ASPEN — Anyone who works in an office can relate to the situation.
A co-worker brings a leftover piece of fish for lunch, pops it in the office kitchen microwave and unleashes a stink that offends for the rest of the afternoon.
And while the offense often provokes heated protests from fellow employees, it doesn’t usually become enshrined in official rules of office conduct. Unless, that is, you work in either the city of Aspen or Pitkin County’s community development departments, where for years preparing fish sticks has been specifically and officially prohibited.
“The city shall provide office space, at no charge, to the county community development department on the third floor of City Hall in the current amount and general configuration on the condition that microwaving fish sticks is strictly prohibited,” according to the newest intergovernmental agreement between the two departments approved by Pitkin County commissioners last week.
The agreement also covers generally mundane issues such as who oversees the contractor-licensing program, how to coordinate building code changes and office hours.
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