Elbert County makes changes in operations

In order to pave the way for transparency and better relations between the community and Elbert County’s elected officials, some changes have been made in the logistical and strategic areas of operations.

At the Board of County Commissioners meeting on March 8, attendees were curious if not pleasantly surprised to see modifications to the set-up of the meeting room.

The remote-controlled digital timer now hangs on a wall in plain view. Previously it had been propped on a chair during meetings. The lectern for presenters and those giving public comment had been repositioned in front of the wall below the projection screen. And the commissioners’ table was pulled forward to minimize the distance between the attendees and the commissioners.

As the meeting proceeded, changes and additions to county procedure were unveiled.

Video and audio of all BOCC meetings will be available to the public.

The home page for the Elbert County government, www.elbertcounty-co.gov, has the link to a Youtube post with videos from the most recent BOCC meeting. The name of the Youtube channel is “Elbert County Meetings.”

“The goal is to have it up within 24 hours,” said Commissioner Danny Willcox.

The audio can be found on the county website by navigating to Government/Commissioners/Meeting Minutes/Audio Recordings.

Organizational chart approved

An updated organizational chart for Elbert County was unveiled and approved with a vote of 3-0.

The new chart includes six open positions that, although not yet funded, are listed in order to illustrate the direction and vision of the county.

Two of the open positions are an assistant county manager for administration and an assistant county manager for public works. Another is the public information officer.

The updated chart is posted on the home page of the Elbert County government.

Planning commissioner named

The nomination of Kipp Parker to join the planning commission was unanimously approved.

“He has the right temperament, he’s a businessman, and he satisfies my desire to have someone from the `L’, which has always been underrepresented,” said Commissioner Grant Thayer.

“He’s about as far east as you can go without being in Oklahoma,” he said.

Parker, who lives southwest of Limon, will join the planning commission in April.

Planning commission website

Planning Commission Chair Dan Rosales announced the launch of a website, www.elbertcountycompplan.com, to inform citizens about things such as public planning commission meetings, a review of the planning process, outcomes, and, eventually, the draft of the master plan.

“The website should be used as a communication source,” Rosales said. “It contains a lot of information that will be of great value to you.”

The first public meeting will be April 26, where there will be a review of the planning process.

A second and third public meeting will occur on June 14 and Sept. 13, where outcomes and the draft for the master plan will be reviewed.

Rosales encouraged as many people as possible to attend the meetings.

“In order to make it effective, we need to get everyone buy-in,” Rosales said.