Pueblo County approves food‑assistance contract increase, hotline MOU, LED lighting and an elected‑official personnel policy

At its Sept. 16 meeting, the Pueblo County Board of County Commissioners approved four routine but substantive items: an amendment to the county’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program contract (Everyday Eats), a memorandum of understanding to use an after‑hours child‑welfare hotline, a contract to replace Runyon Field lighting with LEDs, and a policy allowing elected officials discretion over some personnel matters.

Alexis Ellis (S9) told commissioners the Colorado Department of Human Services contract for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (Everyday Eats) was amended for fiscal year 2026, increasing the contract maximum to $864,853 from $853,567 to support a slight increase in monthly caseload from 1,680 to 1,695 households. The county is not required to provide matching funds under the amendment. The board voted to accept and file the clerk and recorder fees and then approved the contract amendment without objection.

Chris Reid (S10) presented a memorandum of understanding with Prowers County to utilize the Hotline County Connection Center ("HCCC") for after‑hours child‑welfare and adult-protective-services reports. Reid said HCCC’s per‑report charge will rise from $25 in 2025 to $32 in 2026. He projected Pueblo County’s FY2026 HCCC costs for Child Welfare and APS calls to total about $55,000 (transcript: "The complete total is $55.08 72"). Commissioners expressed concern about the jump in per‑report fees and asked whether hours or staffing could be adjusted; Reid said options include reducing hours routed to HCCC or increasing county staffing to take more calls in‑house.

The board also approved a contract with ROI Energy for LED replacement at Runyon Field. Mike Ricciton (S8) said the work was within the budget, uses the same contractor as prior field upgrades, standardizes parts for maintenance and includes certification for large fields needed to host postseason events. Ricciton told the board a preconstruction conference is scheduled next Wednesday and the goal is to complete the bulk of work by February, with the last field phased to avoid disrupting play.

Finally, County Attorney Cynthia Mitchell (S3) presented a resolution that gives elected officials discretion to make certain personnel decisions (starting salaries, promotions, demotions, merit transfers, temporary assignments and reemployment) so long as those changes are conducted within the elected official’s adopted budget and comply with federal, state and local law. The BOCC reserved the right to revoke or amend the policy.

All four items were approved by voice vote. Commissioners asked staff to monitor HCCC fee increases and to provide updates if the provider’s rates rise further.

Next steps: staff to implement contract amendment, finalize the HCCC MOU, begin preconstruction work and hold follow‑up oversight as needed on hotline costs and Runyon Field construction.