Monument’s council holds its next quarterly town hall at Town Hall on Tuesday, October 13th at 6 p.m. The sessions exist because residents said they could not make the regular Monday evening meetings, and the format is deliberately informal: the town’s finance director presents, and then the floor is open. Everyone is welcome, and the mayor would like more people to come.
The meeting runs from 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 645 Beacon Lite Road. The town’s flyer bills the topic as “Your Town, Your Taxes” and asks residents to bring questions. All seven council members appear on it.
These are not formal council meetings, and that is the point. They are “unofficial meetings” held with whichever council members are available, Mayor Mitch LaKind said in reply to questions from this newspaper, and “no decisions or direction are made or given to staff members that attend.” He described them as “open dialogue sessions — something typically not available during regular public meetings.” Finance director Jennifer Phillips is expected to present on the town’s finances.
The series began as a practical answer to a complaint. “Many people had complained about not being able to attend the regular Monday meetings — so this was our solution,” Mr LaKind said. The council has held the sessions quarterly since, sometimes with guest speakers. Turnout, he said, has been lighter than he hoped.
Residents who come can expect to talk about the town’s finances in a year when they are unusually live. A construction-materials use tax sits on the November ballot, referred by the council on August 17th. It would raise the town’s use tax from 2% to 3.5%, matching the sales tax, and would apply to construction materials only; an earlier version covering vehicles was sent back for rewriting on August 3rd. The ballot title carries a first-year revenue estimate of $2,272,500, and revenue is restricted to capital projects “including: streets, roads, bridges, and sidewalks; and stormwater improvements.”
Whether that measure comes up on the night is up to the room. Discussion of it is “possible,” the mayor said, “so long as it is not about which direction voters should cast their ballot” — the line public bodies have to walk on a question their own voters are deciding.
Five of the council’s seven seats are on the November 3rd ballot, including the mayor’s; Mr LaKind is not seeking re-election, and six candidates have filed for the five seats. For residents who would rather ask their questions in person than online, this is the last such session before the election. Voters can find dates, drop boxes and what is on the ballot in our election guide.
If you go
What: “Talk with the Town” — the council’s quarterly open meeting with residents
When: Tuesday, October 13th, 6 p.m.
Where: Monument Town Hall, 645 Beacon Lite Rd., Monument
Format: A presentation on town finances, then open questions. No decisions are made.
Admission: Free and open to the public
Details: Town of Monument event listing
Sources & further reading
The Independent’s own coverage: A Subdivision Denied, a Tax on the Ballot, a Fee Schedule Rewritten · A Tax Sent Back, Water Rates Up, an Exit From the Loop · Six Candidates, Five Seats, One Contested Race · How to vote in the November 3rd election
The town: Talk with the Town event listing · Monument Town Council
Mayor Mitch LaKind answered questions by email on September 15th. His replies are quoted as written.
