The Longmont City Council Tuesday night faces an executive session to discuss an economic incentive agreement and a decision on holding an election for a vacant city council seat in one year.
The executive session is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. followed by the regular session at 7 p.m. Executive sessions are closed door meetings held to discuss personnel matters and efforts to attract new businesses.
A presentation by Presiding Municipal Court Judge Robert J. Frick is scheduled before council members during the executive session to discuss municipal court operations and a review of his compensation, according to an agenda posted by the city. Frick currently makes $159,403 and was appointed in June 2016. Voters in earlier this month voted to retain Frick by a 70% margin.
Council is also expected to “discuss a potential economic incentive agreement to attract a new primary employer to locate in Longmont,” according to the agenda.
During its regular session, council is expected to discuss holding a special election to fill a vacant at-large seat on the panel. Joan Peck held the slot until she was elected mayor earlier this month. Peck resigned from her seat with two years remaining on that term, which expires in November 2023.
For an election scheduled for November 2022, and conducted in coordination with Boulder and Weld Counties, the costs would likely range from $60,000 to $130,000, according to a city starr report to the city council.
To hold an election sooner and to use a third-party vendor, the estimated costs would be about $240,000, according to the staff report.
The Longmont City Clerk’s budget only allocats funds for one election each year and has budgeted $93,000 for elections in 2022, the staff report said. Counties also are not available to coordinate a special election for Longmont in 2022 because county clerks are busy making sure redistricting changes are implemented and systems are ready to go for the primary and fall elections next year, the staff report states.
The city could contract with a third-party vendor to conduct a special election at a cost of $240,624 and hold the election in late March or early April, the staff report states. The city could schedule its special election with Boulder County for a lower cost and hold it during November 2022.
“However, this option would leave council with a vacancy for many months,” the staff report states.
