The Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) called their regular meeting to order at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, December 19, 2023. In attendance were Commissioner Marie A. Mornis, Commissioner Susan Berumen, Commissioner Sandy Hollingsworth, County Manager Ray Rears, and County Attorney Brad Benning.

Resolution 23-125, Resolution to Specify Gilpin County’s Manner of Compliance with Governmental Accounting Standards – Joe Allaire, Finance Director

Allaire said the resolution is to ensure that the County is following GAS-B54 which requires that notice be given if funds are ended or begun. He served notice to the Board that the lodging tax fund has been created. Allaire also informed the Board that the capital improvement fund has been discontinued. The capital improvement fund was built for transparency but he believes his department found a better way to do achieve that goal.

Allaire continued that the funds are still utilized for capital improvements and Berumen added that the change is just for clarity. Hollingsworth moved to approve the resolution to specify Gilpin County’s manner of compliance with government accounting standards for Statement 54 requirements for fund balance and governmental fund-type reporting. Berumen seconded and motion passed 3-0.

PUBLIC HEARING - Resolution 23-124, Adopting the Gilpin County Annual Budget, Fiscal Year 2024 – Joe Allaire, Finance Director

Mornis continued the public hearing at 9:10 a.m. and gave Allaire the floor. Allaire expressed thanks to the staff for their hard work. “Budgets are really the lifeblood of a community and I take it very seriously. It is a conservative budget and I think we took into account what people wanted. I believe that with every budget ever passed, not everybody gets everything they want. Hard decisions have to be made. We really are trying to do what’s best for the County.”

He continued, the budget highlights the four pillars: capital improvements, staffing, compensation, and fiscal responsibility. He also added that the lodging tax sheet had $7,000 of estimated expense for the County Fair, which has changed to cover interpretive signage, though it did not change the bottom line.

Mornis pointed out that the Gilpin County Community Center (or “recreation center”) would have less operating time, only four days a week, and inquired about the increase in staffing.

Rears said that the Board authorized the movement of the Teen Program into the Parks and Recreation Department so it can continue. The Youth Camp staff positions are grant-funded, originally under the CSU Extension at the beginning of 2023, but now they are County employees, which explains the increase. Rears continued that every position listed in Parks and Recreation are positions the Board has already authorized.

The board thanked Allaire for his hard work and dedication.

Berumen moved to adopt Resolution 23-124, a resolution summarizing expenditures and revenues and adopting a budget for Gilpin County, Colorado, for the calendar year beginning on the first day of January 2024 and ending on the last day of December 2024. Hollingsworth seconded. Mornis voted nay and motion passed 2-1. Public hearing was closed at 9:29 a.m.

Upcoming meetings include a meeting where two or more commissioners may be in attendance. On January 4, 2024, the commissioners will attend the reunification tour at the recreation center.

During Public Comment, Kathleen Balfour said she will be submitting letters to the editors of both The Mountain-Ear and The Weekly Register Call newspapers about County Clerk Sahari McCormick’s statement at the last BoCC meeting on December 12. She said she has worked as an election judge in Gilpin since 2020 alongside McCormick. She stated, “It’s considerably disheartening to know that anyone that disagrees with the elections, that they are secure, or questions the electoral process, are themselves made out to be liars, bullies, and bad actors.”

She expressed discontent about the last November election that she claims had several mistakes. She alleges that some mail ballots were being voted by someone other than the registered voter.

She said that two people who registered online had their party affiliations marked incorrectly.

She said she corrected several mistakes concerning the locking of voting machines and wrongly-signed chains of custody. Additionally, a line was left off the Gilpin County ballot. The Secretary of State caught the missing text and more ballots were ordered.

Balfour looks forward to the three elections coming up in 2024, but asks the elected officials not to intimidate or discourage potential judges, watchers, or candidates.

Michael Morton commented on the rec center’s accessibility for exercise and the dwindling hours. He asked the Board to consider his demographic and his request for access to the exercise and weight machines, not services, in the facility. “This group I’m talking about – we don’t need any supervision or instruction. We don’t want any more services, we just want access to the facility.”

Donna Okray-Parman thanked Mornis for voting against the budget and everyone for working on the budget. She would like to see the Community Center open at least five days a week. She said, “I really think that you ladies are making a big mistake by bringing us down a day a week from where we are now.”

She hoped that reducing the rec center’s hours is not a political move so as to push for a future mill levy. At the end of her comment, she closed with an emotional prayer asking for a commitment to goodness.

Central City Mayor Jeremy Fey spoke during Public Comment and said he would like to hear an update on the housing authority topic. He said Central City is ready to move forward in housing although Black Hawk is not. He would like to see Central City, the County, and the Silver Dollar District create an authority so they can succeed in 2024. There will be five new homes in Central City.

The Board responded that they are planning a work session to talk about housing authorities. Fey said the City of Central is anticipating opening four to five more casinos, which will require more housing for the workforce. He said they just finished their budget and are close to a $900,000 shortfall. He requested help from the commissioners with the gaming division and the prospective casino applications.

Public comment was closed and Berumen moved to adjourn the meeting. All were in favor and the meeting adjourned at 9:47 a.m.

The next regular meeting of the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners is scheduled for January 9, 2024, at 9 a.m. and will be held in person at the Historic Courthouse located at 203 Eureka Street in Central City and online via Zoom.