Dear Editor,

I am writing regarding a recent BOCC meeting I attended by Zoom. In this meeting was a discussion about hiring a new employee to assist the contractor previously hired to manage the IT for the County. The contractor is Teryx, Inc. Why is the BOCC considering spending taxpayer’s money to supplement the work previously contracted and paid for? Why can’t the contract be renegotiated to allow for any extra requirements needed by the department heads? Surely, the additional cost would be less than hiring an employee with all the added salary and benefit costs. At what point does the County assume responsibility for directing the workload instead of simply allowing the contractor to say what they will or will not do? If the contractor is not able to meet the workload, the county should hire a company that can meet the needs required.

Supplementing the contractor with additional personnel at the County’s expense does not seem prudent or financially responsible. I have been watching the meetings with great interest as the County approves additional expenses repeatedly. I would think that the lessons of 2020 would have taught the BOCC and staff, especially the directing County Manager, that budgets should be followed accumulating reserves for capital improvements and potential shortfalls.

These are questions that I ponder after each meeting continues to grow the size of the government for a small community that does not seem to be growing. Instead, increased taxes burden the existing population. Adding a new Food Pantry/Office Space is just another example of added expenses not requested by the population.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Shirey

Gilpin County