Author: Daniel Chac
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Springs Utilities CEO awarded $61,715 in incentive pay
Colorado Springs Utilities CEO Jerry Forte received $61,715 in incentive pay this year, a nearly 20 percent drop from his 2011 payout. Forte is eligible for “short-term” incentive pay awarded right away and “long-term” incentive pay rolled into his supplemental executive retirement account. This year, the short-term incentive pay was $31,549.50 and long-term totaled $30,165.75.…
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No pipe dream: SDS well under way
PUEBLO WEST – Keith Riley watched in awe Thursday as a front-end loader crawled along a bumpy dirt road balancing a 32,000-pound, 50-foot-long section of steel pipe in front. “That’s tricky driving right there,” said Riley, deputy program director for the Southern Delivery System water pipeline, which has been under major construction for nearly a…
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Velasquez claims of financial wrongdoing without merit, city rules
Allegations of financial impropriety made by Terri Velasquez, Colorado Springs’ former chief financial officer, have no merit, City Attorney Chris Melcher said Wednesday. An investigation launched almost eight months ago by Mayor Steve Bach found that the multiple claims of wrongdoing were unfounded, he said. The investigation also found that Velasquez’s termination from the city…
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Observers say strong-mayor system needs time to settle
Colorado Springs’ strong mayor form of government hasn’t hit the one-year mark yet, but people from various corners are suddenly weighing in on what should happen next. Despite the varying views, people who have expressed their opinions publicly agree on one thing: The city should give the new system more time to play out before…
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Council gives initial OK to downtown surveillance camera
Ten city-owned video surveillance cameras likely will be in downtown Colorado Springs by this summer. The City Council approved a proposal Tuesday to buy the cameras that the Police Department plans to install mostly along Tejon Street. “I don’t take lightly the trust that City Council just put in me to do this correctly,” police…
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City is months behind with marijuana business licenses
The city of Colorado Springs has fallen months behind schedule in processing medical marijuana business license applications, forcing some shops to close their doors. Of the 122 medical marijuana business license applications submitted to the city by a Sept. 30 deadline, only two have received local approval and licenses from the state. “There are a…
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Councilman said he was ‘highly biased’ on YMCA deal
Colorado Springs City Councilman Merv Bennett said he could be objective when considering a six-figure contract with the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region even though he had been the CEO until his retirement last year. But before the City Council voted on the contract Tuesday, Bennett told at least one of his colleagues in…
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City was within bounds on YMCA pool deal
City Council members have questioned why a proposed five-year contract with the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region to operate city-owned pools wasn’t put out to bid. The answer: It wasn’t required. The city’s procurement policy allows sole-source contracts, Laura Neumann, Mayor Steve Bach’s chief of staff, said Thursday. Not only that, but the YMCA…
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City subsidy would help YMCA take over Springs pools
The YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region appears poised to take over five city-owned pools and the manmade beach at Memorial Park with the help of a six-figure subsidy from the mayor’s office.The financial contribution to the YMCA under the proposed agreement is a departure from Mayor Steve Bach’s recent stance on subsidies to other…
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Council wants community to weigh in on cameras
Colorado Springs taxpayers will get to weigh in on a proposal to install surveillance cameras downtown. The City Council announced Tuesday that it will hold a public hearing March 13 to solicit community input. The decision to postpone action on the surveillance cameras offers what may be a new council strategy to use the “political…