WELD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 2014 SUMMARY€¦ · Weld County said farewell to two county...
Transcript of WELD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 2014 SUMMARY€¦ · Weld County said farewell to two county...
TEAM WELD DELIVERS AGAIN!
RADEMACHER AND GARCIA FINISH THEIR TERMS
Weld County said farewell to two county
commissioners who completed their terms
in 2014. Douglas Rademacher, District 2, and
Commissioner William Garcia, At-Large, were
both elected in 2006 and then re-elected
in 2010.
Rademacher, who served as Chairman of the
Board in 2010 and 2014, represented not only
the residents in his district but also the
concerns of farmers and ranchers throughout
the county. His participation in and knowledge
of agricultural issues made him an invaluable asset to
our county. In fact, he was named Prairie Partner
of the Year by the National Grasslands Council
for 2013.
Garcia, who served as Chairman of the Board in
2009 and 2013, was instrumental in many projects
during his tenure including the much needed
improvements to the Spanish Colony subdivision.
The project, which was started in 2011 and
completed this past summer, included drainage and
road improvements to the historic neighborhood.
WELD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
2014 SUMMARY L
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Projects took center stage for Weld County in 2014: flood recovery projects, public safety
communications projects, public information outreach projects, and, most
importantly, public infrastructure projects. The economy in Weld County is strong. In fact,
in August it was announced that Weld
County’s assessed value became the second
highest in the state — behind Denver. Our
strong economy has allowed county
government to not only build a $140+
million fund balance, maintain our
debt-free status, and pay for projects in cash
but also to provide residents and businesses
with tangible savings on their property taxes
through our low mill levy — which will be
reduced again in 2015.
We want to assure the residents of this
county that the Board of County
Commissioners takes seriously our duty to
be good stewards of your tax dollars. We continue to save for future projects so they can be
purchased with cash — not tax increases, we continue to look for ways to improve
government without growing government, and we continue to focus on projects that will
benefit residents not only now but also for decades into the future.
We are proud of the accomplishments of 2014, and are already working hard on
projects for 2015. Connect with us on one of our communications platforms and receive
up-to-date information on how your county government is working for you.
Sincerely, The Weld County Board of Commissioners: Douglas Rademacher, Sean Conway,
William Garcia, Mike Freeman and Barbara Kirkmeyer
For the 20th consecutive year, real property
owners in Weld County received a reduction
in the mill levy from Weld County
government, which has resulted in a reduction
of $278 million dollars from Weld County tax
payers. Under the State Constitution, Weld
County Government is authorized to impose a
maximum mill levy of 22.038. For the past 20
years, however, the county has not imposed
that maximum amount which has resulted in county residents saving hundreds of millions of
dollars over the past two decades. For the
eighth consecutive year, the levy remained
under 17 mills. Following the budget approval
process for 2015, the Board agreed to further
reduced the mill levy by 1.004 mills, or an
additional $16 on a $200,000 home.
RESIDENTS CONTINUE TO SAVE DUE TO MILL LEVY
The new mill levy for 2015 will be 15.800 — one
of the lowest mill levies in the Front Range.
That, coupled with the fact that Weld County
does not impose a county sales tax makes Weld
County a economically smart place to live and
own a business.
REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS CENTER COMPLETE
The Weld County Board of Commissioners hosted an
open house celebration for the new Weld County
Regional Communications Center (WCRCC) in
February of 2014. The event, which was open to the
public, was held at the Center’s new location, 1551 N.
17th Ave. in Greeley. The new 10,316-square-foot
facility features state-of-the-art equipment and
technology, including Next Generation 9-1-1 capability,
WeatherTap HD future weather radar, and the Front
Range Communications Consortium (FRCC) Radio
System. The center cost approximately $4 million.
Page 2 2014 SUMMARY
BY COMPARISON: Mill Levies of Front Range Counties
Adams 26.815
Arapahoe 17.130
Boulder 25.120
Denver 33.119
Jefferson 24.346
Larimer 22.52
Weld 16.804 (15.800 in 2015)
AWARDS & HONORS Weld County takes great pride in the work we do each day.
The following awards and honors were presented to Weld County employees or
departments in 2014.
Distinguished Budget Presentation Award,
Government Finance
Officers Association
(32nd Award)
Prairie Partner
of the Year, National
Grasslands Council
Award of Excellence for
a Special Project, National Association of
County Information Officers
Meritorious Award
for Best
Facebook Page, National Association of
County Information Officers
Recognition of
Excellence Finalist for Safety and Wellness
Program, Cigna Health
Investigator of the Year,
Colorado Welfare
Fraud Council
7 Everyday Hero honor for County
Senior Lunch Program,
KMGH 7
Award for Excellence in
Reporting, Government Finance
Officers Association
(33rd Award)
BOARD WORKS TO MAKE I-25 PRIORITY FOR REGION
While the formation of the North 1-25
Coalition occurred in 2013, tremendous
progress was made toward making the
corridor a regional priority in 2014. The
Coalition, which consists of members from
each of the communities along the I-25
corridor, met with then Congressman Cory
Gardner to discuss the need to include the
corridor in the 2014 reauthorization of the
Federal Transportation bill. In March, the group secured support from Congressman
Jared Polis, and in July, Commissioner Barbara
Kirkmeyer addressed House Transportation
and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster about
the need to focus on I-25. Commissioner Sean
Conway, through the county’s position in
the North Front Range Metropolitan
Planning Organization (NFRMPO), proposed the
15-member organization dedicate $13 million in
funding to improve the corridor which is vital for
the continued success of northern Colorado.
Unanimously, the group approved the proposal
and continued to keep focus on I-25 by later
targeting $5 million for specific projects along
the corridor.
Weld County Commissioners
and the Department of Public
W o r k s c e l e b r a t e d t h e
completion of the Española
Subdivision paving/road project
in June. The project originated
in 2011 when the county
first applied for a grant to
address drainage and pavement
issues for one of Weld County’s historic neighborhoods located at the southwest corner of 25th Avenue and O Street. In 2012, Weld County received a Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG) from the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) for $275,000 to be
used for road and drainage improvements in the subdivision. Weld County contributed
a local match of $470,188. Española Subdivision was started in 1924 by the
Great Western Sugar Company (platted in 1929) as a colony for its Hispanic laborers, commonly
referred to today as Spanish Colony. The project was a result of issues Weld
County Public Works Department experienced in maintaining the roads in the
neighborhood for a number of years; the project was an economical solution to the
problem of road maintenance and drainage issues.
FLOOD RECOVERY CONTINUES ACROSS COUNTY
The year began with an assistance request from
the City of Evans regarding two mobile home
parks destroyed by the 2013 flood. While
residents in the parks were able to return to
their damaged homes briefly to retrieve a few
belongings, the majority of the contents of their
homes remained, including trash, food left in
refrigerators, and household hazardous waste. In
addition to those items, the presence of mold,
and human sewage throughout the parks were also a huge concern for city and county officials.
A joint letter from the county and the city drew
attention from state officials and media which
helped remedy the problem.
Evans officials later thanked Weld County for
their assistance during the flood with a plaque
and a framed letter of gratitude for recovery
work in their community. Continuing in the
spirit of gratitude, Weld County officials formally
thanked seven other Colorado counties for their
assistance to Weld following the flood.
Project Worksheets identifying repair projects,
scope of work and estimated costs continued
to be submitted to FEMA for federal
assistance to restore to pre-incident conditions
for reimbursement. The county also worked
on several road repair projects with the
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Weld
County has requested $3,622,009.11 in
reimbursement from FEMA and $2,274,136.38
from FHWA. To date, the county has received
$2,794,076.66 from FEMA and $1,939,658.00
from FHWA to complete permanent repairs.
Debris removal was another continuing aspect
of flood recovery. While the county made
vouchers available to residents impacted by the
flood in 2013, a second round of debris-removal
vouchers were requested by residents in the
spring of 2014. Approximately 130 of these
vouchers were used bringing the total to
approximately 1,730 vouchers used for
flood-debris removal in the recovery process.
One debris removal project, however, required
a different solution. A Weld County resident
contacted the county Planning Department
requesting help with disposing of more than
1,000 tires left on his property from the flood.
County volunteers partnered with a local church
to remove the tires from the man’s property.
SPANISH COLONY SUBDIVISION PROJECT COMPLETED
Page 3 2014 SUMMARY
NEW ONLINE Weld County continued to increase its on-line presence
and created new platforms for sharing information with the public. Below is a recap of new
online tools created in 2014.
Weld County
YouTube Channel 24 subscribers
4,582 views
Spotlight Weld County Monthly shows featuring
Commissioners discussing
county-related issues
9 episodes
More than 1,100 views
Discover Weld
YouTube Channel 16 subscribers
2,796 views
Wonderful Weld 60-second videos highlights a
location in Weld County
7 episodes
631 views
Discover Weld Pinterest Photo gallery of
Weld County places
42 followers
16 Boards
198 pins
Weld County Public
Infrastructure Map Following the 2013 Flood, this
tool is designed to show which roads are maintained by
the county and which are
maintained by municipalities.
8,868 views
Restaurant Inspections Improvements made to this
web site aim to provide
information in a user-friendly
manner to assist the public in making decisions regarding
retail food sites. Launched
November 13.
372,963 page views for 2014 42,873 page views since
launch of new site Page views up 945% from
same period last year
11/13 –11/24
COUNTY EMBARKS ON ITS LARGEST ROAD PROJECT
massive project and why it is important not only
for the safety of the traveling public but also the
economic development of Weld County. The
Corridor project, which includes enhancements
to WCR 49 south from Highway 34 to Interstate
76, is expected to be completed by 2017.
Residents and travelers of WCR 49 alike are
encouraged to check the Public Works section
of the Weld County web site frequently for
updates on both projects.
The largest road
construction project
in county history was
formally kicked off
Friday, October 10,
with a groundbreaking
for the Weld County
Road 49 Parkway. The
3.5-mile project, which
will extend from WCR 49 north of US 34 to WCR 60.5, will include the
building of a new four-lane concrete road and
two new bridges, one over the Cache la Poudre
river and the other over the South Platte River.
The project is expected to be completed by
September of 2015.
Work on the Parkway Project preceded the
Weld County Road 49 Corridor Project
which also began in 2014. In the October
episode of Spotlight Weld County,
Commissioners William Garcia and Barbara
Kirkmeyer spoke about the corridor project,
which will be the largest road construction
project in the county’s 153 year history including why the county is undertaking this
2014 SUMMARY HWY 392 AND CR 23
INTERSECTION
IMPROVEMENTS
COMPLETED
In early September, Board members celebrated the completion of improvements to
the intersection of State Highway 392 and Weld County Road 23. The improvements included increasing the safety of
the intersection and reducing
traffic congestion.
The $3.8 million project was paid for through funds from the Colorado Department
of Transportation (CDOT), Weld County, the North Front Range MPO, Windsor
and Severance. Weld County applied for the STP-Metro funds from the NFRMPO
on behalf of the communities, but each agency contributed to
the project.
Weld County Road 23 was an
existing offset intersection and had numerous safety issues as well as a substantial accident
history. From 2005-2008, 17 traffic accidents occurred at the intersection of WCR 23 and
SH 392.
The improvements aim to
reduce the number of accidents by aligning the intersection of the roads, improving sight
distances on SH 392, adding new turn lanes and widening the
truck-turning radius.
INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION ON COUNTY NG PROGRAM
In August, Weld County Commissioners Barbara Kirkmeyer and
Sean Conway had the opportunity to share the county’s
knowledge about compressed natural gas (CNG) by leading a
tour for Noble Energy’s Government Relations Advisor in Israel,
Noa Binyamin, along with Sherrie Merrow, CNG Advisor/LNG
and CNG Development for Noble. After hearing about Noble’s
partnership with Weld County to provide CNG school buses to
Weld County School District RE-1, Binyamin said she wanted to
come visit Weld County to learn how she could implement a
similar project in Israel. Along with Weld County Public Works Director Jay McDonald and Engineering Supervisor/
Transportation Planner Elizabeth Relford, the Commissioners gave
Binyamin a tour of the county’s CNG stations, demonstrating how
they operate and safety precautions they take.
The following month, the Board helped Noble and RE-1 celebrate
the completion of the school district’s new CNG bus barn and
CNG fueling station. Weld County assisted the school district in
applying for the grant funding used to help pay for both the
station and the buses. The county also assisted the district by
writing the bid documents for the bus barn so that it met the
appropriate standards for CNG vehicles.
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