Larimer County Administrative Matters Meeting 11/14/23

For more information see the full notes document here.*

View the meeting agenda and packet.

A video recording of the meeting is available here.

Commissioners intend to follow up on Prospect Energy Leaks and Violations

Two public commenters talked about Prospect Energy and the recent spill leak that occurred. Commissioner Stephens stated that Prospect Energy is a bad actor, she is concerned and she will follow up further. She also stated the county has allocated budget dollars for greater enforcement. Commissioner Kefalas commented that the government employee response to the leak was fast and he will follow up on how information about the leak was communicated to the community. An infrared camera was purchased by the county to help identify leak violations. He will follow up on what powers the county has on cease-and-desist decisions. Commissioner Shadduck-McNally said she is also disappointed with Prospect Energy and she believes the state has a scheduled hearing with them shortly. She said there will be further discussions with staff on how to handle companies that have repeated violations over a period of time.

Larimer County Sheriff’s Office summarizes Emergency Operations for 2023

• An emergency operations medical program was started recently with one FTE.
• Year to date there have been 111 high-risk medical incident call responses and 120 hours of crisis medical care training provided.
• In about a month an additional FTE will support the program.
• The wildfire partners program has performed 63 home inspections this year and done 83 voluntary home assessments over the past four months.
• A local suppression team has supported wildfire fighting efforts seven times across the country in 2023. A local tactical team has performed local wildfire mitigation work on over 80 acres in Larimer County in 2023 and assisted in several search and rescue areas and prescribed burn fires in Feather Lakes.

Commissioner Shadduck-McNally asked how this work is funded. The majority of the work is funded through grants. There were 39 responses to fire events this year, ranging from smoke sightings to fully developed wildfire firefighting operations. Several pieces of federal legislation aim to increase wildfire firefighter hourly pay and overall incident response pay. These higher costs would be partially passed on locally if federal firefighting responses occurred in the region.

Commissioner Kefalas asked about better ways to predict wildfire resources needed into the future.

Emergency Operations Center Funding aims for $20-$25 million

Commissioner Kefalas asked about Emergency Operations Center Funding efforts. The total estimated costs are $20-$25 million. An application for a federal grant will be made in the spring with a maximum listed value of $3 million. Some applicants have received more than that amount, so that is the hope. It is anticipated that the sale of the existing emergency operations center will generate several million dollars.

Sky Ride LLC Behavioral Health Secure receives License and Vehicle Permit

There is a request for a Class A transportation license for three years and one type one vehicle annual permit. Commissioner Stephens asked what would happen if an additional vehicle was needed. The company would have to submit an additional vehicle permit application. Commissioner Shadduck-McNally asked about requirements. The provider needs to submit vehicle inspections and photographs and document proper training. Commissioners approved the permit 3-0.

Questions to Consider

Will Larimer County take legal action against Prospect Energy?

How will the 20-25 million dollars for a new Emergency Operations Center be funded? How long can the county wait to fund a new center?

Next Meeting

11/21/23 at 9a.m. by Zoom or at the Courthouse

*Citizen Observers further the commitment of the League of Women Voters to its principle of Citizens Right to Know, however, we are not acting as journalists. Omissions and errors are possible. It is assumed that users of this information are responsible for their own fact-checking. This could include contacting a government clerk, conversing with an elected official or staff, and/or asking us to speak to the Observer who attended.