The City of Monte Vista IT Department shows off the CGAIT Cup Award, full of Dum-Dums and Smarties from the 2017 winners, the City of Louisville, Colo. Pictured from left are Christian Batzer, Brandon Gallegos, who presented on the topic of “Best Datacenter Overhaul” and IT Director Jim Belknap.

By Chelsea McNerney-Martinez
MONTE VISTA-At the Thursday, Nov. 1 Monte Vista City Council meeting, the council passed several ordinances on first reading and recognized the IT department for winning the 2018 Colorado Government Association of Information Technology (CGAIT) cup.
New Human Resources Coordinator Bob Gil was formally introduced to council. Gil is originally from Grand Junction and has 30 years of personnel and HR experience from the USAF.  After leaving the military, Gil worked doing safety, training, management and HR for a business with over 200 employees in Wisconsin. Gil stated he, his wife, seven horses, one dog and three cats are “fortunate to be back in Colorado again” and enjoy the outdoor recreation opportunities.
Mayor Dale Becker also read a proclamation making Nov. 5-9 Law Enforcement Records Personnel week for the first time. Becker’s declaration, written by Governor John Hickenlooper, recognized the vital role law enforcement records personnel play in public safety and providing data needed for developing efficient community strategies.
Monte Vista Community Center/Head Start Executive Director Frances Valdez also introduced herself to council. Valdez stated she was happy to continue a good relationship with the city and thanked them for their many years of support, “as you are in essence our landlord.” Valdez stated the Head Start has recently made security improvements and invited council to tour the facility.
Information Technology Director Jim Belknap and his staff presented on the CGAIT cup award. CGAIT is a professional organization of IT professionals whose mission is to “promote advances in information technology and to facilitate networking, collaboration, cooperation and education among Colorado government IT leaders. Membership in CGAIT is open to all cities, counties and special districts in Colorado.” Belknap explained the award was won by Brandon Gallegos for his competitive presentation on the topic “Best Datacenter Overhaul,” at the fall conference, explaining the improvements and collaborative efforts made by multiple agencies throughout the San Luis Valley, overwhelmingly beating Larimer, Arapahoe and Eagle counties as well as the West Metro Fire Protection District. The cup itself is a travelling award which will be with the city for a year with the expectation that Monte Vista’s IT team add something special and locally relevant to it for next year. Gallegos and the Monte Vista IT team also get to select the topic for the 2019 conference and facilitate the competition. Christian Batzer and Gallegos were on hand with Belknap.
Gallegos thanked the city staff and councilors for their support and for working together on the intergovernmental agreement between the cities of Alamosa and Monte Vista to the benefit of both and thanked his family as well.
Council also unanimously approved ordinance 888, establishing a code of ethics for city officials, employees and members of city commissions/boards. Council similarly passed on first reading ordinance 891, “amending Monte Vista municipal code chapter 12, zoning, to allow for the creation and operation of RV parks within the city limits.” City Manager Forrest Neuerburg explained proposed RV parks have to go before the Planning and Zoning Commission first to ensure they meet the zoning requirements and have an adequate business plan, and must also meet CDPHE standards, which Neuerburg described as “very prescriptive.” Councilor Gary Johnson, who had previously brought up the possibility of establishing RV parking near Fullenwider Park, stated “I’ve been remiss and haven’t read it [the proposed ordinance]” but stated he would later and asked about possibly amending it upon second reading, which Neuerburg confirmed was possible.
During the staff report portion of the meeting, Finance Director Jennifer Signs reported 75 percent of the fiscal year has elapsed but revenue is at 84 percent of what was anticipated in the budget and 67 percent of budgeted expenditures have been met.
During the city manager report Neuerburg explained a proposed RFP for the Ski-Hi project will soon come before council and following the recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the public hearing regarding changing municipal code to allow chickens within city limits will take place at the next council meeting on Nov. 15.
Monte Vista Kids Connection (MVKC) Director Anika Velasquez stated her recent averages have been between 60 and 70 students per day with a decrease because of the snowy weather. Velasquez gave a recap of the MVKC Charity Poker Tournament and stated it raised about $5,000 for the Kids Connection.
The MVKC will be putting on their Sixth Annual Thanksgiving Feast on Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 12 p.m. and she will be releasing a list of what their needs are in terms of food or volunteers to cook soon and credited the parents of MVKC students for their assistance and regular donations.
Velasquez also showed a video made by the National Parks and Recreation Association and the Wal-Mart Foundation celebrating a grant they received earlier this year to support their healthy food access and nutritional literacy programs. The video interviewed Velasquez, MVKC volunteers and staff as well as students about their perspectives on the benefits of the programs and the Kids Connection overall.