Water Conservation Programs Open for Spring Sign-Ups

As sunnier days push us outdoors, you may start looking toward your yard for inspiration. There are plenty of ways to love your lawn AND conserve water too. It is possible to save money on your water bill, reduce outdoor water use, and beautify your yard with Colorado native plants and landscaping. The Town of Erie would love to help! The Turf Replacement Rebate Program offers up to $2,000 for qualified projects and this can be combined with the discounted Garden In A Box program to get an easy, low-water garden to replace that old grass!

Anyone interested in installing water efficient gardens or grass might qualify for these deals. Landscaping project options include replacing a lawn with water-wise gardens or low water grasses and homeowners can design new low-water use landscape projects themselves or work with a landscape professional. If your project covers at least 200 sq ft of maintained, irrigated turf grass with low/no water wise plantings, you qualify! Visit the Turf Replacement Rebate Program page today to find out more.

Utility Bill Fees and Shut-Offs Reinstated as of May 1

For the last three years, the Town of Erie paused standard past-due collections procedures to help residents who may have been financially struggling during the Covid-19 Pandemic. This included not imposing penalty charges and not completing service shut offs for residents who could not pay water bills during this time. The Town intended to resume normal operations in 2022 but encountered technical issues with meter reading software which extended the paused penalty fees. Most of our neighboring communities resumed normal operations in 2022.

All accounts currently behind on utility bill payments will be receiving a letter explaining the options for coming into compliance. All customers will need to pay their balance in full or create a payment plan with the Utility Billing Division by May 1 or be subject to water shut-off procedures.

Details about fees and shut-offs are available for viewing at www.erieco.gov/UtilityBill. If you know your account is currently delinquent, please contact the Town of Erie Utility Billing Department at 303-926-2700 to make a payment or to establish a payment arrangement with one of our Utility Billing Specialists.

Charter Commission Makes Huge Strides in Draft Document

The nine elected members of the Home Rule Charter Commission are in the final stages of drafting a proposed Charter for the Town of Erie. At this stage, all major elements of a governing document are present. The next few weeks are intended for cleaning up language and reviewing for anything the group may have missed. This is a perfect time for all residents to review the current draft and share opinions! The latest version of the draft Charter can be viewed as part of the last meeting agenda. Residents can share comments through the online comment form or at the in-person meeting on March 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Board Room at 645 Holbrook Street.

On April 6, the Commission will hold a formal Public Hearing on the final draft of the proposed Charter. This hearing is the last opportunity for the public to suggest any changes to the draft before the Commission finalizes the proposed Charter.  Erie voters will then be able to vote for or against the proposed Charter in November 2023. 

Participate in World Water Day Activities 

One of our partner organizations – the CSU Extension Office – is putting on a fun event for World Water Day on March 22. The event is open to the public with free food and fun water programs and activities for the whole family. There will be water testing and critter identification, water filtration activities, water exhibits and hands-on experiments, giveaways, food, and rain barrel workshops! The event is held at the CSU Spur at 4817 National Western Drive in Denver and the only registration required is to save your seat for a Rain Barrell Workshop. Learn more and register now.

DRCOG Civic Academy Applications Open 

If you are regularly involved in the community, have thought about running for a local or state office, or have a special interest in transportation and transit issues, this opportunity is right for you! The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) hosts a Civic Academy each year. The Academy has inspired and prepared numerous alumni to serve as elected officials, and hundreds of participants have gone on to positions in public agencies or nonprofit organizations that shape Colorado’s future. Many more have used the knowledge and experience they gained to simply become more involved in their neighborhoods and communities. View more details and sign up for the Academy before March 24. The seven-week long opportunity begins on April 18 and meets each Tuesday evening at 6 p.m.

Town of Erie is Hiring

As the Town continues to grow, we have several openings and encourage all qualified candidates to apply. Keep checking the Town of Erie job board for Erie’s latest openings, which currently include:

• Community Liaison
• Pavement Coordinator
• Camp Director

Cone Zones

Each week we list the projects that may have the biggest impact on traffic flow for that week. As always, please sign up for alerts to get more details about these projects and many others. More information and details for how to sign up are at www.erieco.gov/ConeZone. 

• Traffic Lights at WCR 7 & Erie Parkway – The illumination of the newly installed traffic lights at the intersection of WCR 7 and Erie Parkway is scheduled for later this week. Testing of the lights will take a few days – the lights may be in a four-way flashing red status during this time. Please treat the intersection as a four-way stop sign until regular traffic signaling begins. The current static 4-way stop signs will be removed after the traffic lights are activated during low-traffic periods.

Road work is weather-dependent, and timelines may shift. Motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians should always be aware and use caution when in and around work zones. Whenever possible, please avoid the construction areas.