BCC Actions Header

 

March 22, 2011
In This Issue
Want more information from Jefferson County
Schaffer's Crossing Rezoning Request Approved
Amendments to Site Approval Policy Approved
County Volunteer Board Appointments Approved
What Happened in 2010 for CYF

Connect with Jeffco!
 Jefferson County on Facebook     Jefferson County on Twitter   
Quick Links

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 or the icon below, enter the email address you'd like the newsletter to be sent to and then choose the "Jeffco eNewsletter" option.

Join Our Mailing List

Schaffer's Crossing Rezoning Request Approved

The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners (BCC) voted to approve the Schaffer's Crossing West Official Development Plan rezoning request at its March 22 public hearing, after it had been continued from a hearing on March 1.

 

The action rezones the property, located along Highway 285 and Elk Creek Road, from Agriculture Two to Planned Development to allow for a mix of uses including single family homes, camping and limited commercial, recreation and open space uses.  Currently the 57 acres has one residence, a couple of commercial fishing ponds and the rest is vacant property.

 

Commissioner Donald Rosier, who voted to approve the rezoning commented, "As commissioners, we are often put in the tough position of having to balance property rights versus aesthetics and many other issues that come up when we are dealing with redevelopments and rezonings.  This was not taken lightly and I did a tremendous amount of research, asked lots of questions, and I believe it does add value to the community and the county."

 

Commissioner John Odom, who was in the audience during the first public hearing held the day before he signed the oath of office as a County Commissioner, noted that, "I was here for most of the hearing on March 1 and I reviewed and listened to the entire presentation, the public comments and all the materials and visited the site."  He voted in favor of the rezoning.

 

Chair Faye Griffin cast the dissenting vote saying that although she believes in protecting property rights, she still had concerns with the project.  Among them was a concern for the safety of children who might be staying in the campground and running across the road to get to the fishing ponds.

 

The rezoning had been continued from the first hearing so a full Board of County Commissioners would have the opportunity to vote on the case.  Also the BCC had asked for additional information regarding the floodplain and the recent work by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) at the intersection of Highway 285 and Elk Creek Road. 

  

As with all BCC meetings, this hearing was recorded and is available at www.jeffco.us  by clicking on the media-on-demand button.

Amendments to Site Approval Policy Approved

Jefferson County recently made revisions to its Site Approval Policy.  The changes were brought to the Board of County Commissioners and were approved at its March 22 hearing.

 

The revisions to the Site Approval Policy simplifies the process for minor projects and allows the Director of Planning and Zoning to waive policy requirements that are far more extensive and detailed than the Colorado Revised Statute requirements.  Minor projects with little or no impacts to the existing condition of the property, such as a water line replacement, will need a one page case summary sheet and possible attachments (like a photo or location).  Before these minor projects would go through the entire process and require reports, site postings, referral agency comments, etc, all of which are above and beyond what Colorado Revised Statute requires. 

 

The new waiver authority provision will cut down on the cost and the time it takes for a public entity to receive a decision from the Planning Commission as required by state statute. However, these applications will still be on the Planning Commission's public hearing agendas and will generally be listed under consent items. 

 

To view the Site Approval Policy, visit the county's policies and procedures page.

County Volunteer Board Appointments Approved

At its March 22 hearing, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners (BCC) approved several volunteer board appointments.  All of these appointees are citizens who volunteer their time to serve on these advisory commissions.

  

Board of Adjustment

Curtis D. Westphal was reappointed and Louis Matis was appointed as alternate members.  The Board of Adjustment (BOA) has the authority to grant variances and/or special exceptions to established zoning regulations if an adequate hardship or practical difficulty has been demonstrated.

 

Fair Advisory Board

John R. Gray, Mary C. Miklos and Michael D. Skelton were reappointed to the Fair Advisory Board.  This board advises the BCC on capital construction and fees at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.  It also determines allowable uses, procedures and regulations of the fairgrounds.

 

Open Space Advisory Committee

Kevin H. Burke, John E. Litz and Jan Wilkins were reappointed as members and James Lancy was reappointed as an alternate to the Open Space Advisory Board.  This board makes recommendations to the BCC regarding acquisitions, development, maintenance, preservation, use and operation of Open Space lands in conformance with Open Space policies and procedures.

 

Planning Commission

The BCC approved six appointments to the Planning Commission.  Associate members Amy Attwood and Nancy Ferguson were moved to regular members.  Tim Rogers and Jack Bestall were newly appointed as members, and Martha P. Whitmore and James Price were chosen to fill the empty associate positions.  This commission makes recommendations to the BCC on a wide variety of land use applications that include rezonings, special uses, vacations, special district service plans and subdivision plats.  The commission also updates and adopts the county's Comprehensive Master Plan.

 

Elk Creek Fire Protection District (ECFPD) Board of Directors

Alec M. Schwartz was selected to serve on the ECFPD Board of Directors, which is responsible for directing and supervising the Elk Creek Fire Chief who handles day-to-day operations.  The board works to prepare and approve the annual budget and evaluates the financial needs of the district.  The board also makes decisions regarding issues that may need to be taken to the voters when additional funds or other voter-related issues arise.  When the ECFPD Board of Directors came to an impasse on deciding who should fill the vacant fifth director position, by state statute the BCC was required to step in and fill the vacancy after it gave the board thirty days notice of its intention. 
 

If you are interested in learning more about Jeffco's volunteer boards or to learn how to get involved, click here.

Staff Briefings

 

What Happened in 2010 for Children, Youth & Families

At staff briefings on March 22, Jefferson County's Human Services Children, Youth & Families (CYF) Division presented to the commissioners facts and figures for 2010.  Children, Youth and Families is the division responsible for investigating child abuse and neglect referrals for Jefferson County.  The staff in CYF strive to provide safety, well-being and permanency for children, youth and families.

 

CYF received 7,693 referrals of child abuse or neglect in 2010, which reflects a 43 percent increase in the last five years.  Of those referrals, 55 percent or 4,224 were accepted for assessment (further investigation), which resulted in about 400 new child abuse or neglect cases added to CYF's ongoing cases.  In total, 820 cases were served through the staff in the Ongoing Unit, which provides services for families to address issues identified in the course of the investigation.  This unit served approximately 1,605 children throughout the year. 

 

2010 also saw the closure of 640 children's cases closed by the Ongoing Unit.  Of those, 57 percent were successfully maintained in the home with their parents throughout the case.

 

CYF had a federal goal of reuniting 50 percent of children, removed for the first time, with their parents, but achieved a 71 percent rate.

 

For those children needing a new home, CYF oversaw 86 finalized adoptions and assisted with 15 adoptions on National Adoption Day in November.

 

The Family Intervention Services' therapists in CYF served 260 families and provided nearly 11,000 hours of therapeutic services and the case aide unit providing 4,500 hours of supervised visitation for families.   

 

View BCC Meetings

Online!Public Meeting Calendar

Did you know Jefferson County records each County Commissioners Hearing for rebroadcast on its web site?  You can also find recordings of other county meetings, videos of events and Jeffco's video program, Jefferson County Insights.  To learn more, click here.