Leadville regional housing authority asks Lake County to align IGA with state statute; commissioners direct staff to draft compromise

Becky Longberg, director of the Leadville Lake County Regional Housing Authority, told commissioners the IGA under negotiation currently constrains the RHA’s ability to use the statutory maximum mill levy and asked the board to allow a higher cap in future versions to avoid repeat renegotiation.

Longberg said the original IGA limited the authority to a lower cap and asked the county to make the IGA commensurate with state statute (which allows up to five mills) so the RHA would not need to revisit the agreement if a future plan required a larger levy. She also asked the county to continue allowing RHA staff access to the county benefits package for one additional staff position, noting the county’s group rates reduce costs compared with private plans and estimating the incremental benefits cost at roughly $25,000–$28,000 annually.

Commissioners discussed trade-offs: limiting a levy reduces immediate regressive tax exposure for fixed-income residents but restricting the RHA could force repeated renegotiations that would slow program delivery. Participants reviewed governance safeguards (supermajority requirements on the RHA board and the need to return to the county for approval before advancing a ballot measure) and noted any mill-levy increase would require voter approval.

After deliberation, commissioners directed staff to prepare an IGA that would permit up to three mills (a compromise between the county’s earlier, lower limit and the statutory five‑mill maximum) and to include a provision to allow the county to cover benefits for two RHA positions while the RHA establishes its own payroll system. The board asked staff to return a final IGA for formal action after drafting and review.