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MINUTES
WELD COUNTY COUNCIL
August 19, 2019
The Weld County Council met in regular session in full conformity with the Weld County Home
Rule Charter at 6:30 p.m., Monday, August 19, 2019, at the Weld County Administration
Building, 1150 0 Street, Greeley, CO.
ROLL CALL:
�..--�' The meeting was called to order by President Brett Abernathy. Councilmembers Tonya L.
Van Beber, Nancy Teksten, James Welch and Gene Stifle were present, constituting a quorum
of members. Also present was Council Secretary Linda Kane.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA :
Councilmember Abernathy made a motion to add an item to the agenda; final budget
approval under New Business, and it was not opposed.
APPROVAL OF DOCUMENTATION:
Approval of July 15, 2019, Minutes
Councilmember Van Beber made a motion to approve the July minutes, seconded by
Councilmember Teksten, and the motion carried.
REVIEW PROGRAM:
John Lefebvre, County Treasurer
John Lefebvre, County Treasurer, gave an overview of his department. The statutory duties of
the treasurer's office include: 1) collecting all property taxes in the county; 2) distributing funds
to underlying tax authorities; 3) investing the county's funds; and 4) the treasurer acts a
permanent member of the retirement board.
This year, the treasurer's office will collect about $832 million in property taxes. Oil and gas
represent 58 percent of property taxes directly. Indirectly, that number is much higher.
The top three property tax recipients are schools, the county and fire districts. The treasurer
currently manages more than $360 million in investment funds.
Additional functions include managing the administrative portion of the Bright Futures program;
performing the administrative functions for the retirement plan and chairing the legislative
committee for the Colorado County Treasurer's Association.
To view a copy of the presentation, please see addendum 1.
Councilmember Stille asked how many employees the office has. Mr. Lefebvre answered 10
full-time employees and two part-time employees with the Bright Futures program. He said his
office can manage with only 10 employees in part due to advances in technology.
Councilmember Abernathy asked about marijuana funds and how they enter the banking
system. Mr. Lefebvre answered that his office accepts cash as legal tender and his office can
then deposit the cash in to the banking system.
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Councilmember Teksten asked about investigating students who apply for the Bright Futures
program. Mr. Lefebvre said his office verifies information submitted by schools. He said there's
a list of requirements necessary in order to be eligible for the program.
Councilmember Stille inquired about a deputy treasurer. Mr. Lefebvre said though that title
doesn't technically exist, he has an employee who acts as his deputy, Renee Fielder. He said
Finance Director Don Warden is his direct supervisor.
Councilmember Van Beber acknowledged the treasurer's office's efforts to keep residents in
their homes when delinquent on property taxes. She also inquired about how money is
disbursed to released inmates at the jail.
Mr. Lefebvre answered that he would like the jail to disburse cash to inmates who are leaving,
but they are currently given checks. The checks, oftentimes written for small amounts, present a
difficulty for the treasurer's office because they often go uncashed.
Johnstown resident Dave Kisker asked about succession. He said he's concerned about the
county finding an adequate replacement once Mr. Lefebvre retires. He mentioned the audit of
2017 brought up the issue of succession plans.
Mr. Lefebvre said he's most worried about replacing Ms. Fielder, as she can do all the functions
of the office. He said there may be an opportunity to overlap a new employee in his office when
the time comes.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
a Johnstown resident Dave Kisker asked questions at the end of Mr. Lefebvre's presentation.
There was no further public comment.
NEW BUSINESS:
Coordinator Reports/Councilman Reports
There were no councilmember reports.
Bills
Councilmember Stille made a motion to approve bills, it was seconded by Councilmember Welch
and carried. The bills were paid as follows:
o Weld County Phone Bill for May $25.00
o Publication of 2nd Quarter RTTP - $71.78
Budget
Councilmember Stille made a motion to accept the budget for fiscal year 2020 as presented by
Finance Director Don Warden, it was seconded by Councilmember Van Beber and carried.
Please see a copy of the budget report in addendum 2.
OLD BUSINESS:
Continued discussion of whistleblower program
Councilmember Van Beber mentioned a "best practices" guide for following a potential
whistleblower program. They included how to protect whistleblowers, reliable confidentiality and
realistic timeframes and how that process looks.
Councilmember Welch said after speaking with County Attorney Bruce Barker, concerns were
raised about confidentiality.
Councilmember Teksten said she also spoke with Mr. Barker and he raised concerns of
confidentiality to her, too.
Councilmember Van Beber said state or federal laws should exist to protect whistleblowers.
After further discussion, it was decided Councilmember Welch will go back to Mr. Barker to get
clarification on some questions. The item was tabled until the September meeting.
ADJOURNMENT:
By acclamation, the meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
September 16, 2019 ci esident, tt Abernathy
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Council Secretary, Linda Kane
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