Remarks by Marsha Porter-Norton
138 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 2 of 6
I know, that's amazing. Look at this. We have hurricane, near hurricane. I should be careful with what I say. Let's see I am going to be out Friday and out a little bit this week for some family stuff and then I think that's it for now great thank you a couple items that you brought up so I don't have to repeat that I have a Sword monthly meeting this afternoon
You might let him know, Commissioner Salka, about the drug incineration. I mean, it's a small win, and it's a win nonetheless.
So it'll be a subscription service subscription. And Lieutenant, he is a Lieutenant, correct, Joey?
Yes, Lieutenant LaVenture is reaching out. I don't think we solidified that to see if the service might be used by Bayfield and Ignacio as well. And so there's, you know, some intergovernmental stuff. And then it's like I was saying yesterday in the meeting, it's a service that comes through for not only our drug incineration, but as the city's take-back program might be able to use it to.
Yeah, my calendar is green. I don't know what color you put me inside. Mine's red all across. Red, you need a different color. Yeah, that's alert. It's like that would stress me out.
I did also want to let you know, it's all good, that at the 5x5 meeting that I wasn't able to attend. I think you know that. I'm at 101 on this. I'm not even going to attempt to say what this is, but there is a different model that can be used for Medicaid on how Medicaid is funded. It doesn't impact our eligibility that we do at DHS, but it could theoretically mean more Medicaid dollars are coming into our region for places like Axis. And so it was announced we were going to have a meeting on the 23rd. And this is, AXIS is planning this. We don't have to plan this. But it's the 23rd at 730.…
It's kind of like people talking in the background. But we have a lot of community work to do around ameliorating this and and honestly won't be able to ameliorate it for everybody. People are losing their health care already. I was at this thing on Sunday giving a talk about this. I'll email you my notes. And we know about 20% of people in La Plata County are on Medicaid. And so there's 3,900 people very much at risk for losing their care because they are in something called the expansion population.
In La Plata County are on Medicaid. So not to re-give my speech from Sunday, but there's two ways the county interfaces with Medicaid. We sign people up through DHS, right? So that's benefits management. And are you, you know, there's paperwork and all that. With work requirements coming on board, I think you all know this from the budget, we've had to hire four additional people. And then with the penalties coming down around SNAP, that meant an additional $600,000 had to be set aside. But we are having a situation where benefits are being cut left and right for many, many, many reasons. And…
So they're out pretty bad, way more than us. But anyway, I think this Medicaid and healthcare thing is going to continually come to the forefront as we see more and more people getting kicked off of care. The work requirements, I mean, as I said, I've said publicly, we want people to work. If you're able-bodied and can work, of course. And they don't apply to everybody if you're disabled or, you know, child, obviously, but So what is going to happen is that there's going to be a lot of confusion. Our people won't get the right paperwork in. You have to work 80 hours a month, which, again,…
Yeah, yeah. Oh, and we also help with insurance navigation through the health department. Yes, we do. So, yeah, they're going to have a lot of people coming in. As people are like my premium just went up 140 and where is there a you know so not to be a bearer of bad news I just think it's a bearer of realistic news it is it is that's all I have all right I saw Brian out there yeah do you want me to get him maybe please yep commissioner if we're good we can always do more if anything pops up we can do that at the end
Agreed. And look at the conversation we just had due to various things coming down from the feds. We're probably out. Please don't take this to the bank, so to speak. We're out a million already on what we have to pick up. And so we need to save, you know, even with 1A, it's kind of shocking how we're still looking for every single penny we can, as we should be doing anyway.
What does happen? Is there a market for used patrols, vehicles?
And maybe police departments or sheriff's offices in other places. That's what our hope was.
Right, right. Well, and they're, you know. For people that don't need to use them as hard as our sheriff's office does, it would be a good car for a while.
I appreciate all this. I know you work so hard on trying to keep this. How many vehicles do we have again?
That is incredible. That is incredible. I mean, I can barely kind of keep my little household fleet going and alive. So thank you. And I think saving this money is critical and appreciate the concept of recycling stuff where we can. And so it's good policy. Yep.
Well, I think it's brilliant because I, I mean, we've been here for six years and every year I learn more about our fleet. You know what I mean? Like it's not my area of expertise.
And then we're cutting into our $100,000 savings. Right.
This is the one we talked about when you came in here last time.
31 years. I was going to say 21. I'm like math in public is not my strength. Our fleet keeps them going.
Exactly. Yeah, maybe get some reservoirs filled up.
And was it only 250 that had the most major, but I know there was some stuff in the southeast county as well.
It's the week of the actual Veterans Day. 4th through the 11th. That's which is on the 11th. Culminating on the 11th. Yep. We should do a wear green that week.
I love it. Yeah, like do we have a business meeting that week?
Great. We have a business meeting on the 10th of November. Not that like anybody cares really, but like using the commissioners, if we were green and then we had a picture, we can use that as part of the messaging. I love it. Yeah.