Jeffco Commissioners to Host Telephone Town Hall on May 8

Okay, I'm going to get on my soapbox here because this is where the rubber meets the road and we have to rise up to meet our responsibilities. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office shared a post (previous post) on Facebook regarding the fact that they have been requested by the Jeffco Board of County Commissioners to cut their budget. In reading through the comments, I'm seeing people reacting emotionally without necessarily indicating that they understand the full complexity of the financial issues that the county faces (e.g. mandated spending, the effects of TABOR/De-Brucing, contracts, the U.S. Marshalls Program, etc).

Now, I'm going to state upfront that I absolutely back the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, they are professionally run and have done a tremendous job serving our communities and keeping us safe. I am troubled that this request could hamper their ability to function as effectively as they have. That being said, I also 100% support the Commissioners adhering to a balanced budget, spending only what they take in, and understand that they sometimes have to make difficult decisions when looking at the overall picture. I think we would all agree that the last thing we want is our county going into the red (which I don't believe is even permitted, legally).

Now, this is where we all come in. The Sheriff and the Commissioners presented some of the details of the difficulties that they face at today's BOCC Hearing: jeffersonco.granicus.com/player/clip/2688?view_id=5

The Jeffco Board of County Commissioners will be holding a Telephone Town Hall meeting on May 8th regarding the budget and residents are welcome to listen and ask questions. I have listened in on the past 2 that they've held and I can tell you that their financial reductions and how they've tried to wrestle with them are nothing new. I urge you all, please, please listen to the 1.5 hr hearing today, research the budget issues, and consider what your priorities are - overall, not just JCSO - and make it a priority to participate in the upcoming Telephone Town Hall. Pretend it's your household's yearly budget and what do you prioritize once you've figured out how much you'll make, how much each thing you want will cost, and what should you do? Here are the recent county budgets: www.jeffco.us/780/Adopted-Budgets Yes, they're long, yes they're boring, but do you want to simply complain that you think our representatives aren't serving us well, or do you want to educate yourself on the problems, and give input as to how your tax dollars are spent?

If you can't attend that evening, be sure to send your comments and questions to our Commissioners. As I've mentioned ad nauseum before, our government serves us only as well as we actively participate, and that takes time and effort. It's not sexy, it's not fun (well, it is for some of us), but it is essential.

Thank you to all of you who get involved. With many minds and hands helping out, there's no problem we can't solve!

<off soapbox>