Appointments to Commissions and Boards Commissioners reappointed Scott M. Estill and Stanley Ward to the Liquor Licensing Authority. The authority has the ability to issue, cancel, suspend, revoke and approve liquor licenses, review requests for special events, and issue, cancel and revoke dance hall licenses. | |
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BCC Approves Coyote Management Plan
In response to increasing coyote activity in the Denver Metro Area, Commissioners approved a plan for how Jefferson County agencies will respond to sightings and attacks.
 From July 2008 to July 2009, Jefferson County Animal Control officers received 73 reports of coyotes. Four involved aggressive behavior toward people, 19 involved pet attacks or killings and 50 involved sightings or encounters. Wildlife experts believe that urban areas are seeing more coyotes because people are feeding them, which encourages them to venture further into urban areas and become more comfortable around people and pets.
Animal Control, part of the Sheriff's Office, worked with Open Space, the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW), Jeffco Public Health and area park districts to draft a plan that calls for Animal Control to be the repository for coyote reports in unincorporated county areas. Open Space will monitor coyote activity in its parks and report sightings to Animal Control. The Sheriff's Office will continue to work together with CDOW to educate the public on avoiding coyote conflicts.
Commissioners also agreed to consider participating in a metro area study conducted by the National Wildlife Research Center. Participating jurisdictions would share the study's cost of $242,650, of which Jeffco's share has not been determined. Researchers would study coyote behavior and ecology to establish population estimates and determine effectiveness of hazing and public education programs.
Animal Control urges the public to refrain from feeding coyotes or allowing them access to any food sources, like dog food or bird food. To learn more about coyote activity and how to avoid encounters, visit the Sheriff's Office Web site at http://jeffco.us/sheriff/sheriff_T62_R260.htm. |
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County to Launch Web Site Where Public Can View Commissioners' E-mails to Each Other
 The BCC approved a plan to launch a new page on the www.jeffco.us Web site that would allow the public to view real-time e-mail messages among Commissioners.
Because of the county's size and breadth of issues that must be addressed, sometimes with urgency, Commissioners often would like to discuss issues before the Tuesday BCC Hearings or Staff Briefings. However, if two or more Commissioners are discussing something via e-mail, phone or in person, the discussion is considered a quorum and must be public.
To solve this problem, the Information Technology Department and the Public Information Office are creating a way for Commissioners to communicate with each other through e-mail, with the e-mails available to citizens immediately through the Web site. This e-mail correspondence Web page is an added way for the commissioners to communicate with each other on matters that need to be addressed quickly.The BCC's formal resolutions and actions will continue to take place at posted public meetings, which can be viewed online at http://co.jefferson.co.us/bcchearings.htm. To see a schedule of those meetings, go to http://jeffco.us/jeffco/jeffco/.
This new Web page will be for commissioners' discussions only. Citizens who want to provide feedback on any issues raised in the e-mails or to contact the Commissioners privately can still e-mail:
E-mails to those addresses will not be posted to the Web page.
All posted commissioner e-mails will be available online for 30 days. Please stay tuned to this newsletter and the www.jeffco.us Web site for updates on how to access this new feature when it goes live in October. |
BCC Denies Request to Allow Short-Term Rental on Evergreen Property
After considering staff input and listening to applicant and citizen testimony, the Board of Commissioners denied a rezoning request to allow for vacation rental of a single-family home and accessory cabin in Evergreen.
The property owners bought the 4-acre property in the 26000 block of Edelweiss Circle in the early 1990s with plans to retire there, believing that both the home and the cabin had been properly permitted. After remodeling the cabin and renting both buildings out to vacationers, the property owner learned the county did not allow short-term rentals, and the cabin could not be used as a second dwelling on the property.
The County entered into a stipulation in September 2008 that ordered the owners to stop renting the property or take action to rezone the property. Staff had proposed a compromise that would have supported short-term rental on the single-family residence if the cabin were converted into a garage, storage or other structure and not used as a separate living unit. However, under the current request to use both structures as dwellings, staff recommended denial. The cabin does not have adequate water and has not received approval for use on the property's current septic system. It also does not comply with the Evergreen Area Community Plan, which calls for only one dwelling unit per 10 acres.
The Planning Commission heard the proposal on Sept. 9 and recommended approval to the Board because they believe the case is a "unique situation" and that it would be generally compatible with surrounding uses in the area. The Planning Commissioners will decide whether to recommend permitting short-term rentals throughout the county under revisions to the Zoning Regulation at an October meeting.
At the BCC Hearing, Commissioners heard from property owners who were concerned about the noise, traffic and people that come with short-term rentals. They also heard from neighbors who said that the current owners are good caretakers of their property and would not allow problem renters.
County Commissioners unanimously voted to deny the rezoning request but told the applicant to consider resubmitting the request should the county adopt a new regulation on short-term rentals. |
Commissioners Approve Zoning for Medical Offices at Building in South Jeffco
 The BCC approved an amendment to a zone district to allow for medical and dental offices in an existing office building near South Wadsworth Boulevard and West Bowles Avenue. The owner of Piazza De Carlo Office Plaza in the 5900 block of South Cody Street made the zoning request, because she had received interest from new tenants and knew that medical practices at nearby Swedish Medical Center need office space. Some neighbors adjacent to the building told Commissioners that they worried about increased traffic, parking problems and street lighting. The building currently has 54 parking spaces. Seven additional parking spaces would be required to accommodate increased parking on site if the owner expanded the building. Commissioners approved the request, saying that increasing tenant occupancy would improve property values in the surrounding area. They requested that county staff work with CDOT to conduct an updated traffic study of the area, based on comments from citizens. |
 Human Services Update
County Receives Grant from Rose Community Foundation for Senior Services ProjectThe Rose Community Foundation awarded $50,000 to Jefferson County's Community Assistance Division, a part of Jefferson County Human Services, to continue its research into how to best serve the county's growing senior population. Commissioners approved the grant agreement at the Staff Briefing. Jefferson County's population of people ages 60 and older is expected to double by 2030. To meet that population's needs, Jefferson County in 2008 created the Strategic Plan for Aging Well in Jefferson County, a project made up of six workgroups that are tasked with addressing senior issues including housing, basic needs, transportation and mobility, physical and mental health, care-giving, supportive services, and social and civic engagement. Human Services will use the Rose Community Foundation's grant to perform an in-depth, thorough assessment of a survey being conducted by the National Research Center for the State Department of Human Services and the Denver Regional Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging. The funding will also support a one-day community summit to share the survey's results and extend a contract with the Aging Well project's current consultant.
County Discontinues Head Start Funding to Gilpin County
Commissioners approved a plan to discontinue Head Start funding for Gilpin County after learning that the preschool there would not hire a Head Start-credentialed teacher in 2010. Jefferson County usually funds two openings for children in Head Start at the preschool. Instead, the Jeffco Human Services Department will fund openings where they are needed elsewhere in the county, such as Edgewater.
Commissioners Recognize Workforce Development MonthTo recognize the Jefferson County Workforce Development Division's innovation in providing services to citizens, the BCC formally recognized September as Workforce Development Month. The Workforce Development Division, a part of the Human Services Department, has provided services to 44,500 citizens in 2009, a 68 percent increase from 2008. It has also assisted more than 680 businesses with hiring, retention, expansion and rapid-response activities. Some of its most recent projects include a partnership with the Jefferson County Public Library to create the eTrain, a mobile training lab that is equipped with computers and adaptive technology. The division also received a Renewable Energy Sector grant from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to support research and outreach to renewable-energy sector employers. This year, the Workforce Development Division brought $8.7 million to Jeffco through federal and state grants. For more information about Workforce Development, go to www.jeffcoworkforce.org. |
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Other BCC Actions
BCC Approves Phase-II Construction of New Animal Center
The Weitz Company, LLC, will begin work on Phase II of the new Foothills Animal Shelter, following Commissioners' approval of its $9.7 million contract. Phase II is expected to be complete by July 2010.
 The BCC set aside $3 million in county funds to help construct the facility and have provided county land for the new building at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, near the intersection of West Sixth Avenue and Indiana Street. The County also will issue Certificates of Participation (COPs) to raise another $5.2 million for this center, which will be repaid through dog-licensing fees. The county, through an intergovernmental agreement with five of the primary municipalities, will provide the additional $1.5 million in to complete Phase III of the new facility.
For more information, go to www.tablemountainanimals.org.
Commissioners Approve New Janitorial Services Company
The BCC approved a new $724,000 contract with American Facility Services Group to provide janitorial services, saving the county nearly $113,600 annually after negotiations. The new contract begins Nov. 1.
In addition to cleaning the campus facilities, American Facility Services Group will provide services at the Motor Vehicle, Fairgrounds, Sheriff Sub-Station locations and several of the Road & Bridge facilities throughout the county.
Human Services Building to Receive New Fire-Alarm System
Commissioners approved a $138,000 contract with Carlton Electric, Inc., to install a new fire-alarm system at the Human Services Building at 900 Jefferson County Parkway in Golden. The existing system is obsolete and needs to be replaced to meet fire-code requirements.
County Replaces Old Computers and Equipment
Many county employees will be working on new computers, laptops and monitors, following the BCC's approval to spend $440,000 on equipment that is 5 years old and older. Some staff are working on equipment that is as old as 12 years and cannot handle new software.
 The expense is part of the Technology Replacement Program that Commissioners approved in the 2009 budget. The program seeks to save the county money by buying from one vendor, as well as developing a scheduled computer-replacement program. The outdated computers will be redeployed or disposed of in the most cost-effective means possible. | |
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