The remote county of Hinsdale says it's in desperate need of a new county
operations center. Local officials say construction on the center was supposed to start this month but is now delayed due a freeze in federal funding. However, the county just got word that a $2 million FEMA grant affected by the freeze will be made available. KVNF's Laura Palmisano interviews Hinsdale County Commissioner Greg Levine about what's changed and why federal funds are so critical for rural communities.
Transcript:
Levine
Well, we've all taken a big sigh of relief because we were told by our partners in FEMA that the funds would be released. And we have every opportunity and access to the funds. Currently, we're in the process now of submitting reimbursement requests.
Palmisano
How did the release of the funds come about?
Levine
It was a very difficult process, in fact, because we're working with our FEMA representatives here in the state of Colorado, and. And we were not getting any good direction from actually the federal department. And so it took a lot of back and forth, a lot of emails from the commissioners, from our state reps, and we actually talked with our Senators Hickenlooper and Bennet, their representatives, as well as Congressman Hurd's representatives. So it took a large group effort to get these funds actually released to us.
Palmisano
What are these funds for?
Levine
So the funds are for our emergency operations building or county operations building. The county needs an operations building to function better, to serve the public better, and to better house our sheriff's department, our emergency operations center, and county administration staff, as well as the commissioners.
Palmisano
What's wrong with the old building it's in?
Levine
Well, the old building is very, very old. It is three separate buildings cobbled together, one of them being approximately 100 years old and the others being addition onto that 100-year-old building. There are issues with the heating, there are issues with safety. The roof, the floor. I could go on and on. The building is just completely inadequate for the services in which we need to conduct from them.
Palmisano
When will construction on it start?
Levine
Well, I believe we are still waiting because we don't have the money in the bank account, the federal funding. And so we're going to wait till that first little bit of money comes into our accounts and then ground will break. I would hope that would be May 1st.
Palmisano
So Hinsdale county got FEMA funding to put towards this operations center. Where is the rest of the funding for the building coming from?
Levine
So we were awarded a grant from the Department of Local affairs, and that was for a million dollars. And so that's adding up to about $3 million with the congressionally directed spending money. And then the rest of it is matching funds that the county has from sale of We Care and also from money that we've had in our bank accounts from HAZARDS program.
Palmisano
For a remote county like Hinsdale. With the small budget, why are federal funds critical?
Levine
The funds are critical because we do not want to put the burden of this county operations building on the taxpayers. This has been a priority for the last four boards of county commissioners. This idea has been going on a long time and it has had many iterations, but it can never be done unless there was a tax increase or something to fund the building. And so we, for the past four years, have been seeking congressionally directed spending, which we finally received after our second submission.
Palmisano
Does Hinsdale county rely on federal funds for any other projects?
Levine
Not for projects specifically. We do get federal funds in the form of payment in lieu of taxes and securing rural schools and some others, and those are just for general fund and road and bridge.
Palmisano
Have you heard about those funds being affected by the freeze?
Levine
No. Those funds were never a part of an executive order and never part of a larger ideal in which to limit the funding to certain aspects.
Palmisano
What have you heard from other communities affected by federal funding freezes?
Levine
I have spoken with some of the other counties, specifically Gunnison county and Montrose county, and I was told that they're being much more affected because they've got larger projects. Of course, the freeze in federal funding is widespread now, and the cuts are left and right in every day. CDPHE is experiencing cuts within our state because of federal funding, and that trickles down to the counties, that trickles down to public health departments.
Palmisano
Are you hearing concerns from your constituents about the freeze in federal funding?
Levine
That really depends who you were to talk to. Some people believe that the freeze in federal fundings is the right way to go, and others don't. It really depends on your political leaning at this point.
Palmisano
Is there anything else you'd like to add, Greg?
Levine
Yeah, I think as a county and as a state, we're definitely in uncharted waters and territory as far as dealing with federal funding. We're all very reliant on that. I think that Hinsdale is a little more insulated than other counties and municipalities because of our size. You're smaller, you have less, you need. And so the only thing I'd like to add is that we're patient and we're working with our federal partners, and the operations building is a go, and.
