Montezuma County commissioners approve CDOT grant amendment, certify mill levies, submit MMOF request and award janitorial contracts

The Montezuma County Board of County Commissioners on Dec. 20 approved four routine items including a Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) grant amendment, certification of special-district mill levies, submission of a Multimodal Options Fund (MMOF) application, and award of multiple janitorial contracts.

County staff requested approval of a CDOT investor grant amendment originally written in 2022 to extend the grant period and allow the county additional time to research a rides-coordination app. Miss Kelly said CDOT asked to execute the amendment by Jan. 1 because "they're going on vacation, and they need to execute it, by January 1st." Kelly said the grant was written in 2022 to increase the county's IT services; the county has spent about $8,500 of the original $30,000. The board approved "grant agreement amendment number 1" in the amount of $24,000 with a local match described in the record as "6" (clarification of whether that indicates $6,000 or a 6% match was not specified in the meeting record). The amendment passed on a motion, was seconded and was signed during the meeting.

Why it matters: Extending the CDOT award would allow the county to use remaining funds to load purchased iPads and research a software solution to coordinate rides more efficiently, rather than continuing manual scheduling.

The board then certified mill levies and revenues for Montezuma County and its special districts. A staff speaker confirmed the county had collected the public information forms required by the state and that, after certification, the county will forward both the certified mill levies and the mill levy public information forms to the state assessor for submission. The commissioners moved, seconded and approved the certification.

The board also approved submitting a Montezuma County Natural Resources Division application to the Colorado Department of Transportation Multimodal Options Fund. James (identified in the record as a Natural Resources staff member) told the board the county seeks to reinstate federal MMOF funds that expired; he said the county requested $1,183,174 to replace the expired federal dollars and noted there is no local match requirement. The motion on the record to sign the MMOF application used the $1,183,174 figure; later in the meeting the same motion was announced with the amount as $1,183,774. The discrepancy in the transcript was not resolved during the meeting; the board approved the request and signed the form.

Why it matters: MMOF funds support multimodal and non-automobile transportation projects. Restoring previously available funding could affect local transportation planning and projects administered by Montezuma County Natural Resources.

Finally, the board accepted recommendations on 2025 janitorial-service bids for county facilities. Dustin, who compiled the bids, recommended accepting the low bidders for most locations but recommended an alternate award for court facilities because of a prior incident; county counsel (identified as Steven in the discussion) reviewed the RFP and the contract and recommended retaining standard contract language with termination if services are unsatisfactory. The motion to accept the 2025 janitorial bids passed. The award mapping announced in the meeting named several vendors and facility assignments; portions of the transcript listing vendor names and facility assignments were unclear and contained inconsistent spellings, which the county indicated staff would follow up on.

Why it matters: Routine contracts and vendor selections determine providers for county facilities and can affect continuity of building services, security concerns at sensitive facilities such as courts, and contract enforcement practices.

Meeting context and next steps: County staff said they will sign the CDOT amendment and the MMOF application forms and forward certified mill-levy documents to the assessor for state submission. For the janitorial contracts, staff and counsel will finalize contract details and follow up on any vendor- or incident-related issues raised by court staff. The meeting adjourned following those actions.

Votes at a glance: CDOT grant agreement amendment number 1 — approved (motion moved, seconded, recorded as "Aye"); Certification of levies for Montezuma County and special districts — approved (motion moved, seconded, recorded as "Aye"); MMOF grant application submission to CDOT (Montezuma County Natural Resources) — approved (motion moved, seconded, recorded as "Aye"); Acceptance of 2025 janitorial bids as presented — approved (motion moved, seconded, recorded as "Aye").