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Good morning. We will begin this, uh,
Board of County Commissioners regular

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Board of County Commissioners regular
meeting.

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It is Tuesday, officially September. Can't
believe it.

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We begin each meeting with an invocation,

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and Pastor Raymond Pettit from Outside the
Gates Worship is here to, um,

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share with us. We invite you to join and
stand with us in this invocation.

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Good morning, all.

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Thank you Most gracious Heavenly Father,
we come to you with a heart heavy.

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Lord, this year has gone by, it's flown
by, but Father,

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we're still doing your work here in the
County Commission.

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They've made so many decisions.

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I pray that you just continue to give them
the guidance and wisdom to continue the

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work you've set before them.

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Father, as the leaves change and they're
turning beautiful,

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let our hearts be the same.

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And Father, we just pray that as we
approach Labor Day,

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that you would just give us an ability to
look into what you're doing through us and

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for us, with us. Father,

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we give you the glory and the honor
because it's all yours anyways.

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We ask these in Jesus' name. Amen.

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Commissioner Williams, would you lead us
in the pledge?

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United States of America.

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Item 3. Item number 3 is staff emergency
items,

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and I'm unaware of any staff emergency
items today. Item 4.

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Item number 4 is changes, postponements,

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and notice of the next meeting.

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I'm unaware of any changes or
postponements to today's

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agenda, and the next meeting will be
September 8th at 9:00

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AM.

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Item 5.

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Item number 5 is the consent calendar,

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including items 5A through 5T2.

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Okay, do we have anyone here wishes to
speak on an item on the

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consent calendar today? Any public
comment?

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All right, seeing none,

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I will move it up to the dais for a motion
or any discussion.

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Move approval of the consent calendar.

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Second.

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Okay, that has been moved and seconded.
I'll call the roll. Commissioner Wysong?

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Aye.

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Commissioner Applegate?

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Aye.

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Commissioner Williams?

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Aye.

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And the vice chair votes aye. That passes
4-0.

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Item 6.

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Item number 6 is comments by elected
officials and commissioner liaison

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reports. Do we have any elected officials
who would like to share today?

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Seeing none, we'll move up to the dais
starting with Commissioner Wysong.

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Thank you, Madam, uh, Vice Chair, Acting
Chair.

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Um, last week was a, uh, busy week.

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BPACG Water Quality Board meeting, urban
renewal.

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We had a MAC hail and farewell for
greeting new command personnel into

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the various bases and those that are
leaving.

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And then the Fountain Creek Watershed
District board meeting on Friday.

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This week there's the Arkansas River Basin
Water Forum.

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Fountain Creek Watershed District TAC
meeting.

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We've got a budget meeting for the county
and also a financial committee

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meeting for Fountain Creek Watershed
District.

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And I just always like, you know,

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showing there's this manual that is the
2025 Popular Annual Financial

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Report.

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Thank you.

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And it's, it's a very interesting short
document that kind of gives an overview of

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everything that's going on with the
county.

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And probably the best thing is it has a
photo of a dollar bill that's been parsed,

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and it shows basically where the money
goes in the county.

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And for all the property taxes that, you
know, that we collect,

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the county itself only gets to use about
almost 10 cents out of every dollar.

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So it's very interesting to see where that
money, where it goes to other places,

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whether it's school districts, library,
the city, etc., etc.

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So it's a neat little pamphlet and gives
you a very good overview of county

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financial operations. Thank you.

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Commissioner Applegate?

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Yes, and to reflect what Commissioner
Wysong said, yeah, the MAC,

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their Hail and Farewell Wednesday was a
very good event, and you did well on that,

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Commissioner Wysong, as well as the people
that organized that for that event.

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So Friday I was down in Pueblo all day
for, first of all,

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in the morning for the Front Range
Passenger Rail, their vote.

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So 13 or 14 to 1, they're going to send it
to the ballot and it's going to be a

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sales tax increase. So keep that in mind
on your November ballot.

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And I also, later on, I was at— later that
evening,

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I was at the state fair for the
legislative barbecue.

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So, I got to see some of our state
legislators,

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some of our conservatives from the area,
and it was really good.

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Good to interact and good to see some
faces I hadn't seen in a while.

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On Saturday, I actually ran in a 5K.

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I did the Run for Hope with the Hope Is
Alive nonprofit,

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and I talk about this one quite a bit.

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They're a very unique nonprofit because
they focus on homelessness,

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but they also focus on what's the root
cause of homelessness,

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and a lot of times that's addiction.

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And so, before they put people up in some
sort of housing,

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set them up with some kind of like
structure to help them continue to live

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structure to help them continue to live
their

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lives. They focus on their drug abuse and
their alcohol abuse and wean them off of

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those horrible things and get them back to
like sober living.

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So it's really a good organization and I
enjoyed—

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didn't enjoy necessarily running the 5K,
but I enjoy supporting the organization.

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So that was all I had for last week.

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Commissioner Williams.

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Yes, I have a few meetings tomorrow, but
other than that, no meetings to report.

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Friday, I was at the legislative barbecue.

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I have 2 issues that I wanted to point
out.

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That the vote to put the Front Range
Passenger Rail on the ballot at 0.33 sales

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Passenger Rail on the ballot at 0.33 sales
tax,

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the no vote was Commissioner Cory
Applegate. We're very proud of him.

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The reason being, and I think it was
stated well in an article I read this

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stated well in an article I read this
morning,

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You know, at a very time the Denver RTD is
cutting back and the voters are very

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upset about the level of services they
have provided and failed to provide over

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have provided and failed to provide over
the

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year, we're trying to sell a train to do
essentially the same thing.

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And this train is mostly designed for
everybody to pay the tax to complete the

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Denver to Boulder route of the RTD.

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And so this is very much a shell game,
very much a tax that I am against,

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because so far there has not seemed to be
a demand for people to ride the Denver

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RTD. So I don't know exactly why there
would be a demand for people to ride the

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Front Range Passenger Rail.

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The only success that I've seen in some of
our transit operations truly is the bus

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sting. which is very popular going from
Woodman Road up to downtown Denver,

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and especially during the business travel
hours. And that's been extremely popular.

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I have a family member who's ridden that
many times.

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So we're glad that there was at least one
opposition vote against that.

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I did hear of another person who wanted to
vote no but was threatened and actually

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left the meeting prior to her vote. So
that she did not have to abstain or vote

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that she did not have to abstain or vote
yes.

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So the other thing I wanted to comment
about was the loss of data again by our

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Secretary of State of Colorado.

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It is one thing to place elected officials
in positions of power and they can prove

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their competence and then move on to
another position.

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It is another as There have been 5
separate times, at least in the past 8

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separate times, at least in the past 8
years,

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where she has made major, major leak—
leaks in her office.

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She's blamed it on her employees, but
let's state the fact, the buck stops with

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let's state the fact, the buck stops with
her.

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It's a revolving door of leaking
information, compromising our safety,

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compromising our voter elections, and
frankly,

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compromising the safety of our own
district attorney.

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and other law enforcement officers in the
region.

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It has not been that long ago, maybe 10,

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12 years since we lost the life of the
Colorado Department of Corrections

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Colorado Department of Corrections
Director

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Tom Clemens when he opened his door after
the doorbell rang and his information had

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been leaked and he was shot to death right
there in his front room.

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So Some of these individuals, George
Brockler, Michael Allen,

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many of our police officers, really go
after criminals in our community,

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despite the fact that we live in Colorado
where many in the Democrat Socialist Party

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want to release all these criminals on the
street.

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And when we have a district attorney or a
sheriff's deputy or a Colorado Springs

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police officer who will stand up and go
against those who have wronged us with

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either very bad crimes or just even little
crimes.

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It is our utmost responsibility to protect
those individuals in their safety.

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I don't even know District Attorney
Allen's address,

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and his wife is a member of one of my
social clubs.

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We still send it to the same place that
everyone else.

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has to send it if they have access to the
voter database,

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which is like a UPS store or postal annex
somewhere.

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So it's just important to know,

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I think even former district attorneys
have this power,

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that they're placed into a secure,
confidential voting system.

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At some point, the people they put in
prison do get out,

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and there could be some retribution on
that person's mind.

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And so this is a huge disappointment to
me. It is a revolving door of glitches.

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and getting rid of information, then
blaming it on the staff,

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or saying it was only 58 people, not
130,000 people who were leaked.

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And so as we come up to this fall,

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in one of my rare occasions of stating
something political,

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I do not think that this person is capable
of being Attorney General.

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I don't think she's capable of keeping the
confidence of the cases she's filing.

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I don't think she's capable of meeting
deadlines.

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Thank you.

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And I don't think she's capable of running
one of the largest law firms in the

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state. Thank you.

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00:15:36,664 --> 00:15:43,124
Good morning. I will just note that Chair
Geithner is taking some well-deserved time

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off this week. She attempted to do so in
July and got pulled in.

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So we're going to try really hard to
respect her time and give her that rest

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respect her time and give her that rest
that is

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much deserved and needed,

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and grateful for all the hard work she
puts in on behalf of El Paso County.

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So I will just share that, um, I really
want to take a moment to thank our staff.

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They put a lot of thought and time into
organizing our land use meeting last

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Thursday, and I'm so grateful for
everyone.

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00:16:17,503 --> 00:16:23,579
Just, we received many comments after the
fact at how well-run and efficient We

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00:16:23,579 --> 00:16:29,116
moved through hearing testimony from
members of the public and just that

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members of the public and just that
respect for

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everyone's time. And so I'm just amazed at
how smoothly that proceeding went and

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wanted to just publicly say thank you to
all of our staff that worked really hard

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00:16:42,344 --> 00:16:42,498
all of our staff that worked really hard
to

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make sure that hearing moved— proceedings
moved well.

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And with that, we will move on to item 7.

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Item number 7 is community service
organization reports, and there are none.

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00:16:55,573 --> 00:16:56,111
organization reports, and there are none.
Item 8.

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00:16:56,111 --> 00:17:01,418
Item number 8 is public comment on items
not scheduled on the agenda.

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00:17:01,418 --> 00:17:05,802
The commissioners welcome communication in
various forms.

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00:17:05,802 --> 00:17:10,724
However, the public comment period is not
intended for dialogue,

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00:17:10,724 --> 00:17:15,723
and commissioners do not engage in
conversation during this time.

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00:17:15,723 --> 00:17:21,799
Members of the public seeking responses to
specific questions are encouraged to

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00:17:21,799 --> 00:17:24,952
submit inquiries through Citizen Connect.

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And Madam Vice Chair, I'm aware of several
people signing in to speak today.

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Okay, if you wish to speak on an item not
scheduled on the agenda,

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we just ask that you would move forward
closer to the podium and state your name

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00:17:42,026 --> 00:17:42,257
closer to the podium and state your name
for

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00:17:42,257 --> 00:17:45,333
the record, and you will have 3 minutes.

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00:17:47,308 --> 00:17:47,535
Good morning.

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00:17:47,584 --> 00:17:50,579
And if you have— I'm sorry, if you have
not signed in, we'll need you to do so.

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Thank you.

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00:17:51,393 --> 00:17:51,556
Sorry.

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00:17:53,498 --> 00:17:55,425
Good morning. Lynette Persauda.

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Commissioners, thank— there is a distinct
difference between evidence and opinion.

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Evidence can be reviewed, verified, and is
admissible in court.

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00:18:04,437 --> 00:18:09,037
An opinion is a personal view that others
may disagree with and may not be

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verifiable. For example, CDOT has
certified I-25 as a highway in Colorado.

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They have evidentiary documentation
proving the road's ability to carry

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00:18:18,049 --> 00:18:18,733
proving the road's ability to carry
high-volume

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00:18:18,733 --> 00:18:21,592
traffic and tonnage. The following is
opinion.

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00:18:21,592 --> 00:18:25,819
4 out of the 5 El Paso County
commissioners believe I-25's north and

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00:18:25,819 --> 00:18:26,440
commissioners believe I-25's north and
southbound

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lanes are a neighborhood.

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00:18:27,994 --> 00:18:32,532
For the record, I have not provided
opinions regarding Beacon Light Road.

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These commissioned engineering reports
define Beacon Light Road existing as a

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define Beacon Light Road existing as a
rural

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connector for its future.

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00:18:39,182 --> 00:18:44,093
How could this be when the dynamics of the
80,000 autos and heavies in the I-25

225
00:18:44,093 --> 00:18:45,895
neighborhood flow adjacently?

226
00:18:45,895 --> 00:18:50,619
How could these reports ignore the
adoption of the Pikes Peak Area Council's

227
00:18:50,619 --> 00:18:50,868
adoption of the Pikes Peak Area Council's
2050

228
00:18:50,868 --> 00:18:55,529
long-range plan that would add over 50,000
residents to the Tri-Lakes area?

229
00:18:55,529 --> 00:19:00,067
Today, I have given a copy of those
evidentiary reports to the clerk on a

230
00:19:00,067 --> 00:19:00,377
evidentiary reports to the clerk on a
thumb

231
00:19:00,377 --> 00:19:04,355
drive for your review. So I have some
straightforward questions.

232
00:19:04,355 --> 00:19:09,514
With the projected traffic and the known
geotechnical conditions dating back to the

233
00:19:09,514 --> 00:19:14,735
1970s, what evidence or state waivers show
that Beacon Lake can safely handle 20,000

234
00:19:14,735 --> 00:19:17,967
autos and vehicles weighing 60,000 to
80,000 pounds?

235
00:19:17,967 --> 00:19:21,262
What evidence shows that the plans meet
CRS 43-2-147,

236
00:19:21,262 --> 00:19:25,923
requiring access decisions to consider
traffic volume and highway function?

237
00:19:25,923 --> 00:19:29,031
What evidence shows that plans meet CRS
43-1-1103,

238
00:19:29,031 --> 00:19:33,693
which would highlight the environmental
impacts for building a neighborhood

239
00:19:33,693 --> 00:19:38,727
convenience store? What evidence shows
that turn lanes will be provided on Beacon

240
00:19:38,727 --> 00:19:40,592
Lake for the mobile home park?

241
00:19:40,592 --> 00:19:45,689
What evidence shows that emergency lanes
are planned for Beacon Lake Road when the

242
00:19:45,689 --> 00:19:47,118
highway is blocked. Ms.

243
00:19:47,118 --> 00:19:52,215
Williams' opinion of hoping Beacon Lake
Road will not be used was frankly shocking

244
00:19:52,215 --> 00:19:54,080
to hear at a land use meeting.

245
00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:58,182
Hoping does not relieve you as
commissioners of your duty of care.

246
00:19:58,182 --> 00:20:03,092
We need evidentiary documentation that the
road can safely handle the projected

247
00:20:03,092 --> 00:20:07,692
volumes. Lack of accounting for the
planned growth of an additional 50,000

248
00:20:07,692 --> 00:20:08,251
planned growth of an additional 50,000
residents

249
00:20:08,251 --> 00:20:12,291
and our 80,000 daily I-25 neighbors
without providing evidentiary

250
00:20:12,291 --> 00:20:13,099
without providing evidentiary
documentation

251
00:20:13,099 --> 00:20:14,840
constitutes willful neglect.

252
00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:16,766
Willful neglect is a conscious,

253
00:20:16,766 --> 00:20:21,180
intentional failure or reckless
indifference towards fulfilling a known

254
00:20:21,180 --> 00:20:21,801
indifference towards fulfilling a known
legal duty

255
00:20:21,801 --> 00:20:26,525
or obligation, such as compliance with
administrative requirements under CRS

256
00:20:26,525 --> 00:20:27,768
2422-108. Thank you.

257
00:20:27,768 --> 00:20:29,943
Good morning, Commissioners.

258
00:20:29,943 --> 00:20:35,146
We are still trying to comprehend what
happened here with Buc-ee's.

259
00:20:35,146 --> 00:20:40,427
4 members of the board looked at
approximately 120 fueling stations,

260
00:20:40,427 --> 00:20:43,145
a 74,000-square-foot travel center,

261
00:20:43,145 --> 00:20:49,203
and a development whose own filings
describe its fueling component And somehow

262
00:20:49,203 --> 00:20:49,436
describe its fueling component And somehow
you

263
00:20:49,436 --> 00:20:55,804
arrived at an extraordinary conclusion.
It's not a gas station. Not a gas station.

264
00:20:55,804 --> 00:21:01,163
Apparently, if you make the gas station
big enough, add enough pumps,

265
00:21:01,163 --> 00:21:06,366
sell enough food, t-shirts, stuffed
beavers, and cheap merchandise,

266
00:21:06,366 --> 00:21:11,881
it magically becomes a convenience store.
That isn't land use analysis.

267
00:21:11,881 --> 00:21:16,385
That's redefining reality to reach a
predetermined result.

268
00:21:16,385 --> 00:21:22,365
And then we heard about property rights.
So let's talk about property rights.

269
00:21:22,365 --> 00:21:26,481
Of course, the Buc-ee's property has
property rights,

270
00:21:26,481 --> 00:21:31,529
but property rights do not stop at the
developer's property line.

271
00:21:31,529 --> 00:21:36,034
The people who already live here have
property rights too.

272
00:21:36,034 --> 00:21:42,402
The homeowner whose property and quality
of life are affected has property rights.

273
00:21:42,402 --> 00:21:47,606
The family whose well depends upon
groundwater has property rights.

274
00:21:47,606 --> 00:21:52,110
The rancher and neighboring landowner has
property rights,

275
00:21:52,110 --> 00:21:58,401
and every citizen has the right to expect
the county to honestly and consistently

276
00:21:58,401 --> 00:22:01,119
apply its own land use regulations.

277
00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:07,487
Owning property doesn't give someone an
unlimited right to put absolutely anything

278
00:22:07,487 --> 00:22:11,681
on it regardless of the consequences to
everyone else.

279
00:22:11,681 --> 00:22:17,661
If it did, we wouldn't need zoning, we
wouldn't need a land development code,

280
00:22:17,661 --> 00:22:21,234
we wouldn't need public hearings, and
frankly,

281
00:22:21,234 --> 00:22:27,524
we wouldn't need county commissioners. We
could put a rubber stamp on everything.

282
00:22:27,524 --> 00:22:33,660
Approved. Your responsibility isn't merely
to protect an applicant's ability to

283
00:22:33,660 --> 00:22:36,223
maximize the use of the property.

284
00:22:36,223 --> 00:22:42,513
Your responsibility is protect the health,
safety, and welfare of El Paso County—

285
00:22:42,513 --> 00:22:47,950
our roads, our water, our evacuation
capacity, our neighborhoods, etc.

286
00:22:47,950 --> 00:22:53,464
Which brings me back to the 4
commissioners who somehow concluded not a

287
00:22:53,464 --> 00:22:54,396
commissioners who somehow concluded not a
gas station.

288
00:22:54,396 --> 00:23:00,686
How pathetic. I brought something with me
today for the 4 of you that did vote in

289
00:23:00,686 --> 00:23:04,880
favor of this. 4 blank mental health
commitment forms,

290
00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:10,550
one for each commissioner who voted for
this decision. Now they're blank.

291
00:23:10,550 --> 00:23:14,433
I'm not a psychiatrist. I'm not diagnosing
anyone.

292
00:23:14,433 --> 00:23:20,257
I'm certainly not filing anything with the
court. This is political satire.

293
00:23:20,257 --> 00:23:23,209
And in this day and age, we need this.

294
00:23:23,209 --> 00:23:29,344
But when 4 elected officials can look at
approximately 120 fueling stations and

295
00:23:29,344 --> 00:23:29,655
approximately 120 fueling stations and
look

296
00:23:29,655 --> 00:23:35,324
at 74,000 square feet travel center, look
at the applicant's own filings.

297
00:23:35,324 --> 00:23:37,343
This is not a gas station.

298
00:23:37,343 --> 00:23:43,168
We the people are entitled to question the
soundness of the decision-making

299
00:23:43,168 --> 00:23:48,604
occurring in this room. I have to question
your level of intelligence.

300
00:23:48,604 --> 00:23:53,109
Are the 4 of you of sound mind and body?
This isn't funny.

301
00:23:53,109 --> 00:23:56,293
When your decisions affect water traffic—

302
00:23:56,309 --> 00:23:59,213
wrap up your comment. Your time has come
to a conclusion.

303
00:23:59,213 --> 00:24:04,682
Well, I'm not done yet. I got 3 more
sentences. We the people are horrified.

304
00:24:04,682 --> 00:24:08,208
The people of Colorado and the nation is
as well.

305
00:24:08,208 --> 00:24:13,893
After 4 El Paso County commissioners
decided that 120 fueling stations is a gas

306
00:24:13,893 --> 00:24:17,419
station, these applications right here are
blank.

307
00:24:17,419 --> 00:24:22,816
And whether they should remain that way
I'll leave that diagnosis up to the

308
00:24:22,816 --> 00:24:23,320
I'll leave that diagnosis up to the
voters.

309
00:24:24,235 --> 00:24:24,733
Thank you.

310
00:24:24,733 --> 00:24:32,182
Commissioners, I come before you today sad
and deeply disappointed in this board.

311
00:24:32,182 --> 00:24:38,436
Last Thursday, this community brought you
the code, the definitions,

312
00:24:38,436 --> 00:24:43,770
and the applicant's own documents. You
granted the appeal.

313
00:24:43,770 --> 00:24:48,368
How did a project like this ever reach
this point?

314
00:24:48,368 --> 00:24:55,357
In 2017, Craig Dossey led planning when
LDC 17003 was presented as a cleanup

315
00:24:55,357 --> 00:25:02,715
measure. Its stated purpose ended and
allow additional administrative authority.

316
00:25:02,715 --> 00:25:06,485
He later, later led the 2021 master plan,

317
00:25:06,485 --> 00:25:13,750
replacing 10 citizen-written small area
plans with a countywide place type map.

318
00:25:13,750 --> 00:25:20,464
He left the county in April 2022. Vertex
was incorporated 4 months later.

319
00:25:20,464 --> 00:25:25,430
Last Thursday, Vertex represented Buc-ee's
before you.

320
00:25:25,430 --> 00:25:32,419
That history shows the structure through
which a project the applicant's own

321
00:25:32,419 --> 00:25:40,052
engineers described to the Federal Highway
Administration as a 120-fueling-position

322
00:25:40,052 --> 00:25:46,674
Buc-ee's gas station could reach you as an
administrative determination.

323
00:25:46,674 --> 00:25:49,985
No rezoning, no planning commission.

324
00:25:49,985 --> 00:25:52,284
Commissioner Nelson said,

325
00:25:52,284 --> 00:25:59,641
just because we couldn't conceptualize
that doesn't mean that we shouldn't allow

326
00:25:59,641 --> 00:25:59,825
that doesn't mean that we shouldn't allow
it

327
00:25:59,825 --> 00:26:06,814
to exist today. Chair Geithner said
government does not exist to control and

328
00:26:06,814 --> 00:26:07,182
government does not exist to control and
plan

329
00:26:07,182 --> 00:26:12,332
everything. We are a free nation. We are a
free economy.

330
00:26:12,332 --> 00:26:17,666
Nobody at those microphones asked you to
control anything.

331
00:26:17,666 --> 00:26:25,023
They read you your own definition and
asked you to apply it. So what comes next?

332
00:26:25,023 --> 00:26:31,737
The master plan is 5 years old. Will
residents have a role in its review?

333
00:26:31,737 --> 00:26:38,726
Yesterday, Modules 1 and 2 of the code
rewrite went out as a 513-page draft,

334
00:26:38,726 --> 00:26:42,497
with the procedures module still to come.

335
00:26:42,497 --> 00:26:46,911
How are residents supposed to find what
changed?

336
00:26:46,911 --> 00:26:53,900
Will the rewrite correct Thursday's
results or write it permanently into the

337
00:26:53,900 --> 00:26:54,360
results or write it permanently into the
code?

338
00:26:54,360 --> 00:26:56,567
The applicant's project—

339
00:26:56,567 --> 00:27:02,453
the applicant projects 22,150 daily trips
onto County Line Road,

340
00:27:02,453 --> 00:27:10,178
more than 93% assigned to Interstate 25. I
said this in April, and it's truer today.

341
00:27:10,178 --> 00:27:16,891
A Buc-ee's at this location and the
infrastructure required to sustain it

342
00:27:16,891 --> 00:27:17,811
infrastructure required to sustain it
would tear

343
00:27:17,811 --> 00:27:21,122
to shreds the fabric of a community.

344
00:27:21,122 --> 00:27:28,019
It would permanently erase the corridor
that links neighborhoods across the

345
00:27:28,019 --> 00:27:35,100
Tri-Lakes region, disrupting a rhythm of
daily life that has existed here for

346
00:27:35,100 --> 00:27:42,090
generations, and it would turn our road
home into just another entry ramp to

347
00:27:42,090 --> 00:27:44,205
commercial development.

348
00:27:44,205 --> 00:27:50,606
Is there anyone else that wishes to speak
on an item not scheduled on the

349
00:27:50,606 --> 00:27:56,831
agenda today? Okay, seeing none, we'll
move on to agenda item number 9.

350
00:27:56,831 --> 00:28:01,039
Item number 9 is the called-up consent
calendar,

351
00:28:01,039 --> 00:28:04,459
and there are no items called up today.

352
00:28:04,459 --> 00:28:06,265
Number 10.

353
00:28:06,265 --> 00:28:11,063
Item number 10 is department and committee
reports, non-action items.

354
00:28:11,063 --> 00:28:16,417
10A, 2027 Public Health preliminary
balance budget and statutory presentation

355
00:28:16,417 --> 00:28:16,834
balance budget and statutory presentation
of the

356
00:28:16,834 --> 00:28:19,059
2027 preliminary balance budget.

357
00:28:19,059 --> 00:28:23,439
Deanne Ryberg, Executive Director,
Department of Public Health.

358
00:28:23,439 --> 00:28:28,167
Good morning and welcome. Look forward to
hearing this presentation.

359
00:28:28,167 --> 00:28:30,740
Whenever you're ready, you may begin.

360
00:28:30,740 --> 00:28:35,713
Wonderful, thank you. Good morning,
Commissioners. Deanne Ryberg.

361
00:28:35,713 --> 00:28:40,762
I serve as the Executive Director of El
Paso County Public Health,

362
00:28:40,762 --> 00:28:43,363
and I am here this morning to, uh,

363
00:28:43,363 --> 00:28:47,724
present our 2027 preliminary balanced
budget information.

364
00:28:47,724 --> 00:28:50,095
Um, coming to you this morning,

365
00:28:50,095 --> 00:28:56,522
I would like to spend just a little bit of
time providing some context regarding our

366
00:28:56,522 --> 00:29:02,413
agency, our governance efforts that we've
made in recent years to examine our

367
00:29:02,413 --> 00:29:08,074
financial stewardship, look at risks for
our organization and our funding,

368
00:29:08,074 --> 00:29:11,440
as well as reviewing revenues,
expenditures,

369
00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:17,101
and particularly some strategic
investments that we want to make this year

370
00:29:17,101 --> 00:29:17,560
investments that we want to make this year
in the

371
00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:22,304
2027 budget that will support our
organization moving forward.

372
00:29:22,304 --> 00:29:25,517
Um, I wanted to just reflect a little bit.

373
00:29:25,517 --> 00:29:31,943
Last year when I came before the Board of
County Commissioners regarding our budget,

374
00:29:31,943 --> 00:29:34,774
it was a very different circumstance.

375
00:29:34,774 --> 00:29:38,675
We had experienced significant funding
disruptions.

376
00:29:38,675 --> 00:29:44,796
We were also transitioning from funding
associated with a global pandemic and an

377
00:29:44,796 --> 00:29:48,468
influx of funding into the public health
system.

378
00:29:48,468 --> 00:29:53,670
And last year our theme was around
mitigating some of those changes,

379
00:29:53,670 --> 00:29:55,659
looking at our operations,

380
00:29:55,659 --> 00:30:01,244
and finding ways to position the
organization to be more sustainable into

381
00:30:01,244 --> 00:30:01,473
organization to be more sustainable into
the

382
00:30:01,473 --> 00:30:07,594
future. Today, I'm excited to share that
we are moving past that risk mitigation

383
00:30:07,594 --> 00:30:13,867
stage and looking ahead into how we can
position our organization not just for the

384
00:30:13,867 --> 00:30:15,703
work that we have today,

385
00:30:15,703 --> 00:30:20,446
but what we will need for public health in
the future as well.

386
00:30:20,446 --> 00:30:22,665
Before we go into the budget,

387
00:30:22,665 --> 00:30:28,479
I'd just like to reflect a moment on the
governance of El Paso County Public

388
00:30:28,479 --> 00:30:29,015
governance of El Paso County Public
Health.

389
00:30:29,015 --> 00:30:31,998
We are governed by our Board of Health,

390
00:30:31,998 --> 00:30:36,130
appointed by you as the Board of County
Commissioners.

391
00:30:36,130 --> 00:30:42,326
We have a 9-member board currently that
has a role in our priorities, our policy,

392
00:30:42,326 --> 00:30:44,392
and approval of our budget.

393
00:30:44,392 --> 00:30:49,824
Our current board members include
President Hunter Barnett, Dr. Deborah

394
00:30:49,824 --> 00:30:50,512
President Hunter Barnett, Dr. Deborah
Chan, Dr.

395
00:30:50,512 --> 00:30:55,485
Gregory Collins, Todd Dixon as the mayor
of Green Mountain Falls.

396
00:30:55,485 --> 00:31:01,299
And we are very pleased to have both the
chair and vice chair serve as board

397
00:31:01,299 --> 00:31:07,114
liaisons to our Board of Health, and also
our vice president, Courtney Salt,

398
00:31:07,114 --> 00:31:10,709
who I appreciate is here with us today as
well.

399
00:31:10,709 --> 00:31:17,059
This provides you with an overview of our
organization and You can see reflected in

400
00:31:17,059 --> 00:31:23,409
this organizational chart the breadth of
services that we provide at El Paso County

401
00:31:23,409 --> 00:31:29,529
Public Health. Environmental Health serves
as our regulatory division that has a

402
00:31:29,529 --> 00:31:34,119
role in inspecting and licensing retail
food establishments,

403
00:31:34,119 --> 00:31:39,628
body art establishments, as well as onsite
wastewater treatment systems.

404
00:31:39,628 --> 00:31:42,841
We also have a Clinical Services Division.

405
00:31:42,841 --> 00:31:48,732
That division provides direct services to
residents of El Paso County through

406
00:31:48,732 --> 00:31:54,393
immunizations, chronic disease, and
reproductive health clinical services,

407
00:31:54,393 --> 00:32:00,054
as well as our Nurse-Family Partnership
Program that supports families and

408
00:32:00,054 --> 00:32:00,743
Program that supports families and
children.

409
00:32:00,743 --> 00:32:04,797
We have our Disease Prevention and
Response Division.

410
00:32:04,797 --> 00:32:10,306
This division serves as our Emergency
Services Function 8 group that has

411
00:32:10,306 --> 00:32:15,814
responsibilities as responders in our
community for communicable disease

412
00:32:15,814 --> 00:32:16,426
community for communicable disease
outbreak

413
00:32:16,426 --> 00:32:19,180
response, and other hazard response.

414
00:32:19,180 --> 00:32:23,082
And that includes our communicable disease
program,

415
00:32:23,082 --> 00:32:28,820
emergency preparedness and response, as
well as a public health laboratory.

416
00:32:28,820 --> 00:32:32,721
We also have a Community Health Promotion
Division.

417
00:32:32,721 --> 00:32:38,689
This division works on health education
and health promotion activities in the

418
00:32:38,689 --> 00:32:43,508
community. They also work on chronic
disease, health education,

419
00:32:43,508 --> 00:32:49,399
as well as working very closely with
children and families throughout El Paso

420
00:32:49,399 --> 00:32:54,448
County, providing nutritional services
through our Women, Infants,

421
00:32:54,448 --> 00:32:56,973
and Children nutritional program.

422
00:32:56,973 --> 00:33:01,946
And then we have our Strategy, Data, and
Communications Division,

423
00:33:01,946 --> 00:33:07,760
and that includes work that we do around
planning, communications, and data,

424
00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:11,509
as well as our vital records and
operations team.

425
00:33:11,509 --> 00:33:16,405
So as you can see from this chart, we do a
wide variety of work.

426
00:33:16,405 --> 00:33:21,378
Some of it is direct service, Some of it
is supportive education,

427
00:33:21,378 --> 00:33:24,208
and some of it is regulatory as well.

428
00:33:24,208 --> 00:33:26,886
As your local public health agency,

429
00:33:26,886 --> 00:33:32,012
we have specific statutory
responsibilities that we are responsible

430
00:33:32,012 --> 00:33:32,318
responsibilities that we are responsible
for.

431
00:33:32,318 --> 00:33:38,591
The first one that you'll see before you
is our responsibility to bring our budget

432
00:33:38,591 --> 00:33:40,427
to you by September 1st.

433
00:33:40,427 --> 00:33:46,700
So I thank you for the opportunity to be
here today to share this information with

434
00:33:46,700 --> 00:33:51,367
you. We also, in 2008, Colorado passed the
Public Health Act,

435
00:33:51,367 --> 00:33:56,952
and that established the core public
health services that each county and

436
00:33:56,952 --> 00:33:57,564
health services that each county and
district

437
00:33:57,564 --> 00:34:00,930
public health agency must provide or
ensure.

438
00:34:00,930 --> 00:34:06,591
And additionally, state regulation
established 7 foundational capabilities

439
00:34:06,591 --> 00:34:06,974
established 7 foundational capabilities
and 5

440
00:34:06,974 --> 00:34:11,335
foundational services that our agency is
responsible for.

441
00:34:11,335 --> 00:34:13,859
Related to our required services,

442
00:34:13,859 --> 00:34:18,909
we have 5 areas that we are required to
provide in El Paso County.

443
00:34:18,909 --> 00:34:24,570
Those include communicable disease
prevention, investigation, and control,

444
00:34:24,570 --> 00:34:29,619
chronic disease injury prevention and
behavioral health promotion,

445
00:34:29,619 --> 00:34:35,280
environmental health access and linkage to
care, and maternal, adolescent,

446
00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:37,728
and family health. Additionally,

447
00:34:37,728 --> 00:34:43,313
we are responsible for ensuring that we
have cross-cutting capacities and

448
00:34:43,313 --> 00:34:44,002
have cross-cutting capacities and
expertise

449
00:34:44,002 --> 00:34:50,199
within our department to address areas
that support the delivery of our services.

450
00:34:50,199 --> 00:34:55,018
This includes assessment and planning,
communication functions,

451
00:34:55,018 --> 00:35:00,374
organizational competencies, and emergency
preparedness, among others.

452
00:35:00,374 --> 00:35:02,898
And before we go into the budget,

453
00:35:02,898 --> 00:35:09,018
I'd like to spend just a moment to reflect
on what makes our funding dynamic and

454
00:35:09,018 --> 00:35:11,773
variable. As a public health agency,

455
00:35:11,773 --> 00:35:17,893
about 50% of the funding we receive is
tied to specific programmatic grants that

456
00:35:17,893 --> 00:35:18,122
tied to specific programmatic grants that
can

457
00:35:18,122 --> 00:35:23,631
only be utilized for those specific
activities and are restricted funds.

458
00:35:23,631 --> 00:35:29,674
Also impacting our funding is the fact
that many of the fees that we charge for

459
00:35:29,674 --> 00:35:34,494
services, whether that's licensing
permits, birth certificates,

460
00:35:34,494 --> 00:35:36,789
some of our clinical services,

461
00:35:36,789 --> 00:35:41,992
those fees are not set or the
reimbursement is not set at our level.

462
00:35:41,992 --> 00:35:47,882
So that is also a dynamic part of our
budget that we work with is calculating

463
00:35:47,882 --> 00:35:48,188
budget that we work with is calculating
fees

464
00:35:48,188 --> 00:35:54,156
and addressing those that we control
locally and working within fee structures

465
00:35:54,156 --> 00:35:54,462
locally and working within fee structures
that

466
00:35:54,462 --> 00:35:56,451
we do not control locally.

467
00:35:56,451 --> 00:36:02,418
In public health, we also have grants from
federal and state partners as well.

468
00:36:02,418 --> 00:36:05,478
So we work across multiple fiscal years.

469
00:36:05,478 --> 00:36:11,522
So our budget is a continuous evaluation
cycle as those different funding years

470
00:36:11,522 --> 00:36:15,041
impact our budget as we move through the
year.

471
00:36:15,041 --> 00:36:19,249
Also, with significant grant funding,
there's variable—

472
00:36:19,249 --> 00:36:22,615
variability in how that funding comes to
us.

473
00:36:22,615 --> 00:36:26,364
Some of it may be one-time in initiative
funding.

474
00:36:26,364 --> 00:36:29,730
Some of it is renewable and some is
ongoing.

475
00:36:29,730 --> 00:36:32,714
Also within our statutory requirements,

476
00:36:32,714 --> 00:36:38,375
we have several core governmental
responsibilities that we are required to

477
00:36:38,375 --> 00:36:38,910
responsibilities that we are required to
provide

478
00:36:38,910 --> 00:36:44,266
by statute. Many of those do not come with
a dedicated funding stream.

479
00:36:44,266 --> 00:36:50,233
So this is why much of our flexible
funding is very important to us because it

480
00:36:50,233 --> 00:36:50,615
funding is very important to us because it
helps

481
00:36:50,615 --> 00:36:56,353
us weave together our various funding
sources to make sure that we can fund

482
00:36:56,353 --> 00:36:56,736
sources to make sure that we can fund
those

483
00:36:56,736 --> 00:37:02,321
core required statutory responsibilities
while also having flexibility in

484
00:37:02,321 --> 00:37:03,086
while also having flexibility in
mobilizing

485
00:37:03,086 --> 00:37:07,982
our funding to support how our agency
brings this work together.

486
00:37:07,982 --> 00:37:14,332
And the realities of that dynamic funding
is also why we have spent so much time in

487
00:37:14,332 --> 00:37:19,381
the past year strengthening how we
approach financial stewardship,

488
00:37:19,381 --> 00:37:23,053
and examining the work that our teams
undertake.

489
00:37:23,053 --> 00:37:28,561
We've undertaken the budget with the
perspective that it should not just

490
00:37:28,561 --> 00:37:29,097
perspective that it should not just
reflect

491
00:37:29,097 --> 00:37:31,009
what we have always done.

492
00:37:31,009 --> 00:37:33,764
It should reflect focus, discipline,

493
00:37:33,764 --> 00:37:37,895
and structure necessary to position us for
the future.

494
00:37:37,895 --> 00:37:44,092
We're balancing today's operational needs
with sustainability and considering our

495
00:37:44,092 --> 00:37:48,223
financial landscape that includes funding
variability.

496
00:37:48,223 --> 00:37:53,731
It includes being able to recruit and
retain the talent contained in our

497
00:37:53,731 --> 00:37:54,420
retain the talent contained in our
workforce

498
00:37:54,420 --> 00:38:00,387
and also looking for opportunities to
examine our operation and look for areas

499
00:38:00,387 --> 00:38:00,540
examine our operation and look for areas
of

500
00:38:00,540 --> 00:38:06,890
efficiency. And also recognizing that the
budget decisions that we make create both

501
00:38:06,890 --> 00:38:13,010
opportunities as well as obligations that
can extend well past the single fiscal

502
00:38:13,010 --> 00:38:15,305
year. So throughout this year,

503
00:38:15,305 --> 00:38:20,507
we have been evaluating our approach and
evaluating those decisions.

504
00:38:20,507 --> 00:38:26,475
And these principles have helped move us
past a budget process that focuses on

505
00:38:26,475 --> 00:38:31,983
developing an annual budget really into a
continuous management process.

506
00:38:31,983 --> 00:38:34,584
And over the last year and a half,

507
00:38:34,584 --> 00:38:40,704
financial stewardship has been at the
center of the work we've been undertaking.

508
00:38:40,704 --> 00:38:42,464
That includes planning.

509
00:38:42,464 --> 00:38:47,360
And making intentional decisions before
resources are allocated,

510
00:38:47,360 --> 00:38:53,404
examining our operations and building
reliable systems that support the work of

511
00:38:53,404 --> 00:38:53,633
reliable systems that support the work of
the

512
00:38:53,633 --> 00:38:58,989
organization, looking at accountability
and using our public resources

513
00:38:58,989 --> 00:38:59,907
and using our public resources
responsibly,

514
00:38:59,907 --> 00:39:02,202
reviewing programs, positions,

515
00:39:02,202 --> 00:39:08,399
and structure to ensure resources remain
aligned with our mission and priorities,

516
00:39:08,399 --> 00:39:14,748
and looking at sustainability and making
decisions that strengthen our organization

517
00:39:14,748 --> 00:39:18,956
not just for the immediate, but for the
future as well.

518
00:39:18,956 --> 00:39:25,229
Examples of this work include we have a
new opportunity to address chronic disease

519
00:39:25,229 --> 00:39:27,295
via a grant from the state.

520
00:39:27,295 --> 00:39:29,973
And as we have accepted that grant,

521
00:39:29,973 --> 00:39:36,017
we are working diligently to embed this
work into our existing structure versus

522
00:39:36,017 --> 00:39:42,137
creating an additional siloed program as a
way that we can weave chronic disease

523
00:39:42,137 --> 00:39:44,891
across our organizational structure.

524
00:39:44,891 --> 00:39:50,552
We're also investing in new technology
that makes our work more efficient,

525
00:39:50,552 --> 00:39:55,448
more transparent, and improves our ability
to monitor that work.

526
00:39:55,448 --> 00:40:00,115
All of this work is being undertaken with
a common objective:

527
00:40:00,115 --> 00:40:06,159
to strengthen our ability to fulfill our
mission in an increasingly complex and

528
00:40:06,159 --> 00:40:07,766
changing environment.

529
00:40:07,766 --> 00:40:13,427
And also, we discuss trying to improve the
resiliency of our organization.

530
00:40:13,427 --> 00:40:19,624
And being resilient doesn't mean that we
can mitigate every unknown or every risk

531
00:40:19,624 --> 00:40:21,613
and uncertainty. We can't.

532
00:40:21,613 --> 00:40:26,662
But what we are trying to do is build our
capacity to navigate it.

533
00:40:26,662 --> 00:40:31,482
And that is the mindset that we have
brought to today's budget.

534
00:40:31,482 --> 00:40:33,471
So moving into our budget,

535
00:40:33,471 --> 00:40:39,744
wanted to provide you with a historical
perspective on what our funding has looked

536
00:40:39,744 --> 00:40:41,351
like in recent years,

537
00:40:41,351 --> 00:40:46,706
because certainly there has been quite a
bit of change over the years,

538
00:40:46,706 --> 00:40:52,979
especially as we spent multiple years in
pandemic response with an influx of funds

539
00:40:52,979 --> 00:40:54,509
related to COVID-19.

540
00:40:54,509 --> 00:41:00,324
As we have moved out of that response,
some of those pandemic-era funds have

541
00:41:00,324 --> 00:41:00,859
some of those pandemic-era funds have
sunset,

542
00:41:00,859 --> 00:41:03,766
and our budget continues to normalize.

543
00:41:03,766 --> 00:41:07,745
Currently, for our 2027 preliminary
balanced budget,

544
00:41:07,745 --> 00:41:12,564
we are anticipating revenues and
expenditures of $26.4 million.

545
00:41:12,564 --> 00:41:17,078
I will acknowledge, however, those are
preliminary figures.

546
00:41:17,078 --> 00:41:23,122
We still will move through our federal
contract cycle as well as determinations

547
00:41:23,122 --> 00:41:28,707
regarding the county compensation plan
that will continue to refine those

548
00:41:28,707 --> 00:41:29,319
that will continue to refine those
numbers.

549
00:41:29,319 --> 00:41:35,286
Also, over time, we have had significant
variability in our staffing in public

550
00:41:35,286 --> 00:41:41,712
health. Certainly, we grew rapidly during
the pandemic response and have had to look

551
00:41:41,712 --> 00:41:47,756
at our structure closely to align the
organization with the financial realities

552
00:41:47,756 --> 00:41:47,909
organization with the financial realities
of

553
00:41:47,909 --> 00:41:51,734
our current status. Particularly starting
in 2025,

554
00:41:51,734 --> 00:41:57,931
we have been working diligently to make
sure the organization is poised with more

555
00:41:57,931 --> 00:42:01,986
sustainability. Ability to match financial
resources.

556
00:42:01,986 --> 00:42:06,117
You will note that we have had a decrease
in staffing.

557
00:42:06,117 --> 00:42:08,029
And through that process,

558
00:42:08,029 --> 00:42:12,620
we have prioritized our statutory and core
responsibilities,

559
00:42:12,620 --> 00:42:16,674
looked at our structure to remove
programmatic silos,

560
00:42:16,674 --> 00:42:19,199
reassessed how work is allocated,

561
00:42:19,199 --> 00:42:23,330
and reviewed our operating expenses across
the agency.

562
00:42:23,330 --> 00:42:24,860
As much as possible,

563
00:42:24,860 --> 00:42:30,828
we have worked to manage this transition
through Restructure and vacancies and

564
00:42:30,828 --> 00:42:35,877
attrition while redesigning the
organization to preserve essential

565
00:42:35,877 --> 00:42:36,565
organization to preserve essential
services,

566
00:42:36,565 --> 00:42:40,544
even though we are working with a smaller
workforce.

567
00:42:40,544 --> 00:42:46,281
And this graph gives you a preliminary
overview of our division and budgets

568
00:42:46,281 --> 00:42:46,740
overview of our division and budgets
moving

569
00:42:46,740 --> 00:42:52,708
forward into 2027. I will note that the
administrative division is our largest

570
00:42:52,708 --> 00:42:57,298
division with 27% of our budget allocated
to administration.

571
00:42:57,298 --> 00:43:02,424
And I would just like to add that that
should not be interpreted as

572
00:43:02,424 --> 00:43:03,495
should not be interpreted as
administrative

573
00:43:03,495 --> 00:43:09,691
staff and overhead. That administrative
division really serves as our agency-wide

574
00:43:09,691 --> 00:43:11,528
funding and cost center.

575
00:43:11,528 --> 00:43:17,189
Several cross-department revenue sources
are budgeted into administration.

576
00:43:17,189 --> 00:43:20,555
That includes state LPHA funding we
receive,

577
00:43:20,555 --> 00:43:23,998
federal public health infrastructure
funding,

578
00:43:23,998 --> 00:43:26,981
as well as support from El Paso County.

579
00:43:26,981 --> 00:43:31,648
It also includes shared costs that support
the entire agency.

580
00:43:31,648 --> 00:43:36,697
That includes our costs for financial
services, technology, rents,

581
00:43:36,697 --> 00:43:39,910
and common area maintenance, among others.

582
00:43:39,910 --> 00:43:45,495
Moving through, This diagram, the next
division that you see there is our

583
00:43:45,495 --> 00:43:46,184
division that you see there is our
Strategy,

584
00:43:46,184 --> 00:43:52,534
Data, and Communications team. This team
supports many of our cross-agency efforts.

585
00:43:52,534 --> 00:43:58,195
So that's where we have our communications
team, our operations team, our—

586
00:43:58,195 --> 00:44:00,413
and as well as our data team.

587
00:44:00,413 --> 00:44:06,610
Clinical Services and Community Health
Promotion both comprise 22% of our budget.

588
00:44:06,610 --> 00:44:10,894
providing a variety of direct services to
the community.

589
00:44:10,894 --> 00:44:16,709
Our environmental health team that does
our regulatory work in the community

590
00:44:16,709 --> 00:44:20,534
comprises approximately 14% of our planned
budget.

591
00:44:20,534 --> 00:44:26,195
And our disease response and disease
prevention and response team reflects

592
00:44:26,195 --> 00:44:29,179
approximately 9% of our overall budget.

593
00:44:29,179 --> 00:44:35,070
I'd also like to share a bit about how we
are funded as a local public health

594
00:44:35,070 --> 00:44:40,578
agency. We receive a mix of funding from
different governmental sources.

595
00:44:40,578 --> 00:44:46,392
Each of our state, federal, and local
levels of government contribute to our

596
00:44:46,392 --> 00:44:46,928
levels of government contribute to our
budget,

597
00:44:46,928 --> 00:44:52,283
with federal having the highest portion at
29%, El Paso County at 28%,

598
00:44:52,283 --> 00:44:58,480
and state at 25%. And we collect license
fees and permits for services we provide

599
00:44:58,480 --> 00:44:58,633
fees and permits for services we provide
in

600
00:44:58,633 --> 00:45:02,305
the amount of approximately 17% of our
revenues.

601
00:45:02,305 --> 00:45:08,655
We have benchmarked this funding mix with
information available to us from national

602
00:45:08,655 --> 00:45:14,775
surveys, and this reflects a very common
funding pattern for local public health

603
00:45:14,775 --> 00:45:20,360
agencies, with the vast majority of
funding coming from various levels of

604
00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:26,557
governmental funding sources and Our fee
capture may be just slightly higher than

605
00:45:26,557 --> 00:45:31,988
the most recent national averages that
place that at approximately 10%.

606
00:45:31,988 --> 00:45:38,109
But there is considerable variation across
the nation in how local public health

607
00:45:38,109 --> 00:45:43,847
agencies are structured and their ability
to bill for some of the services.

608
00:45:43,847 --> 00:45:49,890
But that gives you a sense of how we are
funded and the various funding sources

609
00:45:49,890 --> 00:45:50,196
funded and the various funding sources
that

610
00:45:50,196 --> 00:45:52,109
contribute to our budget.

611
00:45:52,109 --> 00:45:56,393
So with those funding sources and those
revenues, where,

612
00:45:56,393 --> 00:45:58,994
where do we expend those revenues?

613
00:45:58,994 --> 00:46:05,268
As a service delivery organization that
provides direct services to the community,

614
00:46:05,268 --> 00:46:11,617
the vast majority of our funding goes to
support the personnel and our employees at

615
00:46:11,617 --> 00:46:13,147
local public health.

616
00:46:13,147 --> 00:46:18,656
Our operating is a much smaller percentage
of our overall budget at 20%.

617
00:46:18,656 --> 00:46:25,006
And we do have a small remodel and capital
project planned for our offices in 2027.

618
00:46:25,006 --> 00:46:30,743
And this again, we have benchmarked
ourselves with other large local public

619
00:46:30,743 --> 00:46:31,202
ourselves with other large local public
health

620
00:46:31,202 --> 00:46:34,262
agencies in the Front Range in Colorado.

621
00:46:34,262 --> 00:46:40,153
And this funding mix with approximately
80% of our funding going to personnel

622
00:46:40,153 --> 00:46:46,427
remains consistent with what we see with
other local public health agencies of our

623
00:46:46,427 --> 00:46:48,798
size. And within our operating,

624
00:46:48,798 --> 00:46:54,995
we are looking forward to opportunities to
invest in the future of our agency and

625
00:46:54,995 --> 00:47:00,580
our ability to deliver efficient and
effective services to El Paso County

626
00:47:00,580 --> 00:47:01,268
effective services to El Paso County
residents

627
00:47:01,268 --> 00:47:07,006
through some strategic investments that we
have planned in the 2027 budget.

628
00:47:07,006 --> 00:47:12,744
These are prioritized for us because they
help us maintain service quality.

629
00:47:12,744 --> 00:47:19,017
They help us to operate effectively within
the workforce constraints that we have,

630
00:47:19,017 --> 00:47:25,061
and they reflect process improvement and
service delivery assessments that will

631
00:47:25,061 --> 00:47:25,367
service delivery assessments that will
help

632
00:47:25,367 --> 00:47:31,181
us streamline our work and have more
modern tools and systems to assist with

633
00:47:31,181 --> 00:47:31,564
modern tools and systems to assist with
that.

634
00:47:31,564 --> 00:47:37,302
Examples of this, we are working to
implement a grant management system For

635
00:47:37,302 --> 00:47:37,531
implement a grant management system For
us,

636
00:47:37,531 --> 00:47:41,586
with more than 50% of our funding coming
from grants,

637
00:47:41,586 --> 00:47:44,493
managing that is very important to us.

638
00:47:44,493 --> 00:47:50,843
The impact of remaining in compliance with
grant standards and expectations is very

639
00:47:50,843 --> 00:47:55,815
important for us to be able to seek future
funding opportunities.

640
00:47:55,815 --> 00:47:59,870
And to date, we have had a very
decentralized system.

641
00:47:59,870 --> 00:48:06,143
A modern grant management system helps us
put that information into a consolidated

642
00:48:06,143 --> 00:48:11,422
place. It helps us mitigate against
institutional knowledge loss when

643
00:48:11,422 --> 00:48:12,111
institutional knowledge loss when
positions

644
00:48:12,111 --> 00:48:18,155
change and provides us with opportunities
for enhanced grant seeking as well as

645
00:48:18,155 --> 00:48:22,439
dashboarding our, our progress with our
existing grants.

646
00:48:22,439 --> 00:48:27,335
We are also looking to invest in a new
electronic health record.

647
00:48:27,335 --> 00:48:30,319
We do provide direct clinical services,

648
00:48:30,319 --> 00:48:36,056
and part of that is to have a robust
electronic health record that helps us

649
00:48:36,056 --> 00:48:36,668
electronic health record that helps us
mitigate

650
00:48:36,668 --> 00:48:41,259
any risks, helps us have modern
information available to us,

651
00:48:41,259 --> 00:48:46,920
and integrates well within our services
and our pharmacy services as well.

652
00:48:46,920 --> 00:48:52,887
So, that is also something that we've
identified that will help us do our work

653
00:48:52,887 --> 00:48:53,193
identified that will help us do our work
more

654
00:48:53,193 --> 00:48:55,335
efficiently and effectively.

655
00:48:55,335 --> 00:49:01,226
One of the other strategic investments
that we're excited about is to use our

656
00:49:01,226 --> 00:49:07,576
federal public health infrastructure grant
to do a service delivery assessment with

657
00:49:07,576 --> 00:49:12,549
an external contractor to look at our WIC
service delivery model.

658
00:49:12,549 --> 00:49:18,057
WIC is a program that provides
supplemental nutrition to families in our

659
00:49:18,057 --> 00:49:18,822
supplemental nutrition to families in our
community.

660
00:49:18,822 --> 00:49:23,412
And although demand for those services
continue to increase,

661
00:49:23,412 --> 00:49:26,931
funding has remained flat over multiple
years.

662
00:49:26,931 --> 00:49:32,746
So this is a great opportunity for us to
look at what we can do to work more

663
00:49:32,746 --> 00:49:36,265
effectively within the resources that we
have.

664
00:49:36,265 --> 00:49:39,631
We are also working on environmental
health.

665
00:49:39,631 --> 00:49:45,675
We know that our community wants better
information about status of permits and

666
00:49:45,675 --> 00:49:48,429
better communication regarding that.

667
00:49:48,429 --> 00:49:54,320
So we will be undertaking a process
mapping project to help us identify areas

668
00:49:54,320 --> 00:49:54,702
mapping project to help us identify areas
where

669
00:49:54,702 --> 00:50:00,517
we can improve, as well as looking at
opportunities to make that information

670
00:50:00,517 --> 00:50:00,823
opportunities to make that information
more

671
00:50:00,823 --> 00:50:03,653
visible and accessible to the public.

672
00:50:03,653 --> 00:50:09,314
And finally, we are working on a community
health assessment data project.

673
00:50:09,314 --> 00:50:14,823
We are required to conduct a community
health assessment for our county,

674
00:50:14,823 --> 00:50:21,096
and that project will be undertaken with
additional support to give us better data

675
00:50:21,096 --> 00:50:27,216
regarding our, our community so that we
can have a more robust process for that.

676
00:50:27,216 --> 00:50:31,195
And then moving to El Paso County support
over time,

677
00:50:31,195 --> 00:50:36,703
you will see here that El Paso County
support to local public health has

678
00:50:36,703 --> 00:50:37,391
support to local public health has
increased

679
00:50:37,391 --> 00:50:43,359
over time. Increases in 2021 and 2022 were
part of a planned increase that was

680
00:50:43,359 --> 00:50:48,867
approved by the Board of County
Commissioners as a multi-year investment

681
00:50:48,867 --> 00:50:49,632
Commissioners as a multi-year investment
into local

682
00:50:49,632 --> 00:50:50,703
public health.

683
00:50:50,703 --> 00:50:50,945
Thank you.

684
00:50:52,121 --> 00:50:57,939
In 2023, we were part of a compensation
study with the county and made some

685
00:50:57,939 --> 00:50:59,490
adjustments in 2023.

686
00:50:59,490 --> 00:51:01,740
And as we have moved forward,

687
00:51:01,740 --> 00:51:07,325
I appreciate that we have had consistent
support from El Paso County for

688
00:51:07,325 --> 00:51:08,178
support from El Paso County for
allocations

689
00:51:08,178 --> 00:51:12,755
for compensation plan as we have moved
through those years.

690
00:51:12,755 --> 00:51:15,547
In 2027, we are planning for, again,

691
00:51:15,547 --> 00:51:21,831
to be part of the county's compensation
plan where a portion will be allocated to

692
00:51:21,831 --> 00:51:26,795
public health. And right now we are
estimating that at $250,000.

693
00:51:26,795 --> 00:51:32,768
That does not cover all of the costs of
our increased compensation as we also

694
00:51:32,768 --> 00:51:38,198
receive grant funding, but does help
offset those increases over time.

695
00:51:38,198 --> 00:51:44,714
And the ability to be part of the county's
compensation plan has been very impactful

696
00:51:44,714 --> 00:51:50,454
for our agency as it has helped us to
recruit and retain talent within our

697
00:51:50,454 --> 00:51:50,920
recruit and retain talent within our
public

698
00:51:50,920 --> 00:51:57,126
health team. Other areas where county
support to our budget is very important to

699
00:51:57,126 --> 00:51:57,281
support to our budget is very important to
us

700
00:51:57,281 --> 00:52:00,694
is that given our reliance on grant
funding,

701
00:52:00,694 --> 00:52:06,977
We also have considerable costs associated
with running the organization that are

702
00:52:06,977 --> 00:52:10,856
not funded through those grants in their
entirety.

703
00:52:10,856 --> 00:52:16,906
Examples of this include investments in
our rent, our common area maintenance,

704
00:52:16,906 --> 00:52:22,491
county support for functions that we rely
on as a team that include DST,

705
00:52:22,491 --> 00:52:25,517
human resources, benefits, and finance,

706
00:52:25,517 --> 00:52:31,412
as well as supporting elements of our
agency through communications and data

707
00:52:31,412 --> 00:52:35,058
analytics that support our programs as a
whole.

708
00:52:35,058 --> 00:52:41,263
And we are very grateful for the support
that we get through consolidated county

709
00:52:41,263 --> 00:52:44,521
services with HR and IT as well as others,

710
00:52:44,521 --> 00:52:50,805
because it would be much more challenging
if we were not able to be part of those

711
00:52:50,805 --> 00:52:53,752
consolidated services with the county.

712
00:52:53,752 --> 00:52:59,570
So that is a wonderful way that we can
invest flexible dollars into quality

713
00:52:59,570 --> 00:53:00,191
invest flexible dollars into quality
services

714
00:53:00,191 --> 00:53:06,319
for the community. We also have statutory
requirements in environmental health,

715
00:53:06,319 --> 00:53:07,948
communicable disease,

716
00:53:07,948 --> 00:53:13,921
and community health improvement plan that
we are required to deliver for the

717
00:53:13,921 --> 00:53:20,049
community. They do not come with dedicated
funding streams that fully cover the

718
00:53:20,049 --> 00:53:22,221
costs of those requirements.

719
00:53:22,221 --> 00:53:28,194
So flexible funding from El Paso County
also helps us Deliver those services.

720
00:53:28,194 --> 00:53:34,167
An example of that is our retail food
program within our environmental health

721
00:53:34,167 --> 00:53:34,555
program within our environmental health
team.

722
00:53:34,555 --> 00:53:38,899
Retail food is a delegated program to us
from the state,

723
00:53:38,899 --> 00:53:43,320
and the fees for that service are set at
the state level,

724
00:53:43,320 --> 00:53:48,518
and those are revisited every three years
by the state legislature.

725
00:53:48,518 --> 00:53:54,103
At last year, our cost recovery for
environmental health was under fifty

726
00:53:54,103 --> 00:53:54,723
environmental health was under fifty
percent.

727
00:53:54,723 --> 00:54:00,929
It was a About 48%. The state legislature
passed a 3-year plan to increase those

728
00:54:00,929 --> 00:54:03,877
fees, and at the end of those 3 years,

729
00:54:03,877 --> 00:54:08,065
we anticipate our cost recovery will be
closer to 75%,

730
00:54:08,065 --> 00:54:11,944
which is a significant improvement for our
budget.

731
00:54:11,944 --> 00:54:17,762
But it also means that we do need flexible
funding to make that team whole.

732
00:54:17,762 --> 00:54:23,114
And each year, that team does more than
4,000 regulatory inspections.

733
00:54:23,114 --> 00:54:27,148
in our community related to delivering
that service.

734
00:54:27,148 --> 00:54:33,354
Similarly, communicable disease is a very
active program investigating more than

735
00:54:33,354 --> 00:54:39,714
2,000 different disease reports each year
and responding to hundreds of outbreaks.

736
00:54:39,714 --> 00:54:45,532
I believe last year approximately 300
outbreaks that they responded to as a

737
00:54:45,532 --> 00:54:45,920
outbreaks that they responded to as a
team.

738
00:54:45,920 --> 00:54:51,505
Another area where we don't have a
dedicated funding stream and flexible

739
00:54:51,505 --> 00:54:52,048
dedicated funding stream and flexible
funding

740
00:54:52,048 --> 00:54:54,220
helps to make that possible.

741
00:54:54,220 --> 00:54:59,185
And I would like to close by thanking our
team at Public Health.

742
00:54:59,185 --> 00:55:04,925
We have done a tremendous amount of work
over the last year to examine our

743
00:55:04,925 --> 00:55:10,433
programming, how we are doing our work,
why we are doing it, and making

744
00:55:10,433 --> 00:55:11,363
why we are doing it, and making
adjustments.

745
00:55:11,363 --> 00:55:17,802
And that has positioned us well to be in a
more sustainable place where we can look

746
00:55:17,802 --> 00:55:23,930
forward to continuing to improve and not
just be mitigating immediate risks and

747
00:55:23,930 --> 00:55:27,033
looking at what our immediate needs are.

748
00:55:27,033 --> 00:55:33,238
And I'm also thankful for the support of
the Board of County Commissioners as we

749
00:55:33,238 --> 00:55:38,591
have gone through this process and we
continue to work to make a more

750
00:55:38,591 --> 00:55:39,444
continue to work to make a more
sustainable

751
00:55:39,444 --> 00:55:43,633
public health agency for El Paso County.
So thank you.

752
00:55:43,633 --> 00:55:48,554
Thank you. I will bring it up here for any
questions or

753
00:55:48,554 --> 00:55:53,296
comments from commissioners. Uh,
Commissioner Wysong.

754
00:55:53,296 --> 00:55:59,699
Thank you so much, Deanne. Um, appreciate,
um, coming and talking to us.

755
00:55:59,699 --> 00:56:06,192
I've got a, a number of questions, but I
won't ask them all to allow the,

756
00:56:06,192 --> 00:56:08,771
the rest of the board to ask.

757
00:56:08,771 --> 00:56:11,706
I think one of the big questions,

758
00:56:11,706 --> 00:56:18,376
because you can see the budget and a lot
of others What are the big lessons

759
00:56:18,376 --> 00:56:23,712
learned from COVID that prepares you for
the next, you know,

760
00:56:23,712 --> 00:56:26,380
some kind of a major outbreak?

761
00:56:26,380 --> 00:56:31,027
Thank you. So, after every response, we do
an after-action,

762
00:56:31,027 --> 00:56:36,067
and there are certainly lessons learned
from the COVID pandemic.

763
00:56:36,067 --> 00:56:41,422
One of the biggest challenges is when
there is that much disruption,

764
00:56:41,422 --> 00:56:42,525
there is that much disruption,
communication.

765
00:56:42,525 --> 00:56:49,140
There are always ways that we can improve
how we communicate the information that we

766
00:56:49,140 --> 00:56:51,267
share and the coordination.

767
00:56:51,267 --> 00:56:57,725
I think some things that stand out to me
from that response were the times that we

768
00:56:57,725 --> 00:57:01,190
came before this board to share
information,

769
00:57:01,190 --> 00:57:05,364
work that we did to visualize data for the
community,

770
00:57:05,364 --> 00:57:08,987
and to share information with sector
partners.

771
00:57:08,987 --> 00:57:14,027
If we were to encounter a similar
situation again in the future,

772
00:57:14,027 --> 00:57:18,910
I think some of those successes would
certainly carry forward,

773
00:57:18,910 --> 00:57:24,895
as well as strengthening some of the work
that we do with community members.

774
00:57:24,895 --> 00:57:29,778
It can be very challenging when there is
that much disruption,

775
00:57:29,778 --> 00:57:35,606
and having a flexible team that can
mobilize quickly is part of how we can

776
00:57:35,606 --> 00:57:36,079
mobilize quickly is part of how we can
better

777
00:57:36,079 --> 00:57:41,434
serve the community. So we have taken some
of those lessons learned.

778
00:57:41,434 --> 00:57:46,396
We have done extensive incident command
training with our team.

779
00:57:46,396 --> 00:57:52,775
We have identified depth in our team and
trained up multiple team members so that

780
00:57:52,775 --> 00:57:52,932
trained up multiple team members so that
we

781
00:57:52,932 --> 00:57:57,579
have more depth of bench when those types
of things happen.

782
00:57:57,579 --> 00:58:03,407
Because one of our challenges as a
responding agency is that public health

783
00:58:03,407 --> 00:58:04,116
responding agency is that public health
responses

784
00:58:04,116 --> 00:58:07,423
tend to be long. They're not over quickly.

785
00:58:07,423 --> 00:58:13,094
They tend to go through multiple
adjustments over a long period of time.

786
00:58:13,094 --> 00:58:15,693
It burned out a lot of our staff.

787
00:58:15,693 --> 00:58:21,127
And I think we are taking those lessons in
how we train, how we plan,

788
00:58:21,127 --> 00:58:24,277
and anticipate some of those challenges.

789
00:58:24,277 --> 00:58:32,164
Is that built into your kind of your
strategic investments? Moving forward?

790
00:58:32,164 --> 00:58:35,099
Yeah, there are aspects of that that are.

791
00:58:35,099 --> 00:58:40,540
So I think reflected in that, grant
management systems that are more modern,

792
00:58:40,540 --> 00:58:44,620
efficient, and can allow us to track our
progress better.

793
00:58:44,620 --> 00:58:48,772
Because as that influx of funding came
into public health,

794
00:58:48,772 --> 00:58:52,351
managing that sudden change was quite
challenging.

795
00:58:52,351 --> 00:58:57,219
So a modern grant management system can
help us in those situations.

796
00:58:57,219 --> 00:59:03,018
We have also invested in or hope to invest
into a better electronic health record

797
00:59:03,018 --> 00:59:08,816
that increases the ability of our team to
work flexibly when we are responding to

798
00:59:08,816 --> 00:59:12,682
situations, have better information
available to them,

799
00:59:12,682 --> 00:59:16,762
and increase the efficiency of our
clinical care systems.

800
00:59:16,762 --> 00:59:22,418
We also have a small but very talented
emergency preparedness team that in this

801
00:59:22,418 --> 00:59:22,704
emergency preparedness team that in this
year

802
00:59:22,704 --> 00:59:28,359
they worked with us on an administrative
exercise that brought in partners from

803
00:59:28,359 --> 00:59:34,086
across the county, because one of the
things that we also learned and would like

804
00:59:34,086 --> 00:59:34,229
things that we also learned and would like
to

805
00:59:34,229 --> 00:59:37,737
improve on is our ability to work with
contracts.

806
00:59:37,737 --> 00:59:42,533
So when we need to expand our work
quickly, to have faster contract

807
00:59:42,533 --> 00:59:43,249
quickly, to have faster contract
processes,

808
00:59:43,249 --> 00:59:46,328
be able to mobilize resources more
quickly.

809
00:59:46,328 --> 00:59:52,198
And that administrative exercise was part
of implementing lessons learned from the

810
00:59:52,198 --> 00:59:55,419
pandemic into our forward-looking
operations.

811
00:59:57,445 --> 01:00:03,099
Very good. Anyone else before I ask
another one?

812
01:00:03,099 --> 01:00:10,284
Your last slide, or your bar slide here on
support over time.

813
01:00:10,284 --> 01:00:17,704
Yes, especially from 2020 to '27, you
know, pretty large chunk.

814
01:00:17,704 --> 01:00:24,889
I believe you said that the '21 and '22
were budget increases

815
01:00:24,889 --> 01:00:27,363
approved by the BOCC.

816
01:00:27,363 --> 01:00:34,194
Today's requested the $7.25 million
approximately from the

817
01:00:34,194 --> 01:00:41,026
county. How much is that due to the state
statute unfunded

818
01:00:41,026 --> 01:00:42,086
mandates?

819
01:00:42,086 --> 01:00:47,706
So the specific amount that we resulted in
related to this Is, um,

820
01:00:47,706 --> 01:00:50,686
is based on compensation increases.

821
01:00:50,686 --> 01:00:54,603
So in order to maintain our staffing, the,
um,

822
01:00:54,603 --> 01:01:00,989
complexity of how much of that funding
goes to these unfunded mandates, um,

823
01:01:00,989 --> 01:01:07,631
is a little more challenging to answer
directly because it's a mix of flexible

824
01:01:07,631 --> 01:01:14,272
funding that we receive from the county,
that we receive from the state. Okay.

825
01:01:14,272 --> 01:01:20,658
State as well that helps make that
communicable disease program whole or to

826
01:01:20,658 --> 01:01:21,339
communicable disease program whole or to
make the

827
01:01:21,339 --> 01:01:24,064
environmental health team whole.

828
01:01:24,064 --> 01:01:29,769
So I think it's critical for our ability
to deliver those services.

829
01:01:29,769 --> 01:01:36,751
And about half of what we receive from the
county goes directly into some of those

830
01:01:36,751 --> 01:01:42,456
consolidated services that I mentioned
that include our HR support,

831
01:01:42,456 --> 01:01:45,947
our legal support, DST, and rent as well.

832
01:01:45,947 --> 01:01:52,078
So it makes possible, uh, the work that we
do across a variety of areas.

833
01:01:52,078 --> 01:01:56,004
Okay.

834
01:01:57,585 --> 01:02:02,631
Um, your fees— you were saying that for
the

835
01:02:02,631 --> 01:02:07,794
environmental, you're only getting about
50%

836
01:02:07,794 --> 01:02:08,850
recovery?

837
01:02:08,850 --> 01:02:13,742
Yes. So, uh, that is, uh, the The retail
food program specifically,

838
01:02:13,742 --> 01:02:16,955
those fees are set by the state
legislature.

839
01:02:16,955 --> 01:02:21,117
The intent is that those fees are reviewed
every 3 years.

840
01:02:21,117 --> 01:02:24,183
That did not occur during the COVID years.

841
01:02:24,183 --> 01:02:29,587
And as a result, those fees had been
unaddressed for a prolonged period of

842
01:02:29,587 --> 01:02:29,952
unaddressed for a prolonged period of
time.

843
01:02:29,952 --> 01:02:33,675
So by the time that came up for
legislative action,

844
01:02:33,675 --> 01:02:36,158
those fees were quite out of date.

845
01:02:36,158 --> 01:02:40,831
And our cost recovery on those fees was at
about 48%, I believe.

846
01:02:40,831 --> 01:02:41,249
48%.

847
01:02:41,942 --> 01:02:43,743
It was just under 50%.

848
01:02:43,743 --> 01:02:48,410
And then the plan is a 3-year stepwise
increase that will

849
01:02:48,410 --> 01:02:51,357
take us closer to 75% cost recovery.

850
01:02:51,357 --> 01:02:53,831
Okay, thank you.

851
01:02:53,831 --> 01:02:56,385
Commissioner Williams.

852
01:02:56,385 --> 01:03:02,095
Yes. So first, I want to thank your staff
that's here as well and all of the hard

853
01:03:02,095 --> 01:03:03,504
work in your office.

854
01:03:03,504 --> 01:03:08,580
I always start with a compliment of
something that happened before I was

855
01:03:08,580 --> 01:03:09,285
something that happened before I was
elected in

856
01:03:09,285 --> 01:03:14,078
2018, and that was your suicide prevention
group for, for juveniles.

857
01:03:14,078 --> 01:03:18,942
About a year before, maybe 2 years before
I was elected commissioner,

858
01:03:18,942 --> 01:03:24,440
we'd lost 3 teenagers in the span of 2
months at Discovery Canyon High School.

859
01:03:24,440 --> 01:03:30,079
And then, then County Health Director
Susan Whelan pulled together a great group

860
01:03:30,079 --> 01:03:30,220
Susan Whelan pulled together a great group
of

861
01:03:30,220 --> 01:03:35,718
people to address those issues. And so I
really appreciate that that happened.

862
01:03:35,718 --> 01:03:41,287
I can't take any credit for it, but just a
time when you have to pull together.

863
01:03:41,287 --> 01:03:44,600
to help individuals in the public health
arena.

864
01:03:44,600 --> 01:03:49,112
Um, I know that unusually when you receive
grants, if I'm right,

865
01:03:49,112 --> 01:03:54,751
you are not subject to taper on those
because I think we approved voter-approved

866
01:03:54,751 --> 01:04:00,037
initiative way back in 2002, and that's an
unusual thing in El Paso County.

867
01:04:00,037 --> 01:04:05,254
But I appreciate your efforts to become
more efficient and cost-effective.

868
01:04:05,254 --> 01:04:10,470
Uh, that's one of our Between being
data-driven and transparent at El Paso

869
01:04:10,470 --> 01:04:10,963
data-driven and transparent at El Paso
County,

870
01:04:10,963 --> 01:04:15,827
that's one of our strategic values is that
we try to be efficient and

871
01:04:15,827 --> 01:04:21,396
cost-effective. I know that also too, with
the WIC service delivery assessment,

872
01:04:21,396 --> 01:04:26,612
there's a lot of pressure to open up
offices in other areas of the county.

873
01:04:26,612 --> 01:04:32,110
And I hope— I'm hoping we can do without
having to open up an extra office and

874
01:04:32,110 --> 01:04:35,353
adding the extra overhead that goes with
that.

875
01:04:35,353 --> 01:04:35,580
Thank you.

876
01:04:35,862 --> 01:04:39,531
And so, um, but I just wanted to thank you
all for everything,

877
01:04:39,531 --> 01:04:43,850
especially you did during COVID and for
the direction of this department.

878
01:04:43,850 --> 01:04:47,814
Um, as you know, I'm leaving El Paso
County at the end of the year,

879
01:04:47,814 --> 01:04:51,601
so it's been a pleasure working with you
for these past 8 years.

880
01:04:51,601 --> 01:04:56,394
And, um, I, I look forward to watching the
Health Department continue to do great

881
01:04:56,394 --> 01:04:58,406
things in future years. Thank you.

882
01:04:58,406 --> 01:05:02,903
Thank you.

883
01:05:05,903 --> 01:05:10,696
Okay, seeing no further comments from my
colleagues, I'll just add, Deanne,

884
01:05:10,696 --> 01:05:13,252
how long have you been in this position?

885
01:05:13,252 --> 01:05:16,192
And then tell us how long you were an
interim.

886
01:05:16,192 --> 01:05:20,492
I started as interim in March of '25,

887
01:05:20,492 --> 01:05:25,140
and I have been executive director since

888
01:05:25,140 --> 01:05:25,837
April.

889
01:05:27,098 --> 01:05:33,270
So I just want to point out that we have
fairly new leadership in this department,

890
01:05:33,270 --> 01:05:36,206
and you are doing phenomenal work here,

891
01:05:36,206 --> 01:05:42,152
and we're so grateful for the direction
that you have turned this organization.

892
01:05:42,152 --> 01:05:47,496
And when I think about the challenges of
coming off of the COVID cliff,

893
01:05:47,496 --> 01:05:49,152
where many businesses,

894
01:05:49,152 --> 01:05:54,421
organizations put those COVID relief
dollars towards ongoing expenses,

895
01:05:54,421 --> 01:06:00,518
and that was something you had to deal
with in reducing the number of staffing to

896
01:06:00,518 --> 01:06:06,389
come back to what was a sustainable budget
without those COVID relief dollars.

897
01:06:06,389 --> 01:06:12,335
And you have been very strategic and
intentional in doing that hard work of how

898
01:06:12,335 --> 01:06:12,485
intentional in doing that hard work of how
do

899
01:06:12,485 --> 01:06:16,249
we bring this organization back to
sustainability.

900
01:06:16,249 --> 01:06:21,442
So just really grateful Um, you have
stepped up in an incredible way,

901
01:06:21,442 --> 01:06:24,378
and I'm thankful for your finance team.

902
01:06:24,378 --> 01:06:27,916
And, um, just for the commissioner's
awareness,

903
01:06:27,916 --> 01:06:32,507
there is conversations happening with El
Paso County Finance.

904
01:06:32,507 --> 01:06:38,754
And so today isn't necessarily us voting
to approve the additional funding that was

905
01:06:38,754 --> 01:06:41,012
mentioned earlier of $250,000,

906
01:06:41,012 --> 01:06:46,131
but just meeting that statutory
requirement of coming and presenting

907
01:06:46,131 --> 01:06:46,883
requirement of coming and presenting
before the

908
01:06:46,883 --> 01:06:51,776
board, which previously did not happen in
under prior leadership.

909
01:06:51,776 --> 01:06:56,819
So this is now the second time that this
presentation has occurred,

910
01:06:56,819 --> 01:06:59,754
even though it was required by statute.

911
01:06:59,754 --> 01:07:05,926
So again, grateful for your leadership in
ensuring we're meeting our requirements.

912
01:07:05,926 --> 01:07:12,099
And I'll just note also that when it comes
to the state deciding that certain fees

913
01:07:12,099 --> 01:07:16,314
should be allocated and That at a Board of
Health level,

914
01:07:16,314 --> 01:07:21,808
we are always wanting to look at the
balance of recovering costs of work,

915
01:07:21,808 --> 01:07:28,056
but also recognizing there are some core
functions that government public health is

916
01:07:28,056 --> 01:07:34,228
serving our community, and that those tax
dollars should also be helping to cover.

917
01:07:34,228 --> 01:07:40,099
And so we want to balance what makes sense
for our citizens because When we do

918
01:07:40,099 --> 01:07:44,314
charge fees, that then gets passed on to
the businesses,

919
01:07:44,314 --> 01:07:47,475
that then gets passed on to the consumers.

920
01:07:47,475 --> 01:07:52,894
And so it's not something we take lightly
that when we do increase fees,

921
01:07:52,894 --> 01:07:55,604
even if it is required by the state,

922
01:07:55,604 --> 01:08:01,325
just ensuring we're being intentional with
the tax dollars to help offer the

923
01:08:01,325 --> 01:08:06,895
services that our community needs that are
core to public health function.

924
01:08:06,895 --> 01:08:11,561
So Really grateful for your presentation
this morning and, um,

925
01:08:11,561 --> 01:08:17,508
look forward to approving this in the
future when we approve the overall budget

926
01:08:17,508 --> 01:08:17,733
future when we approve the overall budget
for

927
01:08:17,733 --> 01:08:21,271
El Paso County. Any additional comments
for us?

928
01:08:21,271 --> 01:08:24,148
Thank you, appreciate it.

929
01:08:24,148 --> 01:08:28,637
Okay, we will move on then to item 11.

930
01:08:28,637 --> 01:08:32,299
Item number 11 is the addendum,

931
01:08:32,299 --> 01:08:36,198
and there are no addendums today.

932
01:08:37,254 --> 01:08:37,944
Item 12.

933
01:08:37,944 --> 01:08:42,416
Item 12 is the executive session, and
there is no request for executive session.

934
01:08:42,416 --> 01:08:46,106
Okay, so with that, we have come to the
conclusion of this agenda,

935
01:08:46,106 --> 01:08:47,895
and we will adjourn the meeting.