Author: Barbara Cotter

The three-man race in Colorado Springs City Council District 6 may have been close, but not close enough to trigger a recount, City Clerk Sarah Johnson said Wednesday. Just 159 votes separated the first- and second-place candidates, but Johnson said the recount would only be launched with a difference of 20 votes or less. According…

Voters were on the verge of tossing out every incumbent in the Colorado Springs City Council races Tuesday, including two who often aligned with Mayor Steve Bach: Angela Dougan and Tim Leigh. In preliminary results, Dougan and Leigh, as well as incumbents Brandy Williams and Bernie Herpin, were losing in a major shakeup that would…

Tuesday night was shaping up to be a downer for the four incumbents seeking to return to Colorado Springs City Council. As of 8:30 p.m., results from the City Clerk’s office showed District 2 incumbent Angela Dougan was trailing political newcomer Joel Miller 39 percent to 52 percent; Tim Leigh, currently an at-large councilman, was…

A dollar figure has finally been attached to the performance-based bonuses that were approved March 20 for Colorado Springs Utilities CEO Jerry Forte. He’ll receive about $34,594 based on the results of his annual performance plan, and about $24,908 tied to the results of his long-term performance plan. The payout on the annual plan will…

Nearly 10 years, $450,000 in penalties and $170 million in fixes later, Colorado Springs Utilities is done with a compliance plan the state imposed over series of wastewater spills into Fountain Creek and some of the tributaries that feed it. “I would say this has been quite a success story, and Colorado Springs has taken…

A healthy shot of moisture in the Pikes Peak region last month and snowstorms in the high country weren’t enough to change a recommendation from Colorado Springs Utilities that City Council approve two-day-a-week watering restrictions beginning April 1. In fact, Wayne Vanderschuere, general manager of water services, said conditions are bad enough to restrict turf…

Colorado Springs Utilities CEO Jerry Forte will be rewarded with a bonus for what amounts to a glowing report card for his on-the-job performance in 2012. Colorado Springs City Council, acting as the Utilities Board, signed off on Forte’s annual and long-term bonuses Wednesday, based on a cumulative rating of 4.1 on his annual performance…