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La Plata County board wants to improve efficiency

Commissioners discuss spring runoff, priorities for 2016

Priorities for the year, the looming impacts of spring runoff on the Animas River and how to improve efficiency of county operations were discussed Wednesday by La Plata County commissioners and administrators at a board retreat.

The Gold King Mine spill, which dumped 3 million gallons of metal-laden sludge into the Animas and San Juan rivers, occurred last August, but commissioners said its lingering effects can’t overshadow other pressing county conversations this year.

Last fall, the county discussed drafting regulations in 2016 to address barking dogs, which is a contentious issue for county residents and one that has no governance from the county.

“The barking dog ordinance, that’s going to have to be innovative and not cookie-cutter kind of stuff,” Commissioner Gwen Lachelt said.

In 2016, the county also is considering remodeling the courthouse, a facilities master plan, appointing a road and bridge advisory committee, drafting a revenue-raising ballot item and continuing reviews of the comprehensive land-use plan, while keeping abreast of Gold King remedial efforts.

The next big issue involving the Gold King Mine spill will come with the spring runoff and its impact on the river chemistry.

Commissioners are vexed that the Environmental Protection Agency, whose contracted crew triggered the spill, has given itself an extension to make a decision on a cooperative agreement with the county that will address water quality monitoring. There are further frustrations that they have not received plans from state and federal agencies for monitoring spring runoff impacts.

But commissioners said runoff conversations this spring will be an opportunity to increase efficiency within the county.

“We need a point-person,” Commissioner Brad Blake said. “Our disaster (after the Gold King spill) is that we all jumped in to attend meetings instead of a few people handling it.”

“We need to increase the productivity of meetings,” County Attorney Sheryl Rogers added. “One thing I’ve noticed, when the volume is turned up on an issue, we have to be more disciplined and trust the primary lead person.”

Commissioner Julie Westendorff was frustrated with the lack of progress on the county’s laundry list of other projects, and said the piece-by-piece revision of the land-use plan is a model for how other large undertakings could be tackled.

The amount and complexity of projects burdens staff, who said they sometimes are too preoccupied with planning and organization to take an innovative approach.

“Every day, to come in and feel like we’re not getting it done, and watching the impact on our community, is discouraging,” Rogers added, suggesting a few months’ reprieve from daily tasks to turn full focus on needed revisions to county code. “My problem is right now I’m not fully staffed. We have two attorneys do the work of five. I’m trying to fill the position.”

The county also is in the process of appointing a marijuana licensing code enforcement officer and communications specialist.



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