Longmont City Council
On Tuesday, May 20 council:
• Unanimously passed an ordinance prohibiting registered sex offenders from living within 500 feet of schools, daycares and public and private parks. It also prevents more than three unrelated sex offenders from living in the same residence.
The ordinance comes from an ongoing battle between residents of the Prairie Village neighborhood and a state certified sober living home that has housed up to eight sex offenders at a time. Council acknowledged in previous meetings that such restrictions are “arbitrary” and go against state recommendations, but said they may be necessary to assuage fears in the community. Read the full story on the ordinance and its potential unintended consequences here: bit.ly/LongmontSexOffendersBW
Ahead of the vote, some council members expressed concerns. Mayor Joan Peck and council member Matthew Popkin both said they wanted to look at the ordinance and its impacts again in six to 12 months.
“I find this ordinance to be problematic in many ways,” council member Aren Rodriguez said. “I don’t believe that it will increase the safety of anybody in this community. I believe it will make winners and losers of certain neighborhoods and will have a bunch of unintended consequences.”
• Voted 6-1 to move an ordinance forward making the final changes to city code to allow for onsite cannabis consumption at marijuana hospitality establishments, such as smoking lounges and spas. A second reading and public hearing for the ordinance is scheduled for June 3.
Boulder County Commissioners
On Tuesday, May 27 commissioners will:
• Hold a public hearing and get a general update from the Boulder County Housing Authority. The discussion is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Sign up to speak in person: bit.ly/BoCoCCMay27 (1325 Pearl St., third floor). Attend virtually: bit.ly/VirtualMay27
On Friday, May 30 commissioners will:
• Celebrate the designation of the Boulder County Courthouse as a National Historic Landmark during a plaque unveiling, alongside the Rainbows Over Boulder County flag raising ceremony for Pride Month.
The courthouse received the designation in December to recognize its historical significance as the site of the first intentional same-sex marriage in the United States in 1975, when former Boulder County Clerk Clela Rorex issued the first same-sex marriage license in the country. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on the courthouse mall.
Boulder City Council
There is no council meeting on May 29th due to the Memorial Day holiday.