Weekly Register-Call/ Gilpin County News

Commissioners object

It was audit time for Gilpin County. Commissioners Forrest Whitman, Jeanne Nicholson and Buddy Schmalz were visited by auditor Wendy Swanhorst (Swanhorst and Company) who apprised them of the audit results.

Audit Snapshot

Auditors reviewed the financial statements of Gilpin’s governmental activities, each major fund and all remaining fund information, offering an unqualified opinion on their findings. The County is funded mainly by property taxes (20% of total revenues, $3,422,936 in 2008) and gaming taxes (57%, $9,773,892). At the end of 2008, Gilpin County’s assets exceeded liabilities by $36,633,008. That included $4,966,641 in unrestricted net assets that could be used to meet ongoing obligations. Total assets were $41,254,804. The General Fund ending balance was $2,619,222. General Fund expenditures were budgeted at $11,716,260. Actual expenditures totaled $10,945,549 ($770,711 below budget). Program revenues for General Government, Public Safety, Highways and Streets, Health and Welfare, Culture and Recreation and Community Development totaled $17,172,626. That fell short of covering total expenditures ($17,483,459) by $310,833. Adding in all of the County’s funds, the combined unrestricted ending fund balance totaled $5,758,177. Capital Assets (land, infrastructure, buildings, improvements, equipment and construction in progress) totaled $41,178,735. The only long-term debt ($303,904) was for compensated absences. Auditors found no transactions that were both significant and unusual nor any unauthorized transactions They did note Library Fund expenditures had exceed the budgeted amounts by about $20,000 which may be a violation of State statutes in that all expenditures require approval by the governing board. They recommended monitoring the Employees’ Retirement fund as it reported a net “loss” of $42,567 in 2008. Finance Director Clorinda Smith explained the County had budgeted to spend the fund down this year as it had an adequate balance to cover the plan. Transfers are made to the account as needed.

2010 Holiday Schedule

Commissioners approved the 2010 Holiday Schedule giving County employees twelve paid holidays. They include New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after, Christmas Eve Day and New Year’s Eve Day. Last year, County employees were given an additional day off (Friday) whenever the actual holiday fell on a Thursday. For 2010, that happens only with the Thanksgiving holiday.

Health Insurance Programs

With Resolution 09-19, Commissioners adopted the Gilpin County Premium Only Plan creating a cafeteria program for employee health, life and disability insurance, payable by payroll deduction, which is excluded from Federal income tax. Part-time employees who work more than 24 hours per week are included in the plan. The health insurance plan is a PPO. There are no changes to the benefits offered. The County picks up the entire monthly premium of around $441 for individual basic medical coverage. Employees contribute $30 per month for the basic family policy; taxpayers contribute about $1,280. Human Resources Director Susie Allen told Commissioners the plan now meets current IRS requirements but warned that laws are changing and revisions will again need to be made next year.

Public Health Educator

A State Tobacco Education and Prevention Grant will fund a Public Health Educator (pay range $20.38 -$29.62 per hour) whose time will be split between Clear Creek and Gilpin Counties. The educator will work in Gilpin 28 hours per week to start with, The County hopes to make this a sustainable position by 2010. Commissioners approved the pay plan. Job qualifications include a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health, Community Health Nursing or comparable education, among others specific to the job description. The educator will be supervised by the Public Health Coordinator, when one has been hired. Commissioner Nicholson said interviews for that position had been completed and an offer will be made to one applicant this week.

Rock Recycling Site

Sentinel Mining and Kitzman Trucking applied for a Special Use Permit to operate an aggregate recycling center in Russell Gulch. Rock from local construction excavation would be trucked to the site (the Glory Hole), sorted and sold for specification projects. Approximately 150,000 cubic yards of rock remains from the fill material deposited at the site during construction of the Central City Parkway. That deposit was a violation of Gilpin County Zoning regulations but neither Central nor the County were aware of it at the time. Central City used some of the material when they built their public works facility. Some of the material is on County lands, but if removed, it could put the foundation of that building at risk by creating a cut-slope within 100 feet of it. Sentinel/ Kitzman have a permit to remove 30,000 cubic yards for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)/Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Church Placer remediation project so are currently in operation. To remove more than that, they need the County permit.

Gilpin County’s Planning Commission reviewed the application at public hearings on July 14 and August 11. (No one from the public commented at that time.) They recommended approval of the Special Use with a list of 17 conditions addressing slope stability, origination and type of imported rock, hours of operation and truck traffic/routes, noise, dust and run-off mitigation, reclamation, fencing, and numerous permitting requirements. After-the fact permit fees totaling $10,500 must be paid as must all back taxes on the properties involved ($7,693 as of July, 2009). Separate grading permits are required for each import contract and all other permits (local, State and Federal) must be obtained.

Commissioners continued this hearing to September 1, 2009, 10:00 a.m., in order to notify Black Hawk officials the proposed route (limited to outbound trips per week) is over Lake Gulch Road to Miners Mesa and on to Highway 119. Joe Behm, speaking for the Central City Business District, said that route posed no problems but business owners in Central would have concerns if the trucks were going through town or using the Parkway. A resident who lives near the site said he had no problems with the operation. Commissioners thanked the applicants, Benjamin Kitzman, Donald McCoy and John Walters who have cooperated every step of the way, including settling the back taxes with the Treasurer before the meeting.

Braecher Ranchettes Mobile Homes

The County will remove two mobile homes from 583 Golden Leaf Way. The structures have been abandoned for at least three years and neighbors have complained. The subdivision is not zoned for mobile homes. Gilpin Assessor records show actual value of the property at $42,780. Assessed value is $3,410. One of the owners of record has died. County officials were able to reach a niece in Kansas in October 2008. She requested and was given an extension, until July 2009, to deal with the matter. She is unable to gain legal title to the property. That leaves the other owner, her grandmother, responsible. She has not responded to County requests. County Ordinance 01-01 provides for removal of unsafe buildings. The cost of removing the trailers will be added to the property taxes, if the owner doesn’t pay for the removal.

ISDS Approvals

203 Long Trail Road: Commissioners approved a pre-treatment Individual Sewage Disposal System (ISDS) for James Taylor’s 0.43-acre Bun-Gun-Zhing Wak property. The system is a repair for an existing house.

469 Ronnie Road: Norval Olson agreed to add 50 square feet to the absorption system and install water-saving fixtures at his 0.96-acre Mary Anna Subdivision property. Commissioners approved the changes, allowing him to add a third bedroom and continue use of a sub-sized ISDS dating from 1973.

Election Matters

Commissioners approved Intergovernmental Agreements (IGA) for Gilpin County School District, Boulder Valley School District, Black Hawk and Central City to participate in a coordinated election with the County on November 3, 2009.

Monthly Departmental Report

Community Development Director Tony Petersen’s July report showed monthly revenues totaled $20,734, the bulk of it ($20,676) coming from building fees. The year’s revenues, as of July, were $112,527. $126,609 had been budgeted. July’s caseload (totaling 16 cases) was mainly handling the building-related matters. The department had handled 97 cases from January to July. $315,860 had been budgeted for the year’s expenditures. The department has used $197,194 leaving a July balance remaining of $118,666.

DOLA $ – Gone?

Governor Ritter’s 2009-2010 budget plan, announced last week, eliminates the Department of Local Affairs grants (applications now in) for this fiscal year. The statewide $5.1 million cut could affect several entities in Gilpin, including local fire departments, Mountain Family Health Center, Eagles’ Nest childcare center, Gilpin Ambulance, the Sheriff’s Office and others who depend on the funding for operations. Commissioners plan to register objections with the Governor. County Manager Roger Baker said he is awaiting official word of the cut from DOLA.

Thanks

Commissioners received a letter from a Gamble Gulch resident in praise of her expertise and weed control program. Shonle coordinates a noxious weed spraying program that Gilpinites can check out from her office and is a resource for folks far beyond Gilpin’s borders in dealing with the non-native foliate invaders.

Help Wanted

Folks with professional experience in history, but especially in architecture, planning, American studies, geography, anthropology and construction are being sought to fill a volunteer position on the County’s Historic Preservation Advisory Commission (HAC).

Contact Ray Rears at 303-582-5831 ex. 3 or rrears@co.gilpin.co.us. Commissioners expect to review applications on October 6^th.

Executive Session

Commissioners conducted a 25 minute mid-morning Executive Session to discuss the Windstream proposal and the Dory Lakes water litigation.

Head’s Up

Gilpin County Commissioners meet next on September 1, 2009. They plan to have a work session about the Windstream (wind turbine) manufacturing proposal to lease the old Road and Bridge building.