Cripple Creek City Council approved the 2023 budget resolutions at its Dec. 7 meeting.

The first resolution sets the mill levy at 2.58 mills. Property taxes in the amount of $149,598 are needed to balance the budget and defray the cost of government.

The second resolution adopts the budget and allocates $10.27 million into the general fund, $2.7 million into the water/wastewater enterprise fund and $1.37 million into the historic preservation fund to cover estimated expenditures of $14.4 million. Revenues are estimated at $13.5 million from the three funds and $556,471 from unappropriated reserves.

The third resolution allocates 100% of 2023 gaming-device fees to the general fund.

Council authorized the city staff to advertise for engineering services/request for qualifications to evaluate upgrades and improvements that will probably be needed at the city wastewater treatment plant to meet changes in state requirements on nutrient removal. The state is set to renew the city wastewater plant permit in the near future. The 2023 budget includes $200,000 for this service.

Community of Caring Executive Director Ted Borden spoke to council about the annual Pioneers in Public Service grants. Eight Cripple Creek-Victor High School students reviewed 10 applications for funding in the amount of $18,450.

With only $15,000 to allocate, the students evaluated the merits of each request and recommended allocating $14,000. They requested that the remaining $1,000 be rolled over into next year’s funding. Council approved the allocations and rollover unanimously.

Allocations:

• Gorman Medical – $1,400.

• Choices Pregnancy Center – $1,200.

• CASA of the Pikes Peak Region – $2,000.

• YANAKC (Kindness Club) – $1,500.

• Community Christmas Planning – $1,000.

• Help the Needy (Hope Lives) – $2,000.

• Teller Senior Coalition – $2,000.

• Teller County Farmers Market – $0.

• Community Partnership – $2,000.

• Tyler De La Plain – $900.

Borden explained that Gorman Medical operates the school district’s student clinic, De La Plain is working on his doctorate theses using Cripple Creek as his base, and the farmers market proposed a new program that would transport people who get food assistance from the southern part of the county to the Woodland Park Farmers Market through the summer.

“The program is too new,” Borden said. “The students told them to come back next year with a better plan. It’s hard to fund a startup.”

Newmont CC&V Gold Mining Co. Sustainability and External Relations Specialist Katie Blake told council the mine will be relocating the Deadwood Headframe to a new location still within view of Bennett Avenue and the Cripple Creek Heritage Center.

In other business, the council approved the following items:

• An ordinance on second reading setting a 180-day temporary moratorium on “the submission, acceptance, processing, and approval of applications related to the operation of a medical or retail marijuana businesses,” which approved by voters Nov. 8. This will give staff time to create the necessary regulations and documents and for council to approve them.

• A communications-site lease agreement with Vero Broadband to install an improved communication tower on city land. The 60-foot tower will replace the existing 45-foot tower. The project also includes the construction of a new equipment storage shed and site clean-up.

• An ordinance on second reading declaring dirty windows on vacant commercial buildings a nuisance.

• An ordinance on second reading vacating a portion of Carbonate Street near the Wildwood Casino at the request of new casino owner Golden Nugget.

• Two ordinances on second reading vacating a portion of an alley and a portion of Second Street at the request of Bronco Billy’s parent company Full House Resorts.

This was the council’s final regular meeting in 2022.

A view along Bennett Avenue in Cripple Creek. Photo taken Tuesday June 8, 2021.

Jeff Kearney, Pikes Peak Courier