Commissioners OK Amendment to Dispatch Agreement

In preparation for an application by the Fremont E 9-1-1 Authority to seek an increase in 9-1-1 telephone surcharge fees, the Fremont County Board of Commissioners approved another amendment to the Intergovernmental Agreement which created the new combined dispatch center.    The Fremont County Commissioners eventually plan to seek repayment of $100,000 which the county added to matching monies from all the entities in order to secure a higher grant amount from the state to build the dispatch center.   But so far the cities of Cañon City and Florence, the Cañon City Fire District, and the E 9-1-1 Authority have not agreed on language in the agreement of how the $100,000 should be repaid.

To move beyond that obstacle so an application can proceed to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) the Board of Commissioners approved amended language proposed by the City of Cañon City.   The amendment states that the members acknowledge that Fremont County contributed the $100,000 as matching funds and that the entities are currently in negotiations to reimburse the county.   Once all the partners approve the amendment they can approach the PUC in a unified position to request an increase in the Emergency Service Surcharge.   The E 9-1-1 Authority is seeking an 80 cent increase in the surcharge to help fund day to day operations of the new dispatch center and to begin building reserve funds to pay for future capital equipment replacement.

At their December 13th regular meeting the Board of Commissioners also ratified the Chairman’s signature on a pair of change orders for the kitchen and laundry renovation at the Fremont County Jail.   One change order added a cost of $2,826 for some excavation and different food service equipment while the other change order eliminated the need for some steel fencing which actually cut $5,745 from the cost.

In other business at the December 13th meeting the commissioners:

• Adopted a proclamation declaring December 15 as Bill of Rights Day;
• Adopted a proclamation declaring 2017 as a Year of Celebration for the United Presbyterian Church of Cañon City in its’ 150th year of ministry;
• Reappointed Mark Masar to the Fremont County Planning Commission for another three year term ending January 1, 2020;
• Reappointed Dennis Wied as the Cañon City representative to the Fremont County Planning Commission for a term ending December 31, 2018;
• Approved adoption of the Fremont County Evacuation and Re-entry Plan along with a Fremont County Debris Management Plan as developed by Emergency Management Director Steve Morrisey;
• Approved a consulting agreement with Forest Stewardship Concepts to help develop another Community Wildfire Protection Plan;
• Approved a subdivision exemption for the Union Pacific Railroad which actually benefits the Arkansas Headwaters State Park.   The exemption allows Colorado Parks and Wildlife to purchase 2.05 acres from the Union Pacific on the northwest corner of the Texas Creek bridge over the Arkansas River thus restoring river access on the property for boaters and anglers.