Mindy Leary, Gilpin County. On September 1, 2020, the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners met online at 9 a.m. for their regular biweekly 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 and EOC (Emergency Operations Center) update and discussions on revenue loss and ballot issue questions. 

 Public Health Coordinator Bonnie Albrecht said there are now 18 cases with three more tests scheduled for today. The application for “Protect Our Neighbors” was turned in last week and the state should reply by next week.

Emergency Manager Nate Whittington said it is business as usual at the EOC. Nate Whittington is currently involved in seven emergency cases, mainly working with fires across the state.   

Watson expressed concern about Gilpin’s mutual aid contracts, wherein county employees are dispatched to other areas of the state during emergencies, and how depleted our resources already are. Watson said, “It would be good to be advised of this sort of thing.” 

Sheriff Kevin Armstrong regretfully informed the board that the state mistakenly told the Sheriff’s Department they would be receiving a grant in the amount of $780k, whereas the actual amount will be about $390k. The state apologized for the misinformation.

Watson added, “We also had some revenue loss when we received the gaming check recently and a grant denial form from the Colorado Covid relief fund to help pay for limited, interim funding for the Community Center.”

“The gaming check received by the county was a little more than six million for the year, with 11.6 million dollars expected before Covid,” said Montoya. Post-Covid revenue was estimated at eight million which gives the county a zero balance in their bank account.

This means it may take a decade to get back to 2019 numbers. The county’s financial analysis matched that of the Monarch Casino for a 20 percent overall shortage over the years.

If the limits are removed from high stakes gaming, then Gilpin County could stand to make two million more dollars per year.  

The upcoming ballot in November will contain mill levy questions for voters that amount to 2.27 mills for the Sheriff’s Office and 2.57 for the Community Center that will sunset, or end, in three years. The Community Center would be receiving more because it is completely unfunded as of now whereas the Sheriff’s Office has some funding due to its statutory status and only needs personnel funding.

Watson suggested getting a web calculator that would take the assessed value of property and estimate the property taxes due each year, which will come in handy if these mill levies are adopted.

The ballot issue also includes a TABOR provision, which is another government spending resolution that limits what a county can spend based on inflation. Basically, the ballot language removes that spending limit under TABOR, so that any money the county takes in as revenue can be kept.

Next on the agenda, the employee compensation study was discussed to make sure the salaries offered by the county are fair-market. The commissioners had no questions.

The commissioners seek to defer the DOLA grant for the new Human Services building so that it goes on next year’s budget. The grant will provide $900,000 but requires the county to spend $200,000. Montoya said he would ask DOLA for a deferment. 

The County Manager Report included a discussion about a recent presidential executive order about a “tax holiday” in which employers shall no longer withhold a social security tax for employees, and these monies would have to be paid back by employees in 2021. Montoya said more research is necessary to treat this issue. 

Engels said, “I don’t want to take a loan against my paycheck for the next six months. It also puts a huge burden on payroll and finance.” Isenhart concurred.

The Board will have a special meeting this Thursday to vote on the ballot measures, which is public. 

The meeting adjourned but the board reconvened for a work session about the waiver people must sign to enter the Central City Courthouse. It has now been deemed overly restrictive and no longer necessary. Adequate provisions are now in place for everyone’s safety. As the Board of Health, the waiver was removed as a requirement to enter any county buildings.

(Originally published in the September 3, 2020, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)