CONSENT AGENDA:
Approval of CDS mylars; vouchers; acknowledgement of CDS Pipeline Report; appointment of Commissioner Chris Richardson to Colorado Counties, Inc’s Legislative Committee for 2019.
ACTION ITEM H.1. (Moved to top of Agenda)
A proclamation recognizing National 4-H Week in Elbert County
Read the Proclamation here: https://elbertcoco.civicclerk.com/Web/GenFile.aspx?ad=471
Elbert County CSU Extension Director Kali Benson introduced local 4-H leaders and children who spoke about their participation in 4-H and the values instilled by the program.
STAFF REPORTS:
> County Manager Sam Albrecht outlined upcoming milestones for the county’s 2020 budget: Oct 15, Budget officer must submit proposed budget to the governing body. (C.R.S. 29-1-105) Governing body must publish “Notice of Budget” upon receiving proposed budget. (C.R.S. 29-1-106(1)); Oct 23, next BOCC meeting and presentation to Board; Nov 13, presentation of budget to public at BOCC meeting; Dec 15, delivery of budget to state.
Albrecht announced that several supplemental budget appropriations would be presented at the Oct 23rd BOCC meeting, including: 3 vehicle lease pay-offs and mid-year lease payments for the sheriff’s office; additional bond payments for the Meadow Station and Foxwood Estates bonds; additional appropriation to the Impact Fund for the “live stand system”; monies for repairs to the Simla Road and Bridge shop which suffered roof damage during the spring bomb cyclone.
Elbert County won a $190,000 competitive grant, which along with a matching amount from the county, will be used to update the county’s 10-years-old Western Elbert County Master Transportation Plan. (Editorial comment: We are spending state tax dollars and county tax payer dollars for lots of studies, but we are leaving commercial revenue collections on the table. The abatement of $5 million in impact fees from the Independence developer by commissioners hurts the county budget. State law directs that impact fees be used exclusively for infrastructure improvements. The October Prairie Times’
Elbert County Connection cites the need for $2.5 million in deferred facilities maintenance and upgrades and intimates the commissioners’ desire for a potential mill levy (tax) increase for citizens. According to the unsigned article, “There will be challenging decisions ahead for Elbert County voters and the County’s future.”)
> CDS Director Christina Stanton provided an update on department activities, but her soft-spoken voice and my impaired hearing prevented capture of any details. Of note, the Oct 15 Planning Commission meeting has been canceled. The department’s “pipeline” report of activities and land use applications in work is here: https://www.elbertcounty-co.gov/Elbert%20County%20CDS%20Project%20Updates%202019-07-03.pdf
> County Clerk and Recorder Dallas Schroeder announced that election ballots would be mailed to citizens Friday, Oct 12.
PUBLIC COMMENT
> Citizen Lori Ferrari spoke of the need for animal control services in the county and provided photos to the commissioners of her injured pets and livestock inflicted by neighbors’ dogs. Commissioner Richardson stated he has asked the sheriff’s office to look into reinstating county animal control.
> A county cattle and buffalo rancher decried the county’s recent implementation of foundation and tie-down rules for storage containers. He has two large shipping containers that are used for equipment and feed storage. He had received a letter of non-compliance from the county and questioned the new requirement’s genesis and potential fines. Commissioner Richardson invited him to remain for a scheduled discussion of the new policy later during the meeting. Here is the new policy that was adopted by the county in Nov 2018: https://www.elbertcounty-co.gov/18-07%20Shipping%20Containers%20w%20amended%20language.pdf
And update in 2019: https://elbertcoco.civicclerk.com/Web/GenFile.aspx?ad=472
> Citizen Marlene Groves brought attention to today’s date, Oct 9, 2019, being National Stop Bullying day and October being National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. She called on everyone to stand up against bullying wherever and whenever they encounter it.
> Citizen who lived near CR 176 and CR 45 spoke to animal control issue, stating that she was undecided on whether the county needed to provide the service. She was not in favor of raising taxes to provide the service and thought current state laws may be sufficient.
> Another citizen agreed with the previous speaker saying she was opposed to raising taxes to implement animal control. She lives in a neighborhood with an HOA that imposes fines and penalties for homeowners who allow their animals to run loose.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
1. Deputy County Manager Eileen Krauth provided a briefing on the results of the most recent county citizens’ survey. During the summer of 2019, Elbert County solicited input on the second annual iteration of its online Citizen Engagement Survey. The survey helps the County achieve strategic objective 3.C.1: ensure that Elbert County Government is aware of needs of the citizens we serve. Some highlights: The survey is not scientific; only 579 people responded to the survey compared to 608 respondents in 2018 More women responded in 2019 than in 2018; 85% of respondents live in the western part of the county; responding residents in the eastern part of the county are uniformly concerned about water due to population growth in the county; 42% of respondents think the county is on the wrong track, although 70% of respondents are satisfied with interactions with county employees; level of satisfaction remained high for DMV, snow removal, law enforcement, and emergency response.
Satisfaction with the assessor’s office/property valuation took a nose dive, from 61% to 35%, which was attributed to the fact that 2019 was a revaluation year. The fire protection, library, and parks and recreation special districts all saw slight increases in levels of satisfaction. Top priorities for respondents remain transparency in finances and decision making’, managing growth, safety assurance and protecting natural resources. Over 90% of respondents still believe the county to be a safe place to live and a good place to raise a family. Four questions pertaining to county government leadership showed growing dissatisfaction (See chart 14). Sufficient water supply remains a top concern of residents. Respondents overwhelmingly (67%) prefer housing developments of single family homes on large (5-10) acre lots; 86% want to stop or limit large/dense developments. Priorities for economic development favor agriculture and retail shopping. Thirty two percent of respondents (155) said they would be interested in volunteering on an economic development working group. One staff recommendation was to discontinue this survey in 2020 and move to scientific study in 2021 with an estimated price tag of $20K. See the full survey results presentation here: https://elbertcoco.civicclerk.com/Web/GenFile.aspx?ad=470
2. Permitting Requirements for Shipping Containers Used as Accessory Structures
After a long discussion with questions from citizens, the proposed grandfathering of shipping containers that were placed on properties before Jan 1, 2019 was tabled until a later date. It appears that the genesis of new foundation and anchoring regulations were proposed by an overzealous and new code enforcement employee without regard to consequences or real necessity. The code enforcer reports to the commissioners and levied a requirement on the building department to develop a regulation for shipping containers as a building structure. International building codes do not cover shipping containers. Some citizens have complained about the appearance of shipping containers on small acreage ag/residential lots. Citizens who have not complied with the new rules will not be fined. Back to the drawing board.
ACTION ITEMS:
1. Approval of September 11 and 25 BOCC meeting minutes. One citizen requested corrections to meeting minutes of September 11, Land Use Hearing for the Rampart Heliport. Changes will be incorporated. September 25 minutes were approved.
BOARD PLANNING:
Next BOCC meeting: October 23, 9AM, Administrative Building, Kiowa
Adjournment at 11 am
LAND USE:
1. A proclamation recognizing National Community Planning Month was read.
2. Sarich Rezone (RZ-19-0022) of approximately 40 acres into two 20 acre parcels, located south of CR 86 off of CR 17/21S. Unanimously approved by commissioner vote.
--Susan Shick