City council stops requiring speakers to state their address

People coming up for public comment at City Council meetings are no longer required to say their address. 

After multiple public complaints from residents at a previous council meeting, the city of Glenwood Springs got rid of the rule that requires residents to say their address.  

City attorney Karl Hanlon also added that with modern issues like identity theft, the city now requires only that people say whether or not they are a resident of Glenwood Springs.

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Council keeps $400 limit on contributions for issue committees during elections

Less than a year ago, council voted to lower the amount of money an issue committee can receive in contributions to $400. The issue was brought back up with a question of the amount council would allow for this upcoming election. Council Member Tony Hershey and Mayor Jonathan Godes both mentioned that council put the current limit in effect less than a year ago. 

Coucilmember Ingrid Wussow and Pro Tem Mayor Charlie Willman both said that they wanted to raise the price, especially for groups who might not be able to raise the funds for an issue committee. Godes mentioned that committees can use platforms like GoFundMe instead. 

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Willman motioned to increase the spending for issues, not candidates, to $2,000, seconded by Wussow, but the rest of council voted no to increasing the amount.

Hotel conversion projects now require standard for kitchenettes

Kitchenettes have been updated to include a refrigerator 10 cubic feet in size or larger and a stovetop or cooking top for cooking. 

The language was brought up to make sure rooms in converted hotels are suitable for someone living in them for longer than a month. 

Assistant city manager Jenn Ooton said that there was not much of a standard to follow in other cities’ codes. The language used by Glenwood Springs was unique for hotel conversions altogether. 

The stove or cooking top might be a problem for safety concerns as Ooton said she learned after talking to a developer in Snowmass also making hotel conversions. Council member Marco Dehm also had concerns with the size requirement on the fridge and whether it would create too much of a financial burden for developers in West Glenwood. 

Godes reminded council of the lack of food options where the hotels are mostly located and mentioned the refrigerator size would help residents to have to make less frequent stops at the store for fresh produce.