Steamboat Pilot & Today

Creating online services and drafting a plan to improve the airport are among county officials' top objectives for 2006.

Routt County commissioners and county department leaders met Thursday for a retreat led by Chad James. They discussed service levels, spending and potential goals.

The service level discussion included the county's road and bridge department. County Manager Tom Sullivan said the demand for road service is increasing because people are moving farther from cities.

County officials also discussed potential ways to increase revenue. These included relaxing constraints on the government's spending of property tax revenues by the Taxpayers Bill of Rights. They also could ask voters to approve another dedicated property tax.

To raise money, officials said they could increase the county's efficiency as a business. To do this, they could outsource services or eliminate programs and services such as animal control.

Officials also mentioned ideas for goals that they want to accomplish in the next couple of years. The statements that will shape the county's 2006-07 goals include:

Adequately fund capital replacement pools and infrastructure improvements.

Consider a strategy for direct funding of services, capital and infrastructure. This could include asking voters to approve a mill levy.

Develop and maintain a program that helps the county retain valued employees.

Develop a strategic plan for e-government. The county recently has taken several steps to provide more online services, which saves employee time and makes government more accessible to residents.

Integrate the master address database with all databases and records by July 2006. This would allow people to pull up several types of information online by looking up an address.

Create a plan to make the Yampa Valley Regional Airport self-sufficient by Dec. 31. The airport has moved toward self-sufficiency, but still faces some challenges, said Dan Strnad, the county's finance director.

Finalize a plan based on the county's space needs study for the downtown campus. The county has hired a construction company to build a campus next to the Routt County Jail, which will replace some of the services offered in the downtown courthouse. The move will open up space downtown that will be used for other county departments.

Review and update the floodplain resolution.

James said he would take the list of proposed goals and use them to write more specific objectives, which are generally measurable and have a deadline.

Items that were specific goals for the year, but are considered important every year, include improving communication with the public and cooperating with the city of Steamboat Springs.