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Oregon staff studying Citizens Service Center

May 1st, 2012, 1:54 pm by

Like a prize steer at the county fair, the Citizens Service Center is on display to visitors this week.

A group from Jackson County, Ore., is in town to see what they can learn about El Paso County’s relatively new Citizens Service Center, 1675 W. Garden of the Gods.

“The biggest city in their county is Medford and they bought an old post office building, about 80,000 square feet, to consolidate their offices like we did,” said El Paso County Commissioner Sallie Clark. “Some staff from their county is studying how we did our one-stop shopping at CSC. They want to see how our layout works, how we combined most everything under one roof to create more efficiency.”

The county moved several offices that were scattered around town to CSC. Under that one big roof are Department of Human Services, Pikes Peak Workforce Center, El Paso County Public Health and the offices of the county Clerk, Treasurer and Assessor, along with a Motor Vehicle office.

“I think it’s working well,” Clark said, “especially if you don’t have a car. Everything is in one place so it can save time and effort.”

 

Posted in: buildings • Citizens Service Center • Clerk and Recorder Office • County Assessor's Office • El Paso County • El Paso County Commissioners • Motor Vehicle • Pikes Peak Workforce Center | Post a Comment »

Talk show host questions county spending on ice makers and sound system

November 16th, 2011, 3:24 pm by

  While running a personal errand recently, three shiny ice machines  and a Muzak audio system at the county’s new Citizens Service Center caught the attention of local conservative radio talk show host Jeff Crank.

   When Crank found out from county officials that the commercial/industrial icemakers in break rooms near the Clerk and Recorder’s Office and the Assessor’s Office cost $3,495 apiece, for a total of $10,500, he balked.

  “I thought it was an inappropriate use of funds,” he said. “There will be some people who say, ‘Who cares? It’s only $10,500.’ But how many taxpayers does it take to pay that?”

  He also wonders why the Clerk and Recorder’s Office needed a $16,333 Muzak audio system for customer paging and background music. The 39-month contract carries a monthly service fee of $132 or $1,581 per year.

  Crank, who is also the state director of a nonpartisan watchdog group Americans for Prosperity Colorado, will discuss the issues on his radio show, which airs 6-10 a.m. Saturday on KVOR, 740 AM .

  Crank said he invited all five county commissioners, as well as the clerk and recorder and assessor, to be guests, but said he isn’t sure if any will take him up on the request. He did hear from Commissioner Chairwoman Amy Lathen, who sent him an email, saying the board of commissioners does not have any say over how other elected county officials, such as the clerk and recorder, and assessor, spend money for their offices.

    The county recently moved six departments into the Citizens Service Center, a former Intel building at 1675 W. Garden of theGods Road, to consolidate operations and get rid of four aging county buildings.

Posted in: Clerk and Recorder • County Assessor's Office • El Paso County • • • • • | 2 Comments »