Delta County commissioners met Jan. 7, 2025, at the Delta County Service Center for their reorganizational meeting, electing Commissioner Melner as board chair and Commissioner Van Denhoven as vice chair, approving 2025 board and committee assignments, and ratifying a tentative collective bargaining agreement after closed-session negotiations.

The meeting, called by Delta County Clerk Nancy Preseraki and led by the newly elected chair, also included votes to accept multiple staff resignations and to authorize recruitment to fill dispatch and airport management vacancies; approval of a 2025 re-monumentation contract; restoration of a health-department appropriation; and an amendment to the county’s medical examiner contract requiring a written report when requested by county officials.

Why it matters: organizational meetings set leadership and committee alignment for the year and authorize immediate administrative actions. This meeting confirmed who will represent the county on several intergovernmental and advisory boards, advanced a longstanding land-survey program, and concluded a tentative labor agreement that the board ratified after a closed-session negotiation.

Most consequential outcomes

Commission leadership and committee rosters: The board elected Commissioner Melner as chair and Commissioner Van Denhoven as vice chair. Commissioners approved the 2025 board assignments and committee liaisons — including finance, personnel, public safety, planning and park representation — and established the negotiation committee membership to include the county administrator, the finance chair (Commissioner Johnson) and the personnel chair (Commissioner Kelly). The board then moved to ratify the 2025 assignments as presented.

Personnel actions and recruitment: The board accepted several resignations and authorized hiring processes:
- Accepted the resignation for the corrections position (Q Spritz) and authorized filling the vacancy and to send a letter of appreciation.
- Accepted a resignation in central dispatch (C. Leduc), approved a lump-sum payout, and authorized filling the dispatch role.
- Accepted the resignation of the airport manager (R. Randstadler), approved a lump-sum payout, authorized recruitment to fill the airport manager position and allowed for a transitional/shadow period for an incoming manager if needed; the board asked that a letter of appreciation be sent.

Airport manager search: The administrator reported the county received no formal bids in response to the request for proposals for an executive search. “We did not receive any bids,” Administrator Young said, noting one unsolicited proposal offering several options that the finance committee will review.

Re-monumentation contract: The board accepted the 2024 remonumentation report and approved the 2025 contract with Davis Winnick (Davis Winnick Surveyors) to continue the county’s land re-monumentation program. The presenter reported the county set about 105 monuments in 2024 at an average cost of $911 each, leaving approximately 534 monuments remaining; 97 monuments are scheduled for 2025.

Health department appropriation and renovations: Commissioners restored the county appropriation for the health department to the prior level (the board discussed the appropriation figure of roughly $265,000 in the meeting), with the health department agreeing to pay for two exam-room renovations itself. County maintenance staff will assist with plumbing and cabinetry work; the board approved the renovations and the use of maintenance time to support the project.

Medical examiner contract amendment: The board approved an amendment to the medical examiner contract changing a prior requirement for an annual report to language that, when requested by the Delta County Health Officer or other designated county officials, “the contractor will provide a report” (i.e., a written report), and approved the contract as amended.

Budget and administrative items: The board approved payment of county bills totaling $347,998.27 and commissioner expenses of $951.61. Commissioners also set the 2025 meeting calendar, with one change: the April 1 meeting was moved to April 8.

Closed session and labor agreement ratification: The board convened a closed session to discuss collective bargaining under the Open Meetings Act. No final decisions were made during the closed discussion, and afterward the board moved to ratify a tentative collective bargaining agreement; the motion carried.

Other appointments and routine actions: The board approved standard committee minutes and reports, reappointed representatives to emergency dispatch boards (UPE911), appointed a planning-commission representative to QPAD (Amy Berglund), accepted requests to donate sick leave, and sent several committee minutes and administrative reports to be filed.

Votes at a glance
- Election of board chair (Commissioner Melner): approved (voice vote; nominations closed and motion carried).
- Election of vice chair (Commissioner Van Denhoven): approved (voice vote).
- Approval of 2025 board assignments: approved (motion and support; voice vote).
- Adoption/ratification of rules and procedures (current rules to remain until formal amendment process completed): approved (motion passed).
- Payment of bills: approved by roll call; total $347,998.27; commissioner expenses $951.61.
- Acceptance of remonumentation report and 2025 contract with Davis Winnick Surveyors: approved.
- Acceptance of resignations and authorization to fill vacancies (corrections, dispatch, airport manager): approved; lump-sum payouts authorized where noted.
- Medical examiner contract amended to require written report when requested by county officials: approved as amended.
- Restoration of health-department appropriation (previous level ~ $265,000) with pass-through and billing arrangement: approved.
- Approval of health-department-paid renovations with county maintenance support: approved.
- Ratification of tentative collective bargaining agreement following closed-session negotiations: approved.

What commissioners said and next steps: Administrator Young told the board the finance committee will review the unsolicited airport-search proposal and that hard copies of negotiated-contract paperwork would be provided following the closed session. The board directed staff to proceed with advertised recruitments for the identified positions and to return pertinent contract documents to commissioners for review as they become available.

The board’s next regular meetings were confirmed for Jan. 21, Feb. 4 and Feb. 18, 2025; commissioners also noted applications are available on the county website for several advisory boards and for posted staff positions (including airport manager and assistant manager).