San Juan County commissioners approved a package of policy updates for the county senior centers and unanimously signed a memorandum of understanding to permit service missionaries to volunteer at senior centers, subject to strict supervision requirements.

Senior-services staff (Gallegos) outlined 14 policy updates required by state guidance, including fiscal-policy adjustments for compliance, home-delivered-meal labeling and nutrition guidance, a meal-contribution policy preserving voluntary and confidential contributions, subcontractor monitoring, updated occupational-health and safety procedures, time-clock requirements, and changes to an online-activity calendar after the state eliminated the statewide calendar. "The meal prioritization policy... lays out our prioritization of meals and how we would serve who would be served first," Gallegos said, summarizing the state-driven changes.

Gallegos also presented a proposed MOU with service missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to assist with meal service at the Monticello senior center (and potentially others if interest arises). Commissioners asked how missionaries would be supervised; Gallegos said center staff will be present at all times and missionaries will not be left alone with vulnerable adults, in line with state requirements. "They can't be left unattended with vulnerable adults or children," Gallegos said.

A motion to approve the policy updates and sign the MOU passed by voice vote with commissioners recording "aye." Staff said the MOU will allow a single missionary placement initially at Monticello but will permit future placements countywide if other centers request them.

Next steps: staff will finalize the signed MOU, implement the policy updates, and circulate training and signature sheets so center staff can acknowledge the new procedures.