Commissioners explain spending logic

Lynn Volkens

2/2/2006 - Property for Road and Bridge Facility Purchased

  Gilpin County Commissioners, Forrest Whitman, Jeanne Nicholson and Al Price, opened their weekly meeting on Tuesday morning with a report from County Attorney Jim Petrock that the County’s purchase of mid-county property for a new Road and Bridge building had closed into escrow on Monday, January 30^th. The County will purchase at least 18 acres for the facility, with escrow provision for two additional acres, depending on the survey (still being awaited). The topic sparked immediate comment from the gallery.

Public Comment

  A Gilpin man questioned the need for a new Road and Bridge facility, especially at a potential cost of $3.2 million. Commissioner Whitman explained that the current structure, which he referred to as a “temporary” structure, had been there for 30 years, is too small to accommodate the County’s equipment for maintenance purposes, isn’t adequately heated, contains a grease pit that doesn’t meet the County’s needs and has bathroom facilities that “aren’t designed for what we need.” Because there aren’t enough bays, the County is forced to park equipment outside, he said. When temperatures drop, this results in difficulty getting the equipment to start and delays getting it into service, he said. Employees have repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the facility, said Whitman, who went on to explain the County expects to save money in the long run through less expensive liability insurance, getting more use and life from equipment and keeping employees on board longer. There have been several work sessions in which the Commissioners have discussed these issues, said Whitman, and likely will be several more. He invited the man to attend future meetings.

  Another Gilpinite, noting the overrun of building expenses at the Recreation Center, asked if the $3.2 million was a “maximum” that would be spent on the facility. Commissioners said it was a “ballpark” figure but didn’t expect to go over that amount. The woman also asked about the aquatics instructor position currently being advertised for the County’s Recreation Center. She asked Commissioners to consider eliminating the position and putting the money toward paying the Head Start teacher (also currently being sought) at Eagles’ Nest more than the advertised $12 per hour. She questioned whether the number of visitors reported at the Recreation Center was accurate and whether there was enough work there to keep all of the current employees busy. “It’s an election year,” she pointed out, “and I’m asking you to look at it.”

Eagles’ Nest Enrollment Close to Capacity

  Eagles’ Nest Early Learning Center representatives, Linda Brown (Executive Director) and Clorinda Smith (Board Treasurer), provided Commissioners with an update on the center’s activities and enrollment. The infant room is at 83% capacity. The toddler room is 87% filled and the preschool room is at 99% capacity. Two children are enrolled with the Head Start program. Currently there are no families enrolled using the sliding fee scale, and scholarship funding of $10,000 for 2006 remains available. The center distributed $2,111 in scholarship funds last year. The center raises funds through grants and an auction and various fundraising events. Fundraising events planned for 2006 include an Easter Egg Hunt and booths at the County Fair, Winter Fest and Tommyknockers, plus several smaller events. The center’s website, www.eaglesnestelc.org can be referenced for details. (Coming soonest - in March - it’s the “Dinner and a Movie” event.) Commissioner Nicholson commended Brown and Smith for their progress in broadening funding/marketing/accounting efforts without compromising the quality of the care offered. The center received high scores in its evaluation of both the Infant/Toddler program (an average of 5.6 for the three rooms) and for the preschool (6.3). The rating scale ranges from 0-7. Nicholson said almost no one in the State gets scores as high as Eagles’ Nest and that the center is getting known Statewide because of it. Responding to the question of adequate pay for the teacher being sought, Brown said she had conducted salary surveys within the childcare industry and Gilpin is paying slightly more than other centers. The rate of pay is competitive with other employment opportunities within the County, including casinos, she said. From the gallery, a man asked why he was “being forced to pay, via taxes, for a private business?” (The center is being subsidized $75,000 by the County in 2006). His question was answered by Nicholson at the final public comment period of the meeting. She likened the center to Mountain Family Health Center and Gilpin Ambulance. Both are private organizations but as 501 c-3 (non-profit organizations like Eagles’ Nest), she distinguished them as different from “business.” All three, she said, benefit the community, have trouble surviving on their own, and their loss would be felt by the community if their services were not available. The philosophy of the current and prior Board of County Commissioners was to contribute to such organizations, said Nicholson, calling it a difference in philosophy from that held by the questioner. County Attorney Petrock pointed out that the State also recognizes and supports such organizations through Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) grants.

Veterans Request Funding for Memorial Completion

  Commissioners voted to donate $2,000 to the local post of the American Legion to cover incurred and projected completion costs for the Veterans’ Memorial at the Recreation Center. Another stone and a plaque are still coming according to Teodoro Dominguez for the American Legion and Linold Begg. Both appeared in person, making a request for $1,500. They had already raised $3,900 of the approximate $5,300 total cost, they said. The Memorial is to be officially dedicated on Armed Forces Day, May 20 2006, 11:00 a.m. Plans, so far, include the tolling of the bells, a 21-gun salute and releasing white pigeons to honor the dead. The “Taps” player from the Veterans’ Day ceremony at the Memorial has agreed to return, said Begg, and the Gilpin School band will play. The American Legion and VFW hope to be able to offer refreshments in the Recreation Center following the ceremony.

Assessor Report for December 2005

  Gilpin County Assessor Anne Schafer submitted the Assessor’s Monthly Report for December 2005. Schafer will be representing Colorado at the International Assessor’s Association Organization and is chairing the Colorado Assessors Association, District Three. Personal Property Declarations (sent to commercial business personal property owners) were prepared in December for mailing in January. Notices of Valuation to each property owner, plus information on the Senior Property Exemption, will be included in the January Tax Notices sent by the County Treasurer. As 2007 is an intervening year, Schafer’s report stated that values should not change for the majority of properties.

Victims Services Report

  A copy of the fourth quarter 2005 expenditures of Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant funding from the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice for Gilpin County Victim Services shows $41,909 spent on personnel to help Gilpin’s citizens in times of crisis or when they’ve been victims of crimes. Including the fourth quarter figures, Gilpin County’s Victims Services provided help to eight victims of child physical abuse, eight victims of child sexual abuse, two victims of DUI/DWI crashes, 149 victims of domestic violence, nine victims of adult sexual assault, ten victims of elder abuse, two robbery victims, 123 assault victims and 477 victims in need of other types of crisis response. Counseling, criminal justice support, victim compensation, personal advocacy and the needed follow-up accounted for most of the workload. Total number of victims helped in 2005 was 3,538 (788 of those were victims of crime), up 213 from the projected number of victims. Maintaining enough trained volunteers to adequately meet the needs of the Victims Services department is expressed as “a challenge” and “a frustration” in the report. Last year’s program began in January 2005 with three volunteers and ended in December 2005 with only one. Volunteers provided 124 total direct hours of service last year, not including fundraising, administrative or clerical activities. The report was prepared and presented to Commissioners by the County’s Victims Services Coordinator, Monica Woznicki. Woznicki also included a copy of the 2005-2006 Victim Assistance and Law Enforcement (VALE) grant report. The funding awarded ($35,000) partially funds the $54,000 coordinator salary. There is also an advocate position salaried at $36,000. Benefits packages of $13,000 and $15,000 for the coordinator and advocate respectively, plus $5,000 overtime expenses for the advocate and operating and travel expenses of approximately $30,000 (total annual cost of the program is $152,600) comprise the remaining program expenditures and are covered by a partnership between the County and the cities of Black Hawk and Central.

Extended Bus Service to County-IGA Amended

  Commissioners recessed for ten minutes, then continued their meeting by honing the expanded bus service agreement with Black Hawk Transportation Authority. They passed three motions. The first amended a proposal to be submitted to BHTA providing for bus service to be up to 84 hours per week and designating points of destination (all to meet American Disabilities Act requirements) as the School, Justice Center, Community Center, Library, Pete’s Beaver Park Inn and the Rollinsville Grocery Store going north, and Gold Mountain Village Apartments to the south. Commissioner Price disagreed with a stipulation in the amendment calling for stops to be added or deleted only by Gilpin County (providing the parties agree on appropriate adjustments in payment by the County for such changes). He said the changes should be left up to BHTA, “the experts.” Commissioner Nicholson said the stipulation was to allow the County to participate in the decision if BHTA wants to make changes, as the County has no vote privilege on the BHTA Board. She and Commissioner Whitman voted in favor of the amended proposal, Price voted against. Commissioners then passed a motion to accept the Intergovernmental Agreement, as amended and a motion to establish the contract with BHTA. Price voted against the final two motions, as well. The proposed, amended, IGA must now be submitted to BHTA for their consideration.

No Gilpin County Support for Amendment 38

  Finally, the Commissioners directed their Colorado Counties Incorporated (CCI) representative, Commissioner Price, to inform CCI that Gilpin County’s official stand on Amendment 38 (which changes the process of introducing and voting on initiatives and referenda) is that, “We don’t like it.” The result of Amendment 38, according to County Manager Roger Baker, would be a probable increase in the number of such referenda and initiatives that would have to be handled at the County and at the State level.