County tracking facility use

Lynn Volkens

Gilpin County Commissioners meeting

1/27/2005 - Expense Policy – Come Back Next Week - Commissioner Al Price apologized to fellow Commissioners Jeanne Nicholson and Forrest Whitman, and to County staff who had come to last week’s meeting, for his absence. Because Price was ill and unable to attend, discussion had to be postponed on Resolution 05-02, a proposed change to the expense compensation process for elected Gilpin officials. Those elected officials once again turned out for the weekly County Commissioners’ meeting, expecting to hear discussion, if not a decision regarding a change in the “Elected Official Travel and Expense Policy.” Once again, they will have to wait for a decision. County Commissioners decided to table the item until after they  explore it further in a work session. Commissioners did listen to input from the elected officials during a 40-minute executive session. Under current policy, elected officials in Gilpin County receive $500.00 per month for car allowance when using their own vehicle for County business (commissioners receive $1,000.00 monthly car allowance), and all elected officials receive $500.00 per month for home office expenses. Resolution 05-02 proposes to compensate elected officials for actual expenses as documented by submitted expense account sheets and receipts. The policy affects Commissioners, the Assessor, the Clerk and Recorder, the Treasurer, the Coroner, and the Sheriff.

County Building Use Tracked - Events Coordinator Vicki Nemec returned with a revised “Facilities Use Policy” as requested by Commissioners last week. Commissioners had expressed a need for a facility use policy governing fees, reservation requirements, etc. for the Justice Center, Exhibit Hall, Arena, Recreation Center, Courthouse, Library, Ball fields and Public Roads. As there was some concern that one organization could tie up a facility for a disproportionate amount of time, Nemec was also asked to provide a report on the regular users of County facilities and the amount of time (when and for how long) that they used County facilities. Nemec’s report showed that the Exhibit Building and Justice Center meeting rooms are the areas most used by citizens for non-County sponsored events.

Aglow, (Pat Quinn) a church group conducting several weekly meetings, uses the two meeting rooms for a combined total of 43 – 57.5 hours per month. A variety of 4-H activities total 45-46 hours per month, mostly for the Exhibit Hall with Cloverbuds using the Justice Center meeting room for three hours on one Saturday per month. Light On The Hill Church uses the Justice Center meeting room every Sunday and Wednesday, totaling 24-30 hours per month. Men’s Breakfast (Bob Unruh) uses the Justice Center meeting room every Saturday morning for 10-12 hours total monthly use. The remaining twelve non-County groups use the facilities sporadically, some as little as once a year, and for varying amounts of time. The Community Center is used primarily for regular Prime Timer events and recreational classes. A request by Commissioner Whitman, allowing for waiver of the $50.00 Public Roads Use Fee, had been added since last week. Commissioners asked for further refinement on the proposed policy before tabling it for a future meeting.

Water – What You Need To Know - Commissioner Whitman’s report from the Water Conference that he recently attended was also tabled. However, Whitman did announce that a Mountain Water Symposium has been scheduled at the Gilpin Community Center for April 2^nd. The symposium will go on all day, with different topic discussions and presentations scheduled during the course of the day. County and State personnel will be on hand to discuss water issues specific to mountain communities and Gilpin County. The symposium will be free to the public and Whitman said it will be well-advertised prior to that date.

Salary/Benefits Study Complete - No action was taken by Commissioners following a presentation by Lee and Burgess Associates of Colorado, LLC, the firm hired to perform a salary/benefits survey for Gilpin County positions of employment. See related article.

Library Board Expands, Welcomes New Member - A letter from Larry Grieco, Director of Gilpin County Public Library, requested approval of Ann Wyss to another term on the Library Board of Trustees. He also notified Commissioners that the Library Board has voted to increase its size to seven seats, creating a new vacancy. That Board recommended that Michelle Saeger be appointed to that seat. Commissioners agreed to increase the number of members to seven, and also approved the reappointment of Wyss and new appointment of Saeger.

Contribution for Fire Victims - Commissioners voted to make a $200.00 contribution by purchasing 20 tickets to the Central City Elks spaghetti dinner benefit for Jim and Joy Cloud. The Clouds lost their home and possessions to a fire earlier this month. How those tickets are distributed will be left up to the Elks.

Douglas Mountain Quarry Update - County Attorney Jim Petrock updated Commissioners regarding Philip Wolf’s proposed Douglas Mountain quarry. Mr. Wolf’s highway access permit expired and he has applied to the Colorado Department of Transportation for a renewal. In action last week, Commissioners finalized their authority to issue highway access permits. CDOT forwarded the permit application to Gilpin. Petrock told Commissioners that Wolf will also need to go through Gilpin County for two other permits, including a special use permit which will require a public hearing and one regarding the County’s 1041 regulations for water storage. Wolf has refused to recognize County authority in prior permitting matters. A public hearing at the Mined Land Reclamation Board will be scheduled for either February 15^th or 16^th. Gilpin County intends to send Community Development Director Tony Petersen as its primary witness and Petrock said several residents of the Douglas Mountain area will be there to address on-site issues such as noise, pollution, traffic, etc. The Mining and Land Reclamation Board is located at 1313 Sherman in Denver.

   Gilpin’s Board of County Commissioners meets regularly on Tuesday mornings at the Gilpin County Courthouse in Central City.