John Scarffe, Gilpin County.   The Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners adopted the 2019 budget and approved resolutions levying general property taxes during a special meeting at 9 a.m. on Thursday, December 6, 2018, at the Gilpin County Courthouse. The board renewed the Bald Mountain Cemetery agreement and discussed a strategic planning proposal.

Finance Director Clorinda Smith introduced a resolution to adopt the 2019 budget. After the final version the day before, she went through and made a bunch of corrections.

The county is anticipating $20 million in revenue and will spend $26 million, which is spending down the fund balance but still leaves a healthy fund balance around $13 million, Smith said. Board Chair Ron Engels said the county is very well situated, and he’s happy with the budget they put together.

The board unanimously adopted the budget and the resolution levying general property taxes for 2018 to help defray the costs of government for the 2019 budget year. Property tax revenues should total $3.6 million, Smith said.

The current mill levy is 9.838 with the amount for abatement at $17,000. The abatement refund mill levy totals .046 mills upon each dollar of total valuation for assessment of all taxable property in Gilpin County.
The board approved the annual contract with the U.S. Forest Service for the Bald Mountain Cemetery pending legal review. This contract runs through 2037 for 19 years. They will have no possibility of extending that permit.

County Clerk Sharon Cate said they have exchanged letters with the Forest Service, and the County won’t charge the Forest Service and the Forest Service won’t charge the county. Commissioner Gail Watson asked for legal review, and County Manager Abel Montoya said he would send it for review.

Montoya said that at the December 4 Commission meeting he recommended a strategic plan be conducted for the county, and he worked with SBrand for services at a fixed fee not to exceed $18,000, but it includes interviews and a stakeholder and employee survey, facilitating a 2-1/2-day summit, coordinating with staff and one more speaker around sustainability.

The strategic planning document will include a public component with a short video or a pamphlet to share concepts created. Payments are scheduled for billing every 30 days, Montoya said.

Engels said he is looking forward to the outcome from this. The board met on December 18, 2018.

(Originally published in the December 20, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)