County attorney updates: new assistant attorney onboarded; Ironwood sheriff sale did not proceed

County Attorney Tarnowski told the Board of County Commissioners the county has onboarded a new assistant county attorney, Gus Maxwell, and that Maxwell will focus primarily on social services matters while getting up to speed on county cases.

Tarnowski reported significant recent court work and said a scheduled sheriff's sale tied to liens on an Ironwood Group property did not occur because lienholders reached an agreement with Ironwood. "That sheriff sale did not proceed," Tarnowski said. He told the board he scheduled a call with the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) to coordinate next steps on cleanup efforts tied to the county’s litigation under the solid waste act.

Tarnowski told commissioners that ongoing bankruptcy proceedings involving Ironwood have created procedural turbulence and that little cleanup activity has occurred while the bankruptcy matters progress. He said the county will engage CDPHE and other partners to try to restart cleanup work as appropriate.

Tarnowski also said the county remains engaged in collective bargaining scheduling with representatives from the Fraternal Order of Police and that several child protection and social services hearings have occupied much of his recent calendar.

The board welcomed Gus Maxwell and thanked staff for ongoing work; Tarnowski said he would continue to prioritize child protection case coverage and land use code enforcement work next week.