First and Foremost, we would like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and a good time with the whole family! We probably won’t send another newsletter this week because of the holiday so here is everything we would like our audience to be informed of.

ELECTIONS

• The State Legislature has approved a separate statutory election for this year after the General Election. The Ballot includes all ballot measures that will be amended into the State Revised Statutes. Voters may vote by mail, in person, or online by DECEMBER 12, 2024. (Go to elections.blainecountysa.com) to find the link to vote online.

• The results of the 2024 General Election have been certified by the County Clerk and the Secretary of State. You may go to elections.blainecountysa.com/2024-general-election to view all of the results in different formats.

LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Last Monday, the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) have approved multiple significant resolutions that will have an impact on the community.

• Improvements to both Airports: Inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration visited the Sandy Shores and Mackenzie Airfields in early July 2024 to suggest improvements to these airfields. The FAA suggested to pave the runway at Mackenzie Airfield and replace the runway lights, and hire more controllers to maintain a safe airspace. The FAA also suggested to replace the runway at the Sandy Shores airfield as weather has taken a significant toll on the safety of the runway, along with replacing radar and other important telecommunications equipment. These improvements will begin once we an find someone to do the work, and is estimated to cost taxpayers around $8 million.

• New Benefits for County Employees: For January 2025, we are excited to include new benefits for all county employees. This includes extended coverage for all of our health, dental and vision insurance plans up to $5,000 per year, and allocating unspent insurance funds to pension plans. Overtime pay is also increasing along with a complimentary gym membership. County Employees should have received a letter in the mail or an e-mail to their county email address explaining the changes in detail. We are so happy to retain wonderful employees and provide top-class benefits.

• Approval of a 24/7 crisis line: Ellie Di’Angelo, Director of the Human Services Department for Blaine County recently spoke at a board meeting and proposed a resolution for a 24/7 crisis line funded by the County, and by State Grants. The Crisis line is now up and running with psychologists, social workers, and mental health experts ready to help our residents in crisis. The DHS has a total of 2 million in unused grant funding remaining for this year and 29 million in funds for 2025. We expect this to be funded by those grants until otherwise approved by the BoCC in the future.

• Repurposing Abandoned Buildings: This is a project that was advocated strongly for by residents of various groups around the county protesting for more housing opportunities. The County government is working hard on purchasing and owning multiple abandoned properties around the county to renovate them into apartments, town houses, condos, or whatever the needs for the specific area are, and what would best benefit low-income residents. This will again be funded by grants to the County’s Capital Improvement Fund which currently sits at 60 million for the 2025 fiscal year and 4 million left for this year.

• A lot more can be found on https://bocc.blainecountysa.com/legislation 

Overall, the Board has approved significant resolutions to improve our community. Public comments may be sent by email to bocc@blainecountysa.com, or by mail to 6118 W. Cascade Ave. Suite 100, Paleto Bay, SA 48295. All of these resolutions can be viewed in detail on the web at bocc.blainecountysa.com/legislation

We highly value the feedback of each and every resident, and we encourage you to share your opinion with your commissioner no matter what it is.

• District 1 (Sandy Shores and Harmony): Raymond Carson

• District 2 (Grapeseed and Paleto Bay): Johnathan Leake

• District 3 (Raton Pass and Great Chaparral): Michael Soto

Thank you and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,

Sophia Castellanos

Blaine County Public Relations Director

sophiacastellanos@blainecountysa.com 

(720) 272-2051