Online Sign-Ups Available for Public Hearing to consider changes to the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Cropland Policy

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For Immediate Release
February 1, 2016

Media Contact

Barb Halpin, 303-441-1622

Sign-up to speak at the public hearing to consider changes to the POS Cropland Policy

Online sign-ups for speaking slots are now available for the public hearing in Longmont on Monday, Feb. 29.

Boulder County, Colo. – The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) along with the Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee (POSAC) will hold a public hearing on Feb. 29 at the Plaza Event Center in Longmont to take public input on whether to continue or change the current approval in Section 6.1 of the Boulder County Parks & Open Space (POS) Cropland Policy that allows for the use of certain genetically engineered (GE) crops on Open Space land. That approval expires on Dec. 20, 2016.

 

Online sign-ups for people interested in speaking at the hearing are available at bit.ly/BCcropland. Speaking slots will be assigned in the order received. In-person sign-ups on Feb. 29 will be scheduled in the order they are received after the online sign-ups.

 

Written comments may be submitted prior to hearing; the deadline to receive written comments is Friday, Feb.26 by 12 p.m.  Written comments may be submitted online using the Public Comment form at: bit.ly/BCcropland.

 

Background

 

Section 6.1 of the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Cropland Policy (adopted on Dec. 20, 2011) approved, with specific protocols, the use of glyphosate resistant corn and sugarbeets on agricultural lands leased from Boulder County for a period of five years.

 

  • What:  The County Commissioners and POSAC will take public testimony on whether to continue or change the current approval. No decisions will be made at this hearing.
  • When:  Monday, Feb. 29 beginning at 1 p.m. (Note: the hearing is expected to be broken into an afternoon session from 1- 5 p.m. and an evening session from 6 p.m. until close. Due to the requirements of the venue, the hearing must conclude by midnight)
  • Where: The Plaza Event Center, 1850 Industrial Circle, Longmont (behind the Best Western Plus Plaza Hotel) (map)

 

Note: POSAC will deliberate their recommendations to the County Commissioners at a special meeting on March 15 at 6:30 p.m. in the Commissioners' Hearing Room in Boulder. The Boulder County Commissioners will deliberate and make their decision at a public meeting at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 17 in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room. No further public comment will be taken at either of these meetings.

 

Public Testimony – Advance Online Sign-Ups

 

For the Feb. 29 public hearing, the Commissioners’ Office is administering an online sign-up for anyone wishing to provide their comments in person. An electronic sign-up forum for Individual Speakers and Pool Time groups is available at bit.ly/BCcropland. Online sign-ups will be accepted up until noon on the public hearing day. 

(Individual speakers will have 3 minutes each. For those people donating their time, Pool Time speakers can have a maximum of 10 minutes to speak, provided that a minimum of three additional people donate their time and are present during the speaker’s time.)

 

Speakers can choose to speak during the afternoon session (1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or the evening session (6:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.). Speakers will be listed in order of the time their submission is received and will be placed in a time slot starting at either 1 p.m. or 6 p.m. The list of speakers will be available on the website for reference and planning purposes beginning Monday, Feb. 22. Assigned time slots are approximate and speakers must be present when they are called to speak.

 

Anyone needing assistance adding their name to the public hearing sign-up list can call 303-441-3399 or stop by the Commissioners’ Office at 1325 Pearl St., 3rd Floor, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

 

Public Testimony – In-Person Sign-Ups

 

Staff will be available at the Plaza Event Center beginning at 1 p.m. on Feb. 29 to assist with in-person sign-ups for the public hearing, and those speakers will be added to the end of the existing list of sign-ups in the order received. In order to avoid speaking late in the evening, advance online sign-ups are encouraged.

 

Requests for Individual Meetings with the County Commissioners

 

The County Commissioners understand that there is intense public interest in this topic and anticipate they will receive requests for individual meetings prior to the Feb. 29 public hearing. In order to allow an equitable means to accommodate these requests, the Commissioners have set aside times to be available to meet with members of the public on an advance sign-up basis.

 

Requests must be made via phone (303-441-3500) or in person, and will be scheduled for 20 minutes during the following times:

 

  • Friday, Feb. 5 - between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Feb. 9 - between 1 and 5 p.m.
  • Friday, Feb. 19 - between 12 noon and 4 p.m. 

 

Individuals and groups wishing to schedule a meeting during the times noted may request a meeting by either calling the Commissioners’ Office at 303-441 3500 or coming to the Commissioners’ Office on the Third Floor of the Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl Street, Boulder.

 

All meetings will be held in the Third Floor Hearing Room at the Boulder County Courthouse, and, consistent with public meeting requirements, will be recorded and open to the public.

 

Written Comments

 

In order to be considered in time for the hearing and provided to POSAC members, the Commissioners have requested that written comments be submitted by mail, in person to the Commissioners’ Office, or online through a comment form available at: bit.ly/BCcropland.

 

The deadline to receive comments is Friday, Feb. 26 at 12 p.m. Written comments will be accepted after the deadline, but may not be reviewed in time for the public hearing. 

 

Mailing address:

 

Boulder County Commissioners’ Office
Cropland Policy Comment
PO Box 471
Boulder, CO 80306

 

 

 

 

bit.ly/BCcropland >>