Boulder County
News from Boulder provided by county information services, county commissioners and more
PUC rules for Boulder’s electrification plans
Oct 29th
Boulder City Attorney Tom Carr issued the following statement this afternoon in response to the Public Utility Commission’s written ruling about whether a city electric utility would have the right to serve out-of-city customers:
“Today, the PUC acknowledged that the City of Boulder has authority to condemn facilities outside of the city. The PUC also recognized that joint use of the system may be appropriate. The commission granted only the first three requests for declaratory orders – all of which were issues with which the city agreed. With respect to the final two orders sought by Xcel Energy, the commission directed that there needs to be further proceedings.
The city is continuing to evaluate the ruling and explore its options. While the ruling may have some practical and legal implications in terms of the process the city would take to create its own electric utility, the decision affirms the city’s right to municipalize.”
For more information about the city’s exploration of municipalization, please visit boulderenergyfuture.com.
–CITY–
[includeme src=”http://c1n.tv/boulder/media/bouldersponsors.html” frameborder=”0″ width=”670″ height=”300″]
Boulder County Commissioners to consider 2014 budget requests
Oct 23rd
Public invited to attend and comment on budget items presented by staff and elected officials at two scheduled hearings – Oct. 24 and Oct. 29
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Commissioners will hold two public hearings to consider 2014 budget requests from county department heads and elected officials.
The first budget hearing, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 24 at 9:30 a.m. will include flood-related budget requests only. The second hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 11 a.m. will include all non-flood related budget requests for 2014.
- Thursday, Oct. 24 at 9:30 a.m. – Presenter: Budget Office
Public Hearing: County Offices and Departments 2014 Budget Requests – Flood Related - Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 11 a.m. – Presenter: Budget Office
Public Hearing: County Offices and Departments 2014 Budget Requests – Non-Flood Related
The hearings will take place in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room on the third floor of the Boulder Courthouse at 1325 Pearl St. in Boulder, and members of the public are invited to provide input on 2014 funding for county services and programs. Both hearings will be webstreamed “live” atwww.bouldercounty.org/gov/meetings/pages/hearings.aspx and archived on that link for future viewing.
The County Commissioners will conduct their 2014 Budget Work Session ̶ where they take action on requests presented in October ̶ from 1-3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7 in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room. The public is invited to attend the work session, but no public testimony will be taken. By state law, a county budget for the following year must be approved by Dec. 15.
Members of the public may provide comments about 2014 county funding in a variety of ways: in person at any of the budget hearings, by email to commissioners@bouldercounty.org, by mail to Boulder County Commissioners’ Office, P.O. Box 471, Boulder, CO 80306, or by phone at 303-441-3500.
Information about current and prior year’s budgets is available on the county’s Budget webpage. Visitwww.bouldercounty.org and search for “budget” in the search field at the top of the page.
A county land-use office to help with rebuilding regulations
Oct 10th
Proposed regulations aim for safe, resilient, and sustainable communities
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners will be considering interim development regulations for homes and other structures damaged or destroyed by the historic rains, mudslides and flooding of September 2013. Two upcoming Public Hearings have been scheduled:
What: Planning Commission Public Hearing
When: Wednesday, October 16, 2013, 4:30 pm
Where: Commissioners’ Hearing Room, third floor, Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder
Meetings will be held at the BC courthouse
What: Board of County Commissioners Public Hearing
When: Wednesday, October 23, 2013, 4:30 pm
Where: Commissioners’ Hearing Room, third floor, Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder
Boulder County is planning for the need and desire to rebuild quickly and restore the community while implementing measures to protect public safety and investments through hazard mitigation and avoidance.
“The goal is rebuilding resilient communities which can better withstand extreme events and maintain the community fabric of these impacted areas,” said Land Use Director Dale Case. “Wise, sustainable rebuilding regulations are a vital part of the recovery process.”
In the aftermath of the unprecedented destruction and the magnitude of extreme weather experienced in September, county staff have closely examined existing regulations dating back to the 1990s and determined that they don’t sufficiently meet public safety standards in all circumstances. For example, current regulations allow property owners to replace structures in some cases without a review and in other cases a review which would require a floodplain development permit which may not adequately address currently known flooding behavior.
Given our community’s recent extreme weather experience, county officials believe is counterproductive for individuals, insurance companies and the public to invest the time, money, and energy into rebuilding in a location that is known to be hazardous.
In many cases the regulations will allow rebuilding to occur within existing lot lines, but require that structures be raised up out of the flood hazard areas or relocated out of hazard areas to a safer location on the property. The current regulations also require structures to be rebuilt at the same height as the old structures. The proposed regulations will allow changes in height to accommodate floodproofing, such as raising the height of the structure to avoid future flood damage.
These interim regulations are proposed to be in effect until April 30, 2014. During this time, property owners can rebuild destroyed or substantially damaged structures in safer locations, in a way that meets the floodplain development requirements (if the new structure is proposed to be located in a floodplain) without going through Site Plan Review. Land Use staff will work with property owners and representatives from other county departments to perform a Hazard Mitigation Review. The goal of this review is to help property owners rebuild in a way that is more resilient to future disasters.
During this interim period staff is committed to reaching out to the communities to understand the needs and issues of residents who are facing complex issues to restore their homes, property and lives. As part of the effort to assist property owners and residents impacted by the flood the county has set up a Flood Recovery Center at the county’s Land Use Department staffed by functional experts in onsite wastewater (septic) systems, floodplain regulations, planning and building code. The center and the county will also pursue other restoration resources and hazard mitigation programs to assist those impacted.
The staff recommendation and proposed regulations have been posted to the Land Use Department’s website(www.bouldercounty.org/property/build/pages/lucodeupdatedc130003.aspx) for public review and comment. Residents are encouraged to read the draft, call us at 720-564-2623 if you have questions, email your comments to planner@bouldercounty.org, attend the upcoming public hearings, and make your opinion known.
[includeme file=”/media/boulderfloodsponsors.txt]
