MONTE VISTA— The Monte Vista City Council met in regular session on Thursday, Sept. 7. In addition to the upcoming election that was reported in last week’s newspaper these are some of the top issues discussed at the meeting.

Kids Connection
Kids Connection Anika Valesquez gave her monthly report. Valesquez stated that Kids Connection is off to a good start in its after-school program and is in its third week. “It has been very eventful. We are currently seeing over 60 children each day...We’re getting a lot more new members,” said Valesquez.
Valesquez also reported that Kids Connection is still seeking to fill two youth coordinator positions. She highly encouraged any interested community members to apply. “We’re at a point where we’re willing to entertain anyone who thinks they can handle the job,” she said.
In October Kids Connection will host a charity poker tournament at Three Guys Farms at the Monte Villa Inn. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the buy-in and the open bar will go to Kids Connection. More details will be provided to the community very soon.
City manager
City manager Forrest Neuerburg began his report by sharing that he had received preliminary notice from the state of Colorado that the city of Monte Vista has been approved for a Cathy Shipley Best and Brightest Intern Program. The program is a partnership with statewide universities through their Masters in Political Science and Public Administration programs. Neuerburg shared that the award will be used to make intern Azarel Madrigal a full-time employee of the city.
“I’m excited that she will be taking a course on emergency management for her masters. This is an excellent chance to create the emergency management plan the council has been requesting...with her course work I think we can incorporate a much more usable plan than the city has ever had which would use our emergency command center and generator. We would go into detail about disasters such as what would we do if there was a flood,” said Neuerburg.
He stated that a succession plan has been developed in the event that the city manager is unable to fulfill his duties at the request of the city council. This will help to give proper authority and a clear line of command in the event the city manager is incapacitated.
Neuerburg shared he had a conference call with Xcel Energy on Thursday. “It produced some interesting discussions about localized solar but also looking at energy upgrades. We spoke about Ski Hi Park and other city buildings that haven’t had energy upgrades. They can do a lighting audit through a company they have under contract and make recommendations. There will be no cost to us for the audit and nothing binding but certainly creates some opportunities. I also learned of programs which can get the city energy credits...It was a pretty good call,” said Neuerburg.