Posts tagged Brautigam
City staff recommends that voters be asked to support a local power utility
Jul 15th
City staff recommends that voters be asked to support a local power utility
City Manager Jane S. Brautigam
Brautigam also said she is confident that the process following a vote for municipalization will provide adequate opportunities to address concerns raised by some that the cost of purchasing the system from the current provider, Xcel, could exceed current estimates.
A positive vote is required before the city can enter into acquisition negotiations and/or condemnation proceedings. During this process, the city would determine what the final price would be. If the costs of buying Xcel’s system turned out to be significantly higher than anticipated or would result in rate increases that were unacceptable to the community, council would be under no obligation to issue the bonds necessary to pay for buying the system and launching a utility. The city could then re-consider how to proceed.
“There are off-ramps in place that allow the city to move forward with its eyes wide open,” the city manager said. “Our community has spelled out both its goals and its expectations. City staff and elected officials take the responsibility of balancing these very seriously.”
The recommendation follows more than two years of discussions about whether to enter into another 20-year franchise agreement with Xcel Energy. In 2010, City Council rejected that option, determining that a business-as-usual contract for two decades was too long and would limit Boulder’s ability to take advantage of exciting changes in the energy industry. Since then, the city and the community have been involved in an intensive study and discussion of other options.
The Boulder community has set clear energy future goals. These include cleaner energy, with as much local generation as possible; reliability; rate stability and more local decision-making and control.
The city hired industry specialists to conduct a detailed financial assessment of the possible creation of a local utility. They have concluded that Boulder could buy the system from Xcel, pay off the debt associated with those costs, start a utility and operate it reliably while still making money. The local utility would be able to keep customers rates lower or equal to what they would be under Xcel, maintain emergency reserves and still have a net present value of $112 million over 10 years. The cost model developed by the consultants has some room for increased costs. This flexibility is spelled out in more detail in a staff memo to council.
The staff recommendation also includes support for an increase and extension of the Climate Action Plan tax. While a locally owned power utility would cover its costs entirely through its revenues once it was up and running, the city would need additional money to cover engineering and legal expenses before that time. It is estimated that the city would need about $1 million a year for three to five years before a final determination could be made about whether to issue bonds to buy Xcel’s system. This funding mechanism would allow the city to continue this process without impacting existing programs and services.
City Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, July 19, starting at 5 p.m., to discuss items for the November ballot. The full memo and other valuable information about the energy future project are available at http://www.boulderenergyfuture.com. There is also a comment form on this website if community members wish to give input to the staff team and City Council.
City appoints community group, launches plan to restore facilities
May 2nd
Like many cities, a decade of stagnating revenues and material cost escalation has resulted in a backlog of maintenance projects for Boulder.
The city is following a multi-year plan to finance and complete needed repairs to city facilities, and the city manager today appointed a 16-member community stakeholder group to advise the City Council and staff on priority projects.
“Tough economic times forced the city to defer maintenance in order to provide important community services,” said City Manager Jane Brautigam. “As a result, many of our buildings, parks, roads and other facilities require significant attention to avoid much higher costs later.”
Brautigam explained that the city plans to initiate needed maintenance and repairs over the next several years. The first phase includes using existing city revenue to finance accelerated work to fix significant deficiencies that could pose health and safety risks if left undone. Currently, the city has over $60 million in unfunded significant deficiencies and approximately $150 million in unfunded high-priority projects.
Boulder said it has the funds to finance some of those projects next year without raising taxes. Bonds supported by existing revenues could be issued to pay for up to approximately $60 million in repairs in capital improvement projects.
To help determine which projects should receive immediate attention, Brautigam appointed a 16-member Capital Investment Strategy stakeholder group to advise staff and City Council about how to prioritize maintenance and repair projects.
“This is a community issue that requires input from a cross-section of our city,” said Brautigam. “We’re looking at this project through the perspective of businesspeople, students, parents, renters, homeowners, board and commission members, as well as nonprofit organizations to ensure our priority list reflects community needs.”
The 16-member Capital Investment Strategy stakeholder group will review the projects and advise council on which maintenance and repair efforts should be included in this first phase using existing dollars. It also will make recommendations about how to effectively invest in Boulder’s capital improvement program for the next several years to ensure the city can catch up and sustain a maintenance and improvement program.
The following individuals were appointed to the Capital Investment Strategy Stakeholder group from a pool of nearly 50 applicants:
Leslie Brown
Natalie (Tally) Costa
Steve Fenberg
Nino Gallo
Cynthia Huseck
Dan King
Michael Kruteck
Kristin Macdonald
Victoria Marschner
Miriam McGilvary
Michael Minard
Bill Shrum
Max Taffet
Leonard Thomas
Bob Yates
Jessica Yates
Dan King, owner of the Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites, has agreed to serve as chair of the stakeholder group. For more information about Boulder’s capital improvement program, visit www.bouldercolorado.gov/cip.
Finally! A new Boulder Public Library Director named
Apr 25th
Maginnis Named Boulder Public Library Director
BOULDER – The City of Boulder today announced Valerie Maginnis will be the new Boulder Public Library director effective June 13, 2011. Maginnis was selected from 78 applicants in a national search. The decision came after public presentations by the finalists and interviews with city staff and members of the Library and the Arts commissions.
“I am honored and excited to have been selected for the position,” said Maginnis. “I am very much looking forward to working with staff, volunteers, and the community to explore ways that the Boulder Public Library can be even more important and relevant to the lives of its current and future patrons.”
Maginnis is currently the director of Library and Cultural Services for the City of Mission Viejo, Calif. She has more than 20 years of experience in city and county libraries. Maginnis holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University and a master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Arizona.
“The Boulder Public Library is a centerpiece of the community,” said City Manager Jane Brautigam. “This is a complex organization to lead and requires a dynamic director who can manage the business operations as well as connect with a diverse and passionate community. I believe Boulder has found such a director in Valerie Maginnis.”
Brautigam added that evaluating a national pool of highly qualified candidates was a difficult task, and community input was a significant component of the process.
“Any time an organization conducts an executive search, it is a time-consuming and challenging process,” said Brautigam. “In the case of our library director, the individual must be able to lead a traditional library system as well as manage a performing arts center. I appreciate that so many residents and staff attended the public presentations to provide feedback on the finalists, and I want to thank members of the Library and Arts commissions for participating in the interviews. It was an excellent opportunity for finalists to meet the community and for citizens to provide input.”
Maginnis fills the position vacated on July 9, 2010, by Tony Tallent. She will earn a salary of $128,000 and assumes her role as Boulder Public library director on June 13, 2011.
