New councilmembers sworn in

Lisa Phelps
Posted 1/14/25

GUERNSEY – After thanking councilman Kellie Augustyn for his years of service, new councilman Jeremiah Fields and re-elected councilman Dale Harris were sworn in to complete the new council …

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New councilmembers sworn in

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GUERNSEY – After thanking councilman Kellie Augustyn for his years of service, new councilman Jeremiah Fields and re-elected councilman Dale Harris were sworn in to complete the new council body before last week’s meeting.
With no comments either for or against, liquor licenses for Ben’s Bar, Kelley’s Bar, Crazy Tony’s, and VFW post 4471 were approved at the meeting.
Prior to the unanimous approval of claims for payment submitted to the town,, councilman Joe Michaels pointed out there were invoices on the claims list of items purchased out of town, which should have been purchased at Guernsey businesses. Mayor Ed Delgado said he would tell employees again, they were to purchase and do business with Guernsey businesses, when possible, before making purchases or having work done out of town.
The council approved Banner Capital and First State Bank as official depositories for the town, and the Guernsey Gazette as the legal newspaper for publication of public notices from the town.
Mack Hawkins, a Guernsey State Park ranger, spoke to the council to highlight the new monthly trail challenge the park is conducting this year. The guided or unguided hike of various trails is a way to encourage people to hike and explore the park throughout the year. Hawkins also said there has been issues after dark at the Oregon Trail and Register Cliff historic sites. Signs have been posted the sites are open sunrise to sunset, curb stops have been put in, and patrols of the area have increased. He said he appreciated the extra effort of the Guernsey police department in assisting in patrols.
Tresha Cancino gave a report on the Platte County Chamber of Commerce, stating there has been a 31-percent increase in membership in the last few months, and there are big events planned for this year, starting with the agriculture appreciation banquet on Feb. 8.
In his department report, police chief Jay Harrison said in reference to the issues at the historic sites, his department tracked down and contacted the individuals who were causing some of the problems – and possibly some of the problems in town. He said they were not from the area and have since left the county. He suggested the town consider making an agreement with the state park service to specifically authorize the GPD to patrol the sites regularly.

Though he plans to present an annual report to the council at their next meeting, he said it looked like there were 219 less calls for service by the Guernsey police department in 2024 than in 2023. Additionally, he told the council the department has issues with equipment that will need to be addressed in the budget. He explained there have been unexpected major vehicle and equipment repairs. A grant he was seeking last year to replace the handheld and car computers fell through, but he plans to work with Platte County Emergency Management coordinator Tony Krotz to continue to seek grant funding to replace the old equipment. The chief also plans to work with the council on a plan to budget for replacing the necessary equipment one item at a time, barring a successful bid for grant funding.
Chief Harrison also presented for consideration of the council a proposal to bank holiday vacation time for officers. He explained, there are 10 holiday days for town employees which often conflict with law enforcement needs for the town. His proposal, which is supported by the officers, would enable them to choose the days they wanted to use their holiday time off while at the same time save overtime pay for the town on federal holidays.
Town planner and code enforcement officer John Burfeind reported he is making progress with finding a potential partnership for the town to help operate the airport. Ag Fliers of Torrington would like to meet with the council to discuss options, then if the discussion goes well, they would potentially put together a proposal for the town to consider.
Burfeind recommended the council put together a resolution to clear up the verbiage of the nuisance ordinance. “If we’re going to start pushing on [these ordinances], we need to realize on 10-3-A7 (prohibiting use of accessory buildings for storage on property such as mobile homes, motorized homes, travel trailers, camper trailers or any other type of recreational vehicle)….that falls in line for ‘other nuisance’ [in ordinance 3-1-1 and 3-1-2]. We might want to do a resolution on that to change some verbiage, because it says any storage unit on the property causes a nuisance,” Burfeind said.
Another issue Burfeind brought up to the council is “dogs going to the bathroom in parks and public areas.” There is especially an issue at the golf course from people letting their dogs run wild, “and of course, there are issues with – it’s not a divet and it’s in the way of their play,” Burfeind said, adding, “We also need to get these dogs registered and vaccinated.”
Conversation with the council included pointing out dogs must be on leash on all town property, with the exception of the dog park – a fenced-in area near the golf course. The state park walk-in area directly south of the golf course requires all dogs to be on leash. Dogs are also required to be vaccinated and have an annual registration with the town. A yearly vaccination/registration clinic will be held in February.
Town clerk Hillary Dawson said the financial review of the town’s books is completed, and the council was given a copy of the six-month report showing where the town is sitting in regards to the budget.
An unknown vehicle damaged a disc golf cage, causing over $300 damage to disc golf cage plus concrete and labor to repair by the public works department, supervisor Mike Fronapfel told the council. He also cautioned people to be careful while driving since the roads can be slick and the town isn’t able to put sand on every street. Fronapfel said a crew is scheduled to begin working this week on the groundwork to place the new town shop.
Judge Connor said six cases were filed in December – four were closed out and there are three carried over. After confirming with the council there is no MOU with the sheriff’s department for use of the county jail, the judge told the council he will dismiss those three cases without prejudice and ask they be re-issued under the county jurisdiction. “One was a speeding charge which was written under state statute, the other two was driving under suspension and driving without insurance. Both of those have possibility of up to six months in jail. One guy did not show up for court, and I can’t issue a bench warrant – there is not really much we can do until we get a contract over there,” the judge said.
In the municipal court’s annual report, judge Connor said there were 30 cases 2024, the lowest it’s been in the 35 years he has served the town. “I know shorthanded at police department. we’re getting help there it sounds like. We’ll probably get more cases this year,” he said.
Mayor Delgado said there will be a meeting with the ambulance service at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16 to discuss whether the town wants to buy or sell the old ambulance.
Closing out the meeting prior to an executive session to discuss personnel, Fronapfel asked residents to “help your neighbors and remind them, with the colder temperatures, please let your water run at night – even during the daytime. You think it warms up during the day but that’s when it’ll freeze on you.”