Huerfano County approves contracts, generator purchase and lease agreements

Huerfano County commissioners on June 17 approved a series of procurement and grant actions needed for elections, emergency services and public-safety operations.

The board approved a printing and mailing agreement for ballots with an outside vendor, authorized a purchase order for a backup generator at the county's 129 Ambulance Building, approved a five-year lease for tasers for the sheriff's office, added SMS texting to the county's CodeRed emergency-notification contract, authorized a vendor payment batch, and authorized submission of a brownfields/asbestos and lead abatement grant application. All motions were called and passed during the meeting.

The ballot printing and mailing agreement was presented to the board as a contract with CFP and lisonbee services (as named in the meeting record) to provide printing and mailing services for upcoming elections. The presenter said the contract will reduce costs compared with other vendors the county has used but noted the figure stated in the transcript was unclear; the item was approved. The transcript references an amount shown as "$11.01 70" (ambiguous in the record); the board discussed placing a maximum or "not to exceed" figure and referenced a possible match-to-exceed threshold discussed verbally during the vote.

The board approved purchase order number 2025067 for a Caterpillar generator for the 129 Ambulance Building. County staff said the generator will cost $101,331.70 and is necessary because that facility will house county dispatch and must have reliable backup power. Staff said federal grant rules preclude funding this permanent installation, so the county will use regular county funds for the purchase.

Commissioners approved a five-year lease with Axon Enterprises to provide 10 Tasers for the jail, presented as $28,881.12 per year and a five-year total of $144,405.80. Staff discussed training options and recommended in-person training to improve retention; the board approved the lease.

The board approved an addendum to the county's CodeRed contract to add SMS/text messaging capability. Staff said AT&T will no longer accept email-to-text delivery as of June 17, 2025, and the addendum will add SMS delivery. The presenter said the addendum increases the contract by roughly $400 per year for the remainder of 2025 and noted the total remaining contract amount as $10,540.28 (the county will not pay the full amount immediately; the presenter clarified the figure represents the remaining contract balance).

Commissioners approved a vendor payment batch (vendor line) for May 28 in the transcript amount reported as $291,015 (discussion referenced $291,015.83 and other document-number clarifications); the board called for the vote and approved the payment.

The county authorized staff to apply to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Brownfields Cleanup Program / asbestos and lead abatement pilot program for asbestos and lead abatement at a park near Walsenburg. Staff provided an abatement quote of $175,000 and asked the board to authorize an application and funding request not to exceed $200,000; the board approved the application authorization.

Other routine items approved on the consent agenda included meeting minutes and a stipulation item for a named individual in the record; the consent agenda passed as a single motion.

Votes at a glance - Ballot printing and mailing agreement with CFP and lisonbee services: approved. Amount in the transcript was unclear (recorded as "$11.01 70"); board discussed a not-to-exceed threshold. (See provenance below.) - Purchase order #2025067 (Caterpillar generator) for 129 Ambulance Building: approved. Amount stated in meeting: $101,331.70. - Five-year Axon Enterprises lease (10 Tasers, jail): approved. $28,881.12 per year; five-year total reported as $144,405.80. - CodeRed SMS/texting addendum: approved. Presenter cited an additional ~$400 per year for remainder of 2025; total remaining contract amount cited as $10,540.28. - Vendor payment batch (May 28): approved. Amount discussed in meeting: approximately $291,015 (record shows variants including $291,015.83). - Application to CDPHE Brownfields/Asbestos & Lead Abatement pilot: authorized to apply; staff requested authorization not to exceed $200,000; abatement quote cited as $175,000.

What the board did not finalize during this segment: commissioners discussed informal offers and requests about a county-owned property (Thorn Ranch) and whether to pursue a formal public process; staff reported the property is not surplus and no formal offer had been received. That discussion did not produce a formal sale action during this meeting.

The board conducted roll-call and voice votes for each motion; meeting audio/transcript records each motion as passing.

Sources: Huerfano County Board of Commissioners meeting transcript, June 17, 2025 (meeting record).