Getting the Runaround on Gilpin Salaries…WHY?
Well, government “at its finest” is rearing its ugly head here in Gilpin County. In order to reveal to the regular folks the high salaries we pay the top officials in our tiny county while they put a NEW proposed tax hike on our ballot, we went to the official website of Gilpin County. The Finance Director had posted the monthly salaries, including benefits, which we multiplied by 12 and posted the numbers.
After we published the report on our blog (Sept. 25, 2023), two people told me the report was incorrect because the month that was listed on the Finance Director’s newspaper statement and on the website (below) was a month with three paydays. There was NOTHING on the report that gave any indication of that fact. Nothing. Nada. Why not? It would have been nice to trust the numbers on the website, or a note stating three pay periods were used in this list! Should a regular person know that?
Here is the official report:
Did you see anywhere a notation of the numbers reflecting three paydays? Nope, me neither.
We made two attempts to reach the Finance Director and just received a letter from him (below) telling me I have to file a CORA request form to receive that information. Hmmm.
We used THEIR numbers, which led to a “possible” need to edit the chart we created. We also received a call from someone who said the County’s report didn’t include benefits (even though it clearly stated so on the “official” report). We needed the real numbers (annual salaries including benefits)!
When will the regular folks get the straight answers to simple questions? How hard should it be for the Finance Director to send the information we requested? How long will it take? How much will it cost the people to get that report? When I did this before, it cost $60. (Different topic).
Here is the letter I received last night:
Hello Ms. Parman,
Joe Allaire
Director of Finance
Gilpin County
Cell 720-299-5261
We are fighting this NEW TAX (1A) in Gilpin County because as a County, we have no debt, we received $31,353,597.00 from casino revenues in the last two years! Our property assessments have almost doubled, which will mean MORE TAXES! The rec center was open 7 days a week, financed by the General Fund for 17 years. Never a push for a new tax, until Covid shutdowns. We approved a 3-year mill levy, and it ends this December. THIS 1A IS A NEW TAX THAT NEVER ENDS!
If we vote this down, that mill levy ends. Your tax goes DOWN!
Leave us alone, Gilpin County, and let us thrive! Paying you extra money to provide job security for those that work at our Parks & Recreation is NOT OUR JOB!
The community has awakened to the threats Gilpin County has been throwing around - from partial/full closure of the Community Center if it fails, to closing our pools for a year! Come on! We aren’t buying it! They are bullying us!
GILPIN, PLEASE DON’T FALL FOR THE THREATS AND INTIMIDATION. If we defeat this tax on November 7 and they ever threaten to actually close/reduce the hours of the rec center, or close the pools or cut our County Fair…
YOU HAVE MY SOLEMN PROMISE OUR GILPIN LIGHT NEIGHBORS WILL PROTEST AND KEEP YOU ALL INFORMED OF WHAT IS HAPPENING! We will fight that just as hard as we are fighting this FOREVER TAX! Our grandchildren will thank us! So will yours!❤️
We are all in this together, Gilpin.
Together, we win!
Thank you for reading this post. Please vote “NO” on 1A and let your neighbors know why!
They may not know.
Donna Okray Parman
Founder, The Gilpin Light
Sandy Hollingsworth extension - 11103
Susan Berumen extension - 11102
