I think we all had hoped that the challenges posed by the Covid-19 virus would be done and gone by now. Unfortunately, that is not the situation we find ourselves in at this point. I continue to encourage everyone to stay healthy & to take the measures necessary to protect our community: wear a mask when required, maintain social distancing, and wash your hands frequently.

Fortunately, the City’s revenue collection through June has been better than the forecasted drop of 20% compared to budget. Given that expectation, many capital projects had been deferred from consideration until 2021, operating expenses were reduced, and employees were put on a Friday furlough program.
At this point, the City revenues are down 11% – which is a still a significant reduction and we are continuing the project deferrals and expense reductions. The City has been able to bring employees back to work on Fridays and to return to a higher level of service for our residents. Staff & Council are continuing to keep a close watch on City finances and the continued impact of the pandemic.

Update on the Colorado Bureau of Investigation into misappropriation of funds by the City Finance Director:

• The investigation is complete and charges have been filed against the former Finance Director.
  • Those charges include misappropriation of city funds (taxpayer dollars) over a 17-year time period and in excess of $700,000.
• Importantly, immediately after the discovery of the incident, policies & procedures that reflect best practices were implemented to prevent this situation from occurring again.
• Also, of importance, the city terminated the contract of the audit firm that had previously audited the city finances.
  • The new firm, Adams Group, was hired to perform a more comprehensive audit and to advise the city on other changes that should be made to both the budgeting process and the financial reporting system in order to follow best practices in a manner that is appropriate for our community.
  • Additionally, staff & council are working with the Adams Group & Eide/Bailey auditors to create a forensic audit program that will encompass a thorough review of City policies & procedures to allow us to implement “best practices” in all areas in order to prevent fraud and misdeeds in all departments.

City Manager hiring process update:

• City Council has announced two finalists in our City Manager search:
  • The two finalists, Kevin Knutson and Jose Madrigal, have shown significant leadership, expertise, and knowledge of city management during their careers. Both have the experience of working in management for cities of varying sizes, and with budgets & numbers of employees both larger & smaller than Durango, and have focused on economic diversity & resiliency.
  • Additionally, they are both certified in and have implemented effective management systems that won the Malcolm Baldrige Award for performance excellence; they have advised and are examiners for the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) which advises on best practices for municipal budgets and financial reporting; and have significant experience in strategic planning.
  • They both see openness, transparency and effective two-way communication with the community as core to the success of the city and in their role as a city manager.
  • Please see a brief bio for each attached to my email.
    
• City Manager Hire – Next Steps:
  • Given the challenges of the pandemic, staff is creatively developing a way to host meetings for the general public, business & social service groups, and the education sector among others.
    • I would hope this portion of the process could be complete within a couple of weeks.
  • The 2 finalists are traveling to Durango this week to explore and learn about our community.
  • Council will then meet to discuss the next steps in the process for hiring our new City Manager.

A Call to Action! Consider running for City Council in April.

We can only elect good, qualified people if you/they run for office!

• In April 2021, there will be a City Council election in which three seats on the Council will be open for elected candidates to fill.
• My request to all of you is to ponder carefully whether you or someone you know would be a good City Councilor for our community. If so, please seriously consider the opportunity and be prepared for & informed of the following:
  • The best ways to understand whether, and to determine if, running for City Council is something you are truly interested in are:
  • Start early:
    • Attend (by Zoom or when it is possible, in person)
      • City Council meetings and Study Sessions
      • Boards & Commissions meetings
      • Familiarize yourself with City operations and activities by reviewing the City website and the information it offers.
    • Talk with present & former Councilors:
      • Ask questions.
      • Learn how things work.
      • What are the challenges and opportunities?
      • How much of a time commitment does it require to be an engaged, informed, and contributing member of the council?
    • Educate yourself on what it takes to:
      • Develop a vision and a platform to run on and to guide your decision-making when on council.
      • Be successful in completing the requirements to be a candidate and managing the red tape.
      • Learn what it takes to run a good campaign:
        • Knocking on doors, getting to know the community on a personal level.
        • Being prepared for candidate forums, luncheon talks, and generally listening to residents (you will learn an enormous amount) and sharing your ideas (are they what the community wants for our city?).
      • It may sound overwhelming, and at times it is, but being a City Councilor is also a fulfilling way to make a significant contribution to your community. (And it is fun!)

My commitment to you:

• I would happily discuss my experience of being an elected official with anyone who is interested and will support you in determining and understanding the commitment & the opportunity to contribute to your community.

Office Hours: I look forward to hearing from you!

• In lieu of holding in-person office hours, I am setting up Zoom meetings with whomever is interested.
• My Zoom Hours will be:
  • Monday, August 3rd, at 3:30 pm
  • Monday, August 17^th, at 8:00 am
• Please email me at kimbaxter@durangogov.org to sign up to attend.

If you would like to read my previous newsletters, they can be found on my website: www.kimforcouncil.org

 As always, if you wish to share my newsletters with others, please do. And if they would like to be added to my list, they can request that by emailing me. If you would prefer not to be included on my newsletter list, please let me know, and I will remove your email.

(all information contained in this newsletter represents my opinion and does not reflect the views of Council unless otherwise stated.)

Be Safe – Stay Healthy!

Kim Baxter

kimbaxter@durangogov.org  | 970/799-5799

Passion, Patience, and Persistence