Audit Presentation

McMahon and Associates presented the Town’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report to Town Council during their work session. Highlights of the presentation include:

• The Town has a solid equity position with assets exceeding liabilities by $90.8M at year end.
• The Town has high liquidity with a strong asset base – total assets equal $101.7M.
• The Town incurred no new long term debt and is paying down existing debt as required.
• The Town’s net position increased by $7.2M.
• Sales taxes comprise 76% of governmental revenues, followed by charges for services at 12%, intergovernmental transfers at 6% (for example- grants, highway user taxes, etc…), permits and licenses at 3%, and all other sources at 3%.
• General government expenditures comprise 33% of governmental expenditures, followed by Culture and Recreation at 16%, capital projects and purchases at 15%, Public Works at 13%, Community Development at 10%, public safety at 9% and all other uses at 4%.

The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the year ended December 31, 2020 is already posted to the Town’s website, and the Town’s 2020 Community Scorecard will be posted by the end of June.

Frisco Trails Master Plan Update

Staff provided updates on the status of trail and pathway improvements and requested feedback and direction on future projects that Council would like to see prioritized and included in upcoming future budget discussions.  The Frisco Trails Master Plan (FTMP) was adopted in March 2017 to inventory and map existing trails, recommend future trails, determine areas in need of wayfinding and maintenance, address bicycle and pedestrian connectivity throughout town, and prioritize projects for effective implementation. Since the plan’s adoption, the Town has made a great deal of progress on implementing the various recommendations for hard and soft surface trail improvements throughout Town.

Moving forward, Council gave staff direction to:

• Complete a five-year update to the Plan to incorporate completed projects and new community goals.
• Develop a management model for Council consideration to work with the US Forest Service (USFS) to adopt existing non-system trails and to build additional trails.
• Create a consistent signage and wayfinding plan for implementation throughout Town.
• Install new signage and complete striping recommendations as outlined in the FTMP.
• Study easements and feasibility for the creation of the Tenmile Trail and the connector along the west side of Highway 9.
• Continue to improve trails within Town limits for easier access to all commercial areas.

Peak School Relocation Request

Travis Aldrich, Head of The Peak School, and Chris Guarino of the Artaic Group, a design and construction company based in Denver, presented Town Council with the Peak School’s vision and conceptual design for a relocation of the school to the Peninsula Recreation Area (PRA), specifically the “boneyard” area at the southernmost entrance into the PRA.  The Peak School, currently located on West Main Street in Frisco, would like to build a facility that would house public facilities, including bathrooms and lockers, a new pre-K through 5 school to be managed by The Peak School, and grades 6 through 12, which are currently served by The Peak School.

The boneyard currently accommodates Town of Frisco Public Works operations and is also used for recreational purposes. In the approved Frisco Adventure Park’s Comprehensive Vision and Project Implementation Plan, the boneyard was identified as needing additional planning to determine the future of on-site Public Works operations and reclaiming the area for recreational use. Three options outlined in the planning for this area included enclosing/screening the area, developing community space, or building an event center.

Under the Town Charter and State statute, park property may not be sold or leased unless first approved through a local election. Council considered the proposal, and directed staff to work with the Peak School to define the details and terms of the arrangement before deciding if the proposal should go to a ballot question in April of 2022.

New Liquor License for Shoe Inn

Town Council approved the application is for a new liquor license for Shoe Inn Boutique located at 411 Main Street.

Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) Regarding the Implementation of Fire Restrictions in Summit County

Council approved an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Summit County regarding details of how Summit County would implement fire restrictions, and Town Council also approved amendments to the Town Code of Ordinances to better align with the County.

Both the current and proposed IGAs neither require nor prevent Frisco from taking action autonomously, however implementing restrictions can be more effective when consistent across a geographic area.

Council approved the IGA and Town Code amendments to include the following:

• When using a chainsaw, it must be equipped with a spark arrestor, and the operator must have a round point shovel on hand of not less than 35” in length. This in addition to the existing requirement for the operator to have a fire extinguisher on hand.
• When under Stage 1 fire restrictions, a permit must now be obtained from the fire district for a solid fuel burning fire. The standards for allowing such fires remain the same (barren ground, use of a chiminea or other spark arresting fire ring, adult supervision, etc).
• Summit County removed the prohibition of the sale of firewood and charcoal during Stage 2 fire restrictions because there are still legal uses of those items. The Town of Frisco amended the Town code to continue the prohibition, unless the retailer posts signage which apprises customers of current fire restrictions.

Housing Discussion:  Housing Action Items

At the June 8, 2021 Town Council Meeting, Council directed staff to work expeditiously towards implementation of immediate and near-term goals. Staff presented several action items, which Council directed staff to move forward with:

• Increase to Short Term Rental (STR) licensing fees in order to cover administrative costs associated with the program as soon as the appropriate fee is determined.
• Establish and begin the recruitment process for a new STR coordinator position as soon as possible.
• Issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a property management company to manage Town-owned housing units. The Request for Proposal has been drafted and will be distributed immediately.

Staff also presented the following options, which Council discussed, and will revisit at a future Council meeting:

• A moratorium on new STR licenses. This would allow Council and staff time to evaluate and create policies and regulations for the STR program.
• A Workforce Housing Program Fee- implementing this fee would require a study to determine the dollar value of the impact of short-term housing on workforce housing. Funds from that program would be used for workforce housing projects.

Finally, staff presented updates on near-term action items already in progress:

• Town staff will meet with Host Compliance, the Town’s current STR licensing software partner, to discuss present challenges and concerns, which may result in soliciting a Request for Proposal for a new STR licensing software partner.
• Staff is working on Housing Helps 3.0 and awaiting data and materials from various resources. Housing Helps 3.0 would offer incentives to second home or short-term property owners to rent their property to local employees.
• Summit County Government has scheduled a housing summit, the Housing Action Initiative, and is coordinating participation from all of Summit’s municipalities.
• Alpine Inn entered into an agreement with Summit County to rent and subsidize rental costs for long-term workforce housing. The Town of Frisco has the option to participate in this agreement.

Frisco Town Council Meetings: Lots of Ways to Participate

Going forward, Frisco Town Council meetings will be available to view via Zoom and YouTube, as well as being held in person to make Town Council meetings easier to access for everyone. The public can provide comment during meetings via Zoom or in person (not YouTube), and a public comment period will be available at 7:00pm; during the consideration of ordinances; and at the discretion of Town Council during work session items, which are discussions that don’t require a formal vote by Town Council and do not require public comment.

Again, this hybrid approach is intended to make Town Council meetings more accessible, and meeting recordings will typically also be made available the day after a meeting in the meeting archive with agenda topics bookmarked to the discussions in the video.