all the public speakers who go beyond the 2 minute rule are threats?
Now, councilman Karakehian comes up with a novel idea, let’s pledge allegiance to the flag before every council meeting.
Councilwoman KC Becker responds that if people do not want to “pledge” before meetings, “I’d be interested in hearing why.”
Therein lies the problem.
Pledging, “Under God,” or under anything at all, even refusing to stand! like me, those who have been taught to questioning authority? The act is repugnant.
Have you ever been ostracized and harassed?
I refused to pledge allegiance in middle school and high school in the late 1970′s and early 1980′s.
My parents taught me well.
Ironically, my homeroom teachers both taught history and I took a ruler on the knuckles or a slap on the head from time to time, just for not standing up while other recited “The Pledge.”
The purpose of the pledge seems to divides us all into the patriotic vs. the non-patriotic, the believers vs. the non-believers.
How to escape? While many in the Council Chambers stand to recite cobweb loyalties and factitious duties.
Some of us feel that pledging allegiance to the wall is unpatriotic, especially, when those leading the pledge have forgotten to uphold the “with liberty and justice for all” part.
The small “violations” of that pledge itself, camping tickets, curfews… are examples of a reoccurring problem of our Boulder City Council.
We’ve got a long way to go, baby.
Some of us feel we are going backwards.
Must we must support anything, however bad, because we were born or live in a particular place?
Why?
What is a pledge or promise of allegiance?
Curiously, such lessons in supposed good citizenship in the form of reciting a pledge of allegiance are rarely, iever, accompanied by deeper introspection.
So, it should be no surprise that reciting “The Pledge” has been proposed by members of the Boulder City Council.
What’s next?
”
Seth Brigham
3383 Madison Avenue
W225
Boulder, Colorado
80303
720-298-6711
Seth Brigham is a sometime contributor to Boulder Channel 1 News
God bless Seth and God bless the United States of America
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Mark Gelband Platform for Boulder City Council
0August 29, 2011
by Boulder Channel 1
in News
Dear Family, Friends, and Supporters,
I am proud to announce my candidacy for November’s Boulder City Council election. Thanks to all of you who quickly stepped up and signed my petition to get on the ballot. The real work begins now. We have eight short weeks to get the message out and your emotional, organizational, and financial support is critical to my success. Boulder needs a new voice on council. There is a growing chasm between the city’s aging leadership and the young families, young professionals, creative class and students who represent the future of Boulder.
Perhaps, some of you are thinking: Why did I receive this e-mail when I don’t live in Boulder, don’t know your platform, or don’t even know you all that well?
The easy answer is that I am reaching out to folks with whom I have felt a connection in my life. Whether you live in Boulder or not, I can still benefit greatly from your financial support, if you can afford the contribution and believe in me personally or in my vision for the city. Detailed contribution information is included at the end of this e-mail.
For those of you who need more information before committing your support, here are the critical issues that constitute my platform.
Open Space Access
The aging hippies currently running the show look nothing like the younger, progressive versions of themselves that supported citizen initiatives to create the Blue Line in 1959 and the Open Space program in 1967. We owe them for their past foresight, but their vision today is nothing like it once was. They’ve recently begun a campaign to “reclaim” shared recreational land with the mindset that we are loving nature “to death .” Current Council is prejudiced against dog owners and mountain bikers, with an anti-recreation mentality. Much of the open space we have all paid for is off-limits, with little or no access. Open Space is house poor with 47% of its budget spent on debt service. Why are we buying land in neighboring Jefferson County when we cannot even maintain the most precious resources outside our door? We need to refocus our priorities and better manage our open space, but the solution is not to deny access to the many people who have chosen Boulder as their home for its recreational opportunities.
Core City Services
Current council is challenged to manage a single council meeting, let alone the breadth of our core city services. We currently have a $700,000,000 dollar backlog in deferred maintenance projects and, yet, these folks seem to prioritize efforts such as prairie dog relocation, the minute alteration of snow shoveling ordinances to which they themselves are unable to adhere, and endless pontification about Arizona’s Immigration laws. We need leaders who will fix our potholed streets, who will plow side streets in the winter so that children can safely get to school, and who will address the traffic problems around town, libraries, public safety, decaying infrastructure and the growing homeless problem.
Homelessness
Boulder bears a disproportionate share of the county’s homeless problem. The county homeless shelter is in the city, and the city has become a “convention center” for chronic vagrancy and associated crime. We need to distinguish the working poor and the transitionally homeless in our community, and to ensure that they are first in line to receive the resources to help feed and clothe them, get them jobs and into affordable housing. But let’s confront chronic vagrancy head-on by actually enforcing the existing loitering, panhandling and public intoxication laws that are already on the books.
Overregulation
People in glass houses should not overregulate. Current Council “manages” meetings by restricting public input; this limiting approach to community involvement is just the tip of the iceberg. The council has now spent several decades implementing solutions in search of problems. As the city regulates and regulates and regulates, it continues to squeeze the working class. Their growing list of regulations is hurting those of us least able to afford it. For example, the city has 100 of 10,000 homes that are larger than 5,000 square feet (50% of them built prior to 1940) and, yet, our council has spent countless hours in the last few years developing an onerous, inflexible McMansion ordinance that has only served to ‘handcuff’ young families interested in expansion without relocation. The council’s “obsession” with controlling individual choices in the absence of a viable long-term city plan has led to a scary sort of Big Brother government.
I am interested in hearing your thoughts on the key issues that are facing Boulder and about proactive paths toward solutions. If you are unable to support me financially, maybe you would consider hosting a meet-and-greet, spreading the word about my candidacy, putting a yard sign up, or simply sending the campaign some good energy.
If you are in a position to help financially, Boulder campaign finance reform limits individual contributions to $100 per person. If you have a husband, wife or partner, and can contribute more than $25, it helps to receive two checks, one from each of you. This allows me to better access city matching funds, should I choose to go that route. I am currently working on a campaign website and should have it finished in the coming week or so. Until that time, I can only accept checks – payable to:
Gelband for Council – A Good Sign
Please mail checks to 505 College Ave, Boulder, CO 80302.
If you live locally and want to donate to my campaign, call me at 303-522-1192 and we can meet. Same limits and rules apply to locals.
mark gelband markgelband@gmail.com
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Boulder City Council approves several ballot questions for voter consideration
0August 16, 2011
by Boulder Channel 1
in News
Boulder City Council, at a meeting this evening, Tuesday, Aug. 16, approved several ballot questions to be considered by voters between now and Nov. 1, 2011. These include questions related to the following issues:
- · Creation of a local electric utility (municipalization) and the expansion and extension of the Utility Occupation Tax to raise interim funding;
- Issuance of bonds to fund capital improvement projects without raising taxes;
- Clean-up of Charter provisions; and
- Local resolution for an the amendment of the U.S. Constitution to abolish corporate personhood.
Municipalization
Council approved ballot language that will ask voters two separate questions related to the possible creation of a municipally run electric utility.
In general terms, one question asks voters to decide whether to authorize the creation of a locally run electric utility. Based on specific limitations in the ballot language and a related ordinance, council would not be permitted to issue bonds until all start-up costs are finalized, and only if customer rates would be no more than those charged by Xcel Energy at the time of acquisition.
Another question asks voters to consider extending and increasing the Utility Occupation Tax for a limited amount of time to fund the costs associated with determining those concrete start-up expenses and taking the interim steps to set up a local utility.
Capital Improvements
Council agreed to ask voters if the city should issue bonds of up to $49 million to catch up on significant deficiencies in its infrastructure. These capital improvement projects could include repairing and maintaining streets, structurally deficient bridges, repairing aging city facilities, and replacing outdated software systems.
If approved, the bonds would be paid for through existing revenues without any increase in any city tax.
Charter Changes
Council agreed to ask voters if they would approve updates to the Charter. The provisions would allow the clerk to rename city positions and departments to reflect the titles that are in use today; to change the fine from $100 to $1,000 for any violation of the Charter; to update election practices and terminology; and to amend the requirements for submitting initiative petitions to the city.
Corporate Personhood
Council agreed to ask voters if they will approve a measure that calls for the amendment of the U.S. Constitution to reflect that human beings, not corporations, are entitled to constitutional rights and that money (specifically in the form of political contributions) is not a form of speech.
Election Information
This year’s election is by mail-in ballot. Ballots will be mailed to active voters between Oct. 10 and Oct. 14. People will be able to return the ballots by mail or drop them off at Boulder County’s Election Division anytime after receiving them until 7 p.m. on Nov. 1.
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NPR, PBS on chopping block backed by Boulder City Council
0March 8, 2011
by Boulder Channel 1
in News
Republican congress is after public broadcasting again. Though you might think the Boulder City Government would want pulic broadcasting, they voted against it repeated over the past 10 years. Your local channel 54 was shut down in 2007 by Shaun McGrath, Macon Cowles, and that bunch.
According to Cowles ” I have no interest in ever having public broadcasting back in Boulder.” That gang at city hall then took all of our dedicated funds to public broadcasting , stole it, miss-used it and put in censorship everywhere.
Tell Congress: Don’t pull the plug on NPR and PBS!
We’re only a few weeks into the 112th Congress, and Republicans are already attempting to pull the plug on public media.
In a budget proposal made public last week, House Republicans announced plans to zero out all funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the nonprofit responsible for funding public media including NPR, PBS, Pacifica and more.
If the Republicans are successful, it would be a tremendous blow to the entire public interest media sector.
We cannot allow Republicans to destroy public media.
Tell Congress: Fully fund NPR and defend public service media!
Republicans are disingenuously claiming that they need to cut funding for public media because of budgetary constraints. But what they fail to highlight is that national public broadcasting is remarkably cost effective, providing local news and information, free of charge, for millions of viewers while only receiving about .0001% of the federal budget.1
More to the point, it’s nearly impossible to put a price tag on the actual value of public broadcasting.
Public media is one of the last bulwarks against the corporate media, where the combination of consolidation and profit motive has long since shifted the focus to infotainment rather than substantive news. In many rural and less affluent communities, broadcasters rely on federal funding to provide the only available high-quality news and public affairs programming.
Without public media, corporate media monopolies would increase their already large control of what we see on television, hear on the radio or read in the newspaper.
This outcome should deeply worry all of us. The increased accumulation and consolidation of corporate power is a threat to our democracy. And nowhere is this more evident than in our media.
At a time when media consolidation is shrinking the number of perspectives we have access to over the airwaves and when newsrooms are shrinking, we need more diversity in our media not less. And we simply cannot afford to lose what public media brings to the table.
Tell Congress: Fully fund NPR and defend public service media!
Conservatives have longed for any opportunity to defund NPR, PBS and other public media. And with Speaker Boehner wielding the gavel, it looks like they may finally get their wish.
Don’t let Congress pull the plug on NPR and PBS! Tell them reject cuts to public broadcasting.
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Rob Smoke doesn’t like motorized vehicles on Boulder reservoir
0December 16, 2010
by Boulder Channel 1
in News
Council:
Over the past two years, and certainly in the lead-up to the decision on the reservoir, I offered my two bits
regarding the various master plan issues at stake.
The key issue was certainly whether council would continue to allow high-impact motorized recreation, and while that’s still
important, the more significant gap exists in that council simply “passed over” the opportunity to both preserve the wildlife
and make the reservoir a better spot for the average Boulder resident’s recreational interests.
(Try to remember…every statistical element available indicates that the “average” Boulder resident does not own or operate
a fuel-powered motor boat.)
The council passed over the opportunity to put in a beach or a swimmer’s dock. The council passed over the opportunity to
improve the facilities with a locker room or other amenity typical of a recreation center and found presently at
existing city-owned rec centers. The council passed over the opportunity to improve the water quality, or at least maintain it
at its existing level with the possibility of improvement. The council passed over the opportunity to seek out and create partnerships
with upstream water sources to improve the quality of the water.
These decisions — in addition to the decision on boating — reflect very poorly on council. In fact, it is a disgrace that there
were no members of council willing to commit the small amount of time necessary to “flesh out” the various options.
At the finish, from staff and apparently — council’s perspective — the options I mention simply did not exist or have any valid
basis for full investigation by staff and/or the other participants interested in securing the future of Boulder res.
The final issue here is that no one deserves to drink water contaminated — not by sources within the purview and control of the municipal water authority. For instance, if we lived in an area where some water came from a mountain source that was pure — and another source that was less pure — but by virtue of no actions taken upon it by government — that would be one thing.
Here, we’re looking at a horse of a different color. The quality of the water IS IMPACTED BY POLICY. Further, it is not policy dictated by health and safety concerns. You can’t stand in front of a jury and tell them and the rest of the world that people need to skl or they will die — however, if people do not have uncontaminated water, they can either get ill or possibly die of that cause.
The reservoir needs to be thoroughly tested forensically. If there are heavy metals at the bottom of the reservoir, the standard
treatment includes not creating turbid water with motor boats.
We’re going to get there with this — I’m sorry to see that there is not a shred of responsibility the Boulder city council would
choose to share with those who seek — quite simply — a better result for all of the city’s residents.
Rob
720-982-2439
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Boulder Public Library cuts, retirements, resignations, book cuts, hours cut No end in site
0October 21, 2010
HAMMER DROPS ON BOULDER PUBLIC LIBRARY
October 21, 2010 ,Boulder, Colorado is considered one of the country’s most intelligent cities. but, with severe budget cuts looming, it’s the Boulder Public Library which is suffering. According to several sources at the Library, under the previous library director, Tony Talbott, books were culled from the stacks if they weren’t used for a number of years and magazines, too.
That started the ball rolling but his resignation brought Donna Gaertman into the picture as Library Director Pro Tem. She’s retiring on December 31, 2010 along with long-standing management personnel, Assistant Library Director Lyn Reed, whose husband Judge Tom Reed is retiring, and finance director James Marshall. There’s no continuity!
According to a city source, a $100,000 budget increase was to go toward 2% bonuses for those management personnel. But, since they are leaving, where is that money going? And, according to the City and library personnel, when several full time employees took retirement, they were not being replaced. Instead, City management decided to bring in temp employees who wouldn’t require benefits. Anyone can see the stress on the faces of those long-term librarians and other library personnel wondering what will happen next.
While there is no confirmation from the City to this statement, Jennifer Miles is looking for a possible move to become Library Director. She came up in the ranks after being put into place at the library by former library Director Marcelee Graalap.
As one member of the library management recently said, “Time will tell if we will even have a library here any more considering the cuts!”
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BOULDER 350 UPDATE: bill mckibbens scares crap out of David Letterman
0October 10, 2010
by Boulder Channel 1
in News
350: Telluride beats Boulder
1st Co city to eliminate plastic bags
WTF BOULDER
WHAT THE HELL? Boulder still allows plastic shopping bags in retail stores. ? That fact alone makes the entire city Of Boulders Climate Change efforts one big fat fraud. Getting rid of plastic bags is a no brainer….apparently not for the smartest city in the usa.
more phony baloney. And a carrot-mob at the St Julien?? Pleeeez. This is a hotel that is routinely criticized in the media for running it’s air FULL BLAST while leaving all of the windows open in Jills. Maybe the kids putting on boulder350 just plain like the rich wealthy environment of the St Julien
from USA Today
CAPTION By Rich Pedronce
Joining a growing list of U.S. cities, Telluride became the first town in Colorado this week to ban plastic shopping bags.
Its town council, on a 5-2 vote, approved a new law that prohibits grocers and other retailers from distributing most types of disposable plastic bags to customers beginning in March 1, 2011. Some bags are exempt, such as those used within a store for meat, vegetables, bulk items, prescription drugs, newspapers and other items.
“We hope it allows people that live within the region, and people that visit the region, to realize the importance of taking every step possible in order to lower your carbon footprint,” said Mayor Stu Fraser, according to The Watch, a local media company.
More U.S. cities and territories are outlawing or taxing plastic shopping bags despite an Aug. 31 legislative defeat of a statewide ban in California. Bans take effect in January in Brownsville, Texas, and Hawaii’s Kauai and Maui counties. Another follows in February in American. They join others already in effect in San Francisco, other California cities — Malibu, Fairfax and Palo Alto — as well as North Carolina’s Outer Banks; Westport, Conn.; Bethel, Alaska; and Edmonds, Wash. In January, Washington, D.C., began charging a nickel for each disposable grocery bag.
SOURCE: USA TODAY
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Boulder to pay $10,000 to man arrested in skivvies
0September 22, 2010
September 21, 2010
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The lawyer for a Colorado man who was arrested for addressing the Boulder City Council in his boxer shorts said the city has agreed to pay $10,000 to settle his civil rights claim.
Attorney David Lane said Seth Brigham accepted the deal Tuesday. In exchange for the payment, Brigham agreed not to file a lawsuit.
Brigham was handcuffed and arrested in February on suspicion of obstructing police and trespassing after he spoke to the council clad in his underwear. Brigham said he was trying to make a point about a proposal to criminalize nudity.
The charges were later dropped.
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City plans “Why I like Boulder”
0September 2, 2010
EDITORIAL
The city of Boulder is planning a “Why I like Boulder” campaign for the fall. This is in order to help build back the self esteem of citizens who have been under a barrage of insults in the letters blog section of the media, by columnists and a general tone of intolerance. Much of this stems from last years fight over home size, the 5 year battle over public access TV and captain Underpants civil rights suit.
We agree. There is no point of extreme reactions to the city for our luxury problems. All of that has passed now and a city wide discussion on all of the things we like about Boulder is long over do.
Boulder Channel 1 news will, starting today move harsh opinion pieces by our reporters off the front news pages and put them into an opinion section labeled as such. Rob Smoke our city reporter has been on a personal tear against the city so his writing will now be titled ROB SMOKES OPINION and not city reporter. Seth Brigham has been better in his writing, any of his opinion pieces will be moved off the News page. Donna Marek’s reporting is the most fair and balanced, but any of her strong opinions will be moved to the opinion pages also. Ron Baird is the news editor and he never shares his personal opinion in editing all of the community news stories we get in. My personal opinions can be seen in my blog My Life in Boulder. I write here when trying to explain the policy of Boulder Channel 1 news.
Overall we are supportive of the city government at this time. We are certainly supportive of our community. The city and city council have come a long way since the bad ole days of Mark Ruzzin and Shaun McGrath’s councils. We are on speaking terms with at least two council members. 
The city manager Jane Brautigan is excellent and communicates well as does the city communications head Patrick Vonkeiserling. Previous managers had a long standing war going on with us. Those combative actions have long ago ceased so we see no point in our reporters spinning their personal attacks as news. End.
Jann Scott
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Night Owl Murder and Poor Macon Cowles
0August 24, 2010
by Boulder Channel 1
in News
Night Owl Murder Senseless and Stupid
One Mexican stabbed to death another Mexican because he was called a fag. That is pretty serious business in the macho world of hot blooded Mexicans. In prison or jail that is a death sentence. But at the Night Owl Lounge in Bloomfield? Apparently so. If I killed everybody who ever called me a fag, I’d be mass murderer. It is the gravest insult from one male to another. I dunno. It is just plain stupid. I am sure drinking had something to do with it. But it also show just how perilous life os for real gay men. People kill over perceived sexuality.
He just can’t seem to catch a break. First he saves Alaska from the Exxon Valdeez, then Sarah Pallin invigorates stupid inbreds from that state to mass on our borders. Then he becomes a city council member in Boulder and decides to take on me and my writer buddies over public access TV. That led to years of merciless assaults by us in the press, on the internet, on video and on TV. What’s an Ivy leaguer to do??
Now he owes $1000′s in back property taxes on his multi million dollar home. Gee.
Jann Scott
Boulder Colorado
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Boulder City council needs I-phones, laptops and budget increase to do their job.
0August 22, 2010
by Boulder Channel 1
in News
Of course they need all of these things to do their job effectively as a council. Criticism of them on this point is unfounded and comes from snibbly nosed reporters at the Daily Camera and from here. Yes the entire council needs the budget increase recommended by the city manager. Yes they need the latest in I-phone technology. Yes they need laptops and any thing else available. What ever any city employee gets, the council should have. Absolutely no two ways about it. These people are busy, hardly paid anything and the least we can do is make sure they have the equipment , budget and tools to do the job.
Boulder is the most famous small city in America with the best living conditions, economy, work environment and quality of life. Our city council should have the very best of everything at their disposal. We need to take care of them. Their jobs are very important on the world wide scene as well. They are our ambassadors to business and culture world wide. We at Boulder Channel 1 News have often criticized the council, but not on this issue. They are our window to business and ecconomy and we need to support their efforts 100%. This is the official Position of Boulder Channel 1 News.
Jann Scott
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Jann Scott on murdered talk show host Alan Berg
0August 18, 2010
by Boulder Channel 1
in News
KOA radio talk show host Alan Bergs murderer died in prison today. The killer , a member of a militia group called The Order from Sands Point Idaho gunned Allan Berg down with an assault rifle in 1984 firing thirteen rounds from a Mac 10 into his body. Berg was a bombastic host and taunted the order and other Nazi groups. The Order wanted to kill all Jews and send blacks back to Africa not unlike the Tea party of today. Berg was a Jew and was on the orders hit lIst
In 1987 Boulders Jann Scott started in talk radio on KTLK in Denver and quickly gained a reputation of irritating Boulder drug dealers, radical leftists and rightists. ” I worked with Peter Boyles and Ken Hamblin who were talk buddies of Bergs and they always warned me to be safe” Scott told Boulder Channel 1 news.”
According to Boulder Police departments records Scott reported over 15 death threats from 1987 to 2009. One was from an mentally ill person John Hall who threatened to kill scott with the same rifle used to kill Kennedy. Boulder PD contacted Hall at his Canyon ave apartment, but never arrested him and left him in possession of an arsenal of assault weapons. Other threats to Scott came from Boulder mayors, city council members, CU students and marijuana dealers. Scott said he has had to hire body guards from time to time and has been under police protection.
“There are crazy people who do not want people like me to speak my mind on talk radio or TV and Boulder has it’s share or radicals who will kill in order to stop free speech. Jann Scott can currently be seen gabbing on BV22 on Comcast cable and at Jann Scott Live
