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Appointment
The BCC approved the reappointment of Henry Mondragon as the County Veteran Services Officer (CVSO). His term will be effective until December 31, 2012.
Veteran Services is a part of Jefferson County's Human Services Department and exists to assist residents who served in the United States Military. The CVSO may assist with claims for services-connected compensation, pension, burial benefits, medical treatment, "G.I Bill," vocational training or any other benefits by reason of such service. |
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News from Jefferson County
Want more news and information about Jefferson County? Subscribe to our monthly citizen newsletter that covers topics from all of the departments and divisions throughout Jeffco.
Simply click the link above, enter the email address you'd like the newsletter to be sent to and then choose the "Jeffco eNewsletter" option. |
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Commissioners appoint three new Library trustees; express disappointment with Library decision to close county libraries every Monday
The Board of County Commissioners appointed three new members of the Jefferson County Library Board Trustees on November 23, choosing the three for their financial and business acumen from among 14 people who expressed interest in serving on the Library Board.
The new members are:
- Buddy Douglass, president of FirstBank of Lakewood and treasurer of the Jefferson Economic Council, He also is the treasurer of the Jefferson County Library Foundation Board of Directors.
- Ray Elliott, chief financial officer of Controlled Products System Group, Inc., served on the Jefferson County Citizen Budget Review Panel and the Lakewood City Council. A certified public accountant, he has 20 years of management and financial experience and previously worked for Big O Tires and Arthur Andersen.
- Kathy Hartman, current chairman of the Board of County Commissioners and board member of the Denver Regional Council of Governments and the Jefferson Center for Mental Health. She is a former executive director of a non-profit agency and a former stock broker.
The Library administration sent out a news release on November 22, announcing that all county libraries will be closed on Mondays beginning in January.
Prior to making the appointments at the Tuesday meeting of the Board of County Commissioners, Commissioner Kevin McCasky read a statement regarding the appointments. His statement, which was then adopted as a joint statement by the commissioners, is as follows:
"As the Board of County Commissioners, we take very seriously the responsibility vested in us by the citizens of Jefferson County. As the general governing board of the county, we are ultimately responsible for the overall fiscal well-being as well as the operations and service delivery of the entire county organization.
"With lean economic times projected to continue, we are strategically planning for a future that makes full use of technology and new ways of doing business. During the last year we have spent more time than any other year working to develop a multi-year budget strategy that stays within revenues and provides services more efficiently and effectively in spite of tighter revenues.
"This multi-year budget strategy impacts all Elected Officials, Departments and Divisions in the County, yet enables us to provide our citizens the levels of service they demand.
"We are disheartened that there have been several fundamental philosophical differences between the Board of County Commissioners and the Library Board of Trustees regarding the Library's budget and operations. Most recent disagreements concerned the Library Board's intent to close libraries on Mondays, a service reduction that this board has publicly stated it adamantly opposes. The commissioners did everything within our power to prevent this from occurring.
"It is the responsibility of the Board of County Commissioners to appoint the members of the Library Board of Trustees as well as the members of other county boards and commissions. We thank the appointees on the Library Board who have contributed many hours of service and sincerely believe their actions have been in the best interest of the library. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their work that has contributed to our outstanding library system." |
Jeffco Commissioners Commit
$5 Million Towards Completion of Vision for the NW Quadrant
Following years of discussions and negotiations, the Board of County Commissioners have moved closer to completing its vision for the northwest quadrant of Jefferson County - a vision that balances the desire to preserve regional open space and wildlife habitat with the need to improve both transportation and economic development opportunities.
The commissioners adopted a resolution on November 23 that commits $5 million in Open Space funds towards the purchase of Section 16. This is a large track of land owned by the Colorado State Land Board near the intersection of Highways 93 and 72, adjacent to the US Fish & Wildlife Service's Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge.
Commissioner Kevin McCasky said there are many competing interests for this area including those of Jefferson County, the City of Arvada, City of Golden, City of Boulder and Boulder County, the US Department of the Interior and Fish and Wildlife Service; and the State of Colorado.
Through the resolution, the county will commit funds to acquire property in Section 16 for open space which ultimately may be added to the national wildlife refuge. Boulder County and the City of Boulder must adopt similar resolutions committing that they will no longer oppose the completion of the Jefferson Parkway, the missing section of roadway that will complete the beltway around the metro area.
Boulder and Boulder County must agree to:
- support the acquisition and transfer of land along the eastern edge of the wildlife refuge for transportation right-of-way to complete the parkway;
- work collaboratively with the Colorado State Land Board to acquire property interests in Section 16 for public open space or wildlife refuge;
- no longer seek to overturn the existing approval of the parkway plans by the Denver Regional Council of Governments or support any legal actions attempting to block construction of the parkway.
McCasky said the resolution shows significant commitment of the Jeffco Board of Commissioners to enhancing open space assets in Jefferson County as well as balancing economic development and transportation needs.
"This commitment has national implications. It is an opportunity for us to continue to add to this wildlife refuge, which is a national asset. As a tangential benefit of the agreements, some outspoken opponents of our Jefferson Parkway initiative will literally withdraw their opposition and remain neutral. It has been long and publicly known that the city of Boulder and Boulder County have publicly opposed the parkway. Working through this process with us for the last couple years they have realized that we are serious about adding to our open space assets and also serious about completing the beltway. They are ready to participate in this vision, which balances the competing interests of our neighbors to the north, the city of Arvada, the city of Golden and Jefferson County.
Both the City of Boulder and Boulder County must adopt the resolution by January 1, 2011. Additional funding and resources for the acquisition and preservation of Section 16 will be sought from all interested governmental agencies and land trusts. |
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2011 County Budget Adopted
The Board of County Commissioners approved the adoption of  the 2011 Jefferson County budget. The proposed budget was presented to the board at a public hearing November 16 and was then brought back December 7 for final adoption with only minor adjustments made. The BCC is mandated by the state to adopt a balanced budget each year.
The 2011 budget is set for $476.8 million, a 5.8 percent decrease over the 2010 adopted budget.
The District Attorney and Sheriff's Office will see the biggest cuts as part of the prioritization process that looked at all county services and service levels in an attempt to reduce the general fund operating budget by $750,000. In internal departments, the largest cuts will occur within the Information Technology, Facilities and Fleet divisions.
The commissioners are committed to county employees and while it is not possible to provide a merit pool for raises in the coming year, the budget includes an additional $2.6 million for medical benefits. This is so employee medical premiums can remain unchanged for 2011 and the added costs of 2011 medical benefits won't be passed on to employees. The total amount budgeted for employee benefits in 2011 by the county is more than $22 million.
To see the complete 2011 adopted budget, visit the Budget Management webpage. |
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2011 County Mill Levy Approved
The Board of County Commissioners approved the 2011 mill levy for Jefferson County. The mill levy was temporarily adjusted to 24.346, which continues the decrease of 1.632 from 2010. The mill levy is applied to all taxable property within the county and is set each year by the board based on the budget and being in compliance with TABOR limitations.
Mills are one-thousandth of a dollar. For example, if a property's assessed value is $1,000 the county taxes for 2011 would be $24.35. |
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Commissioners OK Bike Event Permit
In a 2-1 vote, the Board of County Commissioners approved a special event permit that will allow a bicycle event that uses Deer Creek Canyon Road. 
The Deer Creek Challenge is a series of three bike rides that is slated to occur on August 21, 2011 from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This will be the second time this event has taken place in Jefferson County. The first challenge was held in August 2010 and had approximately 1,200 riders.
According to the event's organizer Pat Downing, the 2010 event also focused on partnering with organizations such as the Mountain Resource Center, the Pleasant Park Range and Brent's Place, which received more than $15,000 in donations. Also, he estimated that the economic impact to the area was just under $100,000.
As part of the approval, the event organizers will have to comply with various conditions such as proper traffic control, notice to local residents and resolve any minor issues that occurred at the 2010 event, such as the gaps in cell phone coverage. Downing stated that they are looking into various options that include aerial coverage of the ride to increase line of sight communication and emergency phones along High Grade Road.
Downing also confirmed that they, and not the county, covered the costs of traffic control and having the roads sweep twice. They rented and utilized a commercial street sweeper for 72 hours and sweep the sections identified as areas of concern by law enforcement.
However, despite the benefits, some residents expressed various concerns that include the increased bicycle traffic. Deer Creek Canyon Road is already a popular spot for bicyclists and some had apprehensions that this event will only increase bike traffic as some riders head there to train for the event.
Of those citizens in attendance for this item, 15 spoke in favor and three expressed their opposition. Commissioner Kevin McCasky moved for approval and the motion was seconded by Chair Hartman.
"I received comments from many folks who previously disapproved of this event, but have since changed their minds based on how well the initial event was managed. I imagine next year's event will be better managed, and is a great activity to be conducted in Jefferson County," noted Commissioner McCasky.
The opposing vote came from Commissioner Faye Griffin, who felt it was a good event but had to vote according to previous comments she received from her constituents.
"Although it is a great event and a good situation for many of the communities and organizations as far as the donations they may receive, I have had many people ask me to vote no on it and have to side with my constituents wishes," said Griffin. |
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Rezoning continued to December 14
The BCC was presented with a rezoning application for two adjacent parcels that total 2.93 acres from Agricultural-Two to Planned Development (P-D). During the hearing, questions were raised concerning the setbacks on the south side of the property. To allow time for the applicant to address the board's questions, the item was continued to the board's December 14 hearing.
The land in question is located at 8680 West Jefferson Avenue near the Foothills Golf Course in south Jeffco. If approved, the rezoning would convert the two parcels into one P-D zoned parcel that allows for a single family residence and one oversized storage building on the property. The property currently has a single family residence and the applicant has expressed his desire to build an accessory structure. |
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Commissioners OK Purchase of Land for Golden Park
The Board of County Commissioners approved the purchase and sale agreement for the Bachman property that is located at the corner of Heritage Road and West Fourth Avenue. The purchase was recommended by the Open Space Advisory Committee as a city of Golden priority project.
The property will be purchased for $1,330,000, but the county will pay 25 percent or $332,500 from Open Space funds. The remaining costs will be covered by the city of Golden.
The Bachman property is approximately 14.15 acres and is east of the parking area of the county's Apex Park and will be an important part of Golden's Park and Recreation Master Plan, which identified a need for a neighborhood park in this area. |
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Social Media Policy Adopted
As a continued effort to communicate effectively with its citizens, Jefferson County is Facebooking, Tweeting, Blogging and more.
To coordinate the use of these growing number of social media tools throughout county departments and offices, staff brought forward a policy that was approved by the BCC. The policy sets rules and guidelines for county staff to follow while using social media tools to get information out to citizens.
If you are interested in learning more, or to sign up for any of the county's social media sites, visit the Stay Connected page of the county's website at Jeffco.us.
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December 7 Staff Briefings
Sheriff Fees May Change
A t the staff briefings, Sheriff Ted Mink discussed a proposed change in how his office charges for mileage when serving warrants, subpoenas, summons and other documents that are required to be delivered in person by the Sheriff's Office according to state law. The resolution will be brought before the Board of County Commissioners at its December 14 meeting.
Sheriff's offices are required to charge mileage in the service of process. Currently, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office charges by mile, and if approved the new method would be based on a zip code mileage fee structure.
The change is being proposed due to the passage of House Bill 10-1057 by the General Assembly of the state of Colorado.
What's Been Going On with Development and Transportation
Development and Transportation Director Jeanie Rossillon, along with her five division directors, gave a 2010 end of the year update about the department at staff briefings. Some highlights for 2010 include:
- The Airport Division saw a increase of 13.5 percent in fuel sales
- The Building Division issued the largest solar panel permit in the county to Kohl's located at 8444 South Kipling Parkway
- Real time inspection results delivered through email updates, which means inspectors can push information to contractors immediately after the inspection is done
- As of October, Planning and Zoning had 36,278 cases including 1,627 building permits
- Transportation and Engineering completed the Swamp Angel Detention Pond
- The Chatfield Avenue Phase II construction project is 50 percent completed
- Road and Bridge converted 4.5 lane miles from gravel to paved road
For more information on this department visit the Development and Transportation website.
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