Larimer County Board of County Commissioners - Administrative Matters 4/02/24
by Mary Bohman
For more information (including members in attendance) see the full notes document here.*
View the meeting agenda and packet.
When available, a video recording of the meeting will be on the Larimer County Government YouTube channel.
From the Board of Commissioners website:
“Larimer's three-member Board of County Commissioners is the main policy-making body in the County and works to represent the interest of the citizens of Larimer County at local, state and national levels. Commissioners are elected at large from one of three geographic districts for four-year staggered terms. In Larimer County, Commissioners are limited to serving three four-year terms.”
Highlights
The Commissioners and Assistant County Manager recognized Larimer County Natural Resources staff for receiving a $1.5 million grant from Great Outdoors of Colorado to support the purchase of a high-value, unique property near the mouth of the Big Thompson River.
The Commissioners approved three proclamations related to public health, preventing child abuse, and libraries and library workers.
After the Pledge of Allegiance, the Commissioners opened for public comment. There was none.
After approval of the minutes of the previous meeting and a review of next week’s meetings (see packet), Commissioner Kefalas reviewed the Consent Agenda that was unanimously approved.
The Consent Agenda included 5 agreements.
- Professional Services Agreement with Connell Resources, Inc. for Asphalt, Concrete, & Construction Services as needed.
- Drainage Easement Agreement between Larimer County and McReynolds Estes LLC at 467 Riverside Dr., Estes Park
- Agreement with the USDA, Forest Service Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland to provide the County with $176,316 in funding to manage noxious weeds in the Cameron Peak Fire Footprint.
- Ballot Box Lease Agreement between Larimer County and the City of Fort Collins at 1801 Riverside Avenue, Fort Collins
- Agreement with Mythics for $389,640 to provide services to support the County’s Oracle database platform, including migrating to the cloud.
The Consent Agenda also included adoption of a formal position to amend HB 24-1360 Colorado Disability Opportunity Office. The County’s Human Services office seeks to amend the Bill to allow counties to apply for funding from the committee to continue providing disability navigation services. The County will join ongoing advocacy by Colorado Counties, Inc., which has taken a position recommending to amend the bill.
Commissioner Shadduck-McNally introduced Daylan Figgs, Director of Natural Resources and Meegan Flenniken, Planning & Natural Resource Program Manager and their team to recognize receipt of a $1.5 million grant from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) to support the county’s 2022 purchase of a unique and valuable natural area at the mouth of the Big Thompson Canyon. The property is now called “The Blue Mountain Property” and will be renamed and converted to open space, taking into consideration public input.
All the Commissioners and Assistant County Manager Kadrich recognized the commitment of County staff to connect people to nature. Notably, staff built long-term relationships with the landowner that facilitated the purchase. The staff have also successfully built partnerships with other governments and funders such as GOCO to achieve significant expansion in public lands.
The County Commission unanimously approved three proclamations related to county priorities that improve the health and well-being of Larimer County residents.
Commissioners and the Board of Health proclaimed April 1-7 as National Public Health Week in Larimer County with a theme of “Protecting, Connecting and Thriving: We Are All Public Health.” Tom Gonzales, Public Health Director, spoke about the dedication of the county’s 97 staff who provide the invisible shield to protect air and water quality, food safety, and health equity to enable residents to live a healthy life. Deputy Public Health Director Andrea Clement Johnson discussed the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) developed with public input that identifies social connectedness and mental health as priorities.
The Commissioners and Assistant County Manager recognized the critical importance of the work by county staff and the value of the CHIP vision. The Health, Well-Being, and Resilience Dashboard tracks progress and has received positive feedback from the community.
The Commissioners proclaimed April 2024 as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Larimer County. Angela Mead, Deputy Division and Deb Deluca-Forzley, Human Resources Manager highlighted the County’s programs and resources. During April they will have multiple activities including awards for community members and staff events.
All the Commissioners and the Assistant County Manager recognized the value of staff who carry out some of the most difficult and important work for the future of the community. Importantly, the County has placed a priority to support staff in their challenging work.
Proclamation declaring National Library Week beginning April 8 and April 9, 2024 as Library Workers Day to encourage community members to take advantage of library resources and thank library workers for their exceptional contributions. Diane Lapierre, Executive Director of the Poudre Libraries, addressed the Commission along with colleagues about the libraries’ role in the County.
The Commissioners and Assistant County Manager shared personal stories, fond memories, and their life-long connections to libraries. They recognized the dedication of the library staff and innovations including Evie, the first all-electric mobile library and a program with the Department of Natural Resources, Discover Pack, to check out a backpack to discover the county’s parks and open spaces.
Commissioners in the Community
Commissioner Stephens and Shadduck-McNally provided updates. Commissioner Kefalas did not report in light of the time and scheduled executive session.
The meeting was adjourned for an Executive Session at 11 a.m.
Next Meeting
April 9, 2024, 9 a.m. at 200 West Oak, Ste. 2200 80521 or live streamed.
Questions to Consider
How does the County plan to engage community members to establish priorities for the new Blue Mountain Property and other public lands?
How can the County improve public knowledge and understanding of its work to ensure public health?
*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.