The Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners announced that the fire ban for the County has been repealed as of August 10 , 2021, during a special in-person meeting at 1:30 p.m. on August 10, 2021. Commissioner Sandy Hollingsworth said Gilpin County has been in contact with Clear Creek County, and they have agreed that both counties will stop fire restrictions.

The Sheriff’s Department requested splitting the Communications Specialist position into two different positions, Communications Specialist 1 and 2, and provided job descriptions for each. The Communications Specialist 2 would be for those who have at least 24 months of training and certifications. They have three employees who will qualify for Specialist 2.

Chair Linda Isenhart said it makes sense to have the positions separated and to recognize those who have experience and pay them at a higher rate. After post training, they would receive an increase in salary.

A staff member said that historically, they keep people in the position for 24 months and that is when it is common for the County to lose staffing. She hopes they will get applicants who have experience.

“We’ve been a training ground for a number of years,” she said. She is looking for people who want a full-time career with Gilpin County.

Isenhart said the rates they are proposing are reasonable. Commissioner Web Sill said that at $28 an hour, it will cost the budget almost $1 million a year for dispatching. Commissioner Sandy Hollingsworth said the commissioners are aware of that.

“We all agree that retention is very important. It’s a position based on public safety,” she said. The Board approved both job descriptions. Sill said the department can have three hires, and then if they need more they should come back to the Board.

The Sheriff’s Department brought a proposal for dispatcher vacation time. The goal is always that these employees receive 208 hours of vacation time per year.

Commissioner Sill said that the County can’t make exceptions for this group without a really good reason without doing the same for all departments. “That’s the easy way out for the moment but chances are that will haunt us,” he said.

The Board approved paying the two employees who were over the 208 hours 100 percent with a one-time payout, and allow dispatch to roll over vacation hours to December 31, 2022.

The Board approved $3,500 for a Compensation Study by Graves Consulting. Isenhart said she is proposing updating a study done in 2020, because they have changes that need to be made in salaries and job descriptions. The estimate that would account for the labor market, revise the Sheriff’s office, and provide a template, would cost $3,500 for four items. If a complete financial analysis were to be included, the whole package would cost $6,500. The goal would be to get the study done by October.

The Board asked Human Resources Director David Woodlock if some of this could be done in-house, and he said he would have to talk to staff. Sill said he is not a fan of continuing to do this.

The previous study was “throwing money down a rat hole,” he said, because they didn’t get what they needed. Linda Isenhart modified the 2020 Graves Study, and she did a superior job, Sill added.

Because of the small size of the staff, they have the luxury to think about each individual employee. Isenhart said “The study will help figure out why our employees are going elsewhere, and it’s a starting point.”

The Board approved separating the Facilities Department from the Public Works Department. The intention was to separate the departments into Public Works, Finance, and Facilities, and they want each department to have a director.

The Board approved a job description for the Public Works director. They will get it to the Human Resources director for posting tomorrow.

The next regular meeting of the Gilpin County Board of County Commissioners will be on August 31, 2021, at 9 a.m. at https://zoom.us/j/98152874227.