July Newsletter

GOVERNMENT
THE MAYOR’S
message
WE SUPPORT THE GREENWOOD
VILLAGE POLICE DEPARTMENT
I wanted to take a moment to address the recent changes the
State Legislature made regarding police liability. While the
media has reported that Senate Bill 20-217
includes “far reaching reforms,” this is not the case
for Greenwood Village. Our police department,
which has not had any unlawful use of force
lawsuits (in well over a decade), already follows the
mandated practices adopted in the bill apart from
body worn cameras. The Village has used both
body mics and dash cameras since 2001, and the
City Council is looking at updating that system in
addition to purchasing body worn cameras.
You may have also heard, or read, that SB-217
George Lantz calls for local governments to indemnify its peace
glantz@
officers for any liability incurred for State civil
greenwoodvillage.com
rights violations. I can assure you the Council will
303-486-5741
do this. In fact, the requirement to indemnify is
not new. State law and the Greenwood Village Municipal Code
has long said the same thing and the City Council will continue
to indemnify our police officers because we recognize the need
to encourage our peace officers to effectively and efficiently
perform their duties by shielding them from personal liability as
they do their job protecting all of us.
Police support from residents and the Greenwood Village Police
Foundation has always been very strong; I want to thank you for
continuing to express your appreciation for our officers. The
City Council is also very supportive and proud of the
department as evidenced by last year’s Resolution No. 35 that
voiced Council’s appreciation for the work of these dedicated
public servants who put themselves in harm’s way to protect our
safety 24 hours a day.
Please refer to page 7 of this Newsletter to
review a letter by City Manager John Jackson
and Chief of Police Dustin Varney regarding
our Police Department.
COVID-19 CONTINUES AND
GV ECONOMIC IMPACT
Coronavirus cases are rising in Colorado. Until there is a
vaccine, we need to continue to help mitigate the virus by
wearing masks, keeping our distance from others,
practicing proper hygiene, and protecting the vulnerable
population in working to reduce the spread of the virus. I
encourage everyone to continue modeling this responsible
behavior.
The pandemic has significantly altered the fiscal outlook
for both state and local governments. Not surprisingly,
governmental revenue sources which depend on consumer
and business spending have been impacted. Unfortunately,
these revenue sources make up a considerable portion of
Greenwood Village’s total income. Sales, use, and lodging
tax collections during the three-month period of March,
April, and May were down $1.5 million, or approximately
18% when compared to the previous year. You should
know both Council and staff have taken steps to curtail
our spending during this crisis.
Planning for COVID-19’s impact on our finances remains
a challenge. As we begin developing the 2021 budget, our
goal will be a balanced budget that does not impact
service delivery. We will keep you posted on our progress.
PG. 2 GV NEWSLETTER | JULY 2020