Public Hearing 2/23/2026

Rob Oquist - Commissioner Dist. 1 
Tim Knabenshue - Commissioner Dist. 2 
Jim Baldwin - Commissioner Dist. 3
Kaysie Schmidt - County Administrator
Rose Pugliese - County Attorney

February 23, 2026 Otero County Board of Commissioners

Commissioners’ Conference Room 212
13 W 3rd Street, La Junta, CO 81050

WORK SESSIONS

9:00 am      Public Works/Facility Management, Lex Nichols and Darren Garcia

• Updates

10:00 am  Economic Development, Danelle Berg

• Updates

11:00 am  Department of Human Services, Donna Rohde

• Updates

12:00 pm  Administration, Kaysie Schmidt

• Updates

Bauserman Conference Room 107
13 W 3rd Street, La Junta, CO 81050

Zoom

Meeting ID: 830 3902 1095
Passcode: 081549

MEETING AGENDA

1. Opening Prayer
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Call to Order
4. Public Comment (limit of 3 minutes)
5. Presentations
   1. Bradley Roe, Veteran Outreach Specialist, Valley-Wide Health Systems
6. Consent Agenda. The Chair will remove any Consent Agenda item upon request by any Commissioner or assigned staff. Items removed upon request will be considered separately by the Board immediately following the action on the remaining Consent Agenda, to be continued to another meeting date, or handled in a manner otherwise determined at the discretion of the Board.
   1. Approval of Minutes
   2. Approval of Bills & Payroll
   3. Department of Human Services Financial Report ending January 31, 2026
7. Old Business
   1. Consider ratification of the temporary loan executed on February 19, 2026, for the Colorado Harvest Inc. project, and approval of the amended loan structure revising the previously approved $800,000 General Fund loan to $400,000 from the General Fund and $400,000 from Otero Partners, Inc.’s (OPI) existing funds. All project funds remain eligible for full reimbursement by Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.
   2. Consider approval of an amendment to the Board’s February 9, 2026, action selecting Option 2A (30 ft x 100 ft Sand/Equipment Storage Facility) for $396,847.00 as the design option for the Road & Bridge Facilities Redevelopment Project. Based on further discussions with Road & Bridge crew, staff requests approval to amend the selected design option to Option 2B (40 ft x 100 ft Sand/Equipment Storage Facility) for $410,365.00, consistent with the evaluation team’s original recommendation.
8. New Business
   1. Ratification of the Letter of Support for the Town of Cheraw’s Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) Energy/Mineral Impact Fund (EIAF) II Grant Application for the Cheraw Lift Station Replacement Project.
   2. Consider ratification of the reappointment of David Froese, Jim Collins, and Chris Matthews as board members to the Holbrook Drainage District for a two-year term beginning January 22, 2026.
   3. Consider approval of Resolution 2026-06 – Resolution Appropriating Additional Sums of Money to Defray Expenses in excess of amounts budgeted for 2025.
   4. Consider approval of the Independent Contract Agreement for Professional Services
      between Otero County and Scott Copley for the development, delivery, and evaluation of the County’s Leadership Training Program, funded through the Workforce Resilience Program (WRP) Grant Administrated by the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) and the Colorado Community College System (CCCS), effective February 23, 2026, through June 30, 2026.
   5. Consider approval of Colorado Parks & Wildlife Impact Assistance Grant Application – Tax Year 2025.
   6. Consider approval of Secure Transportation Vehicle Permits – Met Transport LLC (Permit Nos. 2026-4 and 2026-5)
   7. Consider approval of Secure Transportation Vehicle Permits – Colorado Secure Transportation (Permit Nos. 2026-6)
9. Departmental Reports
   1. Clerk & Recorder Report
   2. Administrator Report
      1. DOLA EIAF-9869 DA Elevator Project – De-Obligation Letter
      2. Filing of IRS Form 8328 (2025 Private Activity Bond Carryforward)
      3. Citizen Commendation – Rocky Ford Communication Center & Otero County Sheriff’s Office
   3. County Attorney Report
10. Commissioners’ Report
11. Discussion
12. Announcements
13. Executive Session – Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District (SECWCD)
    1. Consider a motion and enter into an Executive Session pursuant to C.R.S. Section 24-6-402(e) for the purpose of determining positions relative to matters that may be subject to negotiations; developing a strategy for negotiations and instructing negotiators related to negotiating an Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Aurora.
    2. Consider a motion to enter into an Executive Session pursuant to CRS § 24-6-402(4)(b) for the purpose of receiving legal advice regarding negotiations with the City of Aurora.
14. Return to Open Session
    1. The Board has returned to open session. No formal action was taken during the Executive Session.
15. Adjourn