By now, you should have received your mail-in ballot for this spring's election.  They must be returned by 7:00PM on election day (April 6th), either via mail, or by dropping them off in person at city hall (220 W. South Ave).  Call the city clerk's office at 687-9246 if you have questions.

It's a pretty sparse ballot.  Voting for a mayor will be via write-in only, though bear in mind that your write-in only counts if that person has filed the paperwork to be a write-in candidate.  So far, only Steve Randolph (current mayor) and Jon DeVaux (councilman) are eligible.  Sorry, no voting for ChickenMan.  Also on the ballot are three positions on the city council up for grabs (contested by five candidates), and of course everyone's favorite, the sales tax initiative to fund construction of a recreation center in town (ie, the 'Y' tax).  If you've been following that issue, you may get the sense you've been watching a pair of espresso-drinking, blindfolded chimpanzees playing table tennis.  I don't think anything more needs to be said on that.

Get out and vote!

So, what's happening around Woodland Park these days?  Starting with the Black Hills natural gas compressor, the city council voted to approve a settlement that gives Black Hills exactly what they wanted, and ends up costing the city around $6k in legal fees (link).

Residents will be voting on a 1% sales tax to fund the construction of a rec center, and already the debate is heating up.  The business community is bringing forth a proposal to build an aquatic center at Meadow Wood Park, in an attempt to avoid the competition that a YMCA would bring.  Besides, an indoor pool is what most people seem to want, anyway.  However, in the article (link), there doesn't seem to be any mention of the financial side of an aquatic center...if the YMCA is to be believed, such a venture is never self-sustaining and will require a continual infusion of cash from the city...where will that come from?

The hospital has a new CFO (link), and the school district has a new superintendent (link) and a financial challenge for next year, with deep budget cuts needed.

Developer Will Brown managed to get the definition of 'downtown' modified by the DDA so it now includes a couple of lots in the Paradise Lodge Market Subdivision (link) with plans to turn it into low-cost studios for artists to rent.

The Comprehensive Plan has finally been finished by the citizen committee set up, and has been passed to the planning commission for approval (which then created a subcommittee, and well, you know how these things go).  You can read the draft here.  The sign ordinance, meanwhile, is being influenced by the squeaky wheels in town rather than common sense; get ready for electronic signs and other big changes.