Board of County Commissioners of Lincoln County

Agenda for July 30, 2009

9:00 Call to order and Pledge of Allegiance

9:05 Public Health Director Tonda Scott to present a revised WIC contract for signature

9:30 Sheriff Tom Nestor to discuss one of the old police cars to be sold

10:30 Veterans Service Officer Parker Newbanks to give an update on office activities

1. Approve the minutes from the July 20, 2009 meeting

2. Cancel Landfill check #11104 written to the Colorado Department of Public Health on April 6, 2009 for $716.45 since they cannot find it and County General checks #9353 written to Casey Jagers on August 29, 2008 for $55.60 because it was lost and #7830 written to Overhead Door on January 31, 2008 for $235 since it has never cleared the bank

3. Review the June report of revenues and expenditures for County General and a revised one for Library

4. Review an application from D & D Water Service, LLC to charge at the county landfill

5. Review the weed control plan submitted by Dr. Stanley Martin

6. Review and act on the paperwork submitted by Lincoln Community Hospital for renewal of the license for the ambulance service and each of the ambulances

7. Review a State Highway Access Code Notice to Proceed issued to Castle Rock Construction Company of Colorado LLC

8. Review a letter of support for a USDA grant application submitted by Dan Merewether for a small wind turbine

9. County Commissioners’ reports

10. County Administrator’s report

11. Old business

a. Discuss purchasing a van to replace one of the older ones

b. Discuss the request for a part time office manager for the Retired Senior Volunteer Program

12. New business

The Board of Lincoln County Commissioners met at 9:00 a.m. on July 30, 2009. The following attended: Chairman Ted Lyons, Commissioners Steve Burgess and Gary Beedy, County Administrator Roxie Devers and Clerk to the Board Corinne M. Lengel. Kay Christie with The Limon Leader and the Eastern Colorado Plainsman attended from 9:20 a.m. until noon.

Chairman Lyons called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance, and then Public Health Director Tonda Scott met with the Board to present a revised WIC contract for their signature. She commented that some of the contracts were arriving later than usual since everything had to be changed over from Lincoln County Nursing Service to Lincoln County Public Health.

Mr. Beedy made a motion to sign the WIC contract in the amount of $39,181.00 for the period of October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010. Mr. Burgess seconded the motion, which carried unanimously.

Ms. Scott informed the Board that they will be starting seasonal flu vaccinations the beginning of October, and also touched briefly on the H1N1 virus and vaccinations for it.

She also wanted the Board to be aware of the fact that some of their bills show a late fee or an overage (such as the credit card bill), due to the timing of when those bills come in. Mr. Burgess said all of the credit card bills should come in at the same time for all of the departments, and Ms. Scott responded that the overage was from when Karen Mosher ordered something that put her over the credit limit. Mr. Burgess cautioned that the commissioners did not want that to happen and Ms. Scott should make sure that her staff uses a different card if the time comes when they absolutely have to purchase something prior to the cut-off date.

Ms. Scott also verbally updated the Board on the same points she had turned in via paper format at the last meeting regarding the school nurse program. She is searching for a nurse who can work thirty-five hours, but if she can’t find one, she intends to request someone for twenty-five hours and then that person will handle both the school nurse position and the STEPP position.

Mr. Beedy asked Ms. Scott if she had seen any cuts on the state level regarding her department, but the only thing she has seen is for the tobacco program.

At 9:30 a.m., Sheriff Tom Nestor and Hugo Town Manager Gary Ensign met with the Board to discuss one of the old patrol cars to be sold. The sheriff said that the town is in need of a car, and he is not opposed to donating the 2002 Ford that the overdrive has gone out of. The Board agreed it would not be a problem to donate the vehicle to the Town of Hugo.

Mr. Burgess made a motion to approve the minutes from the meeting held on July 20, 2009, after the correction of “both” to “all local”. Mr. Beedy seconded the motion, which carried unanimously.

Weed Coordinator Wayne Shade stopped by to discuss the weed truck and the fact that the regulator on the pump is leaking and should probably be replaced. He said he’d try to make it through the end of the season before doing something, but if the Board wanted him to take it to Washington again, it is on the third year between inspections. He only asked that the county pay for his hotel rooms and fuel, as he would pay for the meals. He added that he tends to go through approximately 684,000 gallons of water each year, which doesn’t include the chemicals that get pumped through. The Board agreed it was probably time for the general maintenance to be done again, but asked that Wayne wait as long as he could and at least try to get through October. Ms. Devers reminded them that there is money in the weed fund that could be used for the trip.

Mr. Shade also informed the Board that the railroad had sprayed the leafy spurge along their right-of-way on Dave Thompson’s property that he had been concerned about.

Mr. Burgess made a motion to cancel the following checks: Landfill check #11104, written to the Colorado Department of Public Health on April 6, 2009, in the amount of $716.45, since they cannot find it; County General check #9353, written to Casey Jagers on August 29, 2008, in the amount of $55.60, because it was lost; and County General check #7830, written to Overhead Door on January 31, 2008, in the amount of $235.00, since it never cleared the bank. Mr. Beedy seconded the motion, which carried unanimously.

The Board reviewed the June report of revenues and expenditures for the County General fund and a revised one for the Library fund, as well as an application from D & D Water Service, LLC to charge at the county landfill.

Mr. Burgess made a motion to allow D & D Water Service, LLC to charge at the county landfill. Mr. Beedy seconded the motion, which carried unanimously.

Also reviewed was the weed control plan submitted by Dr. Stanley Martin, and the paperwork submitted by Lincoln Community Hospital for renewal of the license for the ambulance service and each of the ambulances.

Since Ms. Devers had not received all of the paperwork she needed, Mr. Burgess suggested they table action on the ambulance renewal until the paperwork is received.

The Board reviewed a State Highway Access Code Notice to Proceed issued to Castle Rock Construction Company of Colorado, LLC, as well as a letter of support for a USDA grant application submitted by Dan Merewether for a small wind turbine. Ms. Devers said that since there had been a time frame in which to submit the letter, she had asked Mr. Lyons to come in and sign it earlier in the week.

At 10:30 a.m., Veterans Service Officer Parker Newbanks met with the Board to give an update on office activities. Mr. Newbanks provided reports for the past several months, and then updated the Board on his May conference. Since it went an extra day, he commented that he may be slightly over his budget in that line item. He also wanted the Board to be aware that he would have to start shredding some old files, but since he has never done so, he wanted to get guidance from the state before he begins.

Mr. Beedy reported that he attended the Colorado East Community Action Agency board meeting on July 23, and the Economic Development board meeting on July 27. They are still waiting on a few more contributions, but seem to have enough funding to run the program through mid-October. On the Twenty-ninth, he met with Clellan Pearce with E.T. Technologies, Inc., regarding fuel storage tanks and asked that his bid include everything—even the concrete work and an explosion-proof light pole.

Mr. Burgess reported that he attended the Child Welfare meeting on July 22 and there is still talk of wanting the Social Services departments in the small counties to regionalize and be run by the state. On July 28, Mr. Burgess received a call from Town of Arriba mayor Ted Grundmeier, who was concerned with the county using College Avenue as a haul route. Mr. Burgess told him they would find an alternative method, and he contacted Chris Monks about it as well. On the Twenty-ninth, Mr. Burgess received phone calls from Wayne Rudder, who wanted to voice his concern with the county putting on the Premise ID of which he is opposed, and from Rob Raines regarding the issue with the access to his property. Earlier this morning, he obtained a bid from Limon Chrysler on a new Dodge van.

Mr. Lyons reported that he and Wayne Shade checked roads and weeds on July 23, and then he attended the hospital board meeting. They have started their electrical renovation project, although apparently the state is now saying that they really didn’t need to do it at all. Mr. Lyons asked Mr. Schreivogel who their IT person was at the hospital, but was told they are rather expensive. He also asked Tony Lyons for any recommendations. On July 24, Mr. Lyons participated in a conference call with RC&D, and on the Twenty-fifth, he and Wayne Shade checked the areas where there had been contact, either by the county or Greg King, regarding noxious weeds. Several landowners have started working on the problem. Last evening, after the rain, Mr. Lyons checked on several roads and areas hit by the storm, and earlier this morning, he reported receiving a phone call from Kay Rudder regarding the Premise ID. Mr. Lyons said he explained to her that he felt the commissioners were doing the right thing for the 4-H kids, but Ms. Rudder disagreed with the commissioners’ decision.

Ms. Devers reported that the bus driver, Cooper Neville, resigned her position, so she put an ad in the newspapers for this week and next. Also, Lisa Yowell called after receiving the county’s response to Plains Heating’s questionnaire. She said the $90 service charge is standard for calls outside of Limon. If someone comes to the courthouse and is there for a matter of minutes, then the charge will be $45 or $60. The cost of the blower mowers was the result of using spare parts and the issue with the capacitors is that someone was working on them and they blew out.

Since the grant for the hospital’s electrical upgrades expires August 31, 2009, Ms. Devers wrote to Greg Etl and asked for a six-month extension. Also, the grant applications to the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund (GOCO) are due no later than August 26, 2009. The total project cost for a mini-grant cannot exceed $60,000, with $45,000 the maximum grant request. The maximum grant request for Local Parks and Outdoor Recreation grants is $200,000, with no maximum on the total project cost. Ms. Devers asked the Board if they would like to apply for GOCO grant funds this cycle, but they chose to wait until next April. Mr. Burgess commented that they absolutely have to begin working on the restroom facilities at the fairgrounds once this year’s fair is over.

Ms. Devers said that the employee with the Colorado Sales Tax Investigations Division checked on Y.E.S. Systems and reported that Jim Jeffries hasn’t paid sales tax for years, other than a payment of $10 for 2009. She talked to Mr. Jeffries and he said he sold the business in April. As a result, the only thing the county can do is submit a written request for an audit of his records and the recent issue of a possible sale of chemicals will have to be verified through receipts.

Ms. Devers commented that each department tries to stay on top of doing evaluations for their employees for purposes of step raises or annual reviews, although sometimes there are oversights, but they are corrected when caught. Since the county has a pay schedule with specific time frames for each step, either an evaluation must be done to deny the step raise and give the employee the opportunity to correct their performance, or the raise should be given. Not giving the step raise because the employer hasn’t done an evaluation could create a liability, so Ms. Devers cautioned the commissioners to make certain that Road and Bridge employees are evaluated in a timely manner and that their step raises are given, or not given, accordingly.

Regarding old business, the Board again discussed the purchase of a van to replace one of the older ones. The quote Mr. Burgess obtained from Limon Chrysler was for a 2009 Dodge with a 3.3 liter/V6 engine in the amount of $20,297. Mr. Burgess said he’d discussed the “cash for clunkers” program with Dan Cochran, who thought the vehicle the county wants to trade in would qualify for the $3,500, making the price of the new van approximately $16,797. Mr. Burgess wasn’t sure the 3.3 liter engine would be big enough, so he placed a call to Chris Monks, but had to leave a message.

Discussion then ensued regarding the request for a part-time office manager for the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, but Mr. Burgess said he would like to see if Kit Carson County would share the cost, since the person would be helping out in both counties. Mr. Beedy added that he preferred Ms. Phythian wait until budget time and turn the request in then. Ms. Devers said she would e-mail Carol Fritz with Kit Carson County and ask if Ms. Phythian had discussed it with the Kit Carson County board of commissioners yet.

Wayne Shade stopped back in to inform the Board that he’d spoken with a representative of Kyle Railroad who told him they would begin spraying the railroad rights-of-way again in a week or two.

Chris Monks called back and when asked about the power of a 3.3 liter engine in comparison with a 3.8, he said he really didn’t see that there would be much difference.

Mr. Burgess made a motion to purchase a 2009 Dodge van from Limon Chrysler for $20,297, less the $3,500 for a 1998 Ford Crown Victoria. Mr. Beedy seconded the motion, which carried unanimously.

Information on Aztec cargo containers was reviewed, and the county can get one for $2,450 with an additional $300 delivery fee.

As for new business, Ms. Devers said that she was working on the USDA grant for the console at the sheriff’s office and wanted to know how the Board wanted her to split the request for funding. She currently had a total of $23,000, but had asked Sheriff Nestor to see if there was anything else that would be needed, as they could request up to $25,000. She had the split at $14,000 federal funding and $9,000 county funding, with $4,000 coming from the E911 budget, $4,000 coming from the EMS Subsidy money, and $1,000 coming from Capital Projects, but the Board asked her to make it a seventy/thirty split instead.

Mr. Burgess said he had other old business; Rob Raines had brought him a map and showed him where T-Cross Ranches has put up gates along the section line. The gates were open for most of Mr. Raines’ harvest, but then they put up a gate and Bob Raines accidentally drove through it. Raines’ did fix the gate, but Mr. Burgess felt that they should put in a county road twenty-four or thirty feet wide along approximately one mile of Section 7, Township Eleven South, Range 56 West. Apparently, Norris’ are using another landowner’s fence line to fence in their bulls, and are actually encroaching into the county right-of-way by doing so. Mr. Beedy asked if Elbert County had abandoned their right-of-way and Ms. Devers wanted to know how far into the Elbert County right-of-way the new road would go. Mr. Burgess said it would be about fifteen feet each way, with a fifteen foot ditch on either side. Mr. Lyons said that Raines’ will take care of the property dispute, but he will use the survey pins from the survey that Mr. Norris had done to build the road, once he speaks with Chris Monks.

Mr. Beedy said that according to the receipt for the chemicals in question regarding Y.E.S. Systems collecting sales tax, it was a direct shipment from Houston, purchased through Kolb & Company, not Y.E.S. Systems, so no local sales tax would have been collected.

County Clerk Corinne Lengel spoke with the Board about digitizing all of the old records in her vault for historical purposes, as many of the old books are now being used by researchers. She commented that the activity has increased dramatically in the past several months, and the wear and tear on the books has caused many of them to come apart and the pages to come loose. Several counties have had digitization done in the past with a company out of Denver; ImageBASE, LLC. Ms. Lengel said that Bill O’Dell from the company stopped in this week to visit with her, and she allowed him to take a few pages with him, in order to see the quality of the image once it is digitized. Mr. O’Dell suggested starting a phase-in plan wherein a certain number of documents would be digitized per year, according to what the county could afford.

Mr. Beedy stated that the project had begun back in 2000 or 2001 with the County Treasurer, but that something had happened and the clerk’s office never got their records done. Ms. Lengel said she thought that company went out of business. Although she has been thinking about it for several years, she never did anything because there weren’t that many people handling the books and microfiche cards, but that has now changed and she believes the time has come to start the project, even though it will be quite costly.

Ms. Lengel explained that Mr. O’Dell suggested having a complete inventory of records done, which would cost around $2,000. However, she does not have that in her budget at this time. Mr. Lyons suggested that Mr. O’Dell come out and speak with the Board, so Ms. Lengel will contact him and set something up.

Ms. Lengel also informed the Board that one researcher in particular has asked for hundreds of copies in the past few weeks, and it is causing quite an extra work load on her staff. Since the county only receives a quarter a copy, due to legislation, Ms. Lengel said she had finally limited the gentleman to what the staff could get done. Mr. Burgess wanted to know if there was a way to compensate for the legislative change in the copy fee, but Ms. Lengel said the statute is clear that a “regular” sized document cannot cost more than twenty-five cents per page. Mr. Burgess wanted to know if they could make the copies larger and thus charge more, but Ms. Lengel said she would have to read the statute again, or possibly get Mr. Kimble’s interpretation of it.

Ms. Lengel also said she made a trip to Holyoke to check out the machine Phillips County uses to make copies of their microfiche cards, but that she was not impressed with it. Rio Blanco County has a different machine, but she has not had time to go and look at it yet. She added that she does still have $10,000 in the budget designated for the machine, but the one that Rio Blanco County has cost about $13,000. At any rate, she will have to do something soon, as the old Reader/Printer can’t hold out forever, and with the use it has been getting, she’s afraid it will quit working altogether.

The Board approved the July payroll and expense vouchers for the month and then, with no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned until 9:00 a.m. on July 31, 2009.

________________________________________ ______________________________

Corinne M. Lengel, Clerk to the Board Ted Lyons, Chairman