Boxelder boxing at town board

Town council meeting or boxing match over Boxelder?

It didn’t come to fisticuffs, but there were a few heated words before the trustees got down to the business at hand — the items that were on the printed agenda for the regular trustees meeting on March 10.

The fuss was related to questions about the project costs, accounting deficiencies and transparency issues with the Boxelder Basin Regional Stormwater Authority. The trustees agreed to seek outside legal counsel to address these questions at their February 25 meeting.

Trustee Tim Singewald approached a Longmont law firm specializing in water issues, received its report, and wanted to present its findings at the March 10 meeting. He believed that he had complied with the rules in presenting the information in written form in time for it to be included on the agenda.

Mayor Jack Brinkhoff informed Singewald that his submission was not timely. After considerable back and forth among the trustees and Town Attorney Brad March, a vote was taken and Singewald was prevented from presenting the information during the open trustee meeting. A second vote by the trustees relegated the discussion to an executive session that was held following the the open meeting at 9:30 p.m.

“I’m not able to talk about what went on in the executive session,” Singewald said. He could not say if or when that discussion would be made public.

Singewald and Trustees Matt Michel and Travis Harless have been concerned that requests for information have been continuously denied by the Boxelder Basin Regional Stormwater Authority, an entity created in 2008 to address flooding issues in Northern Colorado. Members of the authority include Fort Collins, Wellington and Larimer County. Timnath has an interest as well.

Singewald spoke with passion about the duty of the trustees to represent the people of Wellington and look out for their welfare. He has become suspicious of rapidly rising costs and concerned about his inability to get answers to his questions. Harless was in support of Singewald’s request. Michel was absent from the meeting due to illness. The remaining trustees registered their objection to adding Singewald’s action item to the agenda.

The next trustees meeting is scheduled for March 25.