The Fremont County Commissioners handled a short agenda of business for Tuesday’s regular meeting.
Fremont County Manager George Sugars shared some good news with the Board regarding April sales and use tax collections in the county. Sugars said combined collections in April were $320,000 which was 4.1 percent high than a year ago. Sugars noted that the retail sales tax category alone was up 3.9 percent from April of last year. While those numbers reflect much improvement from a year ago, County Finance Director Dana Angel noted recently that 2012 sales and use tax collections are just now returning to the same level they were in 2006.
The Commissioners voted to approve $1,000 in expenditures from the Conservation Trust Fund (state lottery funds) to aid the Cañon City RE-1 School District with the annual Cañon City High School Senior Fun Fest. Commission Chairman Debbie Bell noted that the annual event is held at the high school on the Friday before graduation and is intended to involve the graduating seniors in a fun event that is an alternative to graduation parties and alcohol.
District 3 Commissioner Ed Norden said the Commissioners learned that fund raising for the Fun Fest became more difficult this year because $2,400 worth of games and recreational equipment used for the Fun Fest had to be replaced after someone stole it from a storage shed. Norden said making a $1,000 donation in lottery funds to the RE-1 School District to help replace the recreational equipment would be a sensible way to support the event and keep in going for years to come.
The Commissioners appointed Brookside Mayor Dave Boden to serve a three year term as an alternate on the Fremont County Board of Zoning Adjustment. The Commissioners recently advertised for letters of interest but received none. Commissioner Norden said he had spoken to Boden who agreed to fill the vacancy.
In other business the Board of Commissioners:
- Proclaimed May as “Older Coloradans Month”;
- Approved the county’s sponsorship of another housing rehabilitation grant application for the Upper Arkansas Area Council of Governments. Council of Governments' Director Judy Lohnes said the money will be used to assist homeowners with home improvements in Fremont, Chaffee, Custer, and Park Counties. She said most of the projects take place in Fremont County and during the last grant cycle 24 homes benefited from the housing rehab grant dollars;
- Set two public hearings for 10:00 a.m. on June 22nd. One hearing will be on the proposed third amendment to the Fremont County Building Code while the other will be for a major modification to the Special Use Permit at the Eden West Ranch along Highway 69 south of Texas Creek.