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Board of Social Services approves Equifax contract, authorizes SNAP delay request and adds eligibility staff
Summary
The Montezuma County Board of Social Services approved a Work Number (Equifax) contract for $61,135, authorized the chairman to sign a letter asking U.S. senators to delay SNAP administrative cost shifts, and approved one permanent and one temporary eligibility staff position to address increasing workload and potential HR1 requirements.
At a combined workshop and Board of Social Services session, department director Kelly presented multiple administrative items and the board took several approvals and directions.
Minutes and financials: The board voted to approve the record of proceedings for May 26, 2026 and accepted May financials totaling $1,699,233.68.
Equifax (Work Number) contract: Kelly summarized the purpose of the Equifax/Work Number service — to verify employment and income to reduce eligibility errors — and explained that the county has negotiated lower statewide rates but still incurs per‑query fees (described in the meeting as approximately $12.99 per lookup). The board moved, seconded and approved a contract with Equifax for $61,135; staff said they had reduced projected usage to manage costs and that savings were being applied against other staffing needs.
SNAP administrative cost‑share and letter to senators: Kelly outlined county concerns about proposed changes under HR1 that could impose new state and county cost‑sharing for SNAP administration. County modeling, Kelly said, yields widely divergent potential county cost estimates (about $188,000 to $488,000 annually in the scenarios presented) driven by unclear sampling and modeling methods for error rates. Commissioners authorized the chairman to sign a letter to U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper requesting at least a one‑year delay to allow better data and planning.
Staffing requests and funding: To respond to increased appointment volumes, telephone demand and anticipated HR1 requirements, Kelly requested one permanent front‑desk/customer‑service FTE focused on triage and fact‑checking and one temporary eligibility technician (one to two years). Estimated costs discussed included a temporary position at about $43,000 annually and a permanent position budgeted around $50,000 (presented in the packet as $49,986.7); commissioners approved the staffing additions and associated budgeting adjustments.
Management evaluation and operations: Kelly also summarized a Hickpuff management evaluation covering 17 categories. The department has responded to many findings, but must submit corrective action plans by July 13 for items including a comprehensive communications policy (to cover website text messages) and training on collection‑tool procedures; the department reported it will complete the required cures.
Non‑emergency medical transportation and other items: Kelly warned that a primary NEMT provider (Sunshine Rides) plans to halt non‑emergency transports in Montezuma County on July 1 unless rural reimbursement rates are adjusted; she said the county is monitoring impacts for rural residents who rely on local phone calls rather than statewide call centers. Kelly also highlighted recent departmental awards and improved audit scores.
All formal approvals recorded in the workshop were taken by voice vote; individual roll‑call votes with commissioner names were not recorded in the transcript.
