Town Board Debates Changing Number of Trustees, Approves Donation Requests for Community Organizations

During the workshop portion of the December 3 Town of Lake City Board of Trustees meeting, the first item on the agenda was to discuss the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) between the Town and County for the Sheriff’s Office. This topic has been discussed at length during town meetings of late, and progress can be tracked through previous issues of Silver World.
Trustees did not come to a conclusion during the workshop December 3, as they have decided to hold off on making a decision until they have the opportunity for Sheriff Denim Starnes to meet with them in person.
Trustees had been given a draft copy of an IGA prepared by Hinsdale County, and Mayor Dave Roberts said, “there is no action [to be taken tonight] on this. We all got a copy of the IGA that the County presented. The purpose of this is for us to have an open discussion, to gather some information, and I believe we had some questions for the Sheriff. He was going to try to be here this evening, but there is a truck accident apparently on Slum, and he’s stuck so he will not be able to make it.”
“ I believe we will be able to get our questions answered before we move forward with this. I think it’s important for the trustees to be able to share their opinions, also, Dan [Krob, Town Attorney] is on with us tonight. One thing I want to say about the IGA is that I believe as a board, and I myself, we all believe it’s very important the citizens of Lake City have police protection.”
Attorney Krob stated that he thought the IGA was “a pretty good framework” that just “needed details hammered out.”
It should be noted that County attorney Michael O’Loughlin was in attendance during the workshop to represent the interests of Hinsdale County.
Also during the workshop portion of the meeting was a topic previously discussed by trustees; the possibility of a 2026 election ballot question to reduce the number of Town Trustees.
The conversation began with Town Manager Lex Mulhall saying, “there was discussion about this 630when there were only four trustees and we had three vacancies and we couldn’t get anyone to sign up. If this were something that we decided to do, it would not go into effect until 2028. I just wanted to see if that was something worth discussing or thinking about. I thought I would be negligent in not bringing it up since we had that issue for a while.” Mayor Roberts said, “I remember when that issue came up and part of it was because we couldn’t even fill seats. It’s also a lot to ask. Let’s face it, you’re all volunteers, minus your big check every month,” to which Trustee Diane Bruce said with a laugh, “89 dollars and 55 cents!”
Roberts continued, “I was told that the board used to be smaller and it got changed to seven – six trustees and a mayor, where it used to be four trustees and a major and I still don’t have an answer as to why it got changed. It seems to me, if you can’t fill the seats, what’s the point? Maybe if there were more people willing to run and be more dedicated to the job. I’m not saying anything about [the trustees] not being dedicated; this is one of the best boards I’ve ever been a part of and I appreciate the time and effort you guys put into it. Anyways, we wanted to throw that out and get your feelings on it.”
Trustee Jodi Linsey spoke up, saying, “I think you have a really valid point, but I would counter it with the fact that the more people you have sitting at the table, the better you’re going to be able to govern, because you have greater diversity and you have a greater opportunity. If you only have four people, they might all be of the same opinion, whereas when you have more people, you have more diverse ideas. I’m a proponent of diversity. Also, I’d like to point out that we did have a very dysfunctional and angry board for a while, and those people are no longer sitting on the board and I think we’re more productive now, and I think we all contribute, whether we were elected or appointed”.
Roberts responded, “I appreciate that, and I do agree with the diversity piece. I just wonder if it’s overkill. There’s three commissioners.”
Linsey retorted with, “they also make $75,000 a year.” Roberts agreed, saying, “we don’t have time to discuss that.”
Trustee Woods said, “I support keeping it at seven. It gives more of our citizens a chance to take part in the political process and if we don’t, then only three people would be a quorum. So three people could make a decision for the whole town.”
Mulhall agreed, saying, “in most cases, unless it’s a super majority.”
Trustee Bruce said “I haven’t made up my mind. I see both sides of it, but of course, this would have to go to a vote of the people.” Roberts confirmed, saying, “that’s what [we need to decide]; is it worth putting it to a vote of the people. I think the key to this is, there are seats coming up [to the end of their term], and a big part of our board right now filled vacancies instead of being elected by the citizens. You talk about representation; we were at a point where we needed a body in that seat – for someone to jump on board, and it worked out well, thank you all, but…that was another reason. If we don’t have enough citizen participation to even have elections, then are we serving the people of the town?”
Trustee Kendall, who was initially appointed as town trustee, noted, “I can see both sides; there was a vacancy and I was assigned to it and then I got re-elected. I can see the other side too, it’s getting hard to fill these [seats] for some reason. I can remember when we had every chair (gesturing toward vacant audience seats) in this room, full of people, and they’re not coming anymore. I guess that’s a good sign? I don’t know.”
Trustee Woods jokingly remarked, “it’s because we’re doing such a good job!”
Woods went on to say that another reason for keeping the board at seven is because, as he said he was amazed to learn, the population of Lake City has increased. He said, “I don’t know if anybody noticed, but there are 594 registered voters.”
Mayor Roberts countered, saying, “I’m surprised to hear that because I’ve been hearing people say our population is actually declining. We’re down to 54 kids in school, whereas at one point in time there was 110.”
Trustee Linsey concurred, saying, “the census supports a decline in population. My concern is that it might be hard to seat a quorum with fewer people.”
Mayor Roberts referenced the apparent disparity in salaries, noted, “I look at it as a volunteer position, I’m not here for the money, but I will throw it onto the discussion: should we look at being able to cover the trustees a little bit more?
Roberts went on to say that through the research efforts of Town Clerk Christina Bowman, there is a town where trustees who serve do not have to pay a water and sewer bill.
“Also,” Mulhall added, “if you miss a meeting, you have to pay a portion of it.”
“The problem I have with waiving the water and sewer bill,” said Roberts, “is that we were put in the lousy position of having to raise [rates]. I imagine that probably wouldn’t look good. Our Commissioners get paid very well, and essentially we’re doing the same job – running a town. And I’m not saying [trustees] should make salaries like the Commissioners, I’m just saying, something to think about, it might encourage more people to run to serve on the board.”
Mulhall cited different budgeting options to make it possible to carve out a larger salary for mayor/trustees. Referencing the budget, he said, “We could probably make it happen, but I wasn’t going to propose something like that with so much still up in the air.”
Trustee Linsey spoke up, saying, “I would agree that we’re not here for the money, but money is a measure of respect for the position.”
Mulhall said, “I completely agree. And most people have to work two jobs, having a part-time job as a trustee where you could earn three hundred extra dollars a month may make it worth their time.”
Trustee Woods said, “when I was first on the town council, it was $15 a month. One thing I’ve asked people I have met all over the state of Colorado, and we here in Lake City make the least of any of them.”
Mulhall said he could make the math work for a group of five – a mayor and four trustees, much easier than for a group of seven. “If we were to do, as an example, $250 for trustees and $500 for the mayor, along with retirement and FICA, that’s about $28,000. I could probably make that work.”
Town Attorney Dan Krob clarified that the Board would be able to pass a resolution to give more money to trustees for the next term, that it did not have to go to a vote of the people, but that they are prohibited from giving themselves a raise.
Mayor Roberts finished the discussion, stating “obviously we’re not making any decisions tonight. It’s just something for everyone to think about.”
Trustees voted during the regular meeting’s action items portion to decide whether to grant donation requests to community organizations as reported in the November 28 issue of Silver World.
First up was to approve a request from Lake City/Hinsdale County Chamber of Commerce for $5,000 for 4th of July fireworks. Trustee Henry Woods said that while he thought all the requests had merit, the request for $5,000 for fireworks had less merit than the other requests and moved to grant only $2,500. This motion did not receive a second and died. A motion was then made for the $5,000, which passed by a majority with Trustees Woods and Jodi Linsey voting no.
Next on the agenda was a request for $630 for Girl Scout Troop #19140 for first aid training. Trustee Linsey immediately moved for the donation request to be approved, and Trustee Diane Bruce said she would like to amend the motion increasing the amount to $1,000. Linsey then made a second motion to amend the amount, which was then seconded by Bruce. Mayor Roberts said he appreciated the Scouts for bringing such a fair request to the Board. “A little extra could go a long way,” Roberts said. The motion passed unopposed.
Also approved unanimously was a request from Lake Fork Valley Conservancy for $2,500 for two smart astronomy telescopes. Trustee Bruce said, “the dark skies program just keeps getting better and better.” Trustee Linsey agreed, saying that she had attended the last dark skies event at Windy Point and there were over 200 people there, and “at least half of them did not live in Lake City. So, it’s bringing that many people to Lake City for that specific event.”
Next up was a request from Wee Care for $5,000 for operating expenses. Trustee Woods said he felt this request was the most important of all the requests the Town had received. “I think Wee Care is the future of our town,” he said. “I think we should support them as much as we can.”
“We’ve helped Wee Care out in the past,” said Mayor Roberts. “They’ve had a really tough year. I believe they’re also part of the lodging tax increase. So it’s my hope we can help them get back on their feet and then they can be self-sufficient with the new income they’ll be having and the Town won’t have to support them. I am in agreement it’s the future of Lake City. It’s so hard for working parents here. We need to have Wee Care.”
Trustee Woods made the motion to grant the donation request to Wee Care, with Trustee Bruce seconding. The motion passed unopposed with the exception of Trustee Nathan Wuest, who during discussion made the suggestion to half the donation amount, and ultimately voted no. Mayor Roberts stated he understood both sides of the argument and while agreeing Wee Care is incredibly important, “we have to watch our money, too. I’m concerned about next year. Things are looking good right now, but we need to be careful how we spend. I think $2,500 is gracious, but if the Trustees feel that $5,000 is affordable for us, for that program, so be it.”
When time came to vote, Roberts, who ultimately voted yes, said he was torn, because the daycare center will “be getting their tax money,” he said. “This is the last year.”
The next request came from Lake City Arts for $5,000 for building maintenance and repairs or website improvement. New President of Lake City Arts Ingrid Burnett was in attendance via Zoom for the vote and to answer any questions the trustees may have.
Trustee Bruce said, “I would speak against this. Especially the website improvement. I don’t think its in our purview.”
Town Meeting,
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Trustee Linsey said, “as I said in the last discussion, I am torn. I love that building, and I think that it is like the heart of Lake City. So much happens in it and around it. It needs to be taken care of. It is a community resource, in and of itself as a building. I’m torn. I don’t know how I’m going to vote.”
Trustee Bruce spoke up again, saying, “I think it’s a bad precedent to set. There are a lot of historic structures in this town, and there are other resources for this type of building and this type of organization to access, and I don’t think we should be one of them.”
Mayor Roberts agreed, saying that he, too, was torn because the building is very much a hub of the community. “At the same time,” he said, “we have an Armory to maintain, and I don’t know where that money is coming from. My hope would be that they could work with Joe Fox and the Historical Preservation Commission to help get funding to maintain that building, and he said he would help them.” Ultimately, no motion was made, so no second and no vote could occur, and the request was denied.
Hinsdale County EMS was next in line, requesting $16,000 or more for sustainability of Emergency Medicine System. Town Manager Lex Mulhall said, “it is a County department, they did get the lodging tax, they’ll get the first payment in three months. They’re going to get over a hundred grand next year.”
Trustee Wuest said he thought they should give EMS $4,000 to get them through the beginning of the year. Trustee Bruce said she liked $5,000 better and Trustee Linsey moved to donate $5,000 instead, which was seconded by Wuest and the request passed unopposed.
Next up, Downtown Improvement and Revitalization Team requested $5,000 from the Town for their annual contribution. In response to this request, Mayor Roberts said, “it’s downtown revitalization and they do tons for the town. I think we need to continue to work hand in hand with them.” A motion and second were swiftly made, passing unopposed. Lake City’s Marketing Committee requested $2,500 for social media marketing, and this request was also swiftly voted through, with one opposing vote coming from Trustee Henry Woods.
Non-monetary requests were also approved, including a request from Hinsdale County Search and Rescue, asking for permission to use Memorial Park for monthly helicopter training on the first Monday of every month. Also approved was Resolution 2025-12, participation in the OHV Highway program from 2026 to 2035, with Trustees Linsey and Woods voting no with the motion still passing with a majority vote.
The final action item passed unopposed – authorization for Town Manager Mulhall or his designee to negotiate and execute a contract with company Cummins Sales and Services in an amount not to exceed $195,280 for a standby generator and related improvements for the Wastewater Treatment Plant.