County officials begin new terms after being sworn into office

Having won their offices in the Nov. 5, 2024 general election, three elected county officials took their oaths of office on Jan. 14 in the main courtroom of the Phillips County Courthouse. Also, having been approved for retention in the same election, the Phillips County judge also took the oath of office.

Commissioners Garold Roberts and Tom Timm and Sheriff Michael Beard were sworn in by Phillips County Court Judge, Kimbra Killin. Sedgwick County Court Judge, Myka Landry, joined the courtroom via a video link to witness Killin swearing to the oath.

Commissioner Roberts was first elected to the board of county commissioners in 2020. He is a Phillips County native. He has been employed by the county as a sheriff's deputy and the undersheriff and has also worked for road and maintenance crews. He has been a lineman for Highline Electric Association and a maintenance coordinator for Longmont Power and Communication.

Roberts is the board of county commissioners' representative on the following local or regional boards: Comboard that assists the county's Communications Center, Northeast Colorado Housing, Emergency Medical Services, Eastern Transportation Planning Region, Workers' Compensation Insurance Pool, Colorado Counties Casualty and Property Pool and the Region I Translator Association that supports local access to more TV channels. He is also an alternate representative to the Phillips County Fair Board when Timm is not available.

Commissioner Timm was first elected to the board of county commissioners in 2020. He is the current chairman of the board. He has lived in Phillips County since the early 1970s. He has worked in the farming and ranching industry for close to 30 years. He operates his own trucking company.

Timm is the commissioner representative on the following local or regional boards: Eastern Colorado Services for the Developmentally Disabled, Northeast Colorado Association of Local Government, and Phillips County Fair Board. He is the alternate representative to the Eastern Transportation Planning Region and the Recreation District. He is also the designated proxy for the Legislative Committee of Colorado Counties Inc. for when Commissioner Terry Hofmeister is not available. Additionally, Timm serves on the Seizure Committee with the sheriff and district attorney.

Sheriff Michael Beard has been working in law enforcement in Phillips County for nearly 15 years. He joined the Haxtun Police Department in August of 2010. He became the undersheriff for Phillips County in May of 2020. He graduated from the Military Police Academy in 1979 and later from an Airborne Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia. While raising his family, he worked in the mountain states region of a nationwide refrigeration and mechanical company. He also worked in Haxtun for a local drilling and pump company.

Judge Kimbra Killin was appointed to the Phillips County Court in 2014. It is a part-time position. She hears misdemeanor, traffic and county civil cases. Killin received her bachelor's degree magna cum laude from Regis University in 1990 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Denver in 1994. She practiced law in the private sector before being appointed to the county court. She also helps operate a family business.

The board of county commissioners meets three times per month in its meeting room at the courthouse. The 2025 schedule is available at the Phillips County website, http://www.phillipscounty.colorado.gov. Meeting agendas are posted on a bulletin board in the courthouse the day prior to the meeting, as well as at the website.

County court is held once a month at the courthouse, which is typically the first Thursday of the month. Court dockets can be searched for at http://www.coloradojudicial.gov. Start a search by first selecting the 13th judicial district.