Vail Town Council Meeting Highlights
This is an unofficial summary of the meeting produced by the Communications Department. To read the official minutes please click here. Minutes are posted once they are approved.
Council Members Present
Afternoon: Biszantz, Chapin, Davis, Foley, Langmaid, Phillips, Staufer
Evening: Biszantz, Chapin, Davis, Foley, Phillips, Staufer (Langmaid absent)
Please Note:
The July 7, 2026 meeting of the Vail Town Council was cut short due to a widespread power outage in Vail as well as throughout Eagle County and beyond. Several agenda items and actions were postponed or tabled to July 21 to ensure accessibility and transparency.
Presentations/Discussion/Announcements
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Nature Center Program Committee
- Town Council appointed Travis Coggin, Craig Cohn, Diana Donovan, Kaitlin Emig, Sandy Fuller, Barclay Rabin and Andy Stewart to the Vail Nature Center Program Committee.
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Economic Feasibility of Vail Thermal Energy Network
- Staff and representatives from McKinstry, an energy services firm, presented an update on the technical and economic feasibility study of the geothermal energy network for Lionshead. The study encompasses a larger future thermal energy district that would be in addition to the geothermal projects underway at the library. Council asked for more regular updates on the current efforts as plans for any future expansion continue to progress.
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Incident Command System Policymaker Presentation
- Eagle County Emergency Manager Birch Barron provided an overview of emergency response systems in Eagle County and the role of municipal leaders in large-scale emergencies. All community members are encouraged to proactively ensure they receive important emergency messages. Subscribe to Eagle County Alerts at ecalert.org or through the ReachWell app for local emergency notifications. Download the Watch Duty app for alerts on wildfires, flooding and other emergencies nationwide.
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July 4th Celebration Recap
- Town Council heard a recap of the Fourth of July holiday in town. Approximately 41,000 people were in Vail for the day.
Town Manager Report
- As part of the Town Manager Report, Town Manager Russell Forrest confirmed the Town Council’s desire to send a letter to Denver Water regarding the status of Piney River Ranch. Council was very supportive of indicating the town’s interest in being informed and actively engaged in whatever process ensues.
Actions as a Result of Executive Session
- There was no action as a result of the executive session.
Public Comment
- Tom Winter is strong supporter of Vail becoming a Dark Sky Community. He also urged the town to allow exceptions for some high value, mature trees while considering any regulations regarding defensible space and making properties and buildings wildfire resistant.
- Tim McMahon asked about a emergency plan for when I-70 closes, specifically with regard to the Vail Transportation Center. He asked why grass seed was planted around the newly redesigned 10th Mountain Memorial site.
- Marguerite Shipman asked the Town Council to support the current operator and continued public access to Piney River Ranch. She asked for town participation during Denver Water's regular meeting taking place on July 8.
Actions/Decisions
- Appointed Travis Coggin, Craig Cohn, Diana Donovan, Kaitlin Emig, Sandy Fuller, Barclay Rabin and Andy Stewart to the Vail Nature Center Program Committee (7-0)
- Approved June 2, 2026 Vail Town Council Meeting Minutes (6-0)
- Approved June 16, 2026 Vail Town Council Meeting Minutes (6-0)
- Approved Resolution No. 5, Intergovernmental Agreement between the Town of Vail and Eagle County, Colorado for the Storage of a Mobile Command Unit (6-0)
- Approved Resolution No. 23, Intergovernmental Agreement between the Town of Vail, the Greater Eagle Fire Protection District and the Eagle River Fire Protection District for Implementation of the Eagle County Wildfire Module Program (6-0)
- Approved Resolution No. 24, Intergovernmental Agreement with the Town of Vail and Eagle River Water & Sanitation District (6-0)
- Approved Resolution No. 25, Appointing the Vail Local Housing Authority as the Town's Agent to Negotiate Deed Restriction Purchases for the Town (6-0)
- Approved Contract Award to Altitude AV LLC for Dobson Arena Show Lighting (6-0)
- Approved Contract Award to Chargepoint for 5 Year Cloud Plan for 3 Express Link Bus Charging Systems (6-0)
- Approved Contract Award to SE Group for Title 12 & 14 Town Code Rewrite (6-0)
- Approved La Vail Boutique Agreement Addendum (6-0)
- Postponed Resolution No. 26, Development Agreement between the Town of Vail and Beaver Capital SPE LLC for the Development of Concert Hall Plaza
- Postponed Ord. No. 9, First Reading, Amending Section 5-1-7 and Deleting Section 12-7G-13 of the Vail Town Code to Align the Town's Noise Control with the Noise Abatement Act
- Tabled Ord. No. 8, Second Reading, Second Budget Supplemental of 2026 (6-0)
Upcoming Town Council Meetings/Activities
- Community Picnic at Bighorn Park, July 14
- Vail Town Council Meeting, July 21
- Vail Town Council Meeting, Aug. 4
Resources
The Vail Town Council meets the first and third Tuesday of each month. Join us for public comment at 6 p.m. Public hearing and comment opportunities are also noted on the agendas.
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