Moffat County Commissioner March 3 meeting recap
Other action items approved by commissioners 3-0:
Feb. 24 Moffat County Commission meeting minutes
Contract for substance abuse testing and counseling services
Contract for substance abuse evaluation and counseling services
Core services mental health contract addendum
Certified record of proceedings of Moffat County relating to the approval of a loan agreement with Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority
Resolution for whole costs and assessment for Shadow Mountain Village local improvement district
Omnibus certificate
Updated Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority loan agreement
Craig — At the Tuesday morning Moffat County Commissioner meeting, Shadow Mountain and an update from the 14th Judicial District District Attorney Brett Barkey took center stage.
Before Roy Tipton, director of Moffat County Development Services, gave a Shadow Mountain update, the commissioners approved a bid for magnesium chloride 3-0 and a bid for a new truck for the Moffat County Road and Bridge Department 3-0.
Tipton presented bids for new trucks for the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office as well as a bid for a new commissioner vehicle. The commissioners approved a $27,291 bid for the sheriff’s office trucks and a $29,389 bid for the commissioner vehicle, both 3-0.
One of the resolutions presented by Tipton included a change to the intergovernmental agreement clarifying that Moffat County is responsible for the water and wastewater lines until the loan is paid off.
The loan between the Shadow Mountain Village local improvement district and the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority totals $430,704 and is set for 20 years at 1 percent.
Once it is paid off, the city will be responsible for the lines in the same way they are responsible for the other lines within city limits.
“Thank goodness our relationship with the city is very solid right now,” Chairman John Kinkaid said.
Barkey launched into a presentation for commissioners that included information about what his office is working on, recently resolved cases and an update on the district’s illicit drug situation.
The 14th Judicial District covers 6,800 square miles, Barkey said, and after a couple of years of planning the district’s grand jury is up and running. The when and where of meeting locations for the grand jury are not disclosed publicly for the jury members’ safety.
One big advantage of the grand jury lies with its power to issue subpoenas, Barkey said.
“People don’t have to talk to cops, but they have to respond to a subpoena,” he said.
The commissioners received a thank you from Barkey and staff because with funding partially provided by the Moffat County commission, they were able to install a partition in their office. Before this installation, Barkey said confrontations would often escalate in the office area and there was little to no protection for staff.
Barkey did not ask for a raise this year for his staff but said he would likely ask for one next year.
“It’ll be a tough sell, because we’re not even giving raises to our people,” Commissioner Chuck Grobe said.
Barkey also gave an update on crime in Moffat County. Sex crimes are more prevalent in Moffat County than anywhere else in the district, he said.
He commended Craig Police Chief Walt Vanatta and Moffat County Sheriff KC Hume on working together to confirm addresses and registration information for the 48 sex offenders in Moffat County. The operation resulted in several failure to register cases with Barkey’s office, Hume said.
Meth is still the most prevalent drug problem in Moffat County, while heroin and cocaine plague Steamboat Springs, Barkey said.
“Demographics really drive (the drug of choice),” Barkey said.
The relationship between the district attorney’s office and the Moffat County Sheriff’s office is at its best in years, Hume said.
Contact Janelle O’Dea at 970-875-1795 or jodea@CraigDailyPress.com or follow her on Twitter @jayohday.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Craig and Moffat County make the Craig Press’ work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.