Mindy Leary, Gilpin County. On March 19, 2020, the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners met online for the second time this week. Commissioners Gail Watson, Linda Isenhart and Ron Engels were in attendance, as were County Manager Abel Montoya and County Attorney Bradford Benning. Highlights included a discussion of revenue projections by Montoya, Finance Director Clorinda Smith, and Business Analyst Jamie Tirado, a discussion of a draft letter to state and federal agencies regarding Gilpin County’s impending loss of its single revenue stream, and a phone call with Chris La May, DOLA (Department of Local Affairs) Representative. 

Thanks was given to Public Works for plowing the roads and keeping the transfer station open as well as county employees and elected officials working from home to keep the county operating. “Our meeting today will focus on recovery planning,” said Watson.

The challenges in the revenue stream were shown in the projection sheet drafted by Smith and Montoya. This particular document is based on a 20-year timeline from 2000 to present. The first projection is based on the casinos being closed for 90 days and would result in a 3 million dollar drop in revenue. Additionally, a ten percent drop from gaming and property taxes would result in a decrease of 8.5 million.

  The 180-day scenario, or 6 months, shows that in 2021 there would be a slight uptick in revenue but would still be less than in 2019 with a twenty-five percent drop in gaming taxes. “In the third quarter of 2022, we would have to start looking into reduction of our budget by laying off twenty to thirty percent of our workforce,” said Montoya. The expenditure list was evaluated for cuts, specifically potential raises and vehicle/equipment upgrades. 

Engels suggested an immediate ban on new hires or big ticket items like new vehicles for which no commitment stands. He also requested research into what these expendable expenses would be and what cannot wait. 

The plans for the new Human Services building would cost the county $575,000. The due date for the DOLA Grant in the amount of $956,000 for the building would expire around February 2022 would supplement the county’s expense.

Isenhart said, “We really need the new Human Services building but I’m okay with no new hires without board consideration.” Engels added any new hires should be recommended by current staff as crucial. A motion was made by Engels “to direct staff to have an immediate moratorium on any new hires except on a case by case basis and on any new spending on large purchases.” All were in favor.

Engels asked Smith if it would be prudent to implement a policy that would delay any unbudgeted spending. Smith said many of the big projects in the 2020 budget could be delayed for a while. 

Engels said he would be surprised if a 30-day closure would be enough and that his understanding of the epidemiological models is that it will peak in 30 days and prefers to do the projections on the longer-scale shutdown to which Isenhart agreed.

The purpose of the future letter to local businesses sharing SBA information is to be very proactive and let business owners and the community know what’s coming from the federal government. Montoya said, “We want to convey how important the gaming community is to county revenues.” 

Public-friendly language will be used to describe the legislative packages approved by Congress. Congressman Neguse signed the 8.3 million grant for vaccine research and testing, PPE, food and unemployment benefits. Small business loan opportunities will be made available in the letter as well. 

Regarding the county’s impending financial hardship, the BOCC will draft a letter to the state and federal agencies. Watson said, “There is a need to reach out to our Congressional delegation so that they have a firm understanding of Gilpin’s unique position in the state and the country and how more than half of our revenue, which is based completely on gaming, will be affected.” 

Engels said many counties have single-stream revenues and that, “We would be a voice in a chorus of many, so I don’t have a whole lot of expectation.” 

“The impact of this letter to be drafted remains to be seen but is incumbent on the county to be communicated to the state,” said Watson. Isenhart concurred. 

The topic of discussion then moved to the BOCC and county roles during this time. Sheriff Kevin Armstrong was present and is now referred to as the “Incident Commander” for our county during this unique time. 

Watson inquired about a liaison between the board and the Sheriff’s Office which is now also the Emergency Operations Center or EOC. The matter was tabled pending discovery of a candidate who has the vernacular and situation-awareness of the EOC for this position.  

The function of the EOC is to conduct situation assessments, acquire and allocate critical resources to incidents, conduct multi-agency coordination, coordinate support and assist in policy-level decisions, and coordinate with elected and appointed officials and other EOC’s.

The BOCC is referred to as the “policy group,” whose roles are to support the EOC Manager in providing jurisdictional coordination amongst all government departments, make policy and financial decisions related to the emergency or disaster, make strategic decisions as requested by the manager or Incident Commander, determine jurisdictional priorities, provide legal guidance to the managers, consider cultural, economic, and social implications, etc. 

There is a town hall scheduled for next Monday, March 23, 2020, currently set for 6pm. “We need to make sure the right messages are getting out to our community,” said Armstrong and Watson who then reiterated the need for the liaison position and its inherent duty of public relations. The script of available county services to the public will be drafted later today for the meeting Monday.

Chris La May, DOLA Representative, met virtually with the board to discuss the $956,000 grant for the new Human Services building which expires in spring of 2022. The board wanted to know whether or not the project will move forward with or without an extension considering the current state of affairs. “Any contracts should be honored is my understanding,” said La May. “The expectation is that that money is still available.”

The meeting concluded by going into the Executive  Session, which is not privy to the public.

The next meeting for the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners will be held on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 at 9 a.m virtually and can be accessed by following the instructions on the current agenda on the Gilpin County Commissioners website. Check the county website for the schedule of meetings held twice weekly, every Tuesday and Thursday during this crisis.