February 4, 2016
Become a weekly subscriber for just .58¢ per week
VOLUME 121 | ISSUE 1 | 75¢
See our ad inside for details
ElbertCountyNews.net E L B E R T C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Board approves indemnity for itself Commissioners move to provide protections in lawsuits By Rick Gustafson Special to Colorado Community Media
Gina Busby with her daughters Alyssa 6, left, and Lena, 4. Photos by Rick Gustafson
Art event a bright spot in winter Quarterly forums are part of plan by town official By Rick Gustafson Special to Colorado Community Media “I did my wings with fingers,” says 4-year-old Lena Busby, who points to the framed picture of an owl cut from purple construction paper. Lena’s owl has large, round, yellow eyes and blue handprints for wings. A caption printed above the owl’s head in black crayon with blue paper circles for each “O” reads, “Owl Always Love You.” Lena’s owl hangs in the Elizabeth Town Hall boardroom directly above her sister Alyssa’s cutout snowman pasted against a blue paper background, near the spot where her brother Brandon’s untitled painting hangs in the entry. The three siblings’ creations are part of an exhibit of 25 winterthemed works chosen by the Elizabeth Public Arts Committee, selected from around 50 entries from local artists ranging from Lena’s age to their 60s. Each winning piece hangs in either the town hall entry or boardroom, where they will remain for three months. Nearly 30 of the winners, guests and members of the arts committee gathered at the town hall on a snowy evening in late January
to celebrate the selection of the work and participate in the town’s Winter Public Art Forum. The town holds art forums quarterly and invites anyone interested to attend. Community Development Director Rachel Hodgson reads the names of the winners to a circle of guests that grows larger as late arrivals trickle in. Following each name, Hodgson reads the medium the artist used: watercolors, painting, Photoshop drawings, pencil, colored pencil, photography, soft pastels, mixed media. “And paper,” says Lena’s older sister, Alyssa, who is a flurry of giggles throughout the meeting. Art continues on Page 7
Winning Art Forum works hang in the Elizabeth Town Hall boardroom.
‘The entire school is going to be involved with this community day where students will go out for about three hours and do different things for the community. That’s when we’re going to go in there and get involved with the mural.’ Candice Tauger, Elizabeth High School art teacher
In a series of resolutions, the Elbert County Board of County Commissioners voted at its Jan. 27 meeting to provide indemnity for two sitting county commissioners and one former county commissioner for a pending lawsuit against Elbert County. The move by the board directly addresses one of two resolutions that are the subject of a separate lawsuit filed by Elbert County resident Rick Brown against the BOCC and Commissioner Robert Rowland for potential violations of the Colorado Open Meetings Law, also known as sunshine laws. Brown’s complaint centers on actions taken at an April 8, 2015, BOCC meeting, where the BOCC also passed resolutions indemnifying the commissioners The first resolution, designated as resolution 15-11, indemnified commissioners Robert Rowland, Larry Ross, and former Commissioner Kurt Schlegel. who were named along with the county in a wrongful termination civil suit brought by former county employee Cherie Radeker. The second indemnifies Rowland for a $1,000 fine levied against him by an administrative judge for the BOCC’s violation of the Colorado Fair Campaign Practices Act, a complaint made to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office by Jill Duvall, Elbert County Democratic chair, which specifically named Rowland. Though Brown raised an eyebrow about the indemnifications, his complaint, filed last October, focuses on potential violations of the sunshine laws when the BOCC “failed to provide ‘specific agenda information’” regarding the new business for the meeting last April. Brown’s complaint alleges the April 8 meeting agenda was “deceptive and failed to provide adequate notice,” and “as a result of the OML violations, the resolutions are void.” At the April 8 meeting, the BOCC entered into executive session, a closed or nonpublic session framed within an open meeting, to discuss pending litigation. The action came following the last new-business agenda item for the meeting. Board continues on Page 2
ELBERT COUNTY NEWS (USPS 171-100) OFFICE: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 | PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert County News is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ELIZABETH, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 12 p.m. | Classifieds: Mon. 10 a.m. | Obits: Mon. 10 a.m. | Legals: Thurs. 11 a.m.