Montezuma County Will Hire New Employee to Help Manage Health Inspection Records

The Montezuma County commissioners gave approval Monday for the county health department to hire a new employee for 30 hours a week to help free up environmental health specialist Melissa Mathews for her other duties. The commission and health staff discussed a recent article in the Cortez Journal that charges the health department violated state open-records law by failing to turn over inspection records of 143 restaurant facilities upon request and demanding excessive fees. On Monday, Mathews cited problems with software and said it took her an hour to find the inspection records for only 11 of those eateries. Health Director Bobbi Lock said Mathews is strapped for time, as her job includes dealing with septic systems, animal-transmitted diseases, waste tires, and child care facilities as well as restaurants.