A look back at Gilpin County business in 2005

Lynn Volkens

1/26/2006 - Gilpin County Commissioners, Forrest Whitman, Jeanne Nicholson and Al Price, began their Tuesday morning meeting by inviting County Treasurer Alynn Huffman to the table to present her December 2005 report.

Foreclosures Down in Gilpin County

  The County had collected 99.79% of owed taxes as of the end of December 2005, reported the County Treasurer. Only 44 accounts remained uncollected, totaling $10,693 in taxes still due. Huffman’s report showed a grand total of $8,437,189 in the County’s coffers at year-end. That included $68,352 in the Sheriff’s Account, $4,480 in the Search and Rescue Account, $6,710 in the Mine Rescue Account and $94,232 in the County’s 911 Authority Account. Adding in the fourth quarter foreclosures brought Gilpin’s total foreclosures to 35 – all personal (no commercial), down from 49 personal and 5 commercial foreclosures at year-end 2004.

Check-writers Take Note-No More Float!

  Three Gilpin County funds ended in the negative this year. Colorado Sierra Fire Department’s General Account was down $217. Gilpin School (RE-1) Bond Redemption was in the red $183 and RE-2 School District Bond Redemption Fund was $264 to the negative – all thanks to bad check writers. Huffman said last minute bad checks plagued the County Treasurer’s Department at the end of the year, including one written at the final tax lien sale for $8,000. The transaction was reversed, as efforts to collect on the check were unsuccessful. In order to prevent the situation from happening again, the Treasurer said she had notified that particular bidder that his future transactions would have to be done in cash or certified funds. The Treasurer’s Department will soon be going to “live” check and credit card transactions. As of February 1, 2006, credit card transactions will be processed via protected internet procedures. Beginning on February 21, 2006, checks written to the Treasurer will be processed by a computer scanning procedure that immediately deposits the funds to the County’s bank account. Huffman put all Treasurer customers on notice, “Don’t write the check, if there aren’t funds in the account right then,” she said. The “live” processing eliminates all float time between the time the check is written and bank processing. Huffman said she had all available staff “licking and sticking” the County’s tax notices, which will be mailed out shortly.

Boundaries and Bounties

  Lynn and Bill Brown received Commissioner approval of a Boundary Line Elimination for their .33 acre and 1.08 acre properties on Sunrise Lane (Byron Hackers Lots). Because the smaller piece of property isn’t developable as a home site, the Browns do not receive the usual $500 bounty for the BLE.

  The $1,000 bounties that E.D.S. (Suzanne) Chamberlayne received for reconfiguring her five Skydale Subdivision lots into three parcels was used to offset the County’s Boundary Line Adjustment application fee, saving Chamberlayne $800. The County nets a 30-foot easement in Lump Gulch in the deal.

Terms set for Planning Commission

  A housekeeping measure required by a term of office stipulation discovered in the Planning Commission By-Laws, necessitated Commissioners to stipulate the term expirations for recently appointed members of that group. Collins Smith and Don Harvey, the longest serving members, were appointed to one-year terms (expiring December 31, 2006.) Del Johnson and Laura Jeney were reappointed for two-year terms that expire at the end of 2007. Scott Belonger, appointed in 2002, will see his term end December 31, 2008. All are eligible and may opt to reapply for appointment as their terms expire. Alternate Members, Ron Saeger and Rob Dutcher, joined the Commission for terms of three years, or through 2008.

Cooperative Marketing Plan Funded

  Commissioners voted unanimously to contribute $5,000 to a community relations development fund, a joint marketing effort to promote tourist aspects of the local communities versus just the casinos.

County Hopes to Move that Road and Bridge (Department)

  Commissioners moved to their office to hold a fifteen-minute executive session at 9:50. When they reconvened to public session, they voted to amend an existing contract to purchase property from the Lorenz family (up to 20 acres at $15,000 per acre) based on a recent survey. The property, near the current mid-county Road and Bridge Department’s facility, will be the site of their new building.

Looking at the Senior Tax Work-Off Program

  Following their executive meeting, Commissioner Nicholson proffered a proposal for consideration by Commissioners Price and Whitman – offering to handle all administration and document processing of a tax work-off program for other taxing agencies within the County who choose to participate. Nicholson had attended the Gilpin School’s Board of Education meeting on Monday evening to explain the County’s new program and see if they had any interest in allowing eligible Gilpin senior citizens to work-off their school district taxes in the same way -substituting labor for cash. The program could be extended to fire districts, water conservation districts, etc., she said. Commissioner Price asked for more information, specifically on programs being used by other Colorado counties and an estimate of the staff hours needed to provide the recruitment, background checks, and payroll duties the program requires. (The County would bill the participating agencies for reimbursement of payroll taxes, said Nicholson).

Commissioner Whitman requested that County Manager Roger Baker do the research and have the information for them at their meeting of February 9^th.

County Departments Review 2005, Preview 2006

  Gilpin County Combined Victim Services reported a total number of new clients served in 2005 of 788, the majority (518) initiating from Black Hawk contacts. Of these, 597 were non-residents receiving services. 539 of those cases were gaming related. There were 186 total crisis call outs in 2005.

  The Sheriff’s Department contributed their 2005 averages for the daily meal cost at the jail ($2.07), monthly bookings (103.58), and the average daily population of the jail (53).

  At the Recreation Center, Director of Parks and Recreation Penny Kipley noted a decrease in drop-in and membership admissions from 2004. Separating the non-resident from the resident visitors accounts for some of the difference, as does the four–five weeks that the pools were closed in 2005 for repairs. A daily drop-in admission rate of only $2 is more economical for some than purchasing an annual membership, she commented. Also in 2005, the County began to allow resident senior citizens (over 65) to use the facility at no charge. With all of these factors, Kipley noted that although there’s a downward trend, the use of the facility is also stabilizing. A new youth (grades 3-5) basketball program has just begun and staff is already looking to the summer baseball program with a submission of three different ballfield lighting proposals to the County’s Planning Commission.

  In Human Services, Susie Allen (Administrative Services Director) reported 51 people hired by Gilpin County in 2005, and 38 employee separations. As of December 2005, the County was employing 191 people (doesn’t include elected officials).

  Road and Bridge Director Earl Robinson notified Commissioners that cold weather had caused work on Lake Front Drive to completely shut down in November. The temporary mailbox stands that were constructed there will be replaced next spring with permanent mailboxes after road and ditch work has been completed. That department has acquired an electronic message board that will be used on County roads to tell travelers about construction zones, speed limits, county events, burning bans, etc. The signs also have the capability of recording speeds and number of vehicles using a particular road – information that can be used for road use analysis.

  Irene Shonle, Director of the Gilpin County Cooperative Extension Department, continues to work on noxious weed management. Her latest potential tool is a new herbicide called Milestone that is very effective on thistles and knapweeds at a very low use rate. Milestone is considered “practically non-toxic” she reported, putting Commissioner Whitman more at ease regarding his constituents who keep sheep.

  Happy Birthday Gilpin County Public Library! The GCPL opened on January 5^th  – 20 years ago! Some things going on at the library-Director Larry Grieco is planning a special poetry night in January, developing a Colorado Historical Book Club and a creative writing workshop for teens. The Friends of the Library recently received donations from a local Gilpinite who wishes to remain anonymous, said Grieco. That person donated $3,000. On top of that, Bill Russell of Central City donated $500. The Friends are very appreciative of both donors, said Grieco. The Director did note that the current handicapped parking spaces at the library are not adequate and will need to be adjusted.

  The Commissioners adjourned their meeting at 10:35 a.m. and moved on to the first of two scheduled work sessions by meeting with Molly Thorson and Claudia Kirkpatrick from Management Team Systems. MTS provides ways to meet medical needs of Gilpin County Detention inmates. An on-site pharmacy allowing the County to purchase some drugs in bulk, store them and dispense as needed, will save the County money by reducing staff runs to non-local drugstores. Some drugs, such as those used for mental illness and detoxification, can not be kept in bulk but the recently approved on-site pharmacy license for the facility covers many others and allows purchase at Medicaid rates. Commissioners were scheduled to meet with Black Hawk Transit Authority personnel after the MTS work session to further develop the proposed expansion of bus service in Gilpin County.