DELTA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS APPROVED a resolution during their first public meeting of 2022 that cut the Fair Board from its current count of 16 members to a strangely even number — six. Only three members from the previous board were retained and each will serve two-year terms. The other three new members will serve for one year.
District 3 Commission Wendell Koontz told fellow commissioners that a reorganization of the Fair Board, which has been known to have as many as 25 members, has long been on his priority list. Koontz described the areas of responsibility that would be assigned to each member:
Community and Town Programs: Kim Shay (one-year term)
Heritage Hall Programs: Nancy Horning (one-year term)
Rodeo Programs: Ryan Bates (two-year term)
Sponsorships and Events: Amy Perkins (two-year term)
Youth Programs: Jason Burns (two-year term) and Dr. Jenny Craig (one-year term)
The new board will have a busy first quarter re-writing the board’s bylaws and developing the 2022 budget, which was left out of the county’s overall budget pending the reorganization.
While Delta County has already submitted a final 2022 to the public and state officials, the Fair Board budget page was left blank and it is unknown how that will affect the final county budget’s bottomline. This change may require a statutory budget amendment (CRS 29-1-109).
“The new fairboard will develop their 2022 budget based on goals of increased community participation. Once the 2022 fairboard budget is approved by the fairboard, it will be submitted to the county commissioners and will be put into the 2022 budget,” wrote Administrator Robbie LeValley in an email.
The 2021 Fair Board fund planned $103,688 in expenses and ended the year with $60,000 in reserve.
READ CRS 29-1-109: Statutory Budget Changes, Transfers and Supplemental Appropriations
Former Commissioner replaces long time water representative
AFTER 12 YEARS, TOM ALVEY will step down from the Colorado River District as Delta County’s representative. At today’s County Commissioner meeting, former County Commissioner and Gunnison River Basin Roundtable member Mark Roeber was appointed to take Alvey’s place.
Roeber’s appointment is an important one as he will represent Delta County in the organization’s mission to “lead in the protection, conservation, use, and development of the water resources of the Colorado River basin for the welfare of the District, and to safeguard for Colorado all waters of the Colorado River to which the state is entitled.”
Mr. Alvey has grown and packed fruit in the North Fork Valley for over 30 years and is a founding member and president of the Rogers Mesa Fruit Company, Inc.
More about the the Colorado River District
Delta Health BOD looking at sales tax initiative
On Monday, Jan. 10, the board of directors for Delta Health will discuss whether it should pursue a sales tax initiative on the upcoming ballot to help relieve some of its budget woes.
After losing its status designation bid as a Sole Community Hospital, board members continues to grapple with the hospital’s current financial crisis and may turn to the taxpayers for help.
Sole Community Hospital status would net about $3 to 4 million dollars a year in additional Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, which would virtually have eliminated the hospital’s debt. Delta Health was turned down for the government program because of a rule that precludes hospitals within 25 miles of another hospital already having the designation. Montrose Regional Health has been a Sole Community Hospital for years.
ATTEND THE SPECIAL MEETING VIRTUALLY:
The Board of Directors of Delta County Memorial Hospital District shall conduct a Special Board Meeting on Monday, January 10, 2022 at 5:30 p.m.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss a sales tax initiative.
At this time access to open Board meetings is provided via ZOOM. To attend this Special Board meeting, please click HERE or visit www.zoom.com, select “Join a Meeting” and enter:
Meeting ID: 899 7661 6626
Passcode: 560505