Resident seeks broader access to county meetings

Several speakers took part in public comment, which included one resident’s requests for meeting-access changes and the Firestone mayor’s departure and town service.

A county resident called the three-minute in-person comment period the bare minimum for accessible local democracy and asked for a way to sign up and comment virtually, saying the county’s livestream was for viewing only and email did not let residents hear from one another. The resident also asked for at least one evening meeting a week, saying weekday-morning meetings disenfranchise constituents who need to work, and requested hyperlinks to documents in online agendas to save time.

The Firestone mayor said he was stepping back from public office and that someone else would be elected mayor as of the following Tuesday, and thanked county commissioners for their help with CDBG grants and 3 Mile plans. He said the town had not held a meeting since June because a retirement and a trustee’s illness left it without a quorum, and said he valued the teamwork between the town and Weld County. Chair Scott James said commissioners would like to attend the mayor’s last meeting and present him with a certificate, and proposed coordinating with him offline. Commissioner Kevin Ross said public service involved many hours and could be difficult for officials and their families, and praised the mayor’s work for his community. Commissioner Perry Buck thanked the mayor for his service and said he had done a wonderful job, and a speaker also thanked him, saying the work was taxing and involved many hours.