MONTE VISTA - A public hearing was on the agenda for Monte Vista City Council at their last meeting for the postponed item from Sept. 3. A special review use for Grace and Mercy Bible Fellowship to meet at 212 Adams. The item had been postponed several times as the council sought legal advice. When the matter was first discussed before Council, Councilor Larry Foster who is the pastor and founder of Grace and Mercy Bible Fellowship handed out copies of information about the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000. During that meeting Foster had shared how he felt they had not been given a ‘compelling reason,’ for not having their church in the commercial business zone. Foster stating, “Your Zoning commission has led you to the edge of a legal minefield.”

After postponing the matter several times so that the council could receive legal advice at their last meeting, they made their decision about the special review use. Councilor Gary Johnson moved to approve the postponed item from Sept., 3, 2020, the review use 212 Adams religious institute. Councilor Martha Lock seconded and then discussion followed during which time Councilor Lock took the opportunity to read a prepared statement to Councilor Foster.

“As I said when you first threatened this council and every resident of Monte Vista, residents that we are supposed to be representing by the way. I recognized your attempt at intimidation. I also informed you that I was not intimidated. That still holds true. I also recognized that you circulated a false report and were an unrighteous witness when you bore false witness against each of us saying that we were un-Christian, un- American, and contributing to the moral decay of our society if we did not do things your way. In saying that you bore false witness against every single person sitting on this council. While I don’t trust your motives, I do forgive you right now for doing that. No, you have not asked forgiveness that’s not my business. But I give you my forgiveness because that’s my calling as a follower of Yahshua, and a servant of Yahweh,” read Lock later finishing her address with, “As I sit here tonight knowing all the people who have either called me, seen me in person, and voiced their negative opinion on granting this variance and I’ve heard the people that have come to our podium to ask that we please do not grant this variance. And the petition with the list of names of people who are opposed to this variance which by definition is something out of the ordinary. I’m left with only one option. I have an obligation to represent the people of Monte Vista and as I have heard the ones that have reached out, spoken up and let their pains be known I am compelled to honor my oath to the citizens of Monte Vista that I swore before people and before Yahweh.”

Mayor Dale Becker also shared why the item had been postponed several times saying, “It was postponed several times due to legal (council). And we got a lot of legal advice in regard to this. And as we come to this, it has been a tough decision. With all the advice we had to take and that’s why we had to get a lot of information to make sure we were making the right decision and doing the right thing. As I said before I’m not against God, I’m not against any church at all.”

The motion was then put to a vote with Councilor Gary Johnson voting yes, and Councilor Martha Lock voting no. Mayor Pro Tem Victor Sigala was not present at the meeting. Before giving his yes vote,  Mayor Becker stated, “Based on all the legal information that I got, due to the fact of poor legal counsel from previous legal in the past years who did not do due diligence for this city I will say yea.”

Later in the meeting during their City Councilor reports Mayor Dale Becker addressed Councilor Foster directly saying, “Your behavior of how you threatened us and put us between a rock and hard spot really made me start to think about what’s in it for you. And it really frustrated me to think through this because you were threatening. You weren’t even willing to work with the community and try to get there a different way. You went guns a blazing; that’s how you handled that. And yes, we had to put it off to get the (legal) council that we needed. Your presentation was totally out of hand. It was done in the wrong manner and you did that representing the community. You did represent the citizens of this community and you not only threatened us you threatened them. Because you represent them,” said Mayor Becker adding, “I voted yea and it was with protest because we had nowhere to go.”