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Commissioners back plan to pursue shared veteran service officer with San Miguel County; staff to draft IGA and help with grant application
Summary
Ouray County commissioners signaled support for a memorandum of agreement with San Miguel County to share a county-based veteran service officer (VSO) living in Ridgeway, and directed staff to draft an intergovernmental agreement and assist on a pending grant application with a March 1 deadline.
Montrose County—and San Miguel County officials proposed an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to place a state-accredited veteran service officer in Ridgeway to serve Ouray County veterans, and Ouray County commissioners agreed to pursue the arrangement and cooperate on a grant application due March 1.
Philip Rich, who identified himself as the veteran service officer (VSO) for Montrose and Ouray Counties, outlined workload and reimbursement figures and said Ouray currently receives minimal reimbursed hours from the state. "I'm not trying to get out of more work," Rich said, asking the commissioners to consider a different structure that would get veterans faster, closer service.
Mikaela (Mikhail/Mikaela in transcript) Madsen, the San Miguel County VSO, described results from her first seven months on the job: "We have 4 awarded claims generating $5,000 per month for San Miguel County veterans," she said, and reported 65 veterans contacted, 10 compensation claims filed and state reimbursement of roughly $1,000 per month for the San Miguel position.
Montrose and San Miguel officials asked the Ouray commissioners to allow an IGA under which San Miguel County would employ the Ridgeway-based VSO, San Miguel would bill the state for the hours and then reimburse Ouray County the appropriate share. San Miguel County manager Frank Rodriguez and Montrose County manager Frank Rodriguez (Montrose manager also spoke) and San Miguel County Manager (Mike Bordonia) confirmed support; Montrose and San Miguel managers said their boards are supportive.
Commissioners asked about logistics: current reimbursements to Montrose (Ouray had historically sent funds to Montrose under a 2004 IGA), the proposed work hours (San Miguel indicated 20 hours per week for Ouray and 20 hours per week for San Miguel), and whether the shared arrangement would trigger regular employee benefits if hours increased. San Miguel officials said the state reimburses counties via the long bill appropriation and that counties submit hours to the state for reimbursement.
County staff and managers agreed to prepare an MOU/IGA, include an exhibit with costs and benefits and coordinate with Montrose County so the existing Montrose IGA could be allowed to lapse or be terminated. Commissioners directed staff to return with a draft IGA and to support San Miguel in applying for a veteran assistance grant with a March 1 deadline.
No formal vote was recorded at the meeting; presenters and managers said they expected to finalize language and funding attachments before the board would be asked to approve the IGA.
