"We'll have half a million by the time we reach the top floor!"

Agenda items for Monday’s Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting began with a liquor license approval for a Jan. 27 fundraiser in Battlement Mesa. The BOCC also approved the consent agenda, but not before Commissioner Tom Jankovsky commented on Item F — a $495,444 contract with Four Branches, Inc dba Cardiff Cleaning for county custodial services.
“I just want to get this on the record that we’re paying almost half a million dollars for cleaning of the facilities,” he said just before offering a motion to approve the contract.
According to the results of a records request made by The Sopris Sun, Cardiff Cleaning out of Glenwood Springs provided the lowest of four bids. Denver-based Kleen-Tech’s bid was $809,429, Fruita-based US Cleaning Professionals’ bid was $674,609.85 and New Castle-based Breeze Properties’ bid was $1,085,099.73. The winning bid also successfully fulfilled other criteria.
Next the BOCC approved Supplement #4 to the 2023 budget and appropriation of funds, which included an increase in supplemental revenues of $8,818,088 and an increase in supplemental expenditures of $3,736,483. Commissioners also adopted the final 2024 budget and appropriation of funds. County Finance Director Jamaica Watts and County Manager Fred Jarman expressed relief after six months of work to get a balanced budget to the finish line, and gratitude to the BOCC for direction throughout. Budget details can be found at www./bit.ly/2024GarCo
The upshot is that revenues are projected to be $128,250,332 with projected expenditures coming in at $131,375,734 and a projected end-of-2024 fund balance of $86.8 million, without factoring in the mill levy reduction.
Commissioners approved that reduction in the form of a temporary mill levy tax credit, which will lower the county’s mill levy from 13.655 to 13.155 mills. “We’re 13 mills out of 80,” said Jankovsky. “We have no control over 67 mills. It’s up to those boards to make decisions on their own mills.” Those boards include school, fire, sanitation and library districts.
According to the county website, the mill levy reduction will be extra relief on top of reductions from SB 23B-001, passed in a special November session of the Colorado General Assembly.
Commissioners approved a permit for Tyler VanAllen’s food cart in front of the courthouse, the county Emergency Communications Authority budget, a fee waiver for the Farm Bureau’s annual dinner at the county fairgrounds, a $1,000 discretionary fund request from the Middle Colorado Watershed Council, a $20,000 matching request from the Rifle Regional Economic Development Corporation and updated Livestock Marketing Committee bylaws. The Bookcliff, Mount Sopris and South Side Conservation District and the county’s Cooperative Mosquito Program provided their annual reports. Commissioners extended a land use change permit for the 12th time since 2009 to High Mesa RV Park south of Parachute.