TORRINGTON – The Goshen County Board of Commissioners’ final meeting of 2019 was also one of its shortest of the year, clocking in around 90 minutes with no public discussion and only one resident in attendance.
During the meeting, which was held Tuesday at the Goshen County Courthouse, the commission heard departmental reports, appointed Gary Kirchhefer to the Goshen County Predator Board, and discussed the county’s ever-present struggle in keeping trained employees.
That issue came to light when Goshen County Assessor Debbi Surratt told the commission she was looking to fill a position in her office. Surratt said she’s had multiple employees leave the county’s employ for higher paying jobs with banks and Eastern Wyoming College.
“I lost another person,” Surratt told the commission. “I’m starting to sound like a broken record. We had someone resign at the first of the month to go to First American Title, where they pay more money. This is the fourth time this year. It’s taking a toll.”
Commission Chairman John Ellis said he understands the challenges faced by Surratt and other department heads, but he also understands the employees, as well.
“You really can’t blame them,” he said.
“You can’t,” Surratt said. “It’s frustrating. She was here six months and she’s gone to training. That’s a $1,000 investment by the county that walks out the door. It’s unfortunate, but I can’t compete.
“I ask them those questions when I hire. ‘Are you looking for some longevity? Because we’re really looking for someone to stick around.’ But money talks.”
In other business, Surratt presented the commission with three property tax reduction orders totaling $1,410.61.
Goshen County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Wes Deen told the commission the jail inmate count is down at the moment, but the GCSO expects it to be at its normal level in the new year.
“The only change is that the inmate count is down a little bit, but that will be back in January,” Deen said. “We are still in the black.”
Goshen County Clerk Cindy Kenyon presented the commission with Treasurer Leticia Dominguez’s report, as Dominguez was ill. Kenyon told the commission the county is going into a lean portion of the calendar year, but it will pick up in the new year.
“Right now, we are setting at about $2.4 million. Considering we’re about to go into four months without much income, well stretch it out,” she said. “It’s just property taxeshave been paid, and then they kind of dwindle through the end of the year. That’s why we build up a little bit, and then we have some lean months.”
During her report, Kenyon told the GCC that the clerk’s office is already beginning to put things in place for the 2020 General Election.
“We’re starting to ramp up for the election,” she said. “It’s happening. We’re already getting a lot of phone calls and questions from people considering running for office. It is very interesting to see that doesn’t slow down. The way we try to time things in the office is that things like human resource training, election training, staff training – all of this stuff takes place in off year. Next year is an election year.”
Kenyon, who also recently lost a part-time employee, said her office is running smoothly, but it can’t handle much more.
“We’re at full capacity,” she said. “We’re doing OK without our part-time person, but we just can’t add much of anything else, but we’re doing OK. My office handles a lot of different things and people are sometimes surprised to hear how many things we handle.”
