SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMISSION MEETING DECEMBER 4, 2006 The regular meeting of the San Juan County Commission was held on December 4, 2006 At 10:00 A.M. in the Commission Room at Monticello, Utah Present: Lynn Stevens , Chairman Manuel Morgan, Vice Chairman Rick Bailey, SJC Administrator Norman Johnson, SJC Clerk /Auditor Dianne F. Neuss, SJC Deputy Clerk Absent: Bruce Adams, Commissioner The approval of the minutes of November 27, 2006 was tabled until the December 11th Commission Meeting. CEU San Juan Campus - Medical Coding and Student Revolving Loan Fund Dr. Bill Olderog, Dr. Robert McPherson and Mr. Brent (Buddy) Redd presented the Commission with information detailing the background and current situation concerning the previously approved $50,000 awarded to the College for a Revolving Scholarship Loans for the Medical Coding Program. The $50,000 was granted from a trust account funded by PILT and approved by the school board for the CEU-SJC. To date, the fund has not been drawn upon because of grants received from the USDA and TANF and funds provided by the Division of Workforce Services and from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. Dr. Olderog requested the Commissions approval to change the intent of this fund to include start-up funds to expanded and improve the program. The fund would eventually be reimbursed through tuition and fees when addition students are recruited for the program. Revolving Scholarship Loans would continue to be offered as well. The program has been very well received and there are now more than 30 people who are earning excellent salaries in the field. He would like to focus on recruiting students from the southern part of the State with a focus on the Native American community. Commissioner Manuel Morgan expressed his agreement that this program affords individuals an opportunity to better themselves and supports expanding the program. Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to approve the change in the intent for use of the fund to include start-up costs to expand the Medical Coding Program. Commissioner Lynn Stevens seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Dr. Robert McPherson, Vice President, requested the transfer of $90,000 to the College of Eastern Utah previously allocated and approved at the January 21, 2003 Commission Meeting. Since they now have a large enough building, they have been trying to expand their nursing program and recently located a qualified nursing instructor who will be available soon. In addition, they plan to hire a fourth instructor when one can found. Qualified nursing instructors are very hard to recruit and one instructor is needed for every ten students. He said that there is a great need for Registered Nurses in our area and they are trying to better fill the need. Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to approve the transfer of the $90,000 from the Nursing Home Trust Fund, to expand the nursing program. Commissioner Lynn Stevens seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. A letter requesting the funds to be released will be forwarded to Norman Johnson. Evan Lowry - SJC Planning Office Evan reported on the Forest Service Meeting he attended last week. He said that 80 to 90% of the recommendations he made were accepted but that the Wildlife recommendations were not. He intends to request the data used by the Forest Service to make the decision. Evan said he also would recommend that Dr. Kay return in the winter months to study wildlife at that time. The cost for the additional study would be about $10,000 which has already been budgeted. The group discussed the views of the new BLM Director, Selma Sierra, and her dedication to multiple land use and to following the rules. Evan has obtained approximately eight new affidavits as well as the slides and videos on the Arch Canyon issue and said that Maxine, of the BLM, will have the old information available on the December 19th to prove that there was a road at Arch Canyon for many years. Rick Bailey - SJC Administrator Rick said that he received an e-mail from the Library Board informing him that Cheryle Harvey has not attended the last six board meetings. Georgianna Simpson, from Bluff, recently applied to serve on the Library Board. Commissioner Morgan will see Ms. Harvey today and ask her if she still wants to be on this Board and get back to Rick and let him. Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to approve the appointment of Georgianna Simpson to the Library Board in the event that Cheryle Harvey no longer wants to serve on the Library Board. Commissioner Lynn Stevens seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Rick presented a request for Susan Taylor to attend the Rural Conservation and Development Conference in Colorado Springs from January 21 through the 24th. Registration and Lodging for the conference will be paid by the RC & D. Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to approve the out of state travel for Susan Taylor to attend the annual RC & D Conference. Commissioner Lynn Stevens seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Rick presented an article, published in the Deseret Morning News, on November 29, 2006, written by Lee Benson. The article describes Mr. Rick Lovell's personal tragic experience with a family member who did not get emergency service, and who subsequently died. She did not have phone service to contact 911 on the Reservation where she lived. Rick said that there are many people who are interested in trying to provide phone service on the Reservation and he knows of six different groups who are working on this same problem. He recommended to the Commission that we should pull all of the groups together to better assess and ultimately agree on the best solution for this problem. He noted that the teleconference that Charles DeLorme has set up for December 16th with members of the technical community will be a good place to begin talking about this problem. He also asked the Commission for their approval for him to speak to Senator Mike Dmitrich about the problem. Several ideas for providing service to the area were discussed. Rick noted that the Brandy and Jeff, from the Tomhave Group, have extensive telecommunication experience and he forwarded a copy of the news article to them and they are ready to go to work on the issue. Rick presented the UDOT COOP Agreement for the Navajo Bus Route for signature. Rick presented one building permit for approval and signature: Stephen Johnston - Spanish Valley Drive - Hanger/Residence Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to approve the building permit provided all signatures are placed. Commissioner Lynn Stevens seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Steven declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Rick discussed the suit against SJC, the BLM and the FAA regarding the Cal Black Airport. There will be a meeting in early January with the BLM and the FAA and Rick requested that a member of the Commission as well as Walter Bird, Attorney attend the meeting with him. He is concerned because he received a call from an FAA representative who informed him that the information the County submitted ten years ago related to noise levels caused by air traffic is now dated and cannot be used. The FAA requested the County to put the case on hold and now the information gathered, at the County's expense, cannot be used. Commissioner Stevens recommended that we get all the information pertaining to the case from the attorney and provide it to the BLM and also to Walter. Commissioner Stevens will attend the meeting. Commissioner Stevens suggested that Rick draft a letter to the State Public Lands Department giving them the necessary information and asking for legal assistance. Rick presented a contract between the Chamberlin Architectural firm and the County for approval and signature. A contract is required in order to obtain the USDA grant in the amount of $100,000 for the LaSal Senior Center project. Chamberlin Architectural will also work on the Mexican Hat project. Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to approve and sign the contract with Chamberlin. Commissioner Lynn Stevens seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Steven declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Rick presented pictures of an emergency vehicle that he would like to purchase for the County. The vehicle is at a dealership in South Carolina and, although it looks like a good buy, he would like to go there and check it out and take an oil sample back to the Road Department for testing. The vehicle purchase price is $109,000, substantially lower in price than a 2007 new truck ($169,000). He would like to fly down to South Carolina next Tuesday with David Gallegos to look at the truck. The cost for the truck would come from the USDA grant in the amount of $100,000 in addition to the $64,000 that is in the budget for the purchase. Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to approve the trip to South Carolina for Rick and David. Commissioner Lynn Stevens seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Rick reported that Commissioner Bruce Adams was voted to the Board of the Utah Counties Insurance Pool and noted that work related accidents are down. Commissioner Stevens attributed this to Cyndi Eldredge and her effort to prevent and reduce work-Related injuries. Two people applied to serve on the Blanding Cemetery District Board, Calvin Blake and Phillip Palmer. Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to appoint Calvin Blake and Phillip Palmer to the Blanding Cemetery District Board. Commissioner Lynn Stevens seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared to motion carried by unanimous vote. Commissioner Stevens requested a list of board appointments detailing dates of appointment and the date service ends for the various board members. Rick said the information is available and he will ask Tammy to provide the list to him. Howard Randall - S.C. Assessor Howard said that he received a special request from the Utah State Tax Commission to amend the S.T. Oil Company's tax valuation after a Navajo Nation buyout that occurred in mid 2005. Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to go into a BOE hearing to address the request. Commissioner Lynn Stevens seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Howard recommended that $5,364.28 be refunded to the company for the year 2005 and to change the value of the property, reducing the 2006 tax liability by $10,260.53. Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to accept the recommended action to refund $5,364.28 to the company for 2005 and reduce the property valuation on the property. Commissioner Lynn Stevens seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to exit the BOE hearing. Commissioner Lynn Stevens seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Steve Bradford - S.C. Communications Steve requested approval to purchase three items for the Communications Department. He presented two bids for a laptop computer. The low bid is from HP in the amount of $1,396. In addition to the better price, the programing parts are built in with no need for adapters or docking station. The second request is for a 32" HD LCD TV set. Steve recommended going with the bid from Connected Technologies in the amount of $949 because it is better equipment (almost twice the contrast ratio and still under the $1,000 that is in the budget). The third request is for a 27" HD LCD TV set. He also recommended going with the bid from Connected Technologies in the amount of $899 for the same reasons stated for the 32" set Commissioner Manuel Morgan made a motion to approve the purchases requested. Commissioner Lynn Stevens seconded the motion. Commissioner Lynn Stevens declared the motion carried by unanimous vote. Open Time and Other Business Commissioner Stevens asked if a Public Hearing has been advertised to address the change in the wording of the Resolutions for the various boards in the County. The hearing will be scheduled for December 18th. A Public Hearing is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. this evening for the 2007 Budget. The 2007 budget will be finalized at the December 18th Commission Meeting. Commissioner Stevens said he is still pushing hard to get a Planning and Zoning Committee up and running by the first of the year. Rick will provide him with a phone number of a potential candidate. Commissioner Morgan asked for a letter be written in support of the Community Health Center in Monument Valley to assist them in obtaining grant funds for their facility. Commissioner's Reports Commissioner Stevens attended the Forest Service Meeting in Price last week and also accompanied faculty members from the College of Eastern Utah to a meeting with the State Director of Economic Development. He plans to attend three meetings in Richfield next week. The first is a meeting of oil companies and County Commissioners of extraction counties. The second is a meeting with County Commissioners concerning an explanation of Forest Roadless Policy and the third meeting concerns recommendations regarding off road vehicle regulations. Commissioner Stevens will also try and attend the next Homeless Meeting at 1:30 p.m. today in Blanding. Meeting Adjourned: 12:14 p.m. 2007 BUDGET - PUBLIC HEARING The San Juan County Commissioners conducted a public hearing on the 2007 proposed budget at 6:00 p.m. in the commission chambers of the county administration building. Commissioners Morgan and Stevens were present along with elected and appointed officials, members of the public and the press. There were a total of 15 persons in attendance. The tentative general fund and other county budgets were reviewed by Chief Deputy Auditor, John Fellmeth. Questions were entertained from the audience and comments and suggestions were exchanged in an open discussion format. There was a short discussion on COLA increases and capital expenditures with associated grants. A final budget work session was scheduled for 12:00 p.m. next Monday with Department Heads and elected Officials. Commission Chairman, Lynn Stevens closed the hearing at 6:55 p.m. as there were no other questions concerning the budget or the budget process. Check No. Payee Amount 35472 Adams, Bruce 92.90 35473 Aflac 240.90 35474 AFSCME 52.20 35475 Alco Discount Store 75.39 35476 Amerigas-Blanding 172.82 35477 Applied Consepts, Inc. 94.00 35478 Benally, Debbie 28.00 35479 Bitsinnie, Irene 840.00 35480 Void Check 0.00 35481 Black's Auto Body 129.55 35482 Blanding City 442.47 35483 Blanding Justice Court 75.00 35484 Blue Mountain Foods 30.32 35485 Blue Mountain Meats, Inc. 867.02 35486 Boy, Christina 490.10 35487 Boy, Leroy 10.00 35488 Brandford Tire 49.95 35489 C & H Distributors, LLC 371.03 35490 CEU -San Juan Campus 350.56 35491 Channing Bete Co., Inc. 2,726.46 35492 Chee, LaAnndra 133.00 35493 Child Support Services 659.40 35494 Christensen, Christine 10.00 35495 Colonial Life and Accident Ins. 1,130.31 35496 Connected Technologies 82.94 35497 Conseco Health Insurance co. 1,482.95 35498 Cortez Diesel Sales, Inc. 2,791.97 35499 Craig A Hoggan 56.74 35500 Cynthia Black 310.59 35501 DLT solutions, Inc. 516.00 35502 Empire Electric Assoc. Inc. 850.66 35503 Equitable-Equi-Vest 2,832.50 35504 Ferrellgas 663.19 35505 Four Corners Free Press 125.00 35506 Four States Tire & Service 1,689.10 35507 Freestone, Nathan 100.00 35508 Frontier 966.87 35509 Garrett Holliday 560.00 35510 Genevieve Mark 560.00 35511 Grand Valley Foods 148.20 35512 Halls, Craig C. 351.50 35513 Heusser Heweigh 79.00 35514 Holiday, Bessie 25.00 35515 Holt, Thayne 100.00 35516 Hondaland Corp 38.00 35517 Intouch Paging 32.00 35518 Johnson, Leif M. 500.00 35519 Joyce Guymon Smith 391.69 35520 K. Andrew Fitzgerald 3,737.50 35521 Kids Reference Company, Inc. 95.98 35522 Knut & Sons 10,800.00 35523 Lameman, Elsie 560.00 35524 Latham, Lana 19.58 35525 Lawson Products, Inc. 184.83 35526 LDS Living Magazine 16.97 35527 Lee, Brian L. 560.00 35528 LexisNexis 464.00 35529 LexisNexis 28.90 35530 Local Pages of Utah Inc. 42.00 35531 Magic chemical Company 369.30 35532 Meadow Gold Dairies, Inc. 131.50 35533 Miscellaneous Payables 1,500.00 35534 Miscellaneous Payables 42.00 35535 Miscellaneous Payables 233.76 35536 Miscellaneous Payables 92.25 35537 Miscellaneous Payables 50.00 35538 Monticello City 214.50 35539 Monticello Home and Auto Supply 423.59 35540 Mountain West Truck Center 10.00 35541 Nakai, Mary Rose 18.00 35542 Nationwide Retirement solution 107.62 35543 Nichoas & Company 884.21 35544 Packard Wholesale Co. 380.69 35545 Page Brake Warehouse 182.93 35546 PC World 24.95 35547 PEHP 1,949.02 35548 Perkins, Chad H. 100.00 35549 Perkins, Justin 220.00 35550 Pirtle, Mike 80.00 35551 Precis Communicatiuons 76.90 35552 Profit Potentials 729.00 35553 Provident Life & Accident 165.50 35554 Pruitt Gushee 1,679.22 35555 Questar Gas 388.68 35556 Quill corporation 262.03 35557 Randall, Chase 100.00 35558 Redd's True Value 35.11 35559 Rice, George 20.00 35560 Rockmount Research & Alloys 525.43 35561 Rocky Mountain Power 278.72 35562 San Juan County 159.88 35563 San Juan Credit Union 630.00 35564 San Juan Health Care Services 202.97 35565 Information Only 0.00 35566 San Juan Pharmacy 2,384.84 35567 San Juan Record 13.20 35568 Schultz, William L. 2,550.00 35569 SHELL 503.82 35570 Steele, Albert E. 40.00 35571 Sterline Trucks of Utah 453.19 35572 Sysco Intermountain Food Svc. 845.63 35573 TigerDirect 202.14 35574 Todachiny, Jayne Y. 560.00 35575 Tri-Hurst Construction Co. 19,475.00 35576 Turri, Bob 1,005.00 35577 UniFirst Corporation 153.24 35578 UPS 29.74 35579 Utah State Retirement Fund 72,802.11 35580 Utah State Tax Commission 16,643.48 35581 Verizon Wireless 874.58 35582 Wal-Mart Community 67.65 35583 Waste Management of 104.42 35584 Wheeler Machinery Company 6,200.00 35585 Wheeler, James 20.00 35586 Williams, Thelda 1,120.00 35587 Wojcik, Tylor 100.00 35588 Young, Amber 84.62 35589 Blue Mountain Meats, Inc. 145.30 35590 Nicholas & Company 408.43 35591 Wal-Mart Community 87.17 35592 Black, Kenneth 140.00 ________________________ _____________________________ Lynn Stevens, Chairman Dianne F. Neuss, SJC Deputy Clerk