Golden – A reorganization of Jefferson County’s administrative staff – prompted by dire budget projections – has resulted in the elimination of two top-level positions.
Judy Goebel, the human resources director, and Jere Bower, the support services director who supervised the information technology division, were notified within the past week that their county employment had ended.
“It is always difficult and painful to make decisions like these,” County Administrator Jim Moore said. “But in the long run, I believe this reorganization will allow us to continue to operate in a streamlined manner while providing quality customer service.”
Functions of the two departments have been consolidated under administrative services director Todd Leopold, who also oversees accounting, budget and procurement.
“We hired him to manage the county and to ensure that residents get services,” Commissioner Kevin McCasky said.
Commissioner Jim Congrove said he wasn’t happy about the job eliminations and planned to have meetings with both managers.
County officials cite increasing costs and lower revenues due to declining growth for the need to slice as much as $15 million from the $341 million operating budget.
A citizens panel and numerous internal committees have been working for two months on finding solutions and setting priorities.
“Our biggest expense in county government is personnel,” said Moore, who decided to start making staff cuts at the top.
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
