Face the State Staff Editorial
Routt County, population 19,000 in northwest Colorado, doesn't make headlines in Denver much. That's unfortunate, because its elected leaders could teach those at the state Capitol a lesson or two when it comes to ensuring fiscal stability and accountability in today's tough economy.
Routt Co.David Benbennick/Wikimedia
While reviewing headlines from Routt County over the last few months, we've seen a definite pattern emerge. In November, when it became evident the economy was taking a turn for the worse, Routt Co. hesitantly began to balance a $2.9 million budget shortfall by dipping into county reserve funds. The beauty of this plan is that Routt actually has $2.7 million in cash reserves, a so-called "rainy day fund" our own state legislature has been unable or unwilling to establish.
County bean-counters also realized early that local tax revenue - a main source of funding for local government - would fall dramatically in 2009. In February alone, sales tax collections were 26 percent lower than projected. Commissioners pledged the county would provide comparable levels of service to residents despite the slump in revenue.
One week after county leaders announced they were prepared to crack down on spending, they did just that. On November 19, commissioners told the sheriff's office it must cut down on overtime and after-hours vehicle use upon discovering the department would be over-budget by $11,000. The sheriff's office wasn't happy, but commissioners remained committed to their plan.
Beginning April 1, all county employees took a 10 percent pay cut, and just last week, commissioners voluntarily cut their own pay as the budget shortfall jumped from $2.9 million to an estimated $4.9 million.
As a final way to balance the county's budget shortfall, commissioners have now announced a plan for furloughs and possible layoffs. “We’ve just about picked all the low-hanging fruit,” said Commissioner Doug Monger last week. “The next one’s going to be branches off the tree.”
Making tough budget cuts - especially those that impact employees and families in a small mountain community - can't be easy. But what the state legislature could learn from Routt is a valuable lesson. The government is created by the people, for the people, and if it outgrows its means, cuts must be made before citizens are asked to dip further into their own wallets.