Granby hopes new agreement for building services improves process

The Granby Board of Trustees has revised its intergovernmental agreement with Winter Park and Fraser for building division services.

In this agreement, each town uses a common building code and one agency, based at Winter Park, to provide building services such as inspections and permits for all three towns. The former agreement was put in place in 2010.

Granby staff outlined some previous issues with the building department related to financial work. Part of the problem came because Winter Park is a home rule municipality with no use tax, unlike Granby, which is a statutory municipality with a use tax. It led to some taxation differences related to building permits.

Town Manager Ted Cherry also acknowledged that there had been some past issues with oversight at the building department, but after working with Winter Park’s new town manager, he said that these issues would hopefully be ironed out.

Some board members expressed their concerns about how the agreement had been working. However, if the town chose to not continue the agreement, Granby would have to create its own building department or contract it out with a different party. Both alternatives would come with additional challenges.

Granby’s staff will be overlooking the work to make sure it’s done properly, and the town board always has the option to pull out of the intergovernmental agreement with 90 days notice. The contract must also be renewed yearly, so it can be revisited if it is not working.

The town board approved the motion 6-1, with Trustee Becky Johnson dissenting due to concerns about the flawed system.

In other business:

  • Trustee Johnson announced that she would likely be submitting a resignation letter to the board in the coming weeks due to an upcoming move. The town board and staff thanked her for her years of service. After Johnson has officially submitted her resignation, the town has 60 days to appoint a replacement.
  • The town board appointed Trustee Nick Raible as a non-voting town representative for Granby Ranch Metropolitan District and Trustee Natascha O’Flaherty as the non-voting town representative for Headwaters Metropolitan District and Granby Ranch Metro Districts 2-8. The appointments are meant to increase communication between the trustees and the Granby Ranch metro districts. The board must authorize any communication either trustee conveys to the metro districts on behalf of the town.
    Trustees Johnson and Cathy Tindle voted against appointing O’Flaherty as the town’s representative despite support from Granby Ranch homeowners. Both cited their concerns that O’Flaherty’s personal scrutiny of Granby Ranch might impact her ability to represent the town.
    The town board approved an amendment to a subdivision improvement agreement with O’Reilly Auto Parts, which plans to open on the lot west of Dollar General.
  • The board approved a 10 year lease renewal for Granby Playdays Preschool; updated permission for land use with the Granby Community Gardens; and approved the purchase of two mobile message boards for the police department, which Chief Jim Kraker obtained the funds for through a grant.
  • The trustees continued discussions on an agreement between the town and the Granby Chamber of Commerce, with most board members wanting a memorandum of understanding. A resolution on storm water improvements at Granby Ranch was also continued to another meeting.