The Grand Lake Board of Trustees’ July meetings saw the addition of a new trustee and approval of fees for marijuana businesses. The vacant seat came when former Mayor Pro Tem Ernie Bjorkman resigned from his position in May because he no longer lives in Grand Lake.

At their June 12 meeting, the trustees appointed Trustee Christina Bergquist as the new mayor pro tem and decided they would appoint a new trustee at the July 10 meeting. Three candidates expressed interest in the position — Julie Casseaux, John M. Rourke and Alex Merchant.

Merchant appeared before the board May 22 as well, when it selected Trustee Erick Bishop to replace former Trustee Daryn Packer, who resigned in April. The three July 10 candidates gave short presentations about themselves and their interest in the board.

Casseaux spoke first, then Merchant and Rourke. Casseaux and Merchant both said they visited Grand Lake for years before moving to the town, while Rourke talked about his 25 years living in Grand Lake, which includes formerly being a trustee. All three spoke about issues like housing and supporting businesses that they see as priorities.

After the board heard from Director of Community Development Kim White about the town’s municipal lands master plan final draft to close out its workshop session, it entered regular session and selected Casseaux as the new trustee.

No candidate received a majority of votes in the first round of voting, so the top-two vote getters, Casseaux and Marchant, went into a runoff. Mayor Steve Kudron swore Casseaux into the seat and she participated as a board member for the rest of the meeting.

Marijuana fees

The trustees approved the town’s marijuana ordinance at their June 12 meeting. The ordinance includes language about which fees will be charged to applicants and license holders at what times, but it did not set amounts for those fees so the board can more easily adjust them if needed.

A memo prepared by Town Clerk Alayna Carrell included a table of fees charged by Fraser, Winter Park and Grand County for the trustees to reference in setting their fees. The three local governments have different names for their fees, but all charge thousands of dollars for each fee Grand Lake established in its ordinance.

After some discussion, the board decided to charge $4,000 for the lottery phase application fee, which all applicants pay; $3,000 for the license phase application fee, which the winner of the lottery pays; $2,000 for the license renewal fee, which the license holder pays annually; and $1,000 for the transfer of ownership fee, which the license holder pays for any ownership change of more than 10%.

Other business

• The board approved a resolution that made minor changes to the town cemetery’s rules and regulations.
• Trustees approved an ordinance and resolution that annexed the Love Tract into the town, approved its zoning as residential estate and approved its final plat, which divided the property into four 2-acre parcels.