Starting out Monday’s regular Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting, Silt resident Caleb Waller piped up during public comment and suggested that the county consider enacting a noise ordinance. He described an instance over the weekend of music being too loud at a party on private property within unincorporated Garfield County that kept the “whole town” of Silt awake at 2am. Despite sheriff’s deputies responding to the party, they had no means to issue a citation and the music level was not turned down. Waller said it seems to be a regular issue.
Budget launch
The BOCC began its budget hearing, which will continue on Tuesdays through Oct. 21. The county’s adoption of the budget is planned for Nov. 17, and a proposed mill levy will be presented for adoption on Dec. 1. The finalized budget is due to the state by Jan. 31, 2026.
An overall $10.5 million deficit is due to a plethora of reasons, including significant decreases in property tax revenues from oil and gas production, loss of state severance tax funds, rising operating costs — in part due to tariffs — and anticipated reductions in federal and state revenues due to HR-1 and the state’s special budget session.
The total proposed revenue for 2026 is $125.9 million, whereas proposed expenditures total $136.4 million.
County Manager Fred Jarman explained that the budget is made up of three primary categories: operational, capital projects and discretionary funding.
For the first time in decades, the BOCC was presented with an unbalanced proposed operating budget. “As long as Commissioner [Mike] Samson and I have been commissioners, we’ve balanced. So it was a paradigm shift on our part,” stated Chairman Tom Jankovsky.
“You’re still about $3.3 million in the red on the operational side,” said Jarman. The 2026 discretionary and capital fund deficits are projected at $2.3 million and $4.9 million, respectively. If approved, the overall $10.5 million shortfall would be covered by the general fund, of which revenues have decreased from $80.4 million in 2024 (actuals) to $63.5 million in 2026 (proposed). The 2026 proposed expenditures from the general fund total $72.8 million, compared to $66.5 million in 2024 actuals.
Having been aware of the budget shortfall back in July, the commissioners implemented a hiring freeze through 2026, “by freezing dollars, not necessarily eliminating head count,” clarified Jankovsky. However, requests to fill any of the 32 vacancies will be considered by the BOCC on a case-by-case basis throughout 2026. If none of the vacancies are filled, the county could save $3,364,350 in 2026. The commissioners have also since pivoted to an employee healthcare option that only increased that cost by 2.56%, compared to an initial 13.5% projected hike.
To help close the gap, and following subsequent work sessions, proposed capital projects for 2026 were reduced from $15 million to $4.8 million. Discretionary funding, which includes mass transit and nonprofit grants, was reduced from $3.4 million in 2025 to a proposed $2.2 million in 2026. Both the capital and discretionary grant decisions are set for a public hearing on Oct. 21.
Library IGA
The commissioners considered an updated intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the library district board of trustees drafted by County Attorney Heather Beattie. Namely, the renewed IGA would prevent the BOCC from challenging the library board’s recommended reappointments unless for good cause, which is defined by the library district’s bylaws as “willful misconduct, refusal to obey an order of the presiding officer or neglect of duty in office.”
Samson held steadfast and said that new applicants should be able to challenge incumbent trustees. While the other two commissioners seemed to be leaning toward acquiescing to the new IGA, they all agreed that the trustees’ five-year terms, with two-term limits, are too long. Considering the five-year terms, Jankovsky agreed that perhaps reappointments shouldn’t just be left up to the trustees.
Jarman suggested asking the library board to amend its bylaws to bring terms down to three years.
“I think we should put this IGA back on the back burner,” concluded Samson. The commissioners ultimately agreed and no action was taken.
The BOCC is set to interview applicants to fill the Rifle seat, vacated by Myrna Fletchall last summer, on Oct. 27. The new Rifle trustee and New Castle Trustee Brit Mclin will be eligible for reappointment at the end of the year.
In other news…
Following the budget presentation, the county’s community development director, Glenn Hartman, presented proposed increases to planning fees which were last updated in 2014. He noted that even with the proposed increases, compared to other jurisdictions the costs are quite low. Hartman’s team proposed a 120% increase for planned unit development applications (from $500 to $1,200), but the commissioners agreed upping that to $2,000 was appropriate, considering it’s still less than neighboring jurisdictions. A resolution with updated fees across the board will be included in an upcoming consent agenda. The increases will be implemented on Jan. 1, 2026.
The Parachute Area Transit System received a $225,000 grant that was already budgeted for in 2025, but was $25,000 short of its $250,000 request.