As part of its endorsement process, the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs posed a long list of questions to City Council candidates, ranging from whether the downtown power plant should be decommissioned to how they would assess Mayor Steve Bach’s first two years in office.

Here is the questionnaire:

Please write a short paragraph about why you are running and your philosophical agenda for the City of Colorado Springs:

Please provide a summary of your professional background your qualifications for serving on the Colorado Springs City Council and as a member of the Board of Directors of Colorado Springs Utilities.

Please answer the following series of questions.  Please submit electronically with the questionnaire.  The questionnaire will be distributed to the members of our PAC interview committee prior to your interview.

Do you favor the current form of government as approved by the voters in 2010 to have a strong mayor form of government?  Explain your position.

Will you support any charter amendments to change the form of government by rolling back or adding to the powers of the Mayor or Council? Please explain.

Does the Mayor have too much or too little power under the new form of government?

How would you change the balance of power between the Mayor and City Council.

What is your assessment of the first two years of the term of Mayor Bach?

Do you support changes in the employee pension plans?

– For police and fire

– For civilian employees

If there are not sufficient revenues to meet the expenses of the City, what is your approach:

– Increase revenue?  How?

– Decrease expenses?  How?

At what level should the City maintain its unrestricted reserve fund balance?

It is estimated that the backlog of storm water drainage improvements is around $500 million?

– As a member of Council, what would be your proposal to deal with this?

Did you support or oppose the extension of PPRTA?  Explain your position.

Are the funds received from PPRTA adequate to meet the needs of the City?

– If not, how would you fund the deficiencies?

What are your views on public transportation, including our bus system, FREX, light rail and a downtown trolley?

– Explain your proposal for funding those items you support.

As a member of Council, you will also be a member of the Board of Directors for Colorado Springs Utilities.

– Do you favor a change in the governance of Utilities, and if so to what?

What are your views about the following Utility issues:

– Implementation of the Neumann technology at the Martin Drake or Nixon power plants.

– Should Martin Drake be decommissioned?  Explain your position.

– Do you favor selling or leasing any of the four utilities?  Explain your position.

If you favor selling or leasing, how would you use the proceeds from the sale or lease.

Do you support Southern Delivery System?  Explain your answer.

Should Utilities sell water to the City at a reduced rate for watering of public parks?

Is the City getting its fair share of funds from CDOT?

– If not, what is your proposal to make sure the City gets its fair share?

Did you support or oppose the lease of Memorial Hospital to University of Colorado Health System?

– Would you have preferred the sale or lease to an entity composed of the leadership of the hospital?

– Explain your positions.

Please provide a closing statement with any additional information you would like to provide to our interview committee.

Please include a copy of your professional resume with this questionnaire. 

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