Commissioners approve organizational change: emergency manager to report to sheriff; fairgrounds added under deputy county manager

Ouray County commissioners agreed Aug. 27 to restructure portions of the county's organizational chart, placing the emergency manager under the sheriff's supervision and restoring a fairgrounds manager position to the deputy county manager's purview.

The organizational changes were presented during the work session and discussed with staff. Glenn (staff presenter) showed a revised org chart and noted the emergency manager would be listed under the sheriff. Lynn (commissioner) and other board members discussed where to place the fairgrounds manager in the chart; Lynn recommended temporarily placing fairgrounds under the deputy county manager to maintain balance across departments.

Why it matters: The change clarifies supervisory responsibility for emergency management and updates where the county assigns operational oversight for the fairgrounds. Commissioners said the move will be reflected in the budget and formally recorded.

Decisions and next steps:
- Direction: Commissioners agreed that the emergency manager should report to the sheriff and that the fairgrounds manager be shown under the deputy county manager on the organizational chart used for budget and administrative planning.
- Formal action: Leo (legal staff) advised that a reorganization that creates or renames an office can be memorialized by motion; staff said the board will place a formal motion on an upcoming agenda to adopt the change.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to bring the formal motion and to ensure budget documents and cost-allocation materials reflect the corrected org chart.