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Contact Your Commissioners |
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Kevin McCasky
Kathy Hartman, Chair
Jim Congrove
303.271.8525
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Message to Voters: Be Prepared! |
 Contributed by Pam Anderson, Jefferson County Clerk & Recorder
As the 2008 Presidential Election quickly approaches, it is time to begin preparing yourself to vote. In addition to choosing our nation's next President and Vice President, your ballot contains choices for U.S. Senate and Congress, several state and local elected officials, the retention of judges, eighteen different statewide ballot issues and questions, as well as various local issues and questions.
It has been reported that Colorado will have the longest ballot in the nation this year, so there is a lot to decide. With such a long ballot, it could take anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes for each voter to read and mark his or her ballot.
Colorado election professionals are anticipating that up to 95% of all active registered voters will participate in this election. Such a high turnout is very exciting, and it is important that everyone who chooses to vote in this election has the opportunity to make sure his or her voice is heard.
But have you given any thought to how you are going to cast your ballot this year?
As a Jefferson County voter, you have options:
- You can apply for and receive a ballot in the mail. Ballots will begin arriving the second week of October. There are 11 ballot drop-off locations, and the long ballot will require two first-class postage stamps if you choose to mail your ballot.
- You can visit any one of eight Early Voting locations throughout Jefferson County, between October 20 and October 31, in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
- You can visit your assigned neighborhood precinct-polling place on Election Day.
Any of these options are yours to choose and each will give you an opportunity to cast your vote, but as your Clerk and Recorder, I'd like to make a suggestion: Be Prepared!
Realizing that the ballot will be long and a record number of voters are expected to vote this year, I recommend that you review your options and consider voting early. To make it easy to prepare for your voting experience, go to www.votejeffco.com where you can access:
You can choose to vote by mail. You can choose to vote early. You can cast your ballot at your precinct polling place on Election Day.
But remember, November 4 is not the only day to cast your ballot; it is the last day to cast your ballot.
For more information about voting options please visit www.votejeffco.com or call (303) 271-8111.
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| Transparent Jeffco - Inform & Engage! |
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Transparency in government means better visibility, openness, and accessibility to local government financial activity, leadership, results, and communication. Jeffco officials are commited to creating a new feature of the Jefferson County Web site to include citizens in open, accessible government and to help shape this positive and beneficial path.
Transparent Jeffco will have more information about the new Web feature and will provide you an opportunity to tell us your priorities and what you'd like to see. Look for the first release of the Web site sometime in October. Future phases or releases will contain more content based on feedback from you, the citizen.
County leaders and citizens need to work together in shaping the direction of Transparent Jeffco. Help us build a stronger Jefferson County, so we need to know what matters to you - please get involved!
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| New Table Mountain Animal Center Building to go Forward |
 With a new animal center urgently needed to replace the existing Table Mountain Animal Center that is too small and inadequate for today's needs, the Board of County Commissioners adopted a resolution allocating $3 million to "jumpstart" the building project. Upon moving for approval of the resolution, Commissioner Kevin McCasky said that this is, "a wonderful opportunity for us to jump start a new facility that is long over due and needed. At the same time, we'll be able to continue a partnership with all of the member governments that make up the Table Mountain Animal Center and especially with its Foundation that participates continually with such a committed group of citizens for a wonderful cause." Table Mountain Animal Center (TMAC) , the second largest animal welfare organization in the Denver metro area, was created in 1978 through an Intergovernmental Agreement between Jefferson County and the cities of Arvada, Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, Golden, Westminster, Morrison, Mountain View and Edgewater. It is a separate legal entity with the authority to "improve, construct, maintain, repair, control, regulate and operate . . . a complete animal shelter." The existing Animal Center is located on county-owned property near I-70 and Highway 58. Build in 1976, the current building was designed to accommodate approximately half of the 10,000 animals that the Center currently cares for on an annual basis. Under the resolution adopted this week by the BCC, Jefferson County will provide a site on the Jefferson County Fairgrounds adequate to construct a one-story animal center of approximately 30,000 square feet. Jefferson County will lease that site to TMAC for a term of 50 years. Use of the site will be restricted to use by TMAC for construction and operation of an animal center, veterinary clinic and other ancillary uses. "This is an initiative that, for many of us, is close to our hearts," McCasky said. Jefferson County will contribute $3 million for the construction of the animal center and will finance an additional $3 million using all revenues from the county-wide dog licensing program to repay the financing. TMAC will own the animal center building during that term. Table Mountain Animal Center's Foundation has committed to providing the additional funds for the animal center as well, which it will raise through private donors in a capital campaign. "I would like to express on behalf of the Table Mountain Animal Center Board, Foundation, volunteers, donors and staff, our great appreciation and support of this resolution," Nick Fisher, Executive Director of TMAC, said. "I would like to thank the three commissioners, whose support for the animal shelter has been outstanding through this entire process in order to help the citizens, and especially the animals of Jefferson County, get a brand new home. With this new facility, we are planning not only a better temporary home-away-from-home for lost and abandoned animals, but to provide more resources for the community, such as training, education and on-site medical services." All Jefferson County citizens can help to support the efforts to build a new facility and fund its programs by making sure to license their dogs. For more information on licensing, please visit http://animalcontrol.jeffco.us or call (303) 271-5070. Visit the Table Mountain Animal Center Web site for more information or to adopt or locate a lost pet. |
| Don't Get Caught in an Email Scam |
Contributed by Sheriff Ted Mink
No one is immune from receiving e-mail scams. Scammers seem to think that if they cast a wide enough net, they will catch some unlucky victims ... and they do.
E-mail scamming itself isn't new, but scammers are constantly thinking up new ways to trick victims out of their money or their identities. Here are some hard and fast rules for e-mail use that can help you stay safe:
1. Don't give an e-mail a second glance if you didn't contact the sender first.
2. Don't be fooled by a logo or professional looking graphics.
3. Do not give out any personal financial information via e-mail.
4. When in doubt, delete.
For more information on the rules above, a list of signs that an email is probably a scam and what to do if you become a victim, please visit the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Web site.
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| West Corridor Light Rail Station Update |
Jeffco continues to work closely with RTD on the West Corridor light rail project and transit station at the Administration & Courts Facility. RTD has been working on designs of the line for more than a year, and construction plans are to begin on the Jeffco station as early as November. To prepare for this construction, the county also has plans to modify and add temporary parking and build a new access road to Johnson Road.
The construction timeline, which is subject to change, currently looks like this:
Light Rail Service:
- West Corridor line will connect the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver to the Jeffco Government Center
- Scheduled to open in 2013
- Train will depart every 15 minutes from the Jeffco station
New Parking Structure:
- 500 new parking spaces
- 135 for Jefferson County use, which will replace the current "overflow" lots
New Access Road:
- A new access road from Jefferson County Parkway to Johnson Road is required to help mitigate traffic issues during construction. The county is currently designing this new road, planning to have it under construction this winter and finished next summer.
Proposed Design:
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| Get Your Flu Shot This Season |
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 Contributed by Nancy Braden, Jefferson County Public Health Communications Coordinator It's the time of year to get your annual flu shot. Vaccination against the flu is the best way to avoid illness from influenza this winter season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends receiving your flu shot as early as October. Getting the shot early will provide immunity through the entire flu season, which generally ends in March. Remember, influenza or "flu" is a serious disease and anyone can get it. Influenza causes an average of 36,000 deaths each year in the U.S., mostly among the elderly. Hospitalization rates among children under one year of age are comparable to that for the elderly, therefore the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now recommending that all eligible children ages 6 months through 18 years receive the influenza vaccine. Immunizing more children against the flu ultimately better protects our communities against an outbreak of flu. By preventing children from getting sick, family members also are protected as well as the many other people these children might come in contact with on a daily basis. In addition to being sure children are vaccinated, anyone who cares for people at risk of serious illness and complications from influenza disease should get their flu shot. This includes all health care workers, parents, grandparents and child care providers of very young children, and caregivers of the elderly. Although you may not get sick yourself, you can pass on the virus to those for whom you care. Be a strong protector and get your flu shot! JCDHE Immunization Clinics will provide flu shots to non-Medicare clients including children six months of age and older at its regularly scheduled immunization clinics. Please call 303-232-6301 for an appointment. The Visiting Nurse Association is partnering again this year with Jefferson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) to provide flu shots at our sites for Medicare recipients 65 years of age and older. These clinics are also open to anyone 9 years of age and older. The Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) is coming soon to JCDHE Clinics:
- Oct. 7 - 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Lakewood
- Oct. 9 - 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Arvada
- Oct. 14 -1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Arvada
- Oct. 16 - 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Lakewood
- Oct. 20 - 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Lakewood
VNA accepts Medicare and charges $25.00 for flu shots, $40.00 for pneumonia vaccine and $30.00 for intra-nasal FluMist.
- For more information and updates on the JCDHE flu program, including vaccine availability, please call our recorded flu information line at 303-239-7161.
- For information on flu clinics throughout the state of Colorado, the Colorado Influenza and Pneumococcal Action Coalition's (CIPAC) Web site provides an online flu-shot clinic locator.
For more information on influenza and JCDHE flu clinics, please call 303-232-6301.
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| Photos of Jefferson County! |
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Thank you to Victoria Swift and Andy Cooper for sending in our first photo submissions.
Victoria's photo was taken when she and her kids stopped to enjoy the beautiful September sunset in Fairmount Park. Andy's photo captured the clouds overlooking Deer Creek Canyon at sunrise.
These, and other great photos submitted by our readers, will be showcased on the Jefferson County Web site and may be selected to be featured here in our county newsletter.  Do you have interesting or dramatic pictures of Jefferson County? Share them with our readers!
Visit the photos page on the Jefferson County Web site to view our current submissions, and for all of the details and specifications on how to submit your own photos. |
| New Public Meeting Calendar |
 The Public Meeting Calendar was developed to make it easier for citizens to identify public meetings taking place in Jefferson County. While state statute requires Jeffco to formally announce many public meetings, the purpose of posting them to the Public Meeting Calendar is to inform as many citizens as possible so they can attend those relevant to them. By attending meetings, citizens can have greater insight into county operations and will be able to actively participate in identifying county priorities and holding public officials accountable for decisions that touch their daily lives. Attending meetings is a great way to learn more about county operations and actively participate in your local government. The Public Meeting Calendar is color-coded so you can easily find the types of meetings that interest you - whether a County Commissioner hearing, a community meeting with Planning & Zoning or a deadline for the Elections department. Just click on the link within the box to read more about a meeting. Don't forget to check back often for new meetings and updates! Our Public Meeting Calendar allows you to view:
- county holidays and building closures
- current and past months meetings and important dates
- Planning & Zoning Comprehensive Master Plan, community meetings, and Planning Commission hearings
- Open Space Advisory Committee public meetings
- Town Hall meetings
- 2008 voting important dates and deadlines
And more and more will be added in the coming months.
Get involved! To view this month's current public meetings and important dates select the link above or click on the "Public Meeting Calendar" graphic on the right side of the Jefferson County Web site home page.
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