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AD-HOC Weld County Home Rule Charter Amendment Study Committee

Meeting Minutes – May 23, 2018

I. CALL TO ORDER – ROLL CALL: Jackie Johnson, Chair, called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m., in the Weld County Administration Building, Pawnee Conference Room. The following Home Rule Charter Committee (HRCC) members were present: Al Dominguez, Sam Gluck, Dave Kisker, Mark Lawley, Ray Patch, Garrett Varra and James Welch; Justus Pettit was excused. Also present were Bruce Barker - County Attorney, Jennifer Finch - Public Information Officer (PIO), and Esther Gesick - Clerk to the Board.

II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – MAY 16, 2018: Ray Patch moved to approve the Minutes

of May 16, 2018. The motion was seconded by Garrett Varra, and it carried unanimously. III. DEPARTMENT HEAD PRESENTATIONS:

A. DR. MARK WALLACE – DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT: Dr. Wallace stated, in 1994, he became involved with the department as a medical advisor and has been the Director since 2000. He explained the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) delegates responsibilities via contracts, to 50 Health Departments across the state. He noted the Weld County department is one of only six in the state (only 200 nationwide) which are accredited and capable of meeting rigorous standards to promote and protect the health of its citizens.

He reviewed the basic roles and responsibilities of the WCDPHE, as follows: provide public information, strive for health which is good for business and lowers costs, work on certain best practice policies for local municipalities within Weld County, regulatory work as delegated by the CDPHE (restaurant inspections, child care facilities, swimming pools, air and water quality), and locally regulate tattoo/body art facilities. He referenced the 2017 Annual Report Handout (Exhibit A) and stated the department is very mindful of the anticipated growth to ensure they are prepared to respond to emerging infections, the opioid and heroin epidemic, food-borne illnesses, etc. He discussed the department structure, purpose of the Board of Health, and the working relationship with the Department of Planning Services, local hospitals and medical providers. He also noted the accreditation status encourages an analyzed approach to work quality and standards, as well as transparency through the Thriving Weld Data Dashboard for 24/7 accessibility.

Dr. Wallace suggested a possible change to the Charter to update the name from ‘Department of Health Services’ to ‘Department of Public Health’. He also noted the need to reorganize the department without formal amendment to the Charter to allow ongoing responsiveness to the needs in the community. He stated the Home Rule Charter structure is unique, allowing him direct and frequent access to his Commissioner Coordinator, without the delay of going through the Board of Health to get direction or make internal structure changes, when necessary. In response to Mr. Kisker, Dr. Wallace confirmed his intent for ongoing analysis of the intuitive nature of the website and noted they also utilize

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advertising, telephone directories, social media, and word of mouth to notify the public of events and services.

B. TOM PARKO, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING SERVICES/BUILDING INSPECTIONS: Mr. Parko stated he was hired in 2010 as the Planning Manager and was later promoted to Director in 2012. He submitted a Department Organization Chart (Exhibit B), Population and Development Report (Exhibit C) and Work Output Summary (Exhibit D) for the HRCC members to review. He stated the department coordinates with 32 municipalities within Weld County, which is the highest in the State, and explained the roles and responsibilities of the various division staff. Mr. Parko submitted proposed revisions to Section 4-4(A)(2)(d) (Exhibit E) concerning the various outside agencies the department coordinates with. Mr. Dominguez requested general language so any future name or status changes do not require charter revisions. Mr. Parko suggested deleting Section 4-4(A)(2)(e) concerning County parks; however, it was subsequently corrected by Ms. Finch that the County does have the Missile Site Park. He also addressed the need for enhancements to improve transparency and ease of locating public information on the departmental web page, and explained staff is still working to refine the online Accela database.

C. RYAN ROSE, DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: See email comments marked Exhibit F.

D. PATTI RUSSELL, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES: Ms. Russell stated she has been the Human Resources Director for ten years and the primary role of the department is to follow federal/state/local laws. She reports directly to the Director of Finance and Administration, offers guidance to department heads and managers concerning personnel matters, manages employee FMLA, ADA, and HIPPA, and coordinates the County’s Wellness program, employee benefits, payroll data entry, employee action changes and performance management, and the employee clinic. Ms. Russell suggested revisions to Sections 4-2(B)(6) to pluralize “elected officials” in the second sentence, and clarify “qualified candidates” should be interviewed, versus a “list” of candidates. Mr. Kisker commented in his experience the working manager typically determines qualifications and makes hiring recommendations. Ms. Russell clarified the elected officials are responsible for interviewing candidates for Department Head and Deputy positions, but she agreed to draft and submit clarifying language for future consideration. In response to Mr. Lawley, Ms. Russell explained the Department of Human Resources falls under the Department of Finance and Administration, so she reports directly to Mr. Warden and also meets with the Commissioner Coordinator every other week. She stated this structure provides her with direct access to the Board in an emergency; however, they do not discuss personnel staff matters. She also confirmed she has not received any political pressure while fulfilling her responsibilities.

E. ESTHER GESICK, CLERK TO THE BOARD: Ms. Gesick gave a general overview of the roles called out in the Charter and displayed the original Minutes Book ‘A’ of St. Vrain

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County, first entry dated October 6, 1859, before Weld County was established. She emphasized the importance of cherishing and caring for the vast quantity of preserved historical County records, meshed with adapting and enhancing the records system with new technology and ensuring that the various records and filing systems endure and are accessible. She also described the unique function of the Clerk to the Board which coordinates with every department in the County to assist them with scheduling, processing, and finalizing all of the business which needs to be presented to the Board of Commissioners. She stated the CTB staff mush become educated in the various governmental functions, such as zoning and land use, health regulations, property tax, legal terminology, liquor licensing, road right-of-way information, etc. Mr. Dominguez stated Section 3-7(1) indicates Deputy Clerks to the Board are subject to the Personnel provisions of Article IV(B), and the Clerk to the Board may be made subject to those provisions by Resolution. Mr. Barker clarified, originally, the role of Clerk to the Board was a responsibility of the County Clerk and Recorder; however, in 1990, it was broken out as a separate office appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. There was discussion concerning the difference between an At-Will employee, versus contracted employees. Ms. Gesick stated the Charter’s description of the role is very general which allows for a broad acceptance of job responsibilities. At Mr. Kisker’s request, Ms. Gesick also agreed to provide him with an explanation of the current filing system to assist with researching the public records online.

IV. NEW BUSINESS:

A. HOUSEKEEPING – (See Exhibit G): 1. Number of Departments - Section 3-6(1): Mr. Barker recommended the title of

Department of Finance be amended to add “and Administration,” and in subparagraph (2) the reference to “four” major departments should be corrected to “three”. He explained it is up to the five-member Board how they divide the coordinator responsibilities for four departments. He noted Social Services is actually a state department and should not be called out in the Charter in the event the State ever pulls the roll back under its direct in-house supervision. Following discussion, Mr. Varra made a motion, which was seconded by Mr. Gluck, to recommend an amendment to Section 3-6(1) to correct the title to state “Department of Finance and Administration,” and to Section 3-6(2) to change “four” to “three” major departments. There was also discussion concerning the ability to hire a future County Administrator and identify divisions under that position’s oversight, with consensus to include this topic in the overall report for future consideration. The motion carried unanimously.

2. Compensation – Section 3-9(3): Mr. Patch moved to delete this section. The motion was seconded by Mr. Kisker, and it carried unanimously.

3. “Official Meetings” – Section 3-11(1): Mr. Dominguez moved to designate the section as “Official” meetings, replace the word “except” with “however, and delete the existing “however” to read as follows: “Regular Board meetings shall be held at least twice weekly on days to be determined by the Board by resolution; however, a regular meeting may be cancelled by resolution of the Board passed and publicly announced

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at least ten (10) days prior to the cancelled meeting date.” The motion was seconded by Mr. Varra, and it carried unanimously.

4. Hospital Division – Sections 4-3(A) re-title “Division of Public Health Services”, 4-3(B) and 14-7: The HRCC members opted to make no changes.

5. “Elected” vs. “Elective” – Section 6-1: Mr. Varra moved to recommend a global change to replace any reference to “Elective” with “Elected”. Mr. Gluck seconded the motion, and it carried unanimously.

V. ADJOURNMENT: Chair Johnson stated the next meeting will be held on May 30th, at

6:30 p.m., in the Weld County Administration Building – Pawnee Conference Room, to discuss the selected issues and continue forming a recommendation. There being no further discussion, Chair Johnson adjourned the meeting at 8:30 p.m.

*Minutes submitted by Esther E. Gesick, Clerk to the Board