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Home My WebLink AboutMinutes 12/20/2024 PUBLIC HEARING December 20, 2024 Present: Matt Scherr Chairman Jeanne McQueeney Commissioner Kathy Chandler-Henry Commissioner Jill Klosterman Chief Financial Officer Beth Oliver County Attorney Kathy Scriver Deputy Clerk to the Board This being a scheduled Public Hearing,the following items were presented to the Board of County Commissioners for their consideration: Business Item(s) 1. 2025 Insurance Program-Public Entity Liability and Law Enforcement Liability Abby Dallmann,Administration Executive Summary: Eagle County maintains a comprehensive insurance program to protect its people and assets with the help of our insurance broker,Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services. This year,Eagle County saw an overall change in its liability program, impacting law enforcement liability in particular. Since 2022, law enforcement liability has been under the umbrella of the broader public entity liability program with Travelers,with a$100,000 retention and$10m limit. Due to factors including policing and detentions, legislative reforms passed at the State Legislature, and claims history,Travelers removed law enforcement liability from the current structure. Therefore, Gallagher secured coveragewhich includes a$Xm limit and$500,000 deductible. Abby Dallmann, Eagle County Project Manager,reviewed the expiring program and highlighted the current proposal. From 2024-2025 there had been some substantial increases in liability insurance. $10 million in coverage had been the standard for comparable Colorado counties. There were some changes with regard to law enforcement liability. There had also been some legislative changes that had pushed some insurers out of Colorado. Staff wanted to maintain the$10 million in coverage, so there would be a cost increase. The coverage for 2025 would cost$1.2 million. This increase of almost$800,000 wasn't purely law enforcement,but it was the majority. There was $600,000 currently in the budget for 2025 because they knew an increase was coming and the additional expenses could be covered through the Sheriff's Office budget. Staff had seen issues in similar lines of coverage,but she was hopeful of getting back to a more stable state as the market stabilized. Commissioner Chandler-Henry asked if the increased rates were based on Eagle County's utilization or the other factors mentioned. Ms. Dallmann stated that it was a combination of the two: fewer carriers were willing to write policies, and there were claim histories that needed to be recognized. They worked with the Sheriffs Office and felt pretty good moving forward to maintain the$10 million and seeing where things stabilize. There were external and internal factors impacting the premium cost. Commissioner Chandler-Henry asked if$1.2 million was the only or best option. Ms. Dallmann stated that,unfortunately,this is where they came out at the end. Staff believed that$10 million was prudent for now. Commissioner McQueeney stated that this demonstrated that legislators can administer some unfunded mandates. It gave the county some credibility to the constituents who were constantly talking about the rising cost of insurance rates. 1 12/20/2024 Commissioner Chandler-Henry moved to approve the 2025 Insurance Program-Public Entity Liability and Law Enforcement Liability. Commissioner Scherr seconded the motion. The vote was declared unanimous. 2. Intergovernmental Agreement Between the County of Eagle and the Eagle Valley Transportation Authority dba Core Transit Regarding the Transfer and Use of Eagle County Mass Transportation Sales Tax Dollars for Transit Operations in the Eagle River Valley Tracy Stowell,Attorney's Office Executive Summary: Eagle County and Core Transit intend to enter into the attached IGA to set forth the commitment to and process for the collection,distribution,transfer, and use of the County Mass Transportation Tax from the County to Core Transit to be used by Core Transit solely for the purposes set forth in the 1995 Ballot Question. Beth Oliver, County Attorney, stated that this was the last piece of the puzzle related to the transition of ECO Transit operations to CORE Transit. The agreement set forth the process for the transfer and use of the mass transportation tax and had provisions related to the county's use of the tax for ECO trails. As long as the county maintained the Eagle Trails program,the county would retain 10%of the tax to use towards things like maintenance of the trails. The agreement also spelled out how the funds would be transferred to CORE Transit. She believed the IGA was clear in terms of the obligations of how the monies would be transferred over. Tanya Allen, Executive Director with Core Transit,thanked everyone for their work on the process. Commissioner Scherr moved to approve the Intergovernmental Agreement Between the County of Eagle and the Eagle Valley Transportation Authority dba Core Transit Regarding the Transfer and Use of Eagle County Mass Transportation Sales Tax Dollars for Transit Operations in the Eagle River Valley. Commissioner Chandler-Henry seconded the motion. The vote was declared unanimous. 3. Intergovernmental Agreement Between Eagle County and The Eagle Valley Transportation Authority for Healthy Aging Transit Services 2025 Maria Gonzalez,Pubic&Environmental Health Executive Summary: The purpose of this agreement is for Core Transit to help provide transportation services for Eagle County seniors. This transportation will help seniors travel to meet a variety of personal needs. Transportation will be provided to and from medical appointments, for meal transportation or to recreational activities. Heath Harmon, Public Health and Environment Director stated that Health Aging has had an interdepartmental agreement with ECO Transit since 2015 so this agreement was the transitional agreement going over to CORE Transit. The entity offered services in the Eagle Valley and Roaring Fork Valley to assist seniors. Commissioner Chandler-Henry moved to approve the Intergovernmental Agreement Between Eagle County and The Eagle Valley Transportation Authority for Healthy Aging Transit Services 2025. Commissioner Scherr seconded the motion. The vote was declared unanimous. 2 12/20/2024 4. 2024 Mill Levy and Revenue Certification for 2025 Anna Earl,Finance Executive Summary: Certification of mill levies and revenue for towns,municipalities, school districts,the county and special districts within Eagle County's jurisdiction. Anna Earl,Finance Director,presented a PowerPoint highlighting the certification process. The process began in November when the Assessor's Office sent out Certification of Values to all jurisdictions,and then those numbers were used to calculate property tax revenue. Last year was a reassessment year, and property values increased; overall,the average increase was 45%. This year was not reassessed, and the assessed values were flat, growing by less than 1%. There was a larger increase in Special Districts due to one metro district,the Tower Center Metro District. Last year was the first year a lot of districts could issue temporary credits based on state legislation,which impacted taxpayers overall,resulting in almost$11.5 million that would not be collected. Total gross revenue would increase by$7 million or 2.4%from last year. The School District revenue decreased primarily due to changes in their bond mills. She explained how the total revenue was allocated to the different district types in the county. Eagle County Government received just under 14%. There were 94 total districts,but she believed only 74 were collecting mills. Commissioner Chandler-Henry stated she had no questions but believed the presentation was helpful. Commissioner Scherr moved to approve the 2024 Mill Levy and Revenue Certification for 2025 Commissioner Chandler-Henry seconded the motion. The vote was declared unanimous. \‘0F EAGie o There being no further business be'i - .... , the meeting was adjourned until January 7, 2024. Attest: Pa.fur c°0oRAoo Clerk to the Board Chairman 3 12/20/2024 1