County Gov: IndyBlog, Colorado Springs Independent

Dave Williams 'boos' county

Chet Hardin — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:13:02 -0600

Have you seen the El Paso County GOP's updated website?

It's pretty spiffy.…

Waldo Canyon Fire: 'They didn't know what they were getting into'

Pam Zubeck — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:45:55 -0600

Once the Waldo Canyon Fire breached Rampart Range Road, there was no hope of stopping the fire from blazing into Colorado Springs, El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said today.

That's because the road provided the only access point for firefighters to battle the blaze on that side of the fire, one of several weaknesses identified in Maketa's After Action Report of the fire, which destroyed 347 homes in Colorado Springs and killed two people in June.…

Have a say in the future of parks

J. Adrian Stanley — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:22:00 -0600

Those who feel passionate about parks have an excellent opportunity to have an effect on their future.

El Paso County has finished a draft master plan for its parks, and is seeking the public's input on the document.…

What AMR does for you

Pam Zubeck — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:29:00 -0600

American Medical Response might not be running emergency ambulance calls in Colorado Springs for too much longer, so it might be a good time to take a look at how it has served the area for more than a decade under the El Paso County Emergency Services Agency, a multi-jurisdictional group that oversees the AMR contract.

In its "Colorado Springs Community Report," AMR notes the company began serving the local community in 1979 and has contracted through the ESA since 1999.…

County endorses plan to discourage panhandling

J. Adrian Stanley — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:36:00 -0600

My theory is that there is a panhandler for every heartstring.

Maybe you're a veteran who's sensitive to the guy who lost his legs in Vietnam.…

Ticked-off Littleton to hold meeting on gun laws

J. Adrian Stanley — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:47:00 -0600

Considering the fact that the El Paso County commissioners, led by Peggy Littleton, already passed a resolution promising not to follow any law they think infringes on the Second Amendment (read Ranger Rich's take on that here), this should come as no surprise:

County officials are a little upset that the state legislature has passed a host of gun control laws.

Littleton is planning on hosting a meeting to discuss what the laws mean to citizens — or whether El Paso County will simply secede from the Union.…

Once a city guy, Leavitt now speaks for the county

J. Adrian Stanley — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:21:52 -0700

The county's new spokesperson has a familiar face.

John Leavitt, who was just hired to represent the El Paso County Clerk & Recorder's Office, previously worked for the City of Colorado Springs as a senior communications specialist.…

County not waiting for mayor on stormwater

J. Adrian Stanley — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:11:27 -0700

El Paso County is moving forward with an exploration of stormwater funding — with or without Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach's support.

Bach has continually interfered with a process to explore the region's stormwater problem and possible solutions, saying he has his own ideas for funding stormwater — namely asking citizen-owned Colorado Springs Utilities to bear the city's $687 million burden.…

Deputy clerk resigns for marketing job

Pam Zubeck — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:01:17 -0700

Alissa Vander Veen, El Paso County deputy clerk and recorder, is bidding county government adieu to take a job in marketing with Challenger Homes.

Challenger is owned by 2011 mayoral candidate Brian Bahr.…

County advised on how to deny birth control

J. Adrian Stanley — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 12:24:12 -0700

Former El Paso County commissioner, hard-core conservative and lawyer Duncan Bremer gave a presentation to the current commissioners today advising them that they may be able to deny their employees access to birth control.

Access is guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act, but has been opposed by religious groups and conservative businesses, notably the Catholic Church and Hobby Lobby.…

Shooting range to open

Pam Zubeck — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:08:10 -0700

If you're somebody, you've probably been invited to the "ribbon-shooting" ceremony at 11 a.m., Wednesday to mark the opening of the Cheyenne Mountain Shooting Complex.

The ceremony is invitation only, but the range, a project by Fort Carson and El Paso County, will be open from 1:30 to 4 p.m.

The range idea emerged after the U.S. Forest Service shut down the Rampart Shooting Range in July 2009 after an Aurora man was killed in a shooting accident.

Here's Carson's news release:

The shooting complex, which is the largest outdoor shooting range in the State of Colorado,
is a joint project between Fort Carson, El Paso County, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, the National Forest Service and the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife.…
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Help is on the way for Waldo victims

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 13:59:00 -0700

With the Waldo Canyon Fire having wiped out 345 homes last summer, it appears Colorado Springs and El Paso County are working on ways to help homeowners figure out how to work with their insurance companies and prepare for the next disaster.

First, the latter.…

Corruption allegation sparks controversy in the local GOP

Chet Hardin — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:09:29 -0700

Freshman State Sen. Owen Hill, who swept into the Legislature on a wave of local grassroots support, has made his choice known for the upcoming party elections.

In February, the El Paso County Republican Party will be electing its officials, including the chair, vice chair and secretary.…

Front Range officials seek fire mitigation funding

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:24:52 -0700

A coalition of public officials and others from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs is pushing Colorado's congressional delegation to secure funding for help with watershed protection and mitigation after wildfires in Colorado claimed more than 600 homes and 100,000 acres of forest land last year.

A letter dated today, Jan. 9, was sent by leaders in El Paso and Larimer counties, the cities of Colorado Springs and Greeley, Pikes Peak Council of Governments, Colorado Springs Utilties, Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance, Colorado Municipal League, and Colorado Counties Inc.

The money would come from a bill for disaster help for Hurricane Sandy, which the House of Representatives failed to act on last week.…

Power move: Commissioners select leaders, rules

J. Adrian Stanley — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:03:18 -0700

The distribution of power in the county was decided in a board meeting yesterday.

The El Paso County Board of County Commissioners voted 3-2 to make Dennis Hisey chair, Amy Lathen vice chair and Sallie Clark third chair.…

UPDATE: Volunteers cry foul over treatment from mayor

Pam Zubeck — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 17:40:48 -0700

County Commission Chair Amy Lathen reports that the stormwater task force met today and expects to continue working as planned, despite reports that Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach sees stormwater as a city issue.

"This whole thing has been a regional effort from the beginning and it can’t work if it’s not regional," Lathen says in an interview.…

Big health news from 2012

Chet Hardin — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:57:00 -0700

Everyone enjoys a good list, right? Such a fun, easy way to say a lot about something with absolutely no need to use a boring narrative.…

Concealed carry permits all the rage

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 12:03:08 -0700

One in 28 residents of El Paso County has a concealed handgun permit (CHP), and the Sheriff's Office has been flooded with new applicants since the July 20 Aurora theater shooting, and more recently, the Dec. 14 massacre of 26 people at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

As of Dec. 4, there were 22,341 active CHPs in our county of 636,000 people (according to July 2011 Census numbers).…

County ban on marijuana businesses moves forward

Chet Hardin — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 09:47:34 -0700

Yesterday, the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners gave the preliminary OK to two measures restricting the use and sale of recreational marijuana.

The first resolution, which passed unanimously, banned the use or possession of marijuana on county property.…

County to take up recreational marijuana ban

Pam Zubeck — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 10:55:28 -0700

At 1 p.m. Tuesday, the Board of El Paso County Commissioners will take up two proposals relating to Amendment 64, the legalization of marijuana for recreational use as approved by statewide voters in November.…

Darryl Glenn to seek re-election

Chet Hardin — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:55:32 -0700

El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn has announced that he will be seeking a second term representing District 1.

The Air Force Academy grad and attorney was elected to the Colorado Springs City Council in 2003, serving until 2011, when he moved to the BOCC.…

Emergency ambulance service in flux

Pam Zubeck — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:32:18 -0700

The multi-jurisdictional agency that oversees emergency ambulance service in El Paso County will revisit its previously approved recommendation to extend American Medical Service's contract by two years after Colorado Springs officials said they're in private talks with AMR that some area officials fear could lead to the contract's demise.

AMR's contract is due to expire in December 2013, and the Emergency Services Agency which oversees the contract wants to extend it to December 2015.…

Full speed ahead for FD ambulances

Pam Zubeck — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:57:47 -0700

After running emergency transport on medical calls for several years without a license, the Colorado Springs Fire Department won approval today from El Paso County commissioners for licenses for two squad vehicles.

We wrote about the city's squad fleet here.…

Grim times at GOP results-watching party

Chet Hardin — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 23:18:54 -0700

El Paso County Republican Party Chairman Eli Bremer did his best to keep the crowd upbeat.

In the ballroom at the DoubleTree Hotel, the Republicans had hung a stage-wide flag.…

Ambulance debate at a stalemate

Pam Zubeck — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 17:14:38 -0600

When Emergency Services Agency members heard that the city of Colorado Springs was working a side deal with ambulance contractor American Medical Response, they were curious.

Now, they're mad.…