State lawmakers Thursday called for close scrutiny of bonus payments to top officials of former Gov. Bill Owens’ administration but stopped short of calling for a full investigation.
Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, said lawmakers would consider asking the state auditor to review whether payments were made appropriately to top officials in the outgoing Republican administration.
“Our accounting is not as tight as it could be,” Buescher said. “We’re very frustrated too. We don’t like this. We’re the legislative branch, and we’re seeing something the executive branch has done wrong.”
During the past four weeks, The Denver Post has disclosed executive actions by the Owens administration that boosted pay and protected jobs for top officials.
Fourteen executive directors received more than $74,000 in cash bonuses. More than two dozen top appointees received illegal contract extensions.
The administration attempted to pad some pensions by referring to the bonuses as a “pay differential” for work they might do advising the new administration of Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter.
Buescher urged Ritter to adopt policies that would not allow last- minute bonuses and payouts of unlimited unused sick-leave vacation time.
The payouts totaled at least $331,000. Most officials collected more than $20,000. The largest check went to the former head of the state department of human services, who collected $55,528.
Still, Buescher said bonuses can be appropriate to delay the departure of top state officials.
“It is appropriate to use bonuses if they are used right,” said Buescher, vice chairman of the Joint Budget Committee.
“A bonus is used to change behavior. If they’re just a gift, then it’s a misuse.”
Owens’ chief of staff, Bob Lee, announced the bonuses to executive directors on Dec. 6 – one month before Owens left office.
“We are working on a policy,” Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer said. “It will have some caps. It will have some consistency with policies surrounding other state employees.”
Staff writer Mark P. Couch can be reached at 303-954-1794 or mcouch@denverpost.com.
