HomeMy WebLinkAbout20191150.tiffOFFICE OF WELD COUNTY COUNCIL
1150 O Street
P O BOX 758
GREELEY, COLORADO 80632
EMAIL: countycouncil@weldgov.com
PHONE: 970-400-4780
WEBSITE: www.weldgov.com
WELD COUNTY COUNCIL
2019 - 1st Quarter
REPORT TO THE PEOPLE
The Weld County Council is mandated in accordance with the Home Rule Charter of Weld County,
Colorado, to report to the people of Weld County on a quarterly basis, those matters related to the
council's review of Weld County government. This report summarizes the activities of the Weld County
Council during the first quarter of the calendar year 2019.
January 21, 2019
Welcome of New Members
The Council welcomed three new elected members. Tonya Van Beber, Weld County Council At -
Large, is a third generation native of Colorado and Weld County. Living in the Eaton, Evans and
Greeley areas of the county, she has experienced and is familiar with the various concerns and
challenges from one of the largest and fastest growing counties in the state. She is a graduate of the
University of Northern Colorado and holds a master's degree in Leadership from Regis University in
Denver.
Nancy Teksten, District 2, was born in southern Minnesota and attended St. Benedict/ St.
John's University. She married her husband, Steve, and together they farmed near Odin, MN, for 14
years prior to coming to Greeley in 1983. They have 2 children and 5 grandchildren.
James Welch, District 3, is a fourth -generation resident of Weld County and resides south of
Kersey. James graduated from University High School in 1990 and from the University of Colorado in
Boulder in 1993 with degrees in chemistry and mathematics.
Selection of President/Vice-President
Councilmember and incumbent Brett Abernathy, District 1, was selected Council President.
Councilmember Van Beber was elected Vice -President.
February 11, 2019
Signing of Resolution 216, Meeting Dates for 2019
The meetings of the Weld County Council will be held at 6:30 p.m., the third Monday of the
month, at the Weld County Administration Building, 1150 O Street.
Review Program by Sheriff Steve Reams
Sheriff Reams discussed the three divisions of his office; administration, detentions and patrol.
He said his budget for 2019 is roughly $49 million with it broken down to $13.18 million for patrol;
$31.79 million for detention; and $4.3 million for administration.
The sheriffs office manages over 17,000 active weapons permits in the county. The detentions
division has 230 uniformed deputies. Jail capacity is 776 bed with 373 new beds coming. He said 750
to 850 beds are needed daily on average. Average daily population point now is 700-750. They'll be
breaking ground on a renovation of the jail in March. He expects to have about 1,300 hard physical
beds. The higher that ratio gets, the less safe it gets.
He said one of the most staggering statistics is the high number of female inmates, charged with
types of offenses almost equal to male offenders. The jail faces a high population of inmates who suffer
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Weld County Council
2018 4th Quarter Report to the People
Page 2 of 3
from some type of mental deficiencies who may not be able to be housed in a normal housing unit. The
more diverse a population, the harder it is to manage offenders.
In the patrol division, the sheriff is responsible for preserving peace and commanding aid. He
has 96 full-time employees assigned for patrol. They answered approximately 60,000 calls for service
in 2018. He said Weld County leads the state in traffic fatalities.
Coordinator ReporfslCouncilmember Reports
Councilmember Gene Stifle said he wants Council to let constituents know they support the
military, oil and gas, aeronautical programs and agriculture in the county.
Councilmember Tonya Van Beber said she had the opportunity to sit down with Clerk &
Recorder Carly Koppes. She said the Clerk's office does a great deal of data -mining and recording.
Software upgrades are going to be happening soon.
She said it's the first time the office is preparing for four elections to run back-to-back.
Councilmember Van Beber also stated Ms. Koppes was voted in by 63 of her peers as the Vice -
President of the Colorado County Clerks Association and that she will be President -Elect in 2020 and
President in 2021.
Councilmember James Welch said he met with the Department of Public Health and
Environment to discuss current projects. He said they're working on two big projects. The first being
an external statewide project discussing the core foundations of public health. He said that prior to
2008, counties weren't required to have a health department and now there's 53 health departments
in the state. Some of the things they must consider include communicable disease and food safety.
The second project is internal, the Thriving Weld program, a partnership of over 60 agencies to
help align priorities and strategies for improving health across the county. He said there's currently six
focus areas: 1) healthy eating; 2) active living; 3) healthy mind and spirit; 4) education; 5) livelihood;
and 6) access to care.
March 18, 2019
Review Program by Clerk & Recorder Carly Koppes
County Clerk & Recorder Carly Koppes, with Chief Deputy Rudy Santos, gave an overview of
their department. Marriage licenses and civil unions can now be completed online, saving counter time
for employees and customers.
A significant responsibility of the office is to ensure elections are open, trusted, secure,
convenient and accessible for all voters.
A major change occurring in the department was the installation of a Drives system in August. It
replaced a 30 -year -old system and is aimed at mainstreaming processing. They also implemented a
kiosk program where residents can more quickly register vehicles.
Ms. Koppes said her department is always in a state of overtime, partially due to hours of
operation. Offices open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. require employees to come in early and leave late in
order to open and close the office.
Coordinator Reports/Councilman Reports
Councilmember Welch met with Ryan Rose, Chief Information Officer, to discuss IT function
for the county. Councilmember Welch said he was impressed with the organization.
Until 2014, the county outsourced all its IT functions. They discussed how more than 100
projects are currently underway. They included upgrading programs and getting the assessor's
department live perhaps next month. He said the department is looking into a visual arraignment
system where an inmate could remain in jail while court proceedings occur online.
Another big project includes suiting sheriffs deputies with body -worn cameras.
Councilmember Van Beber said she met with Judy Griego, Director of Human Services, and
Jamie Ulrich, deputy director, and had a good review of their department. The department has 400
employees, with eight divisions and four different offices.
The department is in great need of foster families. It also takes into account the rapid
population growth in the county and its impacts on crime, drug use, education and parenting.
Veld County Council
2018 4th Quarter Report to the People
Page 3 of 3
Councilmember Abernathy said he attended a work session with the BOCC regarding their
voting on Weld becoming a Second Amendment sanctuary county. He supported it. He said the sheriff
spoke to how he could be held in contempt of court if he refuses to take someone's firearm under the
proposed law. The Council could then be faced with the decision to suspend the sheriff with or without
pay.
Council ice -President Tonya L. Van Beber ( to)
Councilmember Nancy Teksten
Councilmember Gene Stille
WELD COUNTY COUNCIL
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Court itmember James Welch
Date Signed: April 15, 2019
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