The Gilpin County Commissioners approved grants and new employee positions during a special meeting at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. The meeting followed a work session that started at 9 a.m.

During the special meeting, the Board approved the consent agenda, which consisted of hiring a grants writer and manager. The new position came before the Board at its June 7, 2022, meeting, and the Commissioners made several changes, so the revised position description was brought back to this meeting.

Human Resources Director Chanda Johnson said the grants manager will manage the County’s 62 grants. The County has identified a need for a grants writer and manager to oversee the lifespan of grants awarded to Gilpin County. This is a budgeted position in the County Manager’s Office.

Reporting to the County Manager and partnering with departmental staff, the grants writer and manager directs and manages the proposal process to ensure timely, compliant and accurate submissions. This includes budget development, interpretation of sponsor requirements, expert subject matter expertise in grants, contracts and strategic advice, and institutional review ensuring that proposals meet criteria. The grants writer and manager is the institutional representative for the County through the life of the award from inception to closeout.

Johnson recommended approving the grant writer and manager position at salary grade 18. The average range for a grants position ranged from a minimum to maximum of

$56,247 to $76,983.

Public Health Coordinator Alisa Witt introduced a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Supplemental Workforce Funding Grant acceptance. This funding grant is a set amount for a one-year period.

The funds would establish, expand, train, and sustain the Public Health workforce. The grant period runs from approval to June 30, 2023. The total award will be $141,473.

The funds will be used to hire a grant manager and will pay 75 percent of the salary from Public Health funds and 25 percent from County funds. At the salary grade, total with benefits would be $61,791 paid from this grant and $20,735 from County funds

Future staffing costs would be paid through the general fund, which are already funded in 2022. Funds will be used for a $3,000 stipend for Public Health Graduate Student Intern Project for the Public Health Website improvement at 150 hours

Funds will be used to compensate for an administrative assistant position, which will be 20 percent of full time. The hourly rate is $18.36, plus $9.28 per hour for fringe benefits. Funds will be used for training a newly hired Gilpin Environmental Health Specialist. Funds will be used for training, conferences and professional certifications and memberships for the Public Health Coordinator and an Environmental Health Specialist. No County match is required.

This grant is administered by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) with funds from Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Witt said the grant application was due last month, but she got an extension, and the grant will be awarded within weeks of approval by the State. They will receive the final payment in June 2023.

The Board approved submitting the grant. Witt also proposed a Septic and Water System Inspector Position. The environmental health specialist would have three functions: inspecting septic and wells, inspecting retail food establishments, and running the well water laboratory for resident well water testing.

The County formerly contracted with Jefferson County and had an inspector two days a month. This will return it to a Gilpin County position.

Reporting to the Public Health Coordinator, the environmental health specialist is responsible for performing specialized technical work investigating adherence to environmental health laws and regulations by the performance of inspections in one or more specialized areas of environmental health. The employee is responsible for performing inspections according to established schedules or in response to complaints or outbreaks of illness, determining adherence to codes and regulations, preparing reports of inspection findings, providing environmental health education and risk communication and initiating enforcement actions as necessary. Work also involves answering inquiries about environmental health issues from the public and assisting other team members.

Witt said this is the task order for which the County received an $80,000 unrestricted grant per year with no time limit per year. It will pay for most of the position and can be renewed annually. The proposed pay grade is 17 at about S49,000 to $59,000. The Board approved hiring an environmental health specialist at pay grade 17.

Johnson introduced a change in status from part-time to full-time for the assessor’s office assessment specialist. Due to unexpected circumstances, the County has identified a need for an assessment specialist. This position is requested by the assessor’s office to bridge the information gap as the current county assessor has made the decision not to run for re-election and wants to ensure all County services remain uninterrupted.

The assessor would like to restructure and reorganize the current team positions to allow room for this needed skill set. This would allow someone to learn new skills to support the team during the transition period between the current assessor leaving and the new assessor’s arrival.

This would not increase the number of staff working in the assessor’s office, rather it would move a member of the existing staff to this new position. Johnson recommended approving the assessment specialist position at salary grade 13 based on comparable positions within the department and the County with similar work levels, area of oversight and level of responsibility.

Current Assessor Anne Schafer said with this promotion, there would not be a drop-off of knowledge. The person already has the background, and neither of the candidates on the ballot for the Assessor position has experience as assessor.

Board Chair Sandy Hollingsworth suggested approving it for one year until the next official is elected. Schafer said that to learn to be an assessor takes two years or more to go through all the State demands. “We need in house knowledge….It will be a critical staff position right now. I have five and a half months left in the position. It is imperative it happens now,” Schafer added. The Board approved moving the position to full time.

The Board approved renewing a Substance Abuse Block Grant (SABG) for under-resourced, high needs (URHN). The contract with the state of Colorado through CDPHE will need to be signed.

Staff recommended approving and signing the contract to continue the youth programs grant funding for July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. Fiscal impacts include reimbursement of $150,000 towards child care operations, teen program operations, and evidence-based curriculum for children and youth.

The next meeting of the Gilpin County Commissioners will be on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, at 9 a.m. For more information go to https://www.gilpincounty.org/public_ meetings/ bo_ c_ c_ meetings.