ALAMOSA — Alamosa City Council is slated to take up a number of issues at this week’s meeting, including passage of the 2025 budget and pay raises for city employees. Since the council is taking a final vote on these issues, time is allotted for public comment prior to the vote. Details on both the proposed budget and pay raises can be found online at www.alamosanews.com or in the Oct. 2 print edition of the Valley Courier.

• PROPOSED RULES AT ST. BENEDICT

In what may be the beginning of a resolution to an ongoing debate, the council will consider a motion to set new rules for people residing at St. Benedict, the homeless encampment located on the south side of Alamosa.  

The rules, developed by the San Luis Valley Housing Coalition at council’s request, address many of the issues that have garnered the most complaints from the public and former people residing at St. Benedict.  

One significant change with the proposed rules is language that states violation of any of the rules can lead to “trespass” and, in some cases, “immediate trespass.” 

The rules include how long people can reside in the camp, with an initial limit set of six-months. During that time, people are required to actively (emphasis was placed on “actively”) engage with service providers with transition out of homelessness to be evaluated. If progress is being made, people may stay for up to six more months, but no one will be allowed to stay for longer than one year.  

Other areas addressed pertain to the structures people are allowed to live in —  only tents are allowed; how much space those structures occupy – no more than one tent per marked space; and cleanliness – campers are expected to keep the area around their tent clean with no trash, rubbish or waste.  

Campers are also expected to participate in monthly clean-ups with participation tracked. Anyone failing to participate during a three-month period will be trespassed. 

There are detailed rules about people keeping pets, including the requirement of up-to-date vaccinations and registration with the Community Services Officers, the ongoing provision of proper care including access to food, water and shade and how pets must be restrained. 

The proposed rules also prohibit certain behaviors, including bullying, tampering with city property and noise after certain hours. Suspicion of criminal activities, including use and/or distribution of illegal drugs, could lead to “immediate trespass”. 

The topic of St. Benedict has always elicited a significant number of public comments and time for that will be allowed during Wednesday night’s meeting, limited to three minutes per person at the beginning of the meeting under the agenda item titled “Citizen Comments”. Anyone with something to say needs to sign up to speak when arriving at the meeting.  People on Zoom will be asked to “raise their hand”. 

For the complete list of rules, go to the city website at www.cityofalamosa.org , click on Departments > City Council > City Council Meetings > City Council Agendas and look for October 16 meeting date.  

• DARK SKIES 

The public conversation about creation of the Sangre de Cristo Dark Sky Reserve, a designation awarded by Dark Sky International (DSI) to protect the skies at night, will continue Wednesday night with the council considering an ordinance to amend the city code related to lighting.  

In order for the Sangre de Cristo Dark Sky Reserve to exist, 80% of the population in the surrounding area must comply with the DSI standards. That makes Alamosa’s participation crucial to whether or not the Reserve can become a reality.  

It’s important to note the effort to enact dark sky regulations has its origin in the community and a community-led, grassroots movement. It was not initiated by the city of Alamosa or city staff.  

The conversation, initially spearheaded by San Luis Valley Great Outdoors (SLVGO), has been ongoing for a while with the proposal going before the Planning Commission twice earlier this year, including a public hearing where members heard voices of support and voices with concerns related to signage, curfews, enforcement and the costs involved, including to those businesses who may need to make significant changes to existing signage lighting and design.  

Those meetings were followed by city council devoting an entire work session to further discussion. 

In the communication sent from staff to the council, it was stated that the council is neutral on the position and two versions of the ordinance were included; one that is fully-compliant with Dark Sky International's requirements (Version B), and one that is similar, but less strict and omits the more controversial standards (Version A). The less strict option reflects the guidance given from the Planning Commission and City Council. A redline showing the difference between the two is attached. 

In that same document, staff summarized the situation, stating, “The crucial question is whether the community desire for dark skies is sufficient enough to enact this change. Staff believes that many in our community support the concept of darker skies. Whether that desire translates into a willingness to be further regulated in order to achieve that goal is another question.” 

For a better understanding of what Dark Sky International designation means and what that would look like in Alamosa, go to www.cityofalamosa.org and the path (described above) to the meeting agenda. 

The Wednesday meeting begins at 7 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, 300 Hunt Ave., Alamosa. For those preferring to attend via Zoom, the webinar link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85753492744. Those wishing to call in can do so by dialing 719 359 4580 US, Webinar ID: 857 5349 2744.