Senior services: county proposes substitute-cook contracts, seeks $10,000 gift and foundation funding

County staff presented several items for the Montezuma County senior services program on Jan. 6, including a proposed substitute-cook contractor arrangement for the Cortez meal site and planned grant applications.

The senior services manager said the county currently operates a full-time cook who prepares "between 80 and a 100 meals a day." She explained that when the cook is absent the county has had to cancel meals and that county managers cannot serve as substitutes. To avoid that, staff proposed contracting with independent substitute cooks who would be paid a fixed daily rate and not employed by the county. "We have a woman who has done it about 4 times already," the manager said, adding that paying a daily contractor rate would let the county preplan and avoid emergency cancellations.

Staff also described two potential philanthropic funding sources. For the Rocky Mountain Health Plan simple-gift submission, staff said she planned to request $10,000 for general operating support and to pursue a separate three-year grant cycle in the fall specific to meals for vulnerable older adults. She said, "I am looking to write this for $10,000." For the Anschutz Family Foundation, staff said the county had not applied historically but could request general operating funds; "If we receive this, we can get it 2 years in a row and then we have to take a year off," she said.

Commissioners expressed general support and raised no objections during the workshop. No formal contract award or grant acceptance votes were recorded; staff indicated they would proceed with applications and bring any contracts back for required approvals when appropriate.