by Public Information
comments open from February 4 until February 23

This month, Jefferson County elected officials and staff are launching a countywide collaboration with cities and organizations to encourage more than 225,000 households to participate in the 2010 Census.

In 2000, about 73 percent of households in Jefferson County returned their questionnaires by mail. When households do not return their surveys, Census workers attempt to reach residents at their homes, increasing the cost of the Census. About $85 million is saved for every 1 percent increase in mail participation.

Census data will affect how more than $400 billion per year in federal funding is distributed to local governments, including Jefferson County. Information from the census helps determine locations for child care and senior centers, new roads, hospitals, schools and community centers.

Jefferson County is coordinating with a variety of entities, including the Public Health Department, Sheriff’s Office, Human Services Department and the cities and towns within Jefferson County, on a variety of efforts. Those efforts include:
>> A new Web site where citizens can find the latest information about the Census and how they can participate
>> Safety information from the Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney
>> Job opportunities with the U.S. Census Bureau through the Jeffco Workforce Center
>> Questionnaire Assistance Centers located throughout the county to help citizens fill out their forms

To find this information and more about the 2010 Census, go to www.jeffco.us/2010census.htm.

by Open Space Administration and Education Services
comments open from February 2 until February 21

"Yielding is sometimes the best way of succeeding."--Italian proverb

Through a process involving many of our trail users, staff proposed a new Open Space Yielding Regulation C.25 that was approved by the Board of County Commissioners last week. Regulations, by their nature, are unable to address every possible scenario. In working with the Trail Use Task Force (a volunteer group of hikers, bikers and equestrians) and other members of the public, staff compiled a list of Trail Use Etiquette principles that identify "successful" behaviors in our parks.

• Expect and respect other trail users
• Use a friendly greeting when approaching another trail user and gain their attention
• At approximately 50 feet of encountering horseback riders, communicate to allow safe passage
• Be aware of your surroundings at all times
• When using ear phones, turn down the volume and keep one ear free to hear others on the trail
• Step off the trail when using a cell phone
• When appropriate, voluntarily yield the trail
• Move to the side to allow passage
• Stay right, pass left
• When possible, yield to trail users traveling uphill
• Acknowledge communication attempts
• Slow down and use caution when approaching corners, switchbacks and blind spots

Common sense and courtesy are always the better choice for park visitors in every situation. Although most users are cooperative, cordial and compliant, conflicts on the trails occur when one user passes another at a different pace or where trail width or line of sight was limiting. The Open Space Yielding Regulation C.25 was expanded to describe desired passing movements for trail users.

Find the new regulation on the Open Space Web site under "Rules and Regulations."

by Public Information
comments open from January 20 until February 8

Be sure to check your mailboxes this week. If you live in unincorporated Jefferson County, you may be one of 3,000 residents who will receive Jeffco’s 2010 Citizen Survey.

Your feedback on this survey is very valuable. Commissioners plan to use the 2010 results to evaluate services and programs, assess community needs and help with strategic planning. The survey, which will be available in Spanish upon request, asks citizens a variety of questions that address quality of life, safety, county customer service and more.

Only one person per household is requested to respond. If you receive the survey, National Research Center (NRC), of Boulder selected your household based on geography and demographics.

In March, NRC will deliver results to Commissioners. The county is paying $24,700 to NRC for creating, administering and reporting. The county conducted its last citizen survey in 2004.

For more information, contact Citizen Involvement Coordinator Jennifer Kostka by email or 303-271-8521.

by Lynn Johnson, Human Services Director
comments open from January 12 until January 31

On Thursday, December 10, Governor Ritter visited the Jefferson County Workforce Center to officially launch the CareerReady Colorado Certificate, a tool that helps match the right person with the right job.

The CareerReady Colorado Certificate is awarded after an individual completes a skills assessment at any workforce center. The assessment, a WorkKeys system from ACT, verifies workplace skills in reading for information, locating information and applied mathematics.

While job seeking, David Bebout used his certificate to land a job at Envergent, an environmental assessment company. "This is gauging intellectual qualities, commitment, team work analysis and analytical skills," Bebout said. "These are all things that any business can utilize and so can any job-seeker."

Ameristar is one of those businesses realizing the benefits of the CareerReady Colorado Certificate. "At Ameristar Casino Resort Spa, we just opened our 4 star hotel in October, and found that utilizing the WorkKeys assessments that can lead to a CareerReady Colorado certificate helped us to identify the best qualified candidates in the most timely manner. Working with the Jeffco Workforce Center to administer the assessments has made it very easy for us," says Reggie Fullwood, Sr. VP & GM, Ameristar Casino Resort Spa, Black Hawk.

In addition to launching the CareerReady Colorado Certificate, the governor unveiled three legislative proposals intended to help employees and small businesses with job training and retraining programs:
• Incentives for health care professionals to work in rural areas.
• Extended eligibility of the existing CollegeInvest nurse loan forgiveness program.
• Implementing employee funded job-retraining accounts which would offer incentives to businesses that match contributions.

Gov. Bill Ritter told the crowd that this is the worst economy since the Great Depression. "Government can't solve the unemployment problem by itself, but it does have a role," Ritter said. "We're making significant investments in job training and retraining programs so that Coloradans have the right skills for the new jobs that we're able to build in this economy," Ritter said.

by Todd Leopold, Administrative Services Director
comments open from January 11 to January 30

As many citizens are adapting their budgets to the changing economy, so is Jefferson County. On January 1, Jefferson County started its 2010 fiscal year with a budget that reflects an increased focus on meeting the social services needs of families within the county, such as food stamps, housing assistance and workforce development opportunities.

Jefferson County has experienced a 25 percent increase in child-care assistance and a 28 percent increase in food stamp needs over the past year. Although the county receives state and federal funds for these programs, the county is a primary financial contributor to these programs as well.

On December 8, Commissioners unanimously voted to adopt the $412.3 million operating and capital budget for 2010, which is a 6.5 percent increase over the previous year. Most of that increase is attributed to intergovernmental expenditures, which are mostly offset from revenues received through federal and state grants. Human Services, particularly the Workforce and Community Development areas, is the county’s largest benefactor of those grants.

In an effort to address the ongoing facility maintenance needs of the county, Commissioners approved the creation of a Building Maintenance Reserve. This was in response to a 2009 Citizen Budget Review Panel recommendation to create a reserve to ensure that adequate funding is available for major building maintenance needs into the future.

Some other notable expenses in the adopted budget included:

• $2.9 million for mid-term election expenses;
• $1.3 million to maintain the county’s pavement management program;
• $6.8 million in annual debt service payments to cover the county’s Certificates of Participation that were issued in 2009;
• $20.2 million in various road and bridge construction improvement projects;
• $5.1 million to fund the county’s overall fleet replacement program;
• $5 million for Open Space land acquisitions.

The Commissioners also supported the addition of three full-time equivalent positions – two in the Open Space division and one in the Public Trustee’s Office. This brings the total approved FTE count to about 2,926 for 2010.

Learn more by viewing the entire 2010 Adopted Budget.

by Rusty Collins, Jefferson County CSU Extension Director
comments open from January 8 until January 27

What’s green, clean and read all over? CSU Extension’s new Energy Efficiency and Clean and Renewable Energy programs!

Green—because these programs are friendly to the environment; clean—because they help decrease our use of fossil fuels; and read—because if you haven’t learned about it yet, you can read all about it now on our Web site.

You may already be familiar with some of these ideas to promote energy efficiency and conservation in your home:
• Lower your thermostat at night
• Insulate your hot water heater
• Install storm windows
• Remember to regularly replace your furnace filter
• Wash your clothes in cold water
• Apply caulking around doors or windows to reduce airflow

These are simple techniques that all of us can do every day. But we know there’s much more we should do to reduce our energy consumption.

That’s why CSU Extension in Jefferson County is partnering with the Governor’s Energy Office and Energy Outreach Colorado to roll out many more energy-related programs in 2010.

We are also collaborating with Jefferson County Public Schools and Warren Tech to create unique ways to teach upcoming generations how to conserve and protect our environment.

If you are involved in Renewable Energy or Energy Conservation and are looking for information, partnerships or project assistance, feel free to contact Rusty Collins at 303-271-6620 or via email.

Check out our new “green” fact sheets by visiting our Energy page.

by Open Space Volunteer Services
comments open from January 8 until January 27

Attend the Open Space New Volunteer Recruitment Open House on Saturday, February 6, at Hiwan Homestead Museum in Evergreen from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Learn which Open Space program fits your interests and experience by visiting with staff and volunteers from all of our available opportunities. Browse through displays about the experiences awaiting you as an Open Space volunteer. Begin a new adventure by attending this recruitment Open House!

Opportunities for volunteering range from guiding tours at Hiwan Homestead Museum to welcoming visitors to the parks, patrolling, bird surveying or working behind the scenes in many of our programs. Whether you like to be indoors or outside – working with people or alone – there’s an Open Space program that’s just right for you. Become part of the Jefferson County Open Space volunteer program by attending this once-yearly recruitment event.

Hiwan Homestead Museum is located at 4208 S. Timbervale Drive in Evergreen. To get there, take the Evergreen Parkway-SH 74 from the west or take Meadow Drive directly from SH-74 on the east side of Evergreen and follow the brown highway signs, posted from either direction, to the intersection of Timbervale Drive and Meadow Drive.

If you need additional information, contact Jana Johns, Volunteer Services Coordinator, at 303-271-5922 or visit the Open Space Web site.

by Jim Everson, Jefferson County Assessor
comments open from December 28 until Febraury 27

My staff and I will be conducting a series of Business Property Tax Forums across Jefferson County early in 2010. These forums are designed to let the business community in Jefferson County know about a new online business personal property tax reporting option we are offering for 2010 and to help business owners better understand business property taxes in general.

When businesses receive their business personal property tax declaration in January 2010, it will be the first time they will have the option of filing their declaration online. Each declaration sent will contain instructions for online filing, however, these forums are being made available to business owners to answer questions they may have. We also plan to present information on how we value business real and personal property and facts about the specific geographic marketplace in which the forum is being presented.

The four Business Property Tax Forums will be held in library community rooms beginning at 7:00 p.m.:

• For Arvada, Westminster and North area: Wednesday, January 13, at Standley Lake Library in Arvada.

• For the Mountain Area: Wednesday, January 20, at the Evergreen Library.

• For the Lakewood and Wheat Ridge Area: Wednesday, January 27, at the Belmar Library in Lakewood.

• For the South Area: Wednesday, February 10, at Columbine Library in South Jeffco.

I hope business owners and their tax service providers will take this opportunity to find out more about their property taxes and how to deal effectively with the Assessor's Office in addition to learning about the new on-line personal property system.

The Jefferson County Assessor's Office is responsible for valuing all property in Jefferson County for property tax purposes. Our Web site(http://assessor.jeffco.us) offers information about the assessment process and property valuations. Our office is located in the Jefferson County Administration Building at 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, Colorado, Suite 2500. Property owners may also call 303-271-8600 or email the office.

We would love to hear comments from those who attend the forums and get ideas for future property tax forums.

by Todd Leopold, Administrative Services Director
comments open from December 23 until January 11

Next time you visit a Jefferson County building, you may see workers installing new compact fluorescent light bulbs, notice reduced water flow on faucets, or see solar photovoltaic collectors on rooftops – all the results of an energy audit that identified ways for the county to save energy and money.

According to the audit, Jefferson County stands to reduce its CO2 emissions by 5.4 million pounds and save 15 percent to 18 percent in annual utility expenditures, or roughly $280,000, a year. At a November Staff Briefing, commissioners adopted a resolution accepting Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funds and directed staff to begin pursuing some energy-conservation projects.

Those projects include:

• Lighting: Replacing incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent; installing, LED exit signs, occupancy/daylight sensors and high-efficiency T-8 lighting.
o Cost: $530,000
o Cost Savings: $54,000 a year with a project payback of 8.6 years
o Energy Impact: CO2 reduction of 1 million pounds a year

• Water Conservation: Installing low-flush valves on urinals and toilets and low-flow aerators on faucets.
o Cost: $200,000
o Cost Savings: $17,000 a year with a project payback of 12 years
o Energy Impact: Water savings of 170,000 gallons a year

• Policy Changes: Automating the nightly shut-down of computers; reducing small appliance usage by employees; setting building temperature at 75 degrees in the summer and 68 degrees in the winter.
o Cost: Staff time to implement
o Cost Savings: More than $60,000 in the first year
o Energy Impact: CO2 reduction of 2.7 million pounds a year, which is equal to planting 31,570 trees or eliminating 165 cars from the roads

The county also plans to investigate several renewable technologies, including installing solar photovoltaic collectors on the Laramie Building on the main Jeffco campus and the Evergreen and Central Road and Bridge Shops.

In total, the county’s energy savings would equal planting 63,140 trees or eliminating 330 cars from the roads. The plan also has the potential to create and/or retain 44 jobs.

Projects would be self-financed with the $1.8 million in EECBG funds, $250,000 in utility rebates and $55,000 a year in renewable energy credit payments from Xcel Energy, low-interest Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds, and other grants, possibly from the Governor’s Energy Office.

McKinstry, a Seattle-based company with offices in Conifer, conducted the energy audit. McKinstry will begin preparing detailed scopes of work for priority projects and will work with County staff on creating financing plans.

Check out the Energy Efficiency category of blog postings to learn more about what Jefferson County is doing.

The county building will be closed on Friday, December 25, for the holiday. The County Administration offices also will be closing at noon on Thursday, December 24.

To view other closures or important dates, please see the Jefferson County Public Meeting Calendar.

by John Wolforth, Planning Director
comments open from December 21 until January 9

The mission of the Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Division is to preserve the quality of life by providing services that are responsive to the needs of residents and businesses and are reliable, efficient, and fiscally responsible.

In order to ensure that our services are responsive and that adequate resources are provided and placed appropriately, Jefferson County Planning and Zoning is soliciting residents’ comments through a countywide Public Outreach Survey.
The Public Outreach Survey can be found on the Planning & Zoning Web site. The survey will be open until January 31, 2010.

For more information, please contact John Wolforth, Planning Director via email or by phone 303-271-8713.

by Public Information
comments open from December 20 until January 8

Denver Transit Construction Group, the RTD construction contractor building the West Corridor light rail project, will be setting girders on the north side of the 6th Avenue Bridge on Tuesday, December 22, 2009, from 5:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

This activity will require a complete closure of the frontage road north of 6th Avenue between Simms and Quail. DTCG is hoping to accomplish this in one day, but it may require a short closure of the same area on Wednesday morning, December 23, to complete the girder set. Breeze Ski Rental will have access.

For complete up-to-date information on upcoming construction activities, access the Construction Information Page for the West Corridor on the FasTracks Web site. For questions or additional construction information please contact Kathy Berumen, Denver Transit Construction group at 303-626-6762.

by Lynn Johnson, Human Services Director
comments open from December 17 until January 5

During the holiday season, we see so much joy; yet there can be so much sorrow too. In the Human Services Division we see the human side of suffering every day. Those families and individuals who come to our doors are not here because they want to be, and we do our best to give a smile and hope to those who come to us for help to obtain food, receive medical care or obtain other financial help when nothing else is available.

Our mantra at Jeffco Human Services is that government cannot do it alone. We know that food assistance, Medicaid and other financial programs can only go so far. So we cultivate and nurture relationships with non-profit and business organizations in the community. As a community we are all in this together for citizens in need.

One such example of selfless giving by one of our community partners are the 463 beautifully hand sewn holiday stockings, each filled to the brim with various items, delivered to us. These stockings were lovingly filled by area churches Trinity Presbyterian, Applewood Community and Morrison Community churches, destined to be delivered to Human Services’ many clients! They were hand-sewn by a like-minded group of 50-something women in Golden who are part of the Sew ‘n Sew Club.

The filled stockings will brighten the days of our many home-bound seniors and disabled adults, and the children in our foster care program. Stockings will go to non-custodial parents who are participating in our Fatherhood program, for their children. I found out later that these groups have also made tote bags to hang from walkers used by our disabled and senior clients, and blankets and quilts.

How selfless. How caring.

Because Jeffco Human Services partners with many other organizations in the community to further our mission of self-reliance and protection of individuals and the community from harm, I thought I might ask anyone out there who is in a giving mood to support them.

Supporting our community partners supports the mission of Jeffco Human Services too: give to organizations such as the Jeffco Action Center, Family Tree, Tennyson Center for Children, STRIDE, Seniors Resource Center, or your favorite charity. Their efforts help our efforts. We work together to complement each other’s missions to help those in need.

Of course, working directly with Jeffco Human Services is a great option – and there are some incredibly important ways you can: adopt a family for Christmas (or all year), mentor a family, become a foster parent. There are always children in need.

The gift you give - be it your time or your handiwork in a stocking – can change a life.

Human need knows no season. Happiest of Holidays from me and everyone at Jeffco Human Services.

by Jefferson County Public Information
comments open from December 15 until January 3

The Jefferson County Board of Commissioners today named Ralph Schell to the position of Jefferson County Administrator. Schell had been appointed Interim County Administrator December 10, 2009, following the termination of the county’s contract with the previous administrator, Jim Moore. Schell has been director of the Jefferson County Community Resources Department and Open Space Division for 11 years.

Schell’s appointment as County Administrator was made by resolution during the December 15 meeting of the Board of County Commissioners. As the top executive, Schell’s responsibilities will include implementing the policies and priorities of the Board of County Commissioners, balancing an annual operating budget of more than $488 million, and overseeing the day-to-day operations of one of Colorado's largest counties. With nearly 3,000 employees, Jefferson County provides programs and services to more than half a million residents.

Schell was hired by Jefferson County in March of 1998 as director of the Community Resources Department, which includes Boettcher Mansion, CSU Extension, the Jefferson County Fairgrounds and the Open Space Division.

Amy P. Ito, Manager of Planning and Development for Open Space, has been appointed Acting Community Resources and Open Space Director, effective Monday, December 14.

Read the full release for more information and Schell's bio.

by Public Information
comments open December 11 to December 30

Jefferson County’s new hybrid snowplow, believed to be the first in the nation, may be plowing its way down unincorporated county roads as soon as next week, following the County Commissioners’ unveiling this morning in front of the Jeffco Administration and Courts Building.

Some companies have used the 2009 International Model 7300 Hybrid as a delivery truck, but Jefferson County is the first to have outfitted the hybrid truck as a snowplow. The truck has been shown to reduce hydrocarbon emissions by as much as 65 percent.

Jefferson County will learn more about the truck’s energy efficiency as a snowplow as it begins to use it this winter. If the $162,240 hybrid snowplow performs well, the county may decide to add more to its fleet of 130 snowplows and 12 hybrid vehicles. It will join a fleet of 82 Road & Bridge plows and graders that deploy countywide during a snowstorm.

To find out more about the plow and the County County Commissioners’ Renewable Energy Initiative, read the full release.

You can also check out the Energy Efficiency category of blog postings.