Board of County Commissioners (BOCC)
October 2, 2019
Westcliffe, CO
The meeting started with the pledge of allegiance and roll call. Introductions of the public followed.
Commissioner items:
Commissioner Printz is on the agenda for the fire district board meeting to see if they have any interest in furthering discussion about taking over EMS.
Chairman Flower reported on a celebration dinner for outgoing dispatchers. At that dinner Undersheriff Barr expressed his great appreciation for their hard work over the last few years.
None of the commissioners will be available to attend the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District meeting on the 10th. Note: They will, no doubt, rely on the Custer representatives on the board to update them and they will get the minutes from the meeting.
Staff Reports
Bob Jolley and Lynn LaGree presented the operations policy and insurance for the courtesy cars. The Board approved the purchase of insurance to get that program started.
Meredith Nichols presented the OEM report. She has been working on her five year plan. She also reported on the Decker fire and that our fair grounds will be used as a secondary site for evacuation of animals. There was a great deal of mitigation done around houses prior to two red flag days which helped the situation in Chaffee and Fremont counties. Mr. Flower asked her about the Emergency Services Fund which has been depleted over the years. Ms. Nichols stated that this funds was not just for OEM but was for dispatch as well. She also reported that, with the dispatch now coming from FreCom, there will be a change in the Code Red program.
Elisa Livengood, the Public Health Nurse called in to give her report. She is working on an opioid program for the inmates that have been on a program prior to their incarceration. She is now a deputy coroner for Custer County. Mr. Printz expressed concern about county employees being deputized by the Coroner and leaving their positions for training, etc. For him it is a primary responsibility vs secondary responsibility issue. Mr. Flower seconded his concerns and stated that “we need to have a conversation with the Coroner if he’s going to continue to deputize county employees.”
The HR/Finance report was presented by Dawna Hobby. There was a discussion regarding the commissioners signing handwritten checks without a process in place to approve them. The decision was made to ratify these handwrittens at each mid-month meeting to verify accuracy. The Board approved the current handwrittens totaling $15,369.28. Ms. Hobby presented the commissioners with the preliminary budget. Mr. Flower queried Ms. Hobby about the Emergency Services Fund being down to $43K (a few years ago, it was $300K.) Ms. Hobby stated that the decline was due to hiring an additional dispatcher, the CAD system for dispatch and then the dispatch upgrade. The revenue from this fund comes from the 2% mil levy for dispatch services and Sheriff’s Office tax.
Extension Agent Guinevere Nelson reported that the 4-H truck raffle was won by a Wetmore resident but that the winning ticket was not sold by a Custer County 4-Her. The 4-H awards banquet will be on the 20th of October at the school at noon. She also updated the commissioners that nobody from 4-H is on the Friends of the NRA board any more.
The Board approved the Treasurer Report presented by Virginia Trujillo.
New Business
JD Henrich, County Assessor got approval from the Board for the county to pitch in up to $350 for the Courthouse Christmas Party to be again held at Tony’s Pizza. Employees will pay $5 each. Tentative date will be Wednesday December 18th and the courthouse will be closed from 12pm – 2 pm.
Troy Bomgardner met with the Board regarding a CCHS Scholarship match. The school needs to raise $3500 for this 50/50 match for the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship. He will also be looking to Rotary and local businesses to raise these funds. The Board agreed to donate $1750 from the community outreach fund.
CenturyLink representatives Tony Hasenack and Wayne Duncan spoke with the board about the fiber being laid in the county. They expect to have the project done before a hard frost. Mr. Flower asked about the citizens complaint of the new poles put in Silver Cliff Heights. The answer given was that, had they trenched that section, it would have taken an additional two weeks and would have doubled the cost. But Mr. Hasenack will talk with the folks in that area to discuss their options.
The Board passed Resolution 19-11, a moratorium on open burns that is expected to be in effect until January. This will allow time for the fire department to take over the burn permit process and get the new system in place (necessary because FreCom will not be doing this for the sheriff’s department.)
The meeting was adjourned at noon.