The Weld County Board of Commissioners, by a 5-0 vote at yesterday’s meeting, approved a supplemental appropriation of funds to assist departments in meeting expenditure needs, which would not have been reasonably foreseen at the time of the adoption of the 2024 Budget. These needs include expenses such as additional wages and insurance fees for new full-time employee positions, personnel services for programs such as congregate meals offered by the Area Agency on Aging, and, importantly, providing additional funding to the Sheriff’s Office to assist with recruitment and retention.
Earlier this year, the board approved $643,002 in mid-year funding for the Sheriff’s Office to increase grades for certain sworn positions as well as to shorten the step cycle for pay increases for detention deputies and patrol deputies. The appropriation adds another $425,775 to the Sheriff’s Office budget to increase grades for certain positions not included in the original funding as well as shortening the step cycle for civilian employees.
The total amount included in yesterday’s ordinance is just over $2.9M of new funding.
And while recruitment and retention challenges have certainly impacted the Sheriff’s Office, those challenges have been a concern for county government overall, which is why the supplemental appropriation also included $195K for department employee appreciation programs. Such programs must follow board guidance and be accountable to the human resources and finance departments.
Other items in the ordinance also include moving funds that were obligated to department expenditures into the department’s accounts such as moving the funds for the Veterans Service Office (VSO) into the Human Services Department budget, as that is where the VSO is now housed. Funds for county projects initiated in 2023 but won’t be completed until 2024 were also included in yesterday’s action.
