This Week in Pics

Mesa County Administrator Pete Baier gives members of the Young Professionals Network of Mesa County (YPN) an overview of the functions and responsibilities of county government over the lunch hour. YPN hosts monthly lunch conversations as part of their mission to connect young professionals from diverse backgrounds, empower personal and professional growth, and strengthen the Grand Valley's community of future leaders. Learn more about YPN, visit https://www.ypnmc.org.

During YPN's lunch conversation, Administrator Pete Baier discusses economic trends and the effects it has on operations and services in Mesa County. Thank you, YPN, for participating in your Mesa County government!

Gary Harmon, a Mesa County resident and former Daily Sentinel reporter, stopped by the public hearing room to check in on local government officials.

Mesa County Elections will send mail ballots on Friday, Feb. 14, 2020, to all active voters in the county who qualify to vote in the primary election. The Presidential Primary returns to Colorado for the first time in 20 years after voters approved Proposition 107 in the 2016 Election. Unlike the caucus process, the statute now allows for unaffiliated voters to participate in choosing delegates to the national conventions, along with those affiliated with the Democratic and Republican parties. For more information on upcoming elections, visit https://bit.ly/2tBffbD.

Unaffiliated voters who do not have a party preference will be receiving two ballots: one Democratic and one Republican. Voters who receive both ballots should only return one voted ballot. Should a voter return two voted ballots, their vote will not be counted. For more on election information, visit https://bit.ly/2SrX2FB.

Mesa County Treasurer Sheila Reiner talks to the media about the new and improved property tax bills released this year. Tax bills should be arriving in taxpayers' mailboxes this week. Watch the interview at https://bit.ly/3biahl3 or read the article at https://bit.ly/37bsgGl.

Pictured: A before and after comparison of a Mesa County tax bill. To access your bill online, pay your taxes online, obtain property tax history and receipts for payments, or to view and print your current year tax statement, click here. Property taxes may be paid in one full installment by April 30 or in two installments with the first half due by Feb. 29 and the second half due by June 15.

High school juniors and seniors from Mesa County Valley School District 51 (D51) participated in a career day at the Mesa County Sheriff's Office last week. Mesa County Sheriff Matt Lewis and Undersheriff Todd Rowell spoke to students about the steps they can take now to have a career in law enforcement.

D51 students interested in careers in the criminal justice field learned about career opportunities as a patrol deputy, detention deputy as well as many other career opportunities available. They also had the chance to get some hands-on experience with a state of the art training simulator.

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office hosted a career day for D51 juniors and seniors and took them around their building to teach students about the internal operations of the agency, and show them some of the equipment and various vehicles they use.

Mesa County Public Health Epidemiology Program Manager Heidi Dragoo talks to KREX Reporter Ivan Fisher about Census 2020 and the importance of making sure everyone in Mesa County is counted in the survey.

Mesa County Public Health is tracking the spread of a novel coronavirus. There have been no cases identified in Mesa County or Colorado. Find out the steps your local Public Health Agency takes to be ready to respond, here.

Last Friday, Mesa County Regional Transportation & Planning Office (RTPO) Public Health and Public Works personnel did a group bike ride to the new Monument Connector Trail to check out the trail and take video footage for a special social media project. The group ride started at the RTPO office and traveled down 7th Street, past the Botanical Gardens, through Las Colonias and Riverside over to Lunch Loops. Pictured: Sarah Brooks, Mobility Manager; Anita Sheetz, Certified Nurse Midwife; Dana Brosig, MPO/RTP Director; Dean Bressler, Transportation Engineer; Thomas Orr, Regional Epidemiologist; Kelsey Fife, Health Promotion Specialist; Sean Yeates, Sr. Engineer.

Group shot at Lunch Loops: Thomas Orr, Regional Epidemiologist; Jack Jordan, Public Health Apprentice; Kelsey Fife, Health Promotion Specialist; Anita Sheetz, Certified Nurse Midwife; Dean Bressler, Transportation engineer; Dana Brosig, MPO/RTP Director; and Sean Yeates, Sr. Engineer.

RTPO staff Dean Bressler, Transportation engineer; Sarah Brooks, Mobility Manager; and Dana Brosig, MPO/RTP Director.

View of the trail from Lunch Loops.

Bikes on the Lunch Loops section.

In honor of American Heart Month, Mesa County RTPO is sharing the health benefits of taking public transit. Learn more about the agency at https://rtpo.mesacounty.us/.

Every year Mesa County Road and Bridge, Hazardous Waste, Traffic, and the Sheriff's Office, as part of the Mesa County Safety Council, participate in the Mesa County Safety Fair held at Mesa Mall in Grand Junction. The Safety Fair is a FREE two-day event for children to learn about safety. For more information, visit http://mesacountysafetycouncil.org/.