HomeMy WebLinkAbout20193665.tiffMINUTES
WELD COUNTY COUNCIL
May 20, 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, May 20, 2019, at the Weld County Administration Building,
1150 0 Street, Greeley, CO.
ROLL CALL:
0 The meeting was called to order by President Brett Abernathy. Councilmembers Tonya L.
Van Beber, Nancy Teksten, Gene Stille and James Welch were present, constituting a quorum
of members. Also present was Council Secretary Linda Kane and County Commissioner Scott
James.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA :
Councilmember Van Beber made a motion to add to the agenda, under New Business,
discussion pertaining to an email with Public Relations Department Director Jennifer Finch
and a letter Van Beber received from a constituent. She made a motion to approve the
agenda as amended, seconded by Councilmember Teksten and it carried.
APPROVAL OF DOCUMENTATION:
Approval of April 15, 2019, Minutes
Councilmember Teksten made a motion to approve the April 15, 2019, minutes, seconded by
Councilmember Welch, and the motion carried.
REVIEW PROGRAM:
Judy Griego, Director of Weld County Human Services
Director Judy Griego and Deputy Director Jamie Ulrich gave an overview of the Human
Services department.
Ms. Griego said their biggest challenge is the growing population in Weld County. She
explained her department offers a wide range of services to the residents of Weld County,
focusing on safe and healthy environments for families. Funding is provided by federal, state
and county resources with most of it coming from the state and county. Her department is
audited regularly regarding funding and its programs.
Human Services employs 430 workers. There's a southeast office in Fort Lipton and operations
in the southwest portion of the county.
Deputy Director Ulrich gave an overview of the seven major divisions within the department,
highlighting programs that have a significant impact in the county.
She said the department provides resources for assistance payments, housing and medical
assistance, food assistance and Medicaid. They serve 29,758 Medicaid cases in Weld County.
The food assistance program has 9,567 cases. Human Services collected more than $21 million
in child support in 2018 for the children served in the county.
a Human Services also focuses on employment services. They have about 4,000 job
openings listed in any given year. They work to place youth and adults in jobs; provide a GED
program; provide workplace credentialing programs and host more than 2,000 workshops a
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year.
a Another large part of her department includes the Area Agency on Aging, serving
residents 60 and older. An estimated 1,900 hours of services are provided to seniors so they
can stay in their homes. They provide dental, vision and hearing programs, as well as respite
care for family caregivers.
The senior nutrition program has served 45,875 meals to 1,269 seniors at 23 meal sites
throughout the county. There's a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren monthly support group
and workshops geared toward aging.
The Child Welfare Division is another large part of the department and continues to see a lot of
growth. One of their biggest focuses is the foster care program. Their goal is to ensure all kids
have a safe place to stay while parents are at work and they focus on kindergarten readiness.
Two areas of effort in the last two years have included child care recruitment and increased
quality in licensed childcare homes.
Ms. Griego mentioned their services for post adoption, providing outreach to families who've
adopted. Adult protective services is an area that serves adults who are abused, neglected or
financially exploited.
Councilmember Stille asked about the homeless population and whether it's served by Human
Services.
Ms. Griego said the partner with the United Way in providing resources to shelters. They get
more involved in emergency situations when a child or senior is affected.
Councilmember Teksten said, being on the board of the United Way, it's a credit to the
community that Human Resources partners with that organization so efforts are unnecessarily
duplicated.
Councilmember Van Beber noted the synergy within the department and the dozens of
community agencies and commended their incredible organization.
Ms. Griego said it's important the public know they try to keep families connected and to keep
them as strong and healthy as possible.
Councilmember Stille asked if her department is involved in illegal aliens.
Ms. Griego said they do not provide direct services to undocumented residents unless they are
abused or neglected, in which the law requires them to provide assistance.
Education levels vary in order to work in Human Resources. Some jobs are administratively
focused while others are specific to knowledge of courts and mental instability and drug and
alcohol abuse.
Dave Kisker, Johnstown, of Johnstown asked about the Medicaid program, pointing out that
about 10 percent of the population receives it. He asked how that compared to other counties
this size.
Ms. Griego said Weld County is probably one of the leaders in Medicaid assistance.
Mr. Kisker asked about the percentage reflecting the wealth of the county. Ms. Griego said Weld
probably compares best to Pueblo and Mesa Counties.
Commissioner Scott James, representing District 2, spoke during the meeting and commended
the department on its varied services.
He said it's a tall order to not only take care of those in need in the county, but also to deal with
changes in funding every year.
"They do such a tremendous job on the little we give them and the little the state gives them," he
said. "I could not be prouder of the work they do."
He also mentioned the incredible work force assisted by the department. He said they help
retrain and retool workers, making them more desirable as well as the county for businesses
looking to move to the area.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Dave Kisker, of Johnstown, asked a few questions during the presentation by Human Services,
noted above.
NEW BUSINESS:
Coordinator Reports/Councilman Reports
Councilmember Van Beber discussed an email exchange between herself and Jennifer Finch,
Director of Public Relations, inviting Ms. Finch to present at the June Council meeting.
There was some confusion as to the interpretation of the email exchange, with Councilmember
Van Beber interpreting it as a decline to be next month's presenter. She indicated Ms. Finch
thought it inappropriate to have discussion with outside elected officials. Councilmember Van
Beber said she found the exchange highly irregular.
Councilmember Van Beber pointed out that in the Charter 13:8, section 6, it states Council is
to review all aspect of county government, to observe and review programs.
Councilmembers also expressed confusion over the exchange. Councilmember Van Beber
said her invitation was clear and the irony of this being the public relations department is not
lost to her. She said the invitation was extended twice and clearly declined. She also said she
was alarmed that Ms. Finch indicated it's ok for three or more elected officials to get together
and talk. It is a violation of Open Meetings laws.
Councilmember Van Beber noted that department heads, elected officials and employees from
the county have been presenting to the County Council as the Charter requires for more than
20 years. The email invitation used verbiage consistent with Council Secretary written reports
from years past.
See Addendum 1.
Councilmember Welch discussed a meeting he had with Patti Russell, Director of Human
Resources. He said he was surprised that until a few years ago the county had more than
1,300 employees and only 4 / HR personnel. Currently the county employs about 1,800 and
has 18 employees. (These minutes were revised and signed at the July 15, 2019, meeting
with the following correction: the county has 15 employees.)
One of its biggest challenges is the current hiring market - finding and retaining qualified
employees. He also said 50-60 percent of county employees are on some kind of
accommodation which requires much work in managing the proper paperwork, etc.
He said HR is focused on an overall wellness program for employees that extends past just
physical wellness. It focuses on broader topics such as finance, health, CPR training, stress
management, leadership and job satisfaction.
He mentioned a whistleblower program to Ms. Russell and she informed him HR has a generic
email box and phone number for internal complaints. He said she would be most concerned
with retaining anonymity should the Council come up with its own program.
See Addendum 2.
Councilmember Stille said he went to a couple commissioner hearings regarding the recent oil
and gas regulations and attended an open house at the airport.
Councilmember Van Beber met with CDOT and did a video for wearing your seatbelt. She also
mentioned a letter she received from a constituent regarding a legal matter. The letter was
forwarded to County Attorney Bruce Barker and he was asked whether any further action was
necessary from Council. She had not received a reply from Mr. Barker before the meeting.
Bills
Councilmember Stille made a motion to approve bills, it was seconded by Councilmember Welch
and carried.
o Weld County Phone Bill for April $25.00
o 1st quarter RTTP legal notice $55.07
OLD BUSINESS:
Whistieblower Program
Councilmember Teksten said she met with County Attorney Bruce Barker and spent some time
discussing a possible whistleblower program managed by Council.
She said concerns of anonymity and public record were raised. She pointed out that Council can
act as a conduit for constituents, but it's difficult for Council to get involved with staff problems.
Councilmember Stille pointed out that several departments already have a whistleblower program
for employees.
Councilmembers Stille and Abernathy have explored a whistleblower program in the past and
looked at Arapahoe County as an example. They spend about $7,000 annually to outsource a
program. Councilmember Teksten said she learned through Mr. Barker that was a subscription
company and it was also available to the public.
Council discussed how a whistleblower program could remain anonymous and whether
information obtained would be open to the public.
Councilmember Abernathy raised concerns about constituents being intimidated to bring up
issues with specific public officials and wants to offer a different resolution.
Councilmember Welch asked about existing infrastructure and how it could support a program.
Councilmember Abernathy said he'd like to do more research and asked that the issue be
revisited at the June meeting.
Councilmember Welch, meanwhile, will talk to the Information Technology Department and get
clarification on infrastructure.
ADJOURNMENT:
By acclamation, the meeting was adjourned at 8:19 p.m.
July 15, 2019 (Revised) Council President rett Abernathy
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Council Secretary, Linda Kane
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