Littleton 9-19-2013
September 19, 2013 75 cents
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 125, Issue 9
ourlittletonnews.com A Colorado Community Media Publication
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Littleton expects revenues to grow Proposed budget includes pay hikes, upgrades to city center
Kaitlyn Griffiths of KG Artistry turns Luke Tucker, 3, into a superhero during Littleton Rotary’s Bacon, Bands and Beer event at Reinke Bros. on Sept. 14.
Painting
By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@ourcoloradonews.com
the
TOWN The Littleton Rotary’s Bacon, Bands and Beer event at Reinke Bros. in downtown Littleton on Sept. 14 went on despite the rain. Organizers estimated that more than 1,000 people turned out for tasty pork morsels, The Nacho Men and more. PHOTOS BY JENNIFER SMITH
Chet Marelli, left, and Harry Byerly, of Chet’s Grill and Cajun in Golden, show off their wide array of pork delights to Marika Fodor during Littleton Rotary’s Bacon, Bands and Beer event in downtown Littleton.
Columbine Valley gets new leadership McCrumb takes over from Jennings at town hall By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@ourcoloradonews. com For the first time in 16 years, Columbine Valley has a new town administrator. JD McCrumb took the reins from Ann Jennings on July 1 after spending a month learning the ropes from her.
“One of the hard parts of following someone who’s been here for 16 years is losing that institutional knowledge,” he said. “There’s certainly a long learning curve. I’m poring through files and digging through drawers. I hired a parttime file clerk to help with that. Ann did not need to look it up, she just knew it. I don’t have that luxury.” McCrumb has recently worked as data analyst for FEMA and campaign manager for Montana Republican Wil-
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liam Bennett. Prior to that, he spent five years as the town of Parker’s special-projects manager, where he set up the Sister Cities program with Xinjin in China, wrote the emergency plan, developed the events center and McCrumb more. He served as a steering committee co-chair for Leadership Douglas County, and spent nearly a year as the community
relations and program coordinator for Historic Denver Inc. He’s been on Town Hall Arts Center’s board since December, and is in the process of moving to Littleton with his wife, Briana, and baby daughter, McKenzie. He’s a native of the south-metro area, where his parents and two grandmothers still reside. A 1998 graduate of Arapahoe High School, he spent a lot of time on the drum line in marching band and a little time in theater. Then he
Things are looking up for the city’s financial situation, according to the 2014 proposed budget prepared by city staff. “The combination of tight fiscal policy and slightly better revenues over the last few years has resulted in the general fund having a healthy 2013 projected ending fund balance,” writes City Manager Michael Penny in the overview. “Even though recent revenue results are positive, the city is taking a temperate financial outlook for 2014.” According to the document, the city expects to take in about $52.5 million next year, a 4.2 percent increase over what it expects to take in this year. Sales and use taxes, the city’s major revenue source, are expected to near $28 million in 2014, up from a recent low of about $22 million in 2010. Most of the general fund goes to personnel expenses, which will be about $38 million in 2014. Penny has proposed a 3 percent increase for city employees, though a citizens’ committee is in the process of reviewing how it would be distributed to remain a competitive employer. “Salaries have been fairly anemic,” said Erich Won Savage, human resources director, as council reviewed the proposed budget Sept. 10. “I would say right now we’re barely keeping pace.” He pointed out that the city will see no increase in its health-care costs next year, as wellness programs and an employee-health clinic have helped rein in expenses. A proposal to give the new city attorney a $52,000 raise fell on ambivalent ears. Council just approved a contract
McCrumb continues on Page 25
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Budget continues on Page 25
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