Loveland City Council members will vote Tuesday on an update to the city’s water efficiency plan, which includes proposals for further reducing water usage and curbing peak summer water demand.
Currently, the city encourages customers to save water through a combination of education, rulemaking and special events and programs, and pushes for efficiency within the city by maintaining and regularly testing its infrastructure.
New programs proposed by Loveland’s utility are meant to impact the peak of water usage in the city, which falls around August and September for most customer classes.
These could include requiring a 25% reduction in water requirements and water rights for new irrigation accounts, adding an excess-water-use surcharge on all irrigation meters, updating public restrooms, expanding the use of non-potable water and more.
Close to 3,030 acre-feet of water were saved between 2014 and 2018 through programs outlined in the plan, which a staff memo referred to as a “road map” for water efficiency. Another city projection indicates an additional 8,088 acre-feet could be saved by 2029 if all of the suggested programs are put in place.
Colorado requires all retail water providers who sell 2,000 acre-feet or more of water per year, including Loveland, to have a state-approved water efficiency plan. The city’s plan was last updated in 2013, and state guidelines require plans to be updated every seven years.
By curbing water usage, the city hopes to limit spending on proposed future projects such as a water treatment plant expansion and a downstream storage reservoir, leading to lower rates for Loveland customers.
The plan must be submitted to the Colorado Water Conservation Board for final approval by the end of the month.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Jacki Marsh says she will pull the city’s April financial report off the council’s consent agenda — a collection of agenda items that are considered uncontroversial or routine by staff and may be voted on as a unit near the start of the meeting.
Marsh said she will ask that the item be put on the regular agenda to allow for a discussion of the reduced sales tax rate within The Promenade Shops at Centerra, Centerra Marketplace and the Centerra Motorplex.
While Loveland collects a 3% sales tax on purchases made elsewhere in the city, under the master financing agreement with Centerra, purchases made in those areas are subject only to a 1.75% city sales tax.
Sales are also subject to a 1.25% public improvement fee, and non-automobile purchases incur an additional 1.75% retail sales fee. Both fees are used to pay for nearby public improvements.
Marsh raised concerns about the special sales tax rate last month during debates about increasing the citywide sales tax. The council minus Marsh ultimately voted to have the city staff draft the language of a 1% hike on purchases of all items except grocery food for home consumption.
Marsh also suggested the city call Centerra back to the negotiating table to amend their agreement and make the city sales tax rate the same as the rate paid by other Loveland retailers.
Council members who opposed Marsh’s suggestion at the time said Centerra was not likely to support the change and that trying to change the agreement without Centerra’s consent could put the city in legal jeopardy.
According to information given to the council by the city’s chief financial officer, Alan Krcmarik, in response to a request by Marsh, 127 businesses remit sales tax at the reduced rate.
How to participate
The meeting is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Members of the public who want to comment during the meeting may call 669-900-6833 any time after 5:45 p.m.
City Hall and the council chambers remain closed to the public due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and in-person comments will not be allowed Tuesday.
When prompted, callers should enter the meeting identification number, 921 2177 6680, followed by the # key.
Callers will be automatically muted and placed on hold. When a public comment period is announced that a caller wants to participate in, they should press *9 and wait to be unmuted.
Comments may also be made by emailing City Clerk Patti Garcia at patti.garcia@cityofloveland.org before 5:50 p.m. Tuesday.
If requested by the sender, Garcia may read the email into the record during the appropriate comment period.
The meeting will be broadcast on Comcast Channel 16 and streamed through the city’s website at loveland.viebit.com.
Tuesday’s agenda packet can be viewed and printed through the city of Loveland’s website at bit.ly/2MhCDkd.
Jenny Sparks / Loveland Reporter-Herald
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