Washington County Courthouse, Akron, Colorado

The Washington County Commissioners’ Committee met on Tuesday, February 21. Pete his Reverend Tell delivered the morning prayers, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Her chair, Lea Ann Laybourn, called for a meeting at 8:00 am.

In a public comment, Jeremy Shook addressed the Board first, saying that the Planning and Zoning Committee would like to thank Commissioner Kent Vance for taking the time to attend the meeting last night. . He added that it reconfirmed the fact how important it was to attend the meeting.

“There are a lot of things that different people can bring into the discussion. Kent was able to point out some things that we didn’t think about about power lines,” says Shook.

Shook then started talking about the bylaws, saying they reflected core values.

“One of our first core values ​​was equal representation across the county,” he said. “Voters have responded and reaffirmed the fact that they believe there is value in having equal representation on the planning and zoning committees. I know I feel disrespected by losing my representation in District 1. That’s why I feel it’s my responsibility to speak up. We feel like we’re missing something, and it hurts, and we feel like each region of our county deserves to be valued and represented.”

The Consent Agenda was then approved as amended.

County Administrator Misty Peterson granted David and Ann Mason a construction permit BP 23-04 for a 2,520-square-foot garage on 40 acres of land along County Route 47. Started reporting. BP 23-04 has been approved.

Next was the construction of permit BP23-05 for Aaron Metzler to install a 60’x19’x120′ agricultural equipment storage shed on his property. BP 23-05 approved.

Road Access Permit RA 23-01 was offered for Bruce Chapman to establish a separate access road at County Roads 43 and LL. The Road Supervisor approved this and the Board approved his RA 23-01.

A yearly law enforcement contract was presented between the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the town of Otis. No changes were made and the contract was accepted.

Peterson then accelerated the nomination of county health pool representatives, naming Peterson and Tammy Leonard as individuals who could contact them. Commissioner Laybourn signed the nomination of the CHP representative.

County Treasurer Michelle Swan released semi-annual reports for July 1 through December 31, 2022. She hopes the issue will be resolved around this time next year, when the 2023 report will be completed. A semi-annual report was approved by the board.

The Board continued with planning and zoning discussions following the executive session held the previous week.

Commissioner Vance said the bylaws weren’t the right place to settle the situation based on some things he heard at the executive session. , added that he wasn’t saying they shouldn’t be split up, but that the ordinance wasn’t the right place to do it and he had no problem making a resolution.

Commissioner Gisele Jefferson said last week’s debate was a 180-degree turn from last week’s. She added that she was having a little trouble understanding why they were flip-flopping from week to week. But she believes the general comment and support from county voters is to maintain equal representation across the county on planning and zoning committees.

“I’ve heard from maybe 20 people in our county that they want to maintain equal representation on planning and zoning boards, and it’s important and they appreciate it. We shouldn’t do 180 degree flip flops by changing, but we should listen to our county and respond accordingly.

In a comment from Zoom, one individual said after hearing Shook that he doesn’t think equal representation is necessarily about location, but the board isn’t honest and it’s hard about what’s fair. He said we need to take into account the people who can make the decisions. We do not make decisions based on special interests. They went on to say that they have heard some planning and zoning officials publicly state their biases, but have not refrained from talking. should play an important role in making the decision to give Planning and zoning personnel don’t just tell others what to do with their property and determine if a submitted application meets wind, solar, or powerline requirements.

Commissioner Raybourne replied that she had heard a member of the Planning and Zoning Committee say at a meeting, “I am very biased,” so she agreed with the statement.

Commissioner Jefferson asked who the comment was from and added that she thought they had racehorses and that was another biased statement on her mind.

“This is a wind pro trying to influence our decisions from outside the county, and I’m concerned,” she said.

Commissioner Raybourne said her concern was that people on the planning and zoning committee were biased and made such statements at meetings.

Commissioner Bunce replied that he did not believe any of these discussions were relevant to what they were trying to resolve, which was equally represented in the three districts. It clearly states that it is okay to represent equally or two from each to represent three.

He added that the state made a fairly strong statement about what it considers to be the best representatives of the county. Yes, and I’m not saying it will be, but it’s reasonable to do so.

“The bylaw states the laws relating to the planning and zoning committees and asserts the powers of the commissioner’s committee by depriving the commissioner of the right to appoint anyone he desires, so where to specifically do it. No. Resolutions should be based on what the county commissioner needs to do, not what planning and zoning needs to do.

“I appreciate that being pointed out,” said Secretary Jefferson. , we’re in a bit of a conundrum, and we’re doing a retroactive policy: Well, you’re throwing out another option I’ve never heard of, which is that the state is at a point and having a model that is equally representative in the larger position.It’s probably a good option, but it’s not something that’s been discussed or approved.So how do we reconcile the current situation? I don’t think retroactive policymaking is a good thing and it’s a big concern to me.When the ad ran in the newspaper they listed the positions for each district.We challenged that. If you’re going to do it, it has to be in front of the appointment, not behind it.

That being said, Commissioner Jefferson, in light of the discussion a week ago and all that is to come, will open up the position of District 1 representative on the Planning and Zoning Committee and will replace two appointees from District 3. I asked one of them to voluntarily resign. Bunce said if one of District 3’s representatives is unwilling to step down, he recommends letting it sit until 2024 and then reconsidering things. Commissioner Vance voted in favor of the motion, which passed unanimously.

Peterson said all boards should be reviewed. Commissioner Jefferson agreed that the bylaws should be updated in cooperation with the board. This allows the Board to feel part of the process, understand the parameters of the statue, and the Commissioner to have authority and not openly fight in public.

“If we get to the table together, things will go smoothly,” said Commissioner Jefferson.

The Board subsequently appointed Rita Figueroa to the WY Communications Board.

In another update, Commissioner Jefferson said she and Commissioner Vance attended WY Communications and 911 Authority Board meetings and things were going well. They listened to WY Comm’s audit report on the books for 2021, and it appears there are still financial challenges to managing expenses by past rotating directors. Working with representatives to update Wyoming State Communications Commission bylaws. Additionally, the 911 surcharge won’t occur until 2024, she said.

Commissioner Vance said the CCI is discussing with county officials to ban the release of HB23-1165 firearms. This concerns the authority of the county commissioner’s commission to prohibit the release of firearms in unincorporated areas of the county. He added that it runs counter to a direct ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, and the county has initiated resolutions to oppose it.

No further business was done and the meeting was adjourned to 8:42 am.

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