Mindy Leary, Gilpin County. On Tuesday, November 3, 2020, the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners met online at 9 p.m. for a regular meeting. Commissioners Gail Watson, Linda Isenhart and Ron Engels were present, as were County Attorney Brad Benning and County Manager Abel Montoya. Highlights included a Covid-19 update, an audit report, and discussions on the reopening of the Community Center Campus and the Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Report.  

Emergency Manager Nate Whittington presented the Covid-19 update on behalf of Bonnie Albrecht who was busy with testing. There are now 33 cases in Gilpin County with 37 tests scheduled for today. There have been eight new cases in the past two weeks.

Red Cross is disengaged and all wildfire evacuees have left the Isle of Capri and the Ameristar, as all evacuation orders have been lifted. Most animals except 130 chickens have also returned home from GCART’s care at the Gilpin County Fairgrounds. 

Finance Director Clorinda Smith presented the 2019 Financial Statement and Audit Review by Hinkle and Company. The company felt they had true transparency, clear communication and that the audit process went fairly well.

County Treasurer Mary Lorenz presented the Third Quarter Public Trustee Report, saying that there’s been a lot of refinancing and house sales. “The market has been very good the last few months,” said Lorenz. A motion was made to accept the report and all were in favor.

The Community Center reopening plan is in its third and final iteration. The phased plan may be amended as needed and defines job positions, hours, and services. There was an evaluation process for each job description, ensuring it is the right pay per job for the market. If the mill levy passes, then the county will start recruiting next week for a director, who will then hire the rest of the staff. The Phase One re-opening is slated for February 2021.

The Planning Commission will have a work session November 10, which will be posted on the county website and will go over the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Regulations. The commissioners will consider it November 15.

Montoya presented the County Manager Status Report concerning the adoption of a plan for a budget reduction in snow removal. “The good news is that we DO have enough snow plow drivers and back-up drivers to cover the routes,” said Montoya.

There will be a budget meeting this Thursday, November 5, and a work session scheduled for November 12, with the next regular board meeting on November 17.

Consideration of the BoCC meeting minutes included November 20 and 21 which were both approved with no changes.

During public and press comment, the President of Friends of the Gilpin County Community Center spoke about their plans for opening and said she looked forward to working with Abel Montoya and Gabrielle Chisholm in the future.

 The meeting was then adjourned into Executive Session.

The next regular meeting for the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners will be held on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, at 9 a.m. virtually and can be accessed by following the instructions on the current agenda on the Gilpin County Commissioners website at http://www.gilpincounty.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=9285259&pageId=11072364

(Originally published in the November 5, 2020, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)