City Council weighs in on bills

One of the few things the Longmont City Council agreed on last week was which legislative bills it opposed and endorsed.

So far, the Council has thrown its weight behind several bills related to affordable housing that are making their way through the Colorado General Assembly and has disapproved of one concerning policing.

House Bill 1169, which the Council opposed, would limit a peace officer’s ability to arrest someone accused of certain low-level offenses such as trespassing on commercial property.

Other offenses prohibited from arrest under HB 1169 include: prostitution, public indecency, criminal mischief of less than $300, fighting in public and more.

Longmont Assistant City Manager Sandra Seader, who also handles legislative affairs for the city, sometimes tracks as many as 400 bills each session.

The General Assembly convenes annually, beginning in January, for no more than 120 days.

“I read the bills, and I identify and flag ones that have municipal impacts,” Seader said in an interview Friday.

After consulting with department heads, Seader decides which legislative bills to ask the Council to consider.

The Council weighs in on approximately 40 to 50 bills each legislative session, Seader estimated.

“Which bills will either be … helpful or severely detrimental,” Seader said. “I really try to make sure that when we’re taking a position on something it’s … serious business.”

The Council supported Senate

Bill 022, which would prevent a person convicted of aggravated motor vehicle theft from possessing a firearm.

On Jan. 10, the day before the Colorado General Assembly convened for its first regular session, the Longmont City Council issued its own statement on “Legislation Affecting Public Safety.”

“While we started our focus on mass shootings, we realized that

other crime has increased in our community, including car thefts, drug offenses and gun violence,” the statement says.

Various bills related to affordable housing also went before the Council during its regular session Tuesday, including Senate Bill 001.

If approved, SB 001 would allocate $13 million to the Public-private Partnership Office to incentivize affordable, workforce housing on state-owned land.

“If there’s state land adjacent to Louisville, Lafayette, Erie, and they can build affordable housing that goes to the broader portfolio,” Longmont City Manager Harold Dominguez said during the Feb. 14 council meeting.

The Council is scheduled to have a legislative dinner with state lawmakers on March 3 at the Senior Center, 910 Longs Peak Ave, at 6 p.m.