Budget talks reveal two new sheriff’s deputies, more road and bridge vehicles possible

Ouray County next year could add a host of new government employees — including two additional sheriff ’s deputies — bulk up on its Road and Bridge vehicle fleet and award a 6.5% pay raise to all employees, under spending plans considered by county commissioners over the last week.

Commissioners kicked off the county’s 2024 budget process with a pair of work sessions on Sept. 13 and Tuesday, fielding spending requests from department leaders eager to state their case.

While still early in the process, those requests — if approved by commissioners later this year — would institute sweeping changes to the Ouray County Sheriff ’s Office, increase the county government’s size and add to the Road and Bridge Department’s vehicle fleet.

Budget proposals presented last week show county departments initially requested $19.2 million in spending, a 0.6% increase over this year’s approved expenditures. The county projects to rake in $20.2 million in revenue in 2024, a 2.6% increase over this year’s approved revenues.

Driving that slight projected increase in revenue are several unexpected revenue sources, including $590,000 in severance tax payments, $968,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding and additional property tax revenue.

County officials expect a nearly 54% increase in property tax revenue compared to the previous year’s budget. Based on this year’s property valuation increases, the county could collect up to $4.2 million in 2024 after collecting $2.7 million this year.

According to 2024 budget requests, almost $2.9 million of that revenue would go toward the general fund, $634,000 would go toward the Ouray County Emergency Medical Services fund and $476,000 would go toward the Road and Bridge Department fund. The remaining $175,000 would go toward the Social Services Department fund.

But if voters pass Proposition HH — a statewide ballot measure that would reduce property tax rates and allow the state to spend money otherwise refunded to Coloradans through the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights — on Nov. 7, the county would collect less property tax revenue.

According to Ouray County Assessor Susie Mayfield, assessed property valuations could decrease by $10 million if Proposition HH passes, which could translate to roughly $330,000 less revenue to the county’s coffers. Those numbers are not official.

If voters reject Proposition HH, Ouray County could record up to a $975,000 budget surplus according to budget documents, although that isn’t guaranteed. Those same documents show the county is on track to record a $1.6 million surplus this fiscal year, which would follow a $2 million surplus recorded in fiscal year 2022.

With those projected surpluses and increased revenues in mind, county department leaders requested $878,000 in new funding to hire new positions and increase compensation for existing county employees.

If the increases in spending are approved, the Sheriff ’s Office would be the biggest beneficiary. Undersheriff Tammy Stroup requested funds to hire four new patrol deputies and an additional corporal and increase compensation for virtually every current employee.

Each new deputy would cost $86,004 annually and the additional corporal would cost $87,545 annually. Cpl. Derrick Linnell’s increased compensation would cost $8,204 annually, while current patrol and administrative deputies’ 10% pay increase would add up to another $58,009 annually.

However, once new equipment, training and other expenses are factored in, each additional officer would cost the county up to $31,000 more apiece their first year. Those initiatives could cost around $653,000 next year, and then $500,000 annually moving forward.

During Tuesday’s follow-up work session, commissioners indicated they would support hiring a second corporal and one of the four requested patrol deputies, as well as increased compensation for Linnell and leasing two additional patrol vehicles.

Commissioners declined to support hiring the other three requested patrol deputies and instituting a 10% compensation increase for current deputies due to budget constraints. Instead, current deputies will receive a one-time 6.5% cost-of-living adjustment to their annual income.

The Ouray County Emergency Medical Services Fund has also requested $22,530 to increase its payroll to schedule backup every day. Commissioners Tuesday indicated they would prefer EMS go over budget rather than tell paramedics not to be on shift as the department has taken on what Commissioner Lynn Padgett characterized as an “unsustainable” workload. The organization currently employs six full-time paramedics.

In addition to those extra first responder positions and increased compensation, the county budget proposed to hire a deputy county manager, deputy county attorney and another Assessor’s Office appraiser.

The proposed deputy county manager position under County Manager Connie Hunt would cost $137,727 annually, while the deputy county attorney position under County Attorney Leo Caselli would cost $122,681 annually. The appraiser position would cost $68,223 annually.

Commissioners said they would support hiring both positions due to a growing number of open records requests and increasing litigation, and to lessen Hunt’s burden to provide departmental oversight.

However, there were still disputes over the exact job title and responsibilities for the deputy county manager position. Padgett maintained the county would be better served hiring someone whose primary responsibility was overseeing budgets, which she claimed would cost less.

That impasse prompted a back-and-forth between Padgett and Hunt — who in recent months have disagreed about the same exact topic — that devolved into a squabble over who had their facts right regarding how much the position would cost the county.

“I just ask that you please read the information in the packet. I don’t think you have Commissioner Padgett, with all due respect. Because it is clearly revised and clearly talks about the nationwide analysis for this posi- tion. I’m okay if you say no, but do it based on facts,” Hunt said.

Padgett pushed back, saying she had taken the time to review what all the deputy county manager position would entail.

“We can have a professional disagreement, but don’t accuse me of not reading my packet,” Padgett said.

Departmental requests included raises for a range of employees, which commissioners mostly scrapped in lieu of a one-time 6.5% cost-of-living pay increase for all county employees. A Land Use Department planner will also receive a nearly $14,000 compensation increase commensurate with his increased responsibilities.

Those costs include salaries, payroll taxes, retirement fund contributions and health insurance benefits. Those requested positions and compensation increases aren’t guaranteed as commissioners need to approve them during their final budget meeting later this year.

Should commissioners approve those new positions and compensation increases, they would continue a trend that has seen near-continuous growth in the size of Ouray County’s government.

In the past 20 years, Ouray County has added the equivalent of 35 fulltime workers, from 50 in 2004 to 85 this year, a 70% increase. Nineteen of those have been added since 2018 alone.

The county must also consider a host of requested capital expenditures, ranging from new equipment for the Sheriff’s Office, such as four new patrol vehicles, radios, body cameras and Tasers, to replacement vehicles for the Road and Bridge Department.

County Road and Bridge Superintendent Ty Barger requested leases for four new multi-purpose dump and plow trucks, which cost $276,000 apiece. In total, they would cost $1.1 million, or $110,000 annually over a 10-year lease program.

With another surplus projected, there are questions what the county will do with that extra money.

After the work session ended, Commissioner Jake Niece said he’d thought about temporary property tax relief through property tax credits or mill levy reductions as allowed by state law.

Yet Niece added the board must weigh that relief against budget requests to increase staffing at the Sheriff’s Office, perform long-overdue maintenance and replace aging Road and Bridge Department vehicles, among other considerations.

“This county has, in my opinion, gotten away with being a slow, sleepy little rural county for 25 years. And the philosophy, at least that I have seen, from previous boards for the last 25 years is tax less, spend less, do less,” Niece said. “Well, we got a shock to the system, and that deferred maintenance was going to come due eventually.”

There are several key dates for the remainder of the county budget process.

Commissioners will meet Oct. 3 to present the proposed 2024 budget. The board is scheduled to meet again on Nov. 15 for a general review and to make changes if needed.

Once finished, commissioners will meet on Dec. 6 for a final budget hearing. If voters approve Proposition HH, the county has until Dec. 31 to adopt the final budget and comply with the state-imposed deadline. Historically, the state has required counties to adopt their final budget by Dec. 15.