Two of Elbert County’s top officials received contract extensions this year, each with pay raises and county-owned cars, among other perks.

The Board of County Commissioners extended “Engagement of Service” contracts to County Manager Shawn Fletcher and County Attorney Bart Greer.

Fletcher, who has been on the job for less than 18 months, saw a pay bump of $80,000 over his 2023 contract, bringing his annual salary to $220,000. Additionally, he gets the use of a county-owned or leased vehicle, a monthly housing allowance of $1,500, and an extra two weeks (8 days) of vacation leave above his current accrual rate.

Greer, who has represented the county for close to seven years, will also receive an annual salary of $220,000 and use a county vehicle. A previous contract signed by Greer in January 2023 placed his yearly salary at $145,500.

Colorado Politics contacted Elbert County Commissioner Chris Richardson about the reasons behind the new contracts.

“The county has made an effort to bring all positions up to market rate over the past two years,” he explained, “and these two positions are the only two who work directly for the board and were the last two addressed.”

Richardson said the changes now bring Fletcher’s and Greer’s compensation in line with current market rates for similar positions, noting that the “combined efforts (of the two men) have saved our taxpayers more than they earn annually.”

However, in neighboring Douglas County, home to 376,000 residents, an annual budget of more than $670 million and some of the area’s fastest-growing development, County Manager Doug DeBord’s annual salary is $248,465.

Douglas County’s two county attorneys make an average of $174,000 each, as posted on the county’s website.

Elbert County resident Jill Duvall and her husband decided to compare the salaries of county managers and attorneys in similar-sized counties.

They plowed through the county budgets of Teller County, Routt County, Montezuma County, Delta County, Morgan County, and Summit County. They found that the average county manager’s salary was $109,500, and the average county attorney’s salary was $162,400.

Duvall and others question whether the size of the job matches the size of the salary for a county with a population of just under 28,000.

Richardson points to the growing complexity of each employee’s position as justification.

Fletcher oversees “an array of multi-year efforts and an overall budget of $53.7 million,” he said. “Providing certainty of employment is critical in keeping the focus of this position on long-range planning and getting ahead of issues before they result in unanticipated expenses to our taxpayers.”

Similarly, Richardson said Greer, as the county attorney, is responsible for managing cases that span multiple years, and the value he brings to the county through risk management and policy advisement “far exceed” the cost of the position’s annual salary.

Duvall also questions why it appears the decision to extend the two contracts was made “outside the public eye.”

She’s been watching the county website for quite some time.

“I get the agenda and I look at the packet, and I haven’t seen anything about an executive session for this, or a vote,” Duvall said. “They would have to vote in public; they can’t vote in executive session, but I haven’t seen anything on any of the agendas that this was addressed. The county has seven pages of resolutions for this year, and I went through all of them a couple times, and I only found one of supplemental appropriation and it wasn’t for either of these positions.”

Others want to know why the county board extended the contracts so early.

Fletcher’s previous contract with the county, signed on Jan. 12, 2023, was set to expire on Jan. 30, 2025. His current contract, signed on June 13, 2024, extends his services to the county through Jan. 1, 2027.

Greer’s contract is similar, also extending his obligation to the county through Jan.1 2027.

Duvall said the move is unusual, pointing to the fact that two of the three Elbert County Commissioners, Richardson and Grant Thayer, are term-limited.

“Why did the commissioners feel the need to change the contracts,” Duvall asked. “Especially when they’re gonna be out of office in six months, why didn’t they let the new commissioners handle it?”

“Not extending the contracts would have been a signal that the board has concerns regarding the performance of these employees and that is certainly not the case,” Richardson asserted. “The extensions were timely and well-deserved. Both are highly qualified and high-performing individuals who will be critical to the continuity of county operations as new board members are sworn in in the coming year.”

Elbert County’s total budgeted payroll was increased by 36% across all offices and departments for 2023-24.

“The Board waited to address the long-overdue increases for these two positions, which serve the board directly, until the shortfalls in pay rates for the other 216 county employees was addressed,” Richardson said. “The increases also account for the additional legal and managerial complexities arising from the partial unionization of our workforce and the new collective bargaining process that these two individuals will be leading on behalf of the county.”

A quarterly town hall meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 17, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Elbert Mercantile Building, 24223 Eccles St., Elbert, Colorado.

A sizable turnout is anticipated.