Larimer County Board of County Commissioners - Administrative Matters 7/16/24

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 Chair of the Region 2 Opioid Abatement Council, Tom Gonzalez, provided an update on the structure of the Council, priorities, and initial funding amounts. The information will be part of the first report on the Council’s activities. 
• Justin Weitzel, Emergency Services Director for the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, discussed current fire danger conditions in Larimer County. He said drought exposure continues to gain in severity, but at this time does not recommend restrictions. 

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, Commissioner Kefalas reviewed the Consent Agenda that was unanimously approved.

The Consent Agenda included agreements, appointments, liquor license renewals, miscellaneous (including multiple stipulations as to Tax Year 2023 Values), and resolutions. Notable items:  

• A contract for $235,750 with the Colorado Youth Corps and Economic Workforce Development for fire mitigation as part of the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program. This project integrates with the United States Forest Service (USFS) Magic Feather prescribed fire to the west, the USFS Magic Sky cut/pile/burn treatment to the east, and the USFS Red Feather thinning project to the north. 
• Full-Term Appointments to the Parks Advisory Board for Jeannie Mounts and Joe Bakel beginning July 16, 2024, and ending June 30, 2027.
• Rescind Appointment to the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisory Board for Jaxen Maynor.
• Advance a 2025 legislative proposal through Colorado Counties Inc. (CCI)’s legislative priority process for Concealed Carry for Non-Post Certified Deputies. The Larimer County proposal would modify SB 24-131, Prohibiting Carrying Firearms in Sensitive Spaces, that became effective on July 1, 2024 and prohibits all carrying of firearms (both open and concealed) in buildings where “the chambers or galleries of a local government’s governing body are located” or where “a meeting of a local government’s governing body is being conducted” or within 100 feet of a polling location.” The statute contains an exception for peace officers, but does not exempt all peace officers; only those who are POST certified. Larimer County has a number of peace officers who perform safety and/or code enforcement functions and have been or could be deputized by the Sheriff, but are not POST certified.

Commissioner Shadduck-McNally introduced her guests from the Region 2 Opioid Abatement Council to provide an update. The Council administers the regional share of Opioid Settlement funds and is one of 19 in the State of Colorado. Larimer County acts as the fiscal agent for the region. Shadduck-McNally serves as the Co-Chair of the Council and introduced Tom Gonzalez, Chair and Director of Health and Environment for the County. 

Gonzalez provided an overview of the council, funding decisions to date, and future plans. The information will be included in an initial report on the Council’s activities. The Council consists of voting members from Larimer County, the City of Loveland, the City of Fort Collins, the Town of Wellington, the Town of Estes Park, and the Board of Health as well as technical advisory members (including individuals with lived experience) and subject matter experts. 

 Gonzalez said the council is fortunate that Larimer County has infrastructure for services. The plan is to use funds to fill gaps based on data and the committee’s expertise. 

Gonzalez shared slides with information on the priority areas for funding in 2022-2024 of $5.5 million, shares and amounts of funding for types of programs, and the organizations that were funded. (See 3 attached images.) The Opioid Settlement Funds are being dispersed over 17 years. These initial years of funding frontload the spending, as per the settlement.  

The Commissioners asked about the availability of funds in the future, the sustainability of programs with short-term funding, assessment of the effectiveness of funded programs, and outreach to a broad base of community groups to participate in delivering programs. 

Gonzalez and his staff responded. If future settlements are reached, then there could be additional funds. Regarding sustainability, they have discussed this with the grantees. The front loading of funds covered the costs of establishing new programs that will hopefully enable their continuation. To ensure the effectiveness of programs, the Council has invested in a data-driven evaluation including requirements that funded organizations submit detailed reports. Members of the Council said they have a priority for transparency and outreach to a broad base of community groups. However, to keep administrative costs low and deliver needed services quickly, they used targeted grants and did not establish a competitive process. 

Discussion Items

Behavioral Health Services requested approval and issuance of a Behavioral Health 

Secure Transportation license and single vehicle permit for Adlan Transportation. Laura Walker, Director for Human and Economic Health Services, discussed the vetting process the county has established to review applications. Staff reviewed Adlan’s submission and recommended approval. Following a discussion the Commissioners unanimously approved the license and permit. 

Justin Weitzel, Emergency Services Director for the Sheriff’s Office provided an update on the current fire danger conditions in Larimer County. Drought exposure continues to gain in severity. However, the majority of current indices do not support recommending restrictions. The commissioners accepted his assessment. Weitzel will return next week with a new assessment. 

The Commissioners asked questions about recent changes in weather, and they questioned if the county could need more than one recommendation,given its size and varied conditions. They seek steps to proactively inform the public. They also discussed providing the public with timely data and information about fire prevention. Weitzel reported that his office is developing a website with real time data that they plan to launch this year.  He will also follow up on sharing additional information through press releases as suggested. 

 Next Meeting

July 23, 2024, 9 a.m. at 200 West Oak, Ste. 2200 80521 or live streamed.

Questions to Consider

How would citizens like to receive information about fire risk and steps they can take to prevent and respond to fires? 

*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.