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Elbert County Board of Health hears quarterly public-health update; staff proposes septic permit fee increases to fund public-facing map
Summary
Public health staff reported clinic staffing and service expansion, proposed modest septic-permit fee increases tied to new public-facing septic-mapping software, and outlined upcoming OWTS regulation changes the county must implement.
Elbert County Public Health delivered its first-quarter 2025 Board of Health update, reporting expanded clinic services and staff and proposing targeted increases to several on-site wastewater system (OWTS) permit fees to fund an online, public-facing septic-mapping and records system.
Public health director Sarah McIntosh said the department has added clinician capacity and contract financial support: two nurse practitioners now provide regular clinic days (pediatric NP Lori Coring on Mondays; family NP Dawn Newbury on Tuesdays and Wednesdays), and finance and grant manager Teresa Klaus has moved to a contracted role to manage billing and grants. The department also contracts with Dr. Marvin Couch (Fort Collins) as medical officer and has two per-diem environmental health staff to backfill inspections.
Clinic and programs: McIntosh reported growing clinic visit volumes since the clinic opened in late 2022, with immunizations, well-care and sick visits, lab draws (LabCorp and Quest), respiratory fit-testing and drug testing among services offered to county residents and local businesses. Health educator Lisa Halseth reported vital-records issuance and ongoing health-promotion work, including suicide-prevention collaboration across a four-county region (Cheyenne, Elbert, Kit Carson and Lincoln counties) and continuing blood drives at the fairgrounds.
OWTS regulation changes and proposed fee adjustments Environmental health specialist Marissa Ginger alerted the board to state-level OWTS (onsite wastewater system) regulation changes (referred to in the meeting as "Regulation 43" updates) that will be rolled out in June; counties have up to a year to begin enforcement. Some changes are mandatory statewide; others are optional for counties. Ginger said many of the operational impacts will fall to contractors who must adapt to new design and compliance requirements.
To support program administration and improve public service access, staff proposed modest increases to four of six septic-related permit fees (examples provided in the presentation): - New system (new construction or additional dwelling unit): increase from $973 to $1,000 (a $27 increase); - Tank-and-fields permit (replacement of failed system): increase by $100 to $600; - Fields permit: increase by $150 to $400 (staff noted the county sometimes designs gravity-fed systems and the extra fee would offset staff time); - Tank permit: increase to $300; - The department proposed removing a separate reinspection fee and left the use-permit fee (required for property sales and typically third-party inspected) unchanged.
McIntosh said the department has not raised septic fees since 2013 and that revenue trends have declined; she proposed using new revenue to pay for a public-facing septic-map system, letting contractors, pumping companies, homeowners and real-estate agents look up septic maps online instead of calling/emailing the health department. Ginger said many other counties already provide that service.
Board questions and follow-up Commissioners asked whether the department could purchase the mapping software from existing fund balance without a fee increase. Staff said they would run additional numbers to estimate expected revenue or whether fund balance could cover the software cost. McIntosh said she would return with more precise revenue estimates.
Other public-health items - Vital records: the department reported 59 issuances and $1,089 in revenue for Q1 2025. - Health promotion: the department is working on community outreach and suicide-prevention training with CSU Extension and local organizations; Lisa Halseth reported continued blood-drive operations with the next drive scheduled for July 9 at the fairgrounds. - Public notifications: staff said they will provide clearer online guidance about use-tax and permit-payment options.
No formal vote was taken on the proposed septic-fee increases; staff will provide cost estimates and a proposed fee schedule for future Board of Health consideration.
Ending Public health staff will return with revenue estimates for the septic-fee changes and options for procuring the public-facing septic-mapping system, and will present specific Regulation 43 implementation choices at the next board meeting.
