Broomfield council holds public personnel hearing after censure and water-rate dispute

Broomfield — At a special meeting called to address personnel matters involving the city and county manager, Jennifer Hoffman, the Broomfield City Council heard extended statements from Hoffman and from Councilmember Marsh Holshon, public comment from many residents, and clarifications about open-meeting and records law. The meeting followed a March 25 vote in which the council censured Holshon 5-4 for an email that accused the manager of negligence and sabotage.

Hoffman, identified at the meeting as the employee who requested an open discussion, opened with a defense of her record and a plea for facts. "Your presence matters," she said, and later criticized the repeated public allegations as "formal, damaging charges" made without the evidence she had requested.

Holshon said he stood by two specific claims in the email: that Hoffman "intentionally has acted in a way that undermines council" and that there was "negligence and mismanagement" related to water rates. He cited a sequence of consultant studies and changing rate proposals —…