Commissioners direct legal counsel to draft response on Envision Chaffee County fiscal-sponsorship transition

The Chaffee County Board of County Commissioners instructed contracted legal counsel to draft a response to the Envision Chaffee County board explaining how the county will proceed with changes to Envision's fiscal sponsorship and certain grant transfers.

Commissioners said Envision had requested that the county take over fiscal sponsorship for projects when Envision's prior fiscal sponsor could not continue; staff and the board spent several months reviewing grant language, liabilities and how the work would fit the county's mission. County leaders emphasized the distinction between a fiscal sponsor (which administers grants and holds legal responsibility) and a fiscal agent (which acts as a bank). "The fiscal sponsor is responsible for your money, for your grants, for administering the money and administering the grants and holds legal liability for the administration and the work done. A fiscal agent is merely your bank," a commissioner said in public session.

County staff reported most grants have been moved to county administration where they fit the county mission; a few regional grants that do not serve only Chaffee County were left to grantors to decide how to proceed. The board directed contracted counsel Carl Hanlon to draft the letter for the commissioners' review and anticipated returning the matter to a regular meeting for formal action on June 5 or the next available agenda.

Ending: Commissioners reiterated the county's commitment to established local processes and conservation goals and said the drafted letter will come back to the board for formal action after counsel prepares the response.