County considers intergovernmental agreement with La Plata public health for regional services

Montezuma County public-health staff presented a proposed intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with La Plata County Public Health intended to formalize ongoing regional collaboration and to accommodate future joint projects.

Public-health leadership explained that the agreement clarifies roles for regional services — the example cited during the workshop was the regional oral-health specialist funded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) who provides early-childhood and school-based prevention, fluoride treatment and screening services. The oral-health position has historically been funded to La Plata County and has served the region; changes in La Plata’s public-health structure prompted a need to formalize the relationship.

Speaker (identified in the record as Miss Locke) said the IGA is a framework that would allow both counties to implement regional projects without returning to the board for a separate IGA each time. The county attorney said the current draft is the final version reviewed by both counties’ counsel and that it creates a framework for future collaboration rather than obligating specific work or funding beyond project-by-project agreements.

Commissioners asked whether future projects under the IGA could be taken forward administratively; staff confirmed that specific programs and funding would still be discussed and agreed before work begins.