John Scarffe, Gilpin County.  The Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners imposed a temporary fire ban on Gilpin County and then rescinded the order during a regular meeting on Tuesday, October 6, 2015, at the Gilpin County Courthouse.

Commissioner Linda Isenhart served as chair pro-tem during the meeting in place of Chair Buddy Schmalz, who is recovering from eye surgery.

County Sheriff Bruce Hartman said his office felt it was necessary to impose fire restrictions along with Jefferson, Boulder and Clear Creek counties. The resolution adopting the ban stated that extremely dry fire conditions have prevailed during the past month, so an emergency exists because of extreme fire danger.

Hartman said the danger is not caused by big trees but by dry grasses and undergrowth. The restrictions became effective at 5 p.m. on September 24. “We wanted to get the word out so we worked closely with the other counties,” Hartman said, adding that they have had better communication among sheriffs.

“We instituted those,” Hartman said. “Now, the next resolution is to rescind the restrictions.” Clear Creek is rescinding its ban at 3 p.m. today. Boulder County did it yesterday, and Jefferson County at 8 a.m. this morning.

Hartman said he would like to lift the restrictions at 3 p.m. today. The Board agreed. The Trustees imposed the temporary fire restrictions for the County and then approved rescinding the restrictions as of October 6, 2015.

Grants

The Board approved signing a grant contract from history Colorado for a Historic Structure Assessment Grant for the Belvidere Theatre at 139 Nevada Street, north of the Central City Hall. County Manager Roger Baker said the survey will cost $15,000. The State Historical Fund will provide $11,250, with the County responsible for a match of 25 percent, or $3,750.

Central City will pay the remaining $3,750 and provide the match. No County funds will be allocated toward the project.

The County acquired the property from a Treasurer’s deed on June 1, 2015, according to information from the Tuesday, June 9, 2015, meeting. Staff then requested a bid for the assessment and received one. The Commissioners approved applying for the grant at that meeting.

The Board received preliminary research on applying for an Energy Mineral Impact Assistance Grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs for repairs at the Courthouse. Baker said the deadline for applying for the grant is December 1.

“This is a big ticket item,” Baker said “These are things that have to be done.”

County Facilities Management Coordinator Dirk Matthews listed projects totaling $373,257, and the County will be responsible for half that amount. Seven projects were listed ranging from bat removal and impact restoration, lead paint abatement, asbestos abatement, painting and carpet replacement.

Baker said if the Board agrees that these things need to be done, staff can move ahead with the grant application. Commissioner Gail Watson said she had no question that they have to do this and thinks the County needs to apply for this grant now.

Watson questioned some of the project totals and wondered if it would be better to hire people for a couple of years to do this work. Matthews said a lot of these projects run into environmental impacts and EPA costs, so it makes more sense to handle this through a contractor.

Watson said they have lots of things to discuss but wants to move forward with this. The Board approved completing the application.

Self-funded Insurance

Human Resources Director Susie Allen presented a proposal for partially self-funding insurance for the County’s employees. This is step one, and looking at changing the plan will be done next year.

The monthly medical premium will increase .43 percent, while Delta Dental costs went down 10 percent with renewal for implants. Employees receive a $1,500 benefit per year.

Vision insurance will increase by 2.9 percent increase, and long-term disability increases by 9.9 percent or about $3,000. “Overall I’m pretty pleased,” Allen said.

Bill Cook with Cook & Associates Insurance Brokers, Inc., said some work goes along with self-funding on the part of staff members. Watson said the point of going to self-funded is to decrease not increase costs.

Cook said if the County continues in the same kind of vain, there’s a good chance we could save $100,000. The County has 115 employees, so the insurance plan could have 345 members with their dependents.

“This is a decision you make for five years to make this work,” Cook said. “Self-funding is looking pretty good. “For the last five years we have been coming under the expected expense.”

This will be changing things behind the scenes and will be seamless for employees, Cook agreed. The Commissioners were concerned about the new load on staff, and Finance Director Clorinda Smith expressed concerns about it.

“I’m scared. It’s a great deal of change,” she said. Watson suggested staff come back with a proposal for hiring the person with the right experience or look at some consulting services.

With that condition, the Board approved the partially self-funded plan.

The next meeting of the Gilpin County Commissioners will be on Tuesday, October 20, at 9 a.m. at the Gilpin County Courthouse, 203 Eureka Street, Central City.