by Ruth Stodghill
TRINIDAD — Updates to the employee handbook were up for discussion at a Dec. 12 work session of the Las Animas County Board of Commissioners, with County Administrator Phil Dorenkamp and County Attorney Pamela Nelson presenting the completed rough draft, a project that they have been working on alongside DHS Director Michael Aragon for almost a year.
According to Nelson, the updated handbook has been completely overhauled, with many of the updates taking into account changes to recent state and federal laws. The intent for the work session was to discuss the draft and make any needed changes prior to bringing a final version to the commissioners for approval.
Commissioner Felix Lopez asked about Section 5.11 of the draft handbook, which outlines expectations for employees to “dress according to organizational policy.” Dorenkamp stated that the dress code outlines general guidelines such as not wearing clothing with holes, as well as job-specific expectations such as wearing safety clothing for the Road and Bridge department.
Discussion of the proposed handbook also included topics including computer security, employee discipline, impacts on the county’s union contract, time off for volunteer fire service, and implementation of the handbook.
ADA parking
Emergency Manager Joe Richards also gave a presentation regarding ADA parking and security at the courthouse.
“I am not the ADA compliance officer, I’m not trying to be the ADA compliance officer, but I really think this item needs to get some resolution to it one way or the other because from a security standpoint, everybody in this building, whether elected official or staff member, should feel securing coming to work,” said Richards. “But from the ADA compliance side, every person who comes up there who has a handicap or limitation of some kind should have a comfortable way to get in and out of the building.”
Richards suggested moving a retaining wall from the south side of the courthouse to add ADA compliant parking, a plan endorsed at the work session by Trinidad’s city public works director Bob Just.
With a grant application already submitted by the county for renovations to the courthouse’s parking infrastructure, Dorenkamp said, “If we’re going to change the makeup of our conceptual parking, then we need to decide rather quickly so we can make adjustments on our grant applications.”
Richards explained that he doesn’t want the proposal to interrupt the county’s current renovation plans, but to go alongside them.
Commissioner Luis Lopez pushed back against the idea, stating that the county’s plan to add ADA parking to the courtyard of the courthouse and at the front of the courthouse’s park is the best option financially to meet ADA requirements. “Here we are, analyzing spending another $250,000 minimum, at what expense?”
“Now, in the future if we want to move forward as a board and we have more funding mechanisms available to us, and the legislature’s changed and this HH overhaul goes away, I definitely would be 100% with you in removal of that wall,” said Lopez.
