LovelandPolitics
| Loveland's Independent News Source |
Loveland, September 24, 2015
Loveland City Manager Bill Cahill has been accused of "insubordination" by at least one council
member who is running for State House while others have piled-on complaints that he is acting
alone and in contradiction to the council's direction on a number of issues.
Due to an oddity in Loveland's City Charter that only a super-majority of the City Council can
remove the city manager, Cahill has largely ignored certain members of the council and even
occasionally a majority decision while Mayor Cecil Gutierrez defends Cahill's job performance.
Even if a majority of the City Council disapprove of his job performance, they cannot remove him
without a super-majority or 2/3 vote of the council.
At the root of the problem is a growing city without adequate resources to continue funding basic
services at levels the population is accustomed. Mayor Cecil Gutierrez has taken the side of Cahill
when trading barbs with his colleagues through a series of emails (access all the emails to read in
chronological order).
Last year, Loveland City Council denied a request by Cahill to establish a new civilian position in
the Loveland Police Department for a victim advocate in favor of using those funds to keep more
sworn police officers on the streets. Victim advocacy groups like Alternatives To Violence have
been calling for a civilian victim advocate position in the police department which Mayor Cecil
Gutierrez favors over retaining the current presence of uniformed officers on patrol in the city.
Law enforcement officers believe there is a direct correlation between their ability to fight crime
and the amount of "pro-active" duty time available in a shift. Historically, Loveland has been a
town where police officers on duty could investigate suspicious circumstances and patrol areas
known for crime to prevent crime. Today, the limited number of officers trying to cover a much
larger city means a majority of their shift is spent responding to calls for help instead of pro-active
policing.
Loveland's crime is increasing with the number of assaults and shootings this years not to mention
vandalism and domestic violence which can tie-down officers for hours when responding to a
single call. Especially difficult are high-density housing areas and low-income apartments where
domestic violence calls are more common than in communities without government subsidized
housing that consume an inordinate amount of law enforcement resources.
As crime has increased in Loveland, the number of police officers available to both residents and
visitors continues to decline given a lack of adequate funding to grow the uniformed police force
commensurate with the city's growing nighttime and daytime populations.
Centerra's Cost to Community
In 2004, Loveland's City Council approved property tax diversions to McWhinney's Centerra for 25
years diverting 97% of property taxes while also reducing the city's share of the sales taxes in
Centerra by 40%. As Centerra grows, the general city services relying on tax revenues are heavily
burdened but the city's general fund, used to pay for police and other first responders, is not
growing commensurate with the population thus putting a strain on governmental services that
rely on the city's general fund. At the heart of the conflict between Cahill and the council is where
to spend the limited general fund resources.
Incarceration and prosecution of criminals is the county's obligation but they rely on property
taxes to fund those services which McWhinney's Centerra largely doesn't pay leaving the burden to
property owners outside the city's ever expanding Urban Renewal zones to shoulder. Non-profit
groups like Alternatves to Violence have begun lobbying the City of Loveland to pick-up where the
county has dropped the ball by funding a civilian position to assist the growing number of crime
victims (especially domestic violence) within Northern Colorado as police time is now too limited
to assisted victims as they have done historically in this city.
On September 19, Councilman Hugh McKean discovered Cahill ignored the council's 2014 budget
decision to deny funding the civilian victim advocate position and instead use the money to
support placing uniformed officers on the streets. Cahill used his administrative authority to fill
the victim advocacy position in conflict with the previous direction from council which prompted
an email from McKean which stated in part,
"The direction given to you by Council was clear in our budget meeting in 2014 and only
marginally dealt with monetary concerns. Likewise, this year with our budget discussion, the
only opportunity we have to delve into personnel issues, we specifically asked for more officers
for on the street, one of the primary roles of a CSO. I am not only opposed to such a shift but it is
a further example of the kind of tone deafness you seem to be making a hallmark of this part of
your career."
Further complicating the relationships are local politics and McKean's run for State House. While
McKean has already announced his ambition to be the Republican candidate to run for State House
next year in District 51 (which covers Loveland), Gutierrez will likely be his oppoenent.
According to one executive board member of the Larimer County Democratic Party, Cecil Gutierrez
will also seek to replace Rep. Brian DelGrosso when his current term ends next year. Gutierrez has
also indicated to supporters he is interested in the position but needs to have "one good year as
mayor" as the springboard to his State House campaign. Obviously, McKean doesn't share
Gutierrez's goal and will likely continue poking his political opponent so long as he believes
Gutierrez is preparing a run for State House as well.
Loveland City Manager Bill Cahill has been accused of "insubordination" by at least one council
member who is running for State House while others have piled-on complaints that he is acting
alone and in contradiction to the council's direction on a number of issues.
Due to an oddity in Loveland's City Charter that only a super-majority of the City Council can
remove the city manager, Cahill has largely ignored certain members of the council and even
occasionally a majority decision while Mayor Cecil Gutierrez defends Cahill's job performance.
Even if a majority of the City Council disapprove of his job performance, they cannot remove him
without a super-majority or 2/3 vote of the council.
At the root of the problem is a growing city without adequate resources to continue funding basic
services at levels the population is accustomed. Mayor Cecil Gutierrez has taken the side of Cahill
when trading barbs with his colleagues through a series of emails (access all the emails to read in
chronological order).
Last year, Loveland City Council denied a request by Cahill to establish a new civilian position in
the Loveland Police Department for a victim advocate in favor of using those funds to keep more
sworn police officers on the streets. Victim advocacy groups like Alternatives To Violence have
been calling for a civilian victim advocate position in the police department which Mayor Cecil
Gutierrez favors over retaining the current presence of uniformed officers on patrol in the city.
Law enforcement officers believe there is a direct correlation between their ability to fight crime
and the amount of "pro-active" duty time available in a shift. Historically, Loveland has been a
town where police officers on duty could investigate suspicious circumstances and patrol areas
known for crime to prevent crime. Today, the limited number of officers trying to cover a much
larger city means a majority of their shift is spent responding to calls for help instead of pro-active
policing.
Loveland's crime is increasing with the number of assaults and shootings this years not to mention
vandalism and domestic violence which can tie-down officers for hours when responding to a
single call. Especially difficult are high-density housing areas and low-income apartments where
domestic violence calls are more common than in communities without government subsidized
housing that consume an inordinate amount of law enforcement resources.
As crime has increased in Loveland, the number of police officers available to both residents and
visitors continues to decline given a lack of adequate funding to grow the uniformed police force
commensurate with the city's growing nighttime and daytime populations.
Centerra's Cost to Community
In 2004, Loveland's City Council approved property tax diversions to McWhinney's Centerra for 25
years diverting 97% of property taxes while also reducing the city's share of the sales taxes in
Centerra by 40%. As Centerra grows, the general city services relying on tax revenues are heavily
burdened but the city's general fund, used to pay for police and other first responders, is not
growing commensurate with the population thus putting a strain on governmental services that
rely on the city's general fund. At the heart of the conflict between Cahill and the council is where
to spend the limited general fund resources.
Incarceration and prosecution of criminals is the county's obligation but they rely on property
taxes to fund those services which McWhinney's Centerra largely doesn't pay leaving the burden to
property owners outside the city's ever expanding Urban Renewal zones to shoulder. Non-profit
groups like Alternatves to Violence have begun lobbying the City of Loveland to pick-up where the
county has dropped the ball by funding a civilian position to assist the growing number of crime
victims (especially domestic violence) within Northern Colorado as police time is now too limited
to assisted victims as they have done historically in this city.
On September 19, Councilman Hugh McKean discovered Cahill ignored the council's 2014 budget
decision to deny funding the civilian victim advocate position and instead use the money to
support placing uniformed officers on the streets. Cahill used his administrative authority to fill
the victim advocacy position in conflict with the previous direction from council which prompted
an email from McKean which stated in part,
"The direction given to you by Council was clear in our budget meeting in 2014 and only
marginally dealt with monetary concerns. Likewise, this year with our budget discussion, the
only opportunity we have to delve into personnel issues, we specifically asked for more officers
for on the street, one of the primary roles of a CSO. I am not only opposed to such a shift but it is
a further example of the kind of tone deafness you seem to be making a hallmark of this part of
your career."
Further complicating the relationships are local politics and McKean's run for State House. While
McKean has already announced his ambition to be the Republican candidate to run for State House
next year in District 51 (which covers Loveland), Gutierrez will likely be his oppoenent.
According to one executive board member of the Larimer County Democratic Party, Cecil Gutierrez
will also seek to replace Rep. Brian DelGrosso when his current term ends next year. Gutierrez has
also indicated to supporters he is interested in the position but needs to have "one good year as
mayor" as the springboard to his State House campaign. Obviously, McKean doesn't share
Gutierrez's goal and will likely continue poking his political opponent so long as he believes
Gutierrez is preparing a run for State House as well.
| Loveland City Manager Accused of "Insubordination" By Councilor |
| Loveland City Manager Bill Cahill |
| I should tackle the most egregious issue in your memo first, that of your opinion about the Victim-Witness Coordinator position. It is my opinion that your attitude about filling that position administratively by shifting that of a former CSO is insubordination. Councilman Hugh McKean memorandum to Cahill |
| First we were sued by proxy, and when that didn't work, the removal of the sales tax on food became the next method of neutering that decision. The sales tax on food discussion had the net effect of putting many things on hold, including the Victims-Witness coordinator Position. You would not have been doing your job if you had not held the line until the deadline had passed for getting the issue on the ballot. That would have been the first part of September. Mayor Cecil Gutierrez in response to Cahill |
| I agree with Fogle, representatives from Alternatives to Violence should be in attendance. And, in anticipation of interrogation, please be prepared to answer how many Colorado police departments have a victim/witness position or be able to explain why those who do not have a position can apparently circumvent the Colorado victim rights amendment. Also, since the City Manager and Police Chief had made a determination that at least one CSO position is dispensable, be prepared to discuss what will happen to that apparent unnecessary position should the "outspoken minority" find at least one other councilor who agrees that this new civilian position is unnecessary. Councilman Troy Krenning |