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County Lines – Spring! - April 2009
Welcome to my periodic newsletter about items of concern to Jefferson County residents. If you received this by forward, and want to subscribe regularly, please click here. To unsubscribe, see the bottom of this email. In this issue:
- "Climate Change and the Role of Renewable Energy" - South Jeffco Town Hall, April 18th
- Earth Day - Evergreen Lake House - April 18th
- Conifer Coffee - April 25th
- Vision, Values, and Goals
- Internal Audit
- Watch Board hearings from your computer
South Jeffco Town Hall - "Climate Change and the Role of Renewable Energy" - Saturday, April 18, 9-11 am
Dr. Charles Kutscher from the National Renewable Energy Lab will be my guest at the April South Jeffco Town Hall, Saturday, 18th, from 9-11 am at the Peak Recreation Center, 6612 Ward Road, Littleton. (map)
Dr. Kutscher is a Principal Engineer and Manager of the Thermal Systems Group at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado where he currently leads the research on parabolic trough solar collector systems. He is a Past Chair and a Fellow of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) and was General Chair of the SOLAR 2006 national solar energy conference held in Denver, which led to the 200-page ASES report, Tackling Climate Change in the U.S., available at http://www.ases.org/climatechange. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where last fall he developed and taught a course entitled “Climate Change Solutions.” He also writes a monthly column about addressing climate change for SOLAR TODAY magazine. He has given many invited presentations around the country on renewable energy and climate change. He was the keynote speaker for the first “Colorado’s New Energy Economy” Conference in October 2007, and this past January he received the 2008 Governor’s Excellence in Renewable Energy Individual Award.
Conifer Coffee - Sat, April 25, Aspen Perk Coffee House - 11 am -1 pm
Share your concerns and ideas with Kathy. No agenda - join me for a cup of coffee or tea and whatever you wish to discuss. Map
Earth Day- Sat, April 25, Evergreen Lake House - 10 am -4 pm
Confused about climate change? Worried about weeds, wildlife or wildfires? Eager to learn about renewable energy and other environmental issues? Join us at the 20th Annual Earth Day Fair at beautiful Evergreen Lake. Admission is free and open to all ages. Over 50 federal, state, and local agencies, nonprofit organizations and businesses will present up-to-date information on critical issues, making it one of the largest and most popular Earth Day Fairs in the state. Numerous activities are planned for children. HawkQuest will present its live raptors, thanks to funding by Montessori School of Evergreen and Mountain Area Democrats. While you are at Evergreen Lake be sure to visit the historic Warming Hut home to the Evergreen Nature Center operated by Evergreen Audubon. For further details, go to http://www.dipper.org/Vision, Values, and Goals
Recently, my fellow commissioners and I re-did our vision, values, and goals to (in my opinion), more clearly demonstrate board support for Open Space, programs for children, seniors, and disabled citizens, and educational programs including Head Start and the Library. These are changes that I worked hard to include, and which I thought had been inadequately addressed in the prior Board's Goal Statements. On March 24th, we formally adopted the following:
VISION - To enhance the quality of life for our citizens.
VALUES - Jefferson County government:
- Is open and transparent
- Is fiscally responsible
- Provides excellent customer service
- Communicates effectively
GOALS -
We fulfill our vision of enhanced quality of life with dignity and respect for our citizens by:
- Providing safe communities
- Supported by crime prevention and law enforcement
- Promoting public health and environment
- Protecting children, seniors and disabled populations from abuse and neglect
- Promoting Economic Opportunities
- Supporting primary job development
- Streamlining the regulatory environment
- Partnering with businesses and business organizations
- Maintaining and enhancing all modes of transportation
- Enhancing our natural resources
- Fostering predictable growth and development
- Balancing private property rights with sustainable development
- Creating a consistent regulatory environment
- Operating with long-term master planning
- Encouraging maximum self-sufficiency for all our citizens
- Furthering educational and informational opportunities
- Increasing citizen involvement
Internal Audit
There has been some media coverage of a Board decision to eliminate the position of Internal Auditor. Needless to say the reality is somewhat more complex than the media coverage. There is an on-going process to ensure that JeffCo has the most effective internal audit system possible. The Board of County Commissioners will be meeting with the Audit Committee on April 24th. I am committed to working with them to be sure Jeffco has a fully independent and effective internal audit function. I will comment further after the meeting with the Audit Committee.
Watch the Board of County Commissioners from your Computer
The Board of County Commissioners meetings are now available on-line. You can see both the actual Board discussion and actions, as well as the agenda and any documents presented during hearings. Go to http://www.jeffco.us/bcc/index.htm
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