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Lakewood Senior Citizens Advisory Commission
August 10, 2005 Minutes
Commission Members Present: Roice Horning, Joanne Ruzzo, Jackie
Campeau,
Richard Reutter, Lisa Thompson, Carolyn Evans
George Hoerter
City Council: Carol Kesselman, Barbara Martin
Staff: Edie Richey
Cultural Diversity Commission
Liaison:
Heritage, Culture & the Arts
Liaison David Wiechman
Meeting called to order by Chairman, Roice Horning at 4:08 p.m.
Minutes: Minutes were reviewed by commission members present. Motion made by Carolyn Evans and seconded by Lisa Thompson to approve the minutes. Motion approved unanimously.
Commission Business:
City Council sales tax and budget decision timeline: Carol anticipated that
a draft 2006 budget will be available by mid-September. The 2006 budget will
need to be adopted before November 1st. A copy of the draft budget may be available
for the next meeting on September 14th.
City finances, senior services and Commission activities: A copy of the ballot question was not available at the meeting. Nothing new on the ballot issues. Ordinance 2005-26 was made available at the August 8th council meeting. Carol said new budget policies will be put in place, including the addition of three people from the public to the audit committee. If the ballot issue does not pass, there will be a 5% minimum set for reserves. If it does pass, the reserve minimum will be increased to 10%. Council will have to pass a resolution to decrease reserves below stated levels. Fifty percent (50%) of the 1% sales tax increase will go toward Public Safety, Parks and Rec, and Public Safety. Thirty percent (30%) of reserves will be held untouchable except for public safety emergencies. This language will appear on the ballot. A copy of the ballot language will be available for the next meeting.
There were no cuts in Public Safety in 2006, but cuts from 2005 will be restored if the sales tax increase passes. Information is available online and from the Clerk's office on what departments would receive funds. The ballot language will also reflect a temporary waiver for the PIF areas. This waiver will be reviewed annually as comparisons are made to the area average. At Belmar, the additional tax may not increase the total sales tax beyond the area average.
There are five city council positions up for election, one in each ward. Dave Wiechman explained why he has withdrawn his name as a candidate.
Report on meeting with Joni Inman: There was a consensus that the meeting went well and procedures were clarified. There was a question from a resident on why our resolution was mailed to him. Packet materials are sent to all associations and groups, and if this person is a member of a recognized association he would receive the mailing. It was recommended that all future questions of this nature be directed to Joni.
Carol pointed out that once the issue is placed on the ballot, City staff or
resources may not be used to support the ballot question. Information can be
accessed on the Lakewood website or by calling the City Clerk at 303-987-7080.
Commission activities in support of 2A: Roice asked how the Commission would
like to take a public position on 2A. Based on an email from Joni, the Commission
can as individual members wearing name tags distribute copies of our resolution
at Lakewood on Parade as long as copying is not done with City funds. It was
recommended to ask Diana Allen of Lakewood on Parade for permission to distribute
resolution. Roice did not meet with the City Attorney regarding the legal aspects
of promoting 2A as a Commission. It was decided this was not necessary after
meeting with Joni.
There was additional discussion on other activities commission members can engage in regarding the support of 2A, such as voter registration at the Clements Center or senior living centers. Edie indicated if you decide "to get the vote out", there cannot be any campaigning, just helping people out with very generic information on the voting process. Unsolicited copies of our resolution cannot be distributed. It was suggested that members possibly staff a "Vote Yes on 2A" booth and provide information on how it supports seniors.
Any copying of information distributed to the public should contain a disclaimer that it was not produced by City of Lakewood resources. It was also recommended that members volunteer with the Lakewood "Vote Yes on 2A" group headed up by George Valuck. Barb Martin indicated that she would email information on "Vote Yes on 2A" volunteer opportunities.
A motion was made by Jackie Campeau to dispense with the idea of having a booth manned by members of the Commission to show support for Ballot Issue 2A at Lakewood on Parade, August 26th and 27th. The motion was seconded by George Hoerter and unanimously approved by Commission members.
Roice questioned if Commission members wanted to be involved in another organized activity to show support of 2A. After much discussion, Jackie Campeau made a motion "that the Commission encourages individuals to seek information on "Vote Yes on 2A" and the "Lakewood T Party" and participate as they see fit". This motion was seconded by Richard Reutter and approved unanimously.
Committee Reports:
Communications Committee:. George provided a list of all news releases prepared/published
by the Communications Committee. There was additional discussion on the meeting
with Joni Inman.
Legislative Committee: No report.
Staff: Edie announced a Medicare Part D workshop on the new prescription drug benefit to be held at the Clements Center on Wednesday, August 31st. The 7th Annual Cops That Cook will be held Friday, September 16, 2005. Handouts were provided on additional subjects. On August 6th, Edie attended the Annual Senior Lobby and gave an update on the speakers and trends on senior issues. There were other discussions on senior issues at the national level, as well as identity theft and senior fraud..
Cultural Diversity Commission: In Harry's absence there was no report. .
Heritage, Culture and the Arts Commission: Dave Wiechman reported the commission did not meet.
Jackie: Jefferson County Library would like to do a presentation on what services the library can provide for seniors. It was recommended that Jackie invite a representative from the library to speak at our next meeting.
Next Meeting: Suggested agenda items for the next meeting..
• Review of proposed 2006 city budget
• Discussion of possible funding restored if ballot issue passes.
• Jefferson County Library presentation.
Adjournment: A motion to adjourn was made by George Hoerter, seconded by Joanne Ruzzo. Meeting adjourned at 5:42 p.m.
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Secretary Date Approved
The City of Lakewood does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age or disability in the provision
of services. For disabled persons needing reasonable accommodations to attend
or participate in a city service program, call 303-987-4840 Voice/TTY, as far
in advance as possible. Alternate formats of this document available upon request.
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