by E.E.Mullens
WALSENBURG — There were some subtle, and some not so subtle indications that Huerfano County would have to run on a leaner budget in the coming year than it did in 2023 and tough decisions will have to be made in staffing as the financial document for 2024 is being prepared.
The first indication was a split vote on an action item which called for a $5,000 expenditure to Employers Council for HR (human resources) consulting, dealing specifically with federal and state labor guidelines as they pertain to personnel layoffs.
The item did pass 2-1, with Commission Chairman John Galusha voting against the agreement saying he felt this was an issue that could be handled in-house, through a combination of the HR and county attorney’s offices. County Administrator Carl Young reminded Galusha and Commissioners Arica Andreatta and Karl Sporleder, that the Employers Council did not offer legal advice or opinions, but only procedural and process counseling targeted to governmental layoff situations.
Once the vote was taken, Galusha said he would seek to add an item to the end of the special meeting agenda, calling for county action in reduction of expenses.
The commissioners also took “no action” positions on two other items they’ll address at a later date.
At the end of the special meeting session, the board acted on the added agenda item. Commissioner Andreatta made the suggested motion that the county only authorize emergency spending until the end of the year and that all overtime payments be converted to comp-time employee compensation beginning with this pay period. The motion passed unanimously.
Administrator Young confirmed the 2024 county budget was still a work in progress but administration did anticipate 5 to 10 layoffs in the coming year. Commissioner Galusha said the board needs to review a snapshot of the ‘24 budget before final adoption next month.
There are no early indications on which county departments may be affected by personnel cuts in the coming year.
Cuchara Mountain Park Operating Agreement Extension:
The board of commissioners approved in a unanimous vote the operating contract extension with Panadero Ski Corporation (PSC) through May 1, 2024.
The extension agreement spells out a number of conditions the non-profit must meet. They included:
• Section 1. Park Operations
A. PSC will operate the Park for and on behalf of the County as a public adventure park including overseeing the maintenance, renovation, repair, replacement, and operation of the Park together with activities customarily associated with operating a public park, community center, or adventure park.
B. PSC agrees that the Park shall be operated and maintained in such a manner as to be a credit to the County, and shall be made available to all members of the public regardless of race, color, gender, sexuality, creed, national origin, religious preference, or any other classification protected by state, local, or federal law.
•Section 2. Lift Operations
A. PSC is prohibited from performing any work whatsoever to Lift 4 without the express written consent of the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board.
B. Upon express written consent of the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board, PSC is authorized to make such repairs, upgrades, and improvements that may be necessary to bring Lift 4 into good working order, provided however that all maintenance on the lift must be conducted and overseen by a qualified lift technician guided by an engineer experienced in cable- propelled transit. Work on the lift will be done in a manner in keeping with the best practices and advice of the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board, industry standards, and all rules and regulations applicable to other such lifts.
C. PSC will give the County 72 hours’ notice before any work period for Lift 4. For the purposes of this provision, a work period is defined as any plan day or continuous series of days where PSC will be performing maintenance on or testing of Lift 4. Notice must include the name of the company employing the qualified lift technician conducting or overseeing the work. Notices must be sent to Administrator@huerfano.us and Commissioners@huerfano.us.
D. PSC must provide the County with copies of all engineering reports or plans within 7 days of PSC receiving said reports.
E. PSC is authorized to operate Lift 4 once it has an approved license from the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board and appropriate insurance. This includes operations, maintenance, upgrades, and improvements related to snowmaking equipment servicing Lift 4, specifically, or located on the Park.
F. Work on any other existing lift is prohibited, except with prior approval of the County and/or the USFS as appropriate.
2022 Audit Presentation & In Other Business
•James Hinkle presented his firm’s county audit for 2022 saying both departmental audits and audits of state and federal grant funded programs found no sufficient deficiencies or material weaknesses in county financial and fund tracking processes.
In other words, Huerfano County received a clean audit for its financial practices in 2022.
• With less than a 5% score difference after review of the RFQ’s submitted by PSC and Buckhorn Outfitters for the operating concession at Cuchara Mountain Park, the county will ask both entities to file detailed business plans with county administration by Dec. 19, 2023 for review before a contact will be awarded.
