City council claims county not paying its fair share

City council claims county not paying its fair share

November 15, 2001

"We do our programs and they do theirs, and they have the right to spend the city’s money the way they do, and I believe the county has the same right."

— Kent Lindsay

By Janelle Holden
Journal Staff Writer

The Cortez City Council vented frustration at Tuesday’s council workshop over what has become a common city complaint — Montezuma County’s hesitancy to fund programs and services common to both the city and the county.

City Manager Hal Shepherd told the council that he expects the county to ask for city funds for the planned county detoxification center, but the city does not have any money budgeted for the center for 2002.

"We’re not the only funding agency for the county," said Shepherd, who said the county needs to investigate ways to fund its programs with state or tribal grants as well.

The council asked Shepherd to help the county look for grants for the detoxification center, but said that’s as far as it would go to help at this point.

"I think you can visit all you want, but I’m not looking for any funding for them," a resolute Mayor Pro Tem Fred Torres told Shepherd.

Sheriff Joey Chavez said on Wednesday that he is still working on the center’s budget, and needed to know what the city would contribute before he went to the county commissioners for the remaining funding. He said a $300,000 state energy-impact grant will be used to remodel the old jail into a drunk tank, but extra funding will be needed to staff the building.

"I’m sure we’ll be able to come up with something," said Chavez.

The city still harbors some resentment over the fact it lost $140,000 from its police-department budget when the county split its records division from the city’s this year. The city cut two city staff positions as a result, and will likely have to make up some of the difference from its general fund.

Mayor Joe Keck said the city and county should negotiate a formula to keep both entities contributing fair dollar amounts for common programs.

"There’s got to be a way that we don’t have to fight a war, a battle, every time one of these things comes up," said Keck.

For 2002, the city has budgeted $52,000 to help fund county-wide social-service organizations, such as Meals on Wheels, Partners, Leadership Montezuma, and the Christian Emergency Shelter.

The city contributed $8,000 to the shelter this year, and the county contributed just $500 last year. It has not notified the shelter whether it will be contributing in 2002.

The city also gave $8,000 to Partners, a mentoring program for area youth. "The city every year gives, but the county does not," said a Partners representative.

Shepherd said the city has budgeted $60,000 to fund county economic development, while the county is paying $5,000.

In addition, the city pays the majority of the Cortez Library’s budget, contributing $300,000 while the county pays $7,000. More than half of all the library’s cardholders live in the county.

The county has agreed to begin paying part of the costs to run the Cortez Animal Shelter, and will pay 50 percent in two years.

"We do our programs and they do theirs, and they have the right to spend the city’s money the way they do and I believe the county has the same right," said County Commission Chairman Kent Lindsay.

Lindsay said that if the city does not help fund the detox center, that’s their choice.

"If they don’t want to contribute to it, we’ll do the best we can," said Lindsay.

The county traditionally argues that county residents help pay the city sales tax, now up to 4.05 percent, and thus the city is already using county funds.

The city’s general-fund budget for 2002 funds is about $5.5 million; the county’s is at $6.3 million.

In other business, the council considered:

A community disaster plan presented by Cortez Fire Chief Frank Cavaliere. Cavaliere said the four sirens installed in the city during the 1950s are outdated and would be expensive to fix, but Cavaliere said the city does have a notification system in place if a disaster happens within the city.

Firefighters and emergency personnel are now paged if a disaster occurs, and citizens in danger are notified by PA systems on top of emergency vehicles.

Cavaliere said the county needs to update its emergency operation plan so that it can get federal funding if a disaster does happen.

"Everybody’s in a jam ’cause they can’t get the county to play," explained Cavaliere, who said the two entities need to partner on an emergency disaster center.

Even without the threat of terrorism, hazardous-materials trucks pass through the city at a rate of one every six minutes. "That’s quite a risk," said Cavaliere.

An ordinance that would prevent anyone who has not paid city water bills to sign up for water service at a new location. "This is being done in the interest of being able to collect from an old location before giving service at a new location," said city attorney Jim Hatter.
Sale of bonds to fund the new rec center. Don Dionnes, representing George K. Baum & Company, which is selling the bonds, said the bonds will likely be offered for sale in February. The bonds will be sold at $5,000 increments for anywhere between one and 20 years.