Board of County
Commissioners (BOCC)

—April 18, 2018
WETMORE, Colo.

by Jackie Bubis

The meeting started at 9 a.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call. Introductions of the public in attendance followed.
Chairman Tom Flower began with Attorney Items:
Attorney Roger Smith reported giving legal advice to Sheriff Shannon Byerly, attending the Justice Center Committee Meeting (see below for discussion of name change.) He also went to the Fire Ban Workshop, and drafted a letter to Tom Redmond regarding airport hangar space.
Commissioner Items:
Commissioner Jay Printz addressed the discussion with Mr. Goebel regarding the possibility of leasing the stone house just south of the courthouse building. He expressed that it was something that the Board did not wish to pursue at this time – he wrote a letter to Goebel to that effect. He reported on attending the Health Fair, a contentious Tourism Board meeting, an Economic Development discussion regarding the possibility of having an open house to answer misconceptions in the public arena regarding the broadband tower project. He also attended a fire mitigation discussion and the Justice Center Committee Meeting (underfunded courthouse.)
Commissioner Bill Canda did attend the Health Fair but missed the fire ban workshop. He also attended the Justice Center Committee Meeting and is working with the BLM, JD Henrich and Kit Shy regarding right-of-ways to Hibbs Peak (Lookout Mountain.) Mr. Canda reported on attending the Republican State Assembly and said he came back from there with a new respect for the political system and his “bosses,” the citizens. Hence his wearing a suit and tie. He reported on the International Space Symposium he attended
in Colorado Springs and the satellites being launched that will impact the broadband discussion. He reminded the audience that nothing can be done on the tower project until the federal grant comes in and mentioned that there was a bit of a snafu getting that application in. The CCEDC will be present at the April 30th BOCC meeting to update the Board.
Chairman Flower also attended the Health Fair, a Custer County Conservation District meeting, the Republican State Assembly, the fire ban workshop, and the Justice Center Committee Meeting. He also reported on a conversation he had with Evan Brooks from Site Services regarding AT&T possibly leasing a site for a future tower. They had a very specific location, within a few blocks of the courthouse. Sheriff Byerly commented on the First Net issues – promising to bring building services in the rural areas and then walking that back and beginning in the metro areas.
No Administrative items
Old Business
Mr. Printz updated the Board on additional items needing repair at the Wetmore Community Center.
New Business:
The Board discussed the Inter-governmental Agreement (IGA) for the Deer Peak and Verdemont towers. As you may recall, the hospital district has consistently refused to pay their share of ongoing maintenance for these towers. The discussion included getting rid of the IGA altogether and passing on the real costs for dispatch to the separate entities. The county has been footing the greater portion of these costs. Sheriff Byerly participated in the discussion as did Cindy Howard (OEM.) There was no action taken but the Board members seemed to agree that if an entity did not want to participate in cost sharing, then they may not continue to get dispatch services.
The next discussion centered around land acquisition for county building expansion. This would include land for a possible judicial center as well but Sheriff Byerly (who heads the Judicial Center Committee) reminded the Board that it was not exclusive to a judicial center. There will be an executive session on April 30th after the BOCC meeting to discuss these issues. When queried about “secrecy” issues and the need for the discussion to be behind closed doors, the Board and the Sheriff brought out the common sense issue of not tipping their hand to possible land owners of their interest in the land.
Stage II fire restrictions were renewed for another 30 days. There is still a restriction in Forest Service lands despite the local Forest Service representatives’ concerns. That decision is made at a higher level and is a political hot potato.
Cleanup days in Westcliffe and Silver Cliff will be May 12th and the Board waived normal fees at the landfill for this event.
The Board discussed the need to hire a weed manager for the county. There is no budget for it this year so the consensus was share the weed manager from Huerfano County. As to the appointment of a weed advisory board, the Commissioners are waiting on the letters of intent from the people wanting to serve on that board.
In the public comments time, Ken Culpin from Wetmore was asking for help finding a place for the Hardscrabble Genealogical/Historical society to move their records and artifacts to. He was under the impression that the Commissioners were the ones to talk to about using space in the Wetmore Community Center. He was directed to speak with the Wetmore Center board – members, some of which were there in the meeting.
Sheriff Byerly got the go ahead to plan public education meetings in Wetmore and Westcliffe regarding frank discussions with citizens about the realities of fire that are inevitable: mitigation, fire bans, Code Red, etc.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:07 a.m.