January 3, 2023 |
Chuck Davis will be sworn in as Saratoga’s new mayor at the beginning of tonight’s town council meeting. Davis will inherit a number of issues as he settles into his four-year term.
Davis received more than 64 percent of the mayoral votes in town, beating his opponent, D’Ron Campbell. Campbell, along with fellow council members Jon Nelson and Ron Hutchins, will leave office after tonight’s swearing-in ceremony. The new council members will be Jerry Fluty, Jacob Fluty and Michael Cooley. Kathy Beck, who was appointed to Ben Spaulding’s seat, will be the only council person to remain into 2023.
Mayor-Elect Davis is no stranger to governing over a small town. He served four, two-year terms as mayor of Encampment.
Saratoga’s new mayor spoke with Bigfoot 99 about what he hopes to achieve in office. Davis said he would like to improve communication between the town’s departments and boards.
Pictured above: File photo of Saratoga Town Hall/Police Department. Photo by Cali O’Hare/Bigfoot 99.
The town has been in a 13-year legal battle with Randy Stevens over a town-owned alleyway between his property and the Natural Resources Conservation property to the south on Cyprus Avenue. The town sued Stevens in 2009 alleging he was digging beneath the alleyway, compromising the integrity of the ground above. According to the terms of judicial ruling, the town is responsible for maintaining a barrier along the southern edge of Stevens’ land, preventing further erosion of the cliff-like ledge dug under the alleyway. The barrier is failing, and the town has been trying to work out a permanent solution with Stevens and his attorneys.
Last September, the Saratoga Town Council held a special workshop to discuss three engineering designs they would present to Stevens. Price is an issue, and the town expects Stevens to cover some of the cost of whichever plan he agrees to. There has been very little new information about the case since the September workshop. Mayor-elect Davis said he doesn’t know much more than what was publicly disclosed, but he will learn about the matter after he is officially sworn in as mayor.
Where the negotiations stand between the town and the private property owner is not publicly known as Davis begins his term as mayor. The outgoing administration has revealed very little information about the legal dispute in its failed efforts to resolve the matter out of court.
Another item Davis and his new council will have to handle is finalizing the public works director’s job duties. In December, the current council met with the incoming members to discuss whether the duties of the public works director should be combined with the long-vacant position of planning and zoning officer. The town’s previous Public Works Director Jon Winter was responsible for writing state funding grants for large projects. Discussion at last month’s workshop indicated that grant duties may be turned over to third-party engineering firms. Also discussed was whether the public works director should issue building permits and ensure contractors stay in compliance with town ordinances or physically work in the field with town employees. Davis said he look for guidance from the long-time employees in the public works department.
Mayor-elect Davis said he will hold meetings the second week of January to discuss governmental matters. During that time, he said his council would decide how the public works director’s job duties would change.
The exiting town council has delayed approval of several large projects, leaving the decisions to Davis and his council. The town has been in talks with Valley Village Childcare about the company taking over the Corbett Medical Building on South River Street. Years of deferred maintenance has left the structure unsuitable for use as a daycare. Bringing the building up to state and federal standards would cost the town around $500,000. The Corbett Medical Foundation, which donated the building to the town, has agreed to allow Valley Village to purchase the clinic building for $1. Mayor Davis said he supports the sale of the building.
Another large project the new council will decide on is the proposed Platte Valley Aquatic Center. Attorney Nick Haderlie has been working with investors to construct a multi-million dollar indoor water sports complex in town.
Haderlie asked the council to draft a 50-year lease for town owned land to build the aquatic center. If Haderlie is able to raise the necessary funding to pay for the construction, he would need the town to dissolve the recreation department and funnel that money into the non-profit responsible for operating the pool complex. Mayor-elect Davis said he needs to hear more about the project before making a decision.
Davis said he plans to give the public a closer look at how the town makes decisions and spends money.
