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What we value today is what we become tomorrow.

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City of Brighton Annual Report 2011

City Council

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Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Scott

Ward 3Terms: Council Member: 2005 - 2009Mayor Pro Tem: 2009 - 2013

Council MemberRex Bell

Ward 2Term: 2009 - 2013

Council MemberRob Farina

Ward 3Term: 2007 - 2011

Council MemberLynn Baca

Ward 3Term: 2012 - 2015

Newly Elected Council

Council MemberWilma Rose

Ward 4Terms:2005 - 20092009 - 2013

Council memberDaryl Meyers

Ward 4Terms:2001 - 20032003 - 20072007 - 2011

Council memberJ.W. Edwards

Ward 4Term: 2012 - 2015

Council Member Terry Moore

Ward 1 Terms:2003 - 20072007 - 2011

Council Member Kirby Wallin

Ward 1 Term: 2012 - 2015

Council Member Chris Maslanik

Ward 1 Term: 2009 - 2013

Council Member Cynthia Martinez

Ward 2 Terms:2007 - 20112012 - 2015

MayorRichard McLean

Terms: Council Member: 2005 - 2007

Mayor Pro Tem: 2007 - 2009Mayor: 2009 - 2013

The City of Brighton, Colorado was incorporated in July 1887, and became a home-rule City in 2000. The City has a Council-Manager form of government. Under this form of government, the elected City Council sets the policies for the operation of the government. The administrative responsibility of the City rests with the City Manager who is appointed by the City Council. The City Council consists of nine members - a Mayor, a Mayor Pro-Tem and seven Council members, all elected by the residents.

A Messagefrom the

City Manager

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In 2011, the City of Brighton continued to make great strides. As one of Colorado’s oldest communities, we proudly serve as home to more than 33,000 residents, the county seat, School District 27J headquarters, and hundreds of great businesses. We continue to grow each day and more as more people are discovering what we already know – Brighton is the place to be! Brighton has so much to be thankful for. During times when cities all over the country face major financial crisis, our city’s leadership has allowed us to grow responsibly and safely position ourselves financially. While we are not without our challenges, the strong vision of our City Council and city staff allows us to continue to deliver quality services to our community and plan for ways to make our future even better.In 2011, I announced that Brighton

had received $16.8 million in federal, state, county and city grants since 2008. These grants have included funding for projects such as the Ken Mitchell Fishing Pier and Boardwalk, the Brighton Oasis Aquatic Park, Campbell Park construction, the Sister Cities Castle Gate, and preservation of farmland on 144th Ave. In addition, these grants awarded have helped purchase new police equipment and support the city’s Emergency Management program, as well as cultural arts facilities and the city’s roadways and utilities which encourages economic development through job creation and businesses.

I am proud to say that in 2011 Brighton achieved national recognition as one of America’s Promise Alliance’s 100 Best Communities for Young People presented by ING for our initiatives to help young people in our

community. Our young people are the future leaders of Brighton and the city is dedicated to providing them a safe and promising community where they can flourish.

In 2012, Brighton celebrates its 125th anniversary. We are all impressed of what our great city has accomplished and achieved in its 125 years and I am confident that we have many more great things on the horizon for us.

This Annual Report is provided to the City Council and community in compliance with Article 7.3 (D) of the Brighton City Charter indicating the City’s financial and administrative activities for the previous year. This report covers the 2011 fiscal year.

Thank you for being a part of Brighton.

City ManagerManuel EsquibelTerm: 2008-Present

Demographic and Economic

Statistics

PrincipalEmployers

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Total Per Capita Personal Personal School UnemploymentFiscal Year Population Income Income Median Age Enrollment Rate (thousands of dollars)

2009 33,5001 1,046,7272 32,5882 32.803 13,9124 7.10%5

2010 33,3526 N/A N/A 32.26 14,5024 10.2%5

2011 33,4901 N/A N/A 33.03 15,0924 9.55

Source:1 City of Brighton estimates2 State Department of Labor3 State Department of Local Affairs4 Adams/Weld School District 27J5 State Department of Labor6 2010 Census

Source:Brighton Economic

Development Corporation

June 2010 June 2011Employer Employees EmployeesAdams County 1,849 1,771School District 27J 1,586 1,441Platte Valley Medical Center 554 554City of Brighton 370 413Super Wal-mart 339 324Vestas N/A 295BJ Services 147 197K-Mart Distribution Center 179 182Super Target 172 178New Caps, LLC N/A 160United Power 148 150King Soopers 148 149Home Depot 141 143Kohl’s 80 76

City Services

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Police Protection

Construction and Maintenance of Highways, Streets and Infrastructure, Street Lighting

Recreational Activities

Parks/Athletic Fields

Senior Center

Cultural Events

Volunteer Services

Planning and Zoning

Water and Sewer Services

General Administrative Services

Economic/Re-Development and Housing Services

Code Enforcement and Animal Control

Courts

Public Information

Government Access Channel: KBRI-8

Small Business Development

Historic Preservation

Building Permits

Youth Services

The City provides traditional city services for its residents, excluding fire services which is provided by the Greater Brighton Fire Protection District. Services include, but are not limited to the following:

City Departments

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City Attorney’s Office Margaret BrubakerCity Attorney

Streets/Fleet Joe SmithDirector

Human Resources Karen BorkowskiDirector

City Clerk’s OfficeNatalie HoelCity Clerk

Budget/Policy Bernadette KimmeyDirector

Public Information OfficeKristen ChernoskyPublic Information Manger

Police Clint BlackhurstChief

Adam GollinProsecuting Attorney

Community Development Marv FalconburgDirector

Utilities Jim Landeck Director

Information TechnologyMargaret BrocklanderDirector

Municipal Court Kristin BrownJudge

Economic Development Ray GonzalesCEO/President

FinanceDan FrelundDirector

Parks and Recreation Gary WardleDirector

Willard HardestyDeputy Judge

2011Accomplishments

At a Glance

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Moved into new City Hall building, the former site of Adams County Administration offices. Information Technology/Facilities coordinated approximately $1 million in renovations, making the building more energy efficient and bringing most of city staff under one roof.

Brighton received $16.8 million in federal, state, county and city grants from 2008-2011, allowing the City to initiate and complete many projects city-wide.

Purchase and sale agreement with Brighton Housing Authority for construction of 28 senior housing units at 575 S. 8th Ave.

Continued focus on the downtown façade improvements which included the approval and completion of eight projects in 2011 and 35 projects since 2007. This project preserves and enhances downtown buildings, regains the historic character, enhances property values, and supports local businesses.

Reduced graffiti by 67 percent since 2009.

An 18 percent drop in vehicle thefts.

The re-development of the old Albertson’s site by Alberta Development to feature Big Lots, Mi Pueblo and Panda Express.

The Small Business Development Center met with and counseled approximately 280 business clients.

The Housing Authority maintained its National Public Housing Management Certification and its National Certified Credit Compliance Professional Certificate while also obtaining a 100% clean finding free financial audit and compliance reporting on public housing.

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Completion of the urban drainage project from Main Street to Platte River.

Completion of the design and construction of a waterline along South 4th Avenue.

Completion of road widening at 11th Avenue and Baseline Road.

Completion of street Improvements to 4th Avenue.

Installation of a traffic signal at 11th Avenue.

The completion and grand opening of the Brighton Oasis Aquatic Park, which brought in 35,000 visitors in its first season.

The completion of the Eagle View Adult Recreation Center, which replaced the Brighton Senior Center.

The grand opening of the Ken Mitchell Fishing Pier.

Completed construction of phase one of Carmichael Park.

Construction of a new City Castle play structure in the Sister Cities Park. The structure was designed to look like the historic City Gate in Ziebice, Poland, our sister city.

Raised approximately $8,000 for the Senior Center Advisory Board at the 27th Annual Turkey Trot 5k.

Implementation of server virtualization at the City allowing for a reduction in the number of servers needed as well as the amount of energy consumed.

Nearly 14,000 people visited the city’s Armory with over 240 performances, events and meetings. This was an increase of 57% over the previous year.

Awards

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Brighton was named in 2011 one of America’s Promise Alliance’s 100 Best Communities for Young People presented by ING for its initiatives to help young people.

Brighton Mayor Dick McLean was honored with the “Person of the Year” award by the Brighton Early Rotary Club.

Brighton Youth Commissioners Manuel Ornelas and Hannah Armentrout were appointed to the National League of Cities’ 2011 Council on Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Council).

Brighton was awarded with the 2011 Starburst Community Award by the Colorado Lottery for its use of lottery dollars to complete the Brighton Oasis Family Aquatic Park.

In 2011, the Authority was certified as a “High Performer” by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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SOURCE: Various City Departments

OperatingIndicators by

Function/Program

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Function/Program 2010 2011Police Calls for service 44,463 42,478

Arrests 3,028 2,600

Summons issued 5,362 4,889

Public Works Street resurfacing (miles) 0 1

Street slurry seal (miles) 0 2.5

Parks and Recreation Recreation Center admissions 145,000 141,500

Recreation Program participants N/A 10,950

Senior Center program participants 22,200 23,979

Service program participants 10,352 10,734

Water Gallons pumped (billions) 1,668 1.106

Average daily consumption 4.901 4.79

(million gallons)

Wastewater Gallons treated (millions) 811 811

Cemetery Interments 119 114

Courts Citations Processed 5,278 4,849

Community Development Total New Residential Permits 37 57

Total New Commercial/ 5 5 (4)

Industrial Permits

(new public buildings shown in parenthesis)

Sales Tax Revenue by Category

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Function/Program 2009 2010 2011General Merchandise $4,533,710 $4,463,672 $4,379,065

Food Stores 1,988,095 2,073,172 2,206,180

Eating and Drinking Establishments 1,387,478 1,499,113 1,612,499

Building Materials/Home Improvements 1,172,049 1,319,364 1,277,903

Auto Dealers/Repairs/Supplies 809,704 888,684 993,825

Utilities 1,026,317 1,191,511 1,248,466

Telecommunications 722,305 712,130 710,325

Other Retail Stores 671,891 647,054 714,587

All Other Categories 2,240,877 2,796,850 3,631,349

TOTAL 14,552,426 15,591,550 16,774,199

City Direct Sales Tax Rate *3.75% *3.75% *3.75%

*3.75% = 2% for General Fund Operating Expenses; 1% for Capital Improvement Fund; .50% for Parks and Recreation Capital Improvement Fund; .15% for Operation and Maintenance of City Parks and Recreation Facilities Fund; .10% for Parks and Recreation Capital Fund for Operation and Maintenance of Trails,

Open Space, City Parks and Recreation Facilities Fund.

44%

12%

22%

3%

1% 1% 1% 1%

1%

6%

3% 5%

2011 RevenuesTotal 2011 Revenues: $33,695,965

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Taxes $14,957,721Licenses & Permits $428,176Intergovernmental $1,696,915Charges for Services $367,758Recreation Center $1,162,724Fines & Forfeitures $446,099Miscellaneous $830,776Cemetery $202,279Water $7,294,531Sewer $3,964,343Drainage $228,636

2011 ExpensesTotal 2011 Revenues: $33,004,655

1%

3%

17%

12%

26%

3% 9%5%

24%

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General Govenment $7,911,236Public Safety $5,536,983Public Works $1,740,126Parks & Recreation $3,127,067Cemetery $255,959Community Development $877,534Water $8,673,869Sewer $3,983,735Drainage $898,147

Brighton is in the right place at the right time. With its proximity to not only to Denver International Airport, Downtown Denver, a variety of higher education facilities, and great recreational opportunities, Brighton is in the sweet spot for oil and gas industries exploring the Niobrara shale in the northeast Colorado region. Brighton is a key location for these businesses as it is central for accessing corporate offices in Downtown Denver, to the homes of the employees, and is a short drive to the gas and oil drilling locations.

Evidence of the success of the oil and gas company interest is seen by the significant reduction of industrial zoned properties with existing buildings inventory. Brighton is home to Baker Hughes, Select Energy Services, Halliburton, and support businesses including Shannon Pipeline, Stinger Wellhead Protection, DJR Well Services Inc, with more to come.

While the number of jobs in Brighton is increasing, so are retail sales. In 2012, Jack in the Box and Panda Express are scheduled to open. Also scheduled for opening is Brighton’s first Urgent Care facility, the Platte River Medical Clinic, giving residents an effective alternative to being seen in an emergency room. The City of Brighton, in conjunction with the Brighton Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) are aggressively working to attract additional retailers to Brighton. Attendance at the International Council of Shopping Centers in the spring has

regularly achieved letter of intents from retailers to Brighton as the City and BEDC work with Brighton’s retail development and real estate professionals to promote the solid residential development and job growth.

New home construction in 2011 increased over the past two years and it is anticipated 2012 will see even stronger numbers due to the additional jobs in the area and low levels of residential inventory for sale. Meritage came to the Brighton market in 2011 at the Preserve community with energy efficient and sustainable homes and has seen strong sales.

It is anticipated at least one project in the Bromley Interstate Business Park will be announced and potentially break ground in 2012. Other projects in the development are working through land contracts and engineering designs and are anticipated to announce their plans in 2013. As land along North Main Street is annexed and zoned more business announcements will follow as more energy related businesses seek to be in the area where Vestas, Baker Hughes, and Select Energy Services are located.

As we continue to be strong in our efforts to bring more businesses and jobs to Brighton we envision that in 2012 we’ll see more employees and residents feel at home in Brighton.

Planningfor theFuture

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City of Brighton500 South 4th AvenueBrighton, CO 80601303.655.2000 Office303.655.2170 Faxwww.brightonco.gov