Budget impacts due to the ongoing downturn in the natural gas industry are driving Garfield County’s policy directives for 2021, with an eye toward diversifying the county’s economic base.
County commissioners recently adopted their “Directives and Action Plan” for the year, giving weight both to the realities of running a county with fewer revenues and looking to some new areas for economic development potential.
The county this year made across-the-board budget cuts of 5%, including eliminating 18 jobs through attrition and cutting programs such as the Sheriff’s Office animal control division and the Youth Conservation Corps outdoor projects summer employment program.