Senate Committee on Local Government (03/07/2006)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Date:	03/07/2006	ATTENDANCE

Time:	02:03 PM to 03:12 PM	Bacon	*
		Entz	X
Place:	SCR 353	Jones	X
		Kester	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Tochtrop	X
	Senator Hanna	Groff	X
		Hanna	X
This Report was prepared by
	Raegan Robb
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
HB06-1242 HB06-1159		Referred to the Committee of the Whole Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole

02:04 PM -- House Bill 06-1242

Senator Windels, prime sponsor, presented HB06-1242 and explained that the bill extends the filing and recording surcharge collected by county clerks and recorders to June 30, 2017.

02:05 PM

Scott Doyle, County Clerks Association, testified in support of HB06-1242 and spoke to the need for this surcharge to continue. Senator Windels and Mr. Doyle addressed questions from the committee regarding the collection of fees by county clerks, the safety clause of this bill, and when it would become law.

02:13 PM


BILL:	HB06-1242
TIME:	02:13:57 PM
MOVED:	Kester
MOTION:	Move HB06-1242 to the Committee of the Whole with the recommendation that it be placed on the Consent Calendar. Motion passed on a 7-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Bacon	Yes
	Entz	Yes
	Jones	Yes
	Kester	Yes
	Tochtrop	Yes
	Groff	Yes
	Hanna	Yes
Final YES: 7 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:22 PM -- House Bill 06-1159

Senator Johnson, prime sponsor, presented HB06-1159 bill which addresses annexation enclaves. Senator Johnson explained that his bill requires certain conditions to be met before an enclave can be annexed by a municipality. These requirements focus around the creation of annexation transition committees. Senator Johnson spoke to the statewide need for transition committees to improve the annexation process and improve communication between enclaves and municipalities. Senator Johnson addressed questions from the committee.

02:32 PM

Tess Heffernan, City of Fort Collins, testified in support of HB06-1159 and spoke in support of annexation transition committees. Ms. Heffernan explained that these committees will help open communication between governmental entities and the public. She spoke to inter-governmental agreements between different entities and referenced specific examples of annexation projects occurring in Larimer County.

02:34 PM

Karen Rose, Larimer County citizen, testified in support of HB06-1159 and explained that the bill will mitigate the current process of forced annexation and how the current process angers and frustrates citizens. Ms. Rose spoke to the need for transition committees, which will provide more warning and awareness to enclave citizens to be annexed. Ms. Rose addressed questions from the committee regarding the relationship between Colorado counties and municipalities during annexations.

02:44 PM

Joe Collins, Larimer County business owner, testified in support of HB06-1159 and stated that this bill will decrease governmental abuse that is currently occurring with forced annexations.

02:46 PM

Greg Ast, Douglas County resident, testified in support of HB06-1159 and spoke to the freedoms that forced annexations take away. Mr. Ast spoke to the difficulties that annexations create for business owners which can result in forcing businesses to relocate or close. Mr. Ast emphasized the need for business owners to have a fair warning before annexation occurs.

02:49 PM

Jim Robbins, Fort Collins resident, testified in support of HB06-1159 and spoke to the growing concern of eroding property rights in Colorado resulting from cases of eminent domain and forced annexation. Mr. Robbins spoke to the requirement of annexation transition committees and noted they will require open dialogue between municipalities and property owners being annexed. Senator Johnson and Mr. Robbins addressed questions from the committee regarding annexation examples in Larimer County.

02:54 PM

Tess Heffernan, City of Fort Collins, spoke to growth management in Larimer County and past annexations that have occurred there. Ms. Heffenan addressed a question regarding land with agriculture status and how this zoning is grandfathered when it is annexed.

02:58 PM

Steve Syckes, Larimer County resident, testified in support of HB06-1159 and spoke to the need for open discussion between municipal governments and county residents living within an enclave when annexation is being considered.

03:00 PM

Senator Johnson entered closing comments on HB06-1159 and discussion ensued regarding when the bill would take effect.


BILL:	HB06-1159
TIME:	03:04:18 PM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Moved a conceptual amendment to HB06-1159 to strike section 3 and replace with a safety clause to the bill. Motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Bacon
	Entz
	Jones
	Kester
	Tochtrop
	Groff
	Hanna
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB06-1159
TIME:	03:10:08 PM
MOVED:	Bacon
MOTION:	Move HB06-1159 to the Committee of the Whole. Motion passed on a 6-0-1 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Bacon	Yes
	Entz	Yes
	Jones	Yes
	Kester	Yes
	Tochtrop	Yes
	Groff	Yes
	Hanna	Excused
Final YES: 6 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

03:12 PM

The meeting adjourned.