[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6567112,"mediaKeyId","3194716-bd8f77da7150ef87bcf51613a7952934","parentId",3194716,"title","Westminster council maps a pre‑swearing onboarding weekend, budget deep dives and mental‑health supports for incoming members","audioSeconds",1985,"startMs",3289000,"endMs",5274000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3194716-bd8f77da7150ef87bcf51613a7952934&start=3289&end=5274","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3194716-bd8f77da7150ef87bcf51613a7952934/thumbnail_3289000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6567112/Westminster/Jefferson-County/Colorado/Westminster-council-maps-a-preswearing-onboarding-weekend-budget-deep-dives-and-mentalhealth-supports-for-incoming-members","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6567112-9f4ee938016fd16ee0441342afba3a9d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771182516&Signature=VQcRrMvs2vHft~yWnVPT2pL5TIVDpQhaYPYHjdV8PNtZeyKemn1MICpN0b6N34w4GBjh6FpC-zoCz3-Cg8vzLVoZ975oWYeiQr1MZERTNiD2YwVkMMk-eJDYqMujitwLDsI7ii00BiNAv1t08RJmipWxWTf6tF42uR1zk05sfqKo0q3OaUgUIouFL3lffXdCH~6eKm55NmWqJH4qGT2MD2ipjrw0Pj1gfN8HmdF~483UZy1JJw0HlR6aUHi~J3XSdl7B-upXq7UyM7yadChUf~Bto9CerHwW1ooSFFmj4VXvR-4chg0yUp0-iPc8ubxUZoImRmvUV~7zBF41~9FeiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Westminster City, CO","date","2025-05-06T03:00:34.72Z","article","Westminster staff and councilors used a May 5 study session to build a practical onboarding plan for council members elected this fall, including a proposed pre‑swearing weekend of briefings, department head meetings, a budget deep dive and follow‑up field visits.

\"Our goal for our time together is for you to help staff understand council member needs most effective onboarding for a new council,\" Andy Lide, the city’s employee development coordinator, told the council. \"I'm gonna define onboarding as a knowledge and experiences needed to be effective quickly.\"

Staff framed the onboarding program as multi‑stage: preparatory materials and orientation opportunities that could be offered between Election Day and the swearing‑in; a concentrated orientation weekend (department heads, process briefings and service‑level metric summaries); targeted deep dives in the first three months on large capital projects and complex services; and field trips or site visits in the first six months.

Councilors suggested specific content and delivery methods. They asked for a printed \"notebook\" with civic basics, summaries of the strategic plan, service‑level metrics and a five‑year budget overview. Several councilors recommended a mock meeting to teach Robert’s Rules, and at least one councilor urged a legal briefing with the city attorney on the job’s legal exposures.

Mental‑health and personal workload management emerged as recurring themes. One councilor described the emotional strain of starting in office—high volumes of email and public demands—and said the council should warn new members about the job’s stress and offer strategies and peer mentoring. Staff and councilors proposed inviting outgoing councilors to serve as guest speakers and to consider a short advisory role for departing board members who can transfer institutional knowledge.

Other recommendations that will be integrated into staff planning included: clearer staffing and communication protocols (how to reach staff, expected response times, and escalation paths); a security briefing for elected officials; consolidated service metrics one‑pagers for each department; branded city apparel and identification for councilors attending public events; and scheduling the bulk of onboarding so it does not consume regular council meeting time.

Staff said they will draft a calendar and two onboarding tracks—one for a no‑runoff election outcome and one that accounts for potential runoffs—and return proposed dates and materials to council. No formal policy change was adopted at the session; the meeting produced a staff direction to develop the onboarding program and logistics.

The session included broad participation by councilors and staff; facilitators said the work was intended to speed the effectiveness of incoming council members and reduce avoidable early mistakes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Westminster City Council Study Session | May 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Councilors and staff designed a multi‑stage onboarding plan during a May 5 study session: pre‑swearing weekend for new members, department head briefings, service‑level metrics and budget deep dives, plus attention to mental‑health and security for newly elected councilors.","taxTitle","Westminster, Jefferson County, Colorado","taxId",2385,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6567115,"Westminster council weighs flexibility as term limits could force up to 31 board departures",265,2123000,2388000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3194716-bd8f77da7150ef87bcf51613a7952934&start=2123&end=2388","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3194716-bd8f77da7150ef87bcf51613a7952934/thumbnail_2123000.jpg","/articles/6567115/Westminster/Jefferson-County/Colorado/Westminster-council-weighs-flexibility-as-term-limits-could-force-up-to-31-board-departures","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6567115-fc5d5137aec22a87fed54c5566f9e290/orig.mp4?Expires=1771182516&Signature=ZDHBauQ8S8GGamg9fZqE3jQjzjQNxLXbx33cfd18SSVqd8GwRgjR3gkllFpYNmpnRn9hrZNPE59Oc7QG3jw4yPwYXYcTSbPd6yKh6E5BjsATlUY5Fp~SuFCmaMa2vrz5MPgL8YQQgHGkIP~WuPWoVwuu4SOldRH9GIcLiyTNoPjpOKcznKAjGGA8EOCrL0I8d9yjxhH4MF6Nn2YlCG-cEw2WTLHBjnG5kdZ2B9TLUUC4ruFZqJhsGn0Qb0VpSlwnvTc2tv78Vt5XzscvlILpN4YLR9ziEgt75MDxLYOTVeAz309ATyXxBfO3zzybvk63iZrRudGjr~I4zsJao0taAQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Catherine Schroeder, deputy city clerk, told the Westminster City Council study session on May 5 that the city currently has nine boards and commissions covering 70 appointments and that term limits adopted in 2017 will begin to remove long‑serving members this year.

\"We have 9 boards or commissions currently made up of 70 positions. As of today, there are all but 1 of those positions filled. The only non filled position is an alternate position on the human services board,\" Schroeder said during the presentation.

Schroeder said the term‑limit language adopted in 2017 (four two‑year terms, implemented beginning January 2018) means the city will begin losing members in large numbers: 11 members reach the limit by the end of 2025 and an additional 20 by the end of 2026, a total of up to 31 potential vacancies if the code is enforced as written.

The city clerk’s office outlined three options for council to consider: enforce the term limits as written; keep the limits but add code language that allows flexibility (for example, allowing a member to continue if there are no qualified applicants); or eliminate term limits entirely. Schroeder said applications are accepted year‑round and noted a recent surge of roughly a dozen applications, though many applicants do not complete the process.

Council discussion repeatedly returned to the risk of losing accumulated expertise. \"I think 90% of the board will be gone by the end of next year, and that would be a huge disruption of the knowledge base,\" Councilor Rosati said, urging caution about a strict enforcement that would immediately remove many long‑tenured members.

Several councilors said they preferred option 2—maintain term limits but add flexibility and clarity in code—so the city would not be left unable to staff boards where qualified applicants are not available. \"I like option 2,\" Councilor DeMott said, adding that flexibility would help preserve institutional knowledge while still creating opportunities for new volunteers.

Councilors also discussed practical steps to improve recruitment and vetting: restoring interviews of applicants, increasing outreach, and considering nonvoting advisory roles so outgoing members can transfer knowledge without voting authority. Several councilors suggested providing applicants and current members clearer timelines and a written packet of expectations.

As a next step, staff said the clerk’s office will draft proposed language and asked for a small council working group to help refine options. The clerk said she will lead the effort with volunteers from council: Councilor Rosati, Councilor Ireland and Mayor Portim were named to work with staff on proposed code language and return a recommendation to the full council.

The council did not vote on ordinance text or change the code at the meeting; the direction given was to develop draft language and return it for council consideration.

Clarifying details from the clerk’s presentation: the city has nine boards or commissions and 70 total positions; one vacancy (alternate position on the human services board) was reported; the term limit structure is four two‑year terms established in 2017 and implemented in January 2018; 11 members hit limits at end of 2025 and a further 20 at end of 2026 (up to 31 total); the clerk noted a recent surge of about 12 applications, with roughly half of applicants completing the process.","City staff said current term limits—four two-year terms enacted in 2017—could cause up to 31 board or commission vacancies by the end of 2026. Councilors favored a staff-led proposal to add flexibility to the code and asked for a small council working group to draft language.","actionData","errors"]

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Westminster council maps a pre‑swearing onboarding weekend, budget deep dives and mental‑health supports for incoming members

Westminster council weighs flexibility as term limits could force up to 31 board departures