Montezuma County commissioners approve grants, contract renewals and transfers; social services reports CCAP forecast

Montezuma County commissioners on Feb. 25 approved multiple grant submissions, contract renewals and fund transfers and received program updates from Social Services.

Grant and contract actions

- The board approved a grant application submission for the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office for a second tranche of taser equipment reimbursement in the amount of $161,187.60 (referred to in the meeting as "taser upgrade part 2"). The sheriff's office had previously received reimbursement for the first tranche, and the county will monitor reimbursement for the first grant before incurring the second tranche expenditures.

- Commissioners approved Contract Amendment Number 5 to the Safe and Stable Families program with the Colorado Department of Early Childhood in the amount of $200,000 for fiscal year 2025. Staff described this as an ongoing amendment to an existing contract.

- The board moved to sign a five-year service agreement with Runbeck/Runbeck Election Services (referred to in the meeting as Runbeck/Runback) for election scanning and ballot processing equipment and services. Elections staff said the Duo equipment contract starts at about $10,000 with slight annual increases and is already included in the elections budget. Staff said the equipment saves staff months of manual work after elections.

Policy and finance actions

- Commissioners approved a new county grant administration and funding policy intended to reduce the county's financial exposure when departments and elected officials seek grants. The policy includes carve-outs for core projects such as public health and social services and requires additional justification and oversight for other grants.

- Two transfer orders affecting Senior Services and Transportation were approved: Order 22025 transfers $41,023.40 from the General Fund into the Senior Services and Transportation Fund to cover grant funds accepted in 2024 but to be expended in 2025 (including two Lohr Foundation grants and Nutrition Services Incentive Program funds). A separate transfer (order 32025) moved $15,000 from the Senior Citizens Bus Fund to the Senior Services and Transportation Fund to reimburse vehicle wraps for MOCO transportation vehicles.

Social Services and program updates

- The Board of Social Services record and payables for January 2025 were approved for $1,611,099.41. Social Services staff (identified in the meeting as Miss Kelly) provided an update on the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). She said the Joint Budget Committee had recommended adding $15,000,000 to the long bill and that statewide projections showed an overspend of $17–24 million. County staff said they would "hang tight and wait and see" what the long bill includes and that current county projections indicate Montezuma County will be fine for the fiscal year if the $15,000,000 is included.

- Social Services also described a juvenile services planning committee meeting in which the county and local probation rewrote a crossover youth plan to clarify roles and responsibilities for youth involved with both juvenile justice and child welfare. Staff said the revised plan will be submitted to the state this month for formal approval.

Legal and staffing updates

- County Attorney Mister Tarnowski reported the assistant county attorney vacancy remains unfilled after recent interviews. He said he will continue to run the office with a single attorney on an interim basis and will explore contracting for specialized or time-intensive work with attorneys who do contract work for nearby counties.

- Tarnowski also said he has been in contact with attorneys involved in a Sheriff's Sale action on the Ironwood property and with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to ensure county responsibilities are met; he said a sale was still scheduled for Thursday and the county will monitor the outcome.

Votes and procedure

Nearly all items on the consent and action calendars were approved by voice vote. Meeting minutes and several motions were moved and seconded; the transcript records unanimous "aye" voice votes but does not capture each commissioner’s individual recorded vote. No item was defeated or tabled during the session.

Why it matters: The actions authorize county spending, adjust how the county manages grant risk, and move previously accepted grant funds into a dedicated Senior Services and Transportation fund. The CCAP update signals statewide pressure on child-care funding that county staff and commissioners are monitoring.

Next steps: Staff will monitor reimbursement for the taser grant before incurring second-tranche expenditures, submit the revised crossover youth plan to the state for approval, and continue recruitment and contingency planning for the assistant county attorney role.