Congratulations, Jefferson County. Your county commissioners have once again made Jeffco look like a backwater.
In this episode, commissioners almost certainly violated Colorado law by failing to give public notice of a meeting they held on the 2008 budget.
Commissioners Jim Congrove, Kathy Hartman and Kevin McCasky should have known better. The explanation from Congrove and Hartman, boiled down to its essence, was “oops.” McCasky was unrepentant, saying he didn’t think the news media had any business being there.
If this were the first time elected Jeffco officials had run afoul of the law, it’d be one thing. But the county has a tradition of flouting laws and civilized behavior. It doesn’t take but one phrase, “Pinky T,” to put it all in perspective. More on that in a moment.
In this case, commissioners held a meeting on July 5 to speak with county workers, 70 of whom showed up, about the grim budget situation. The county is facing a $12 million shortfall.
No public notice was posted about the meeting, yet all three commissioners attended. The Colorado Open Meetings Law forbids any public board from having a quorum present any time public business is discussed without first giving adequate notice. Congrove and Hartman acknowledged their actions violated the law, but thought it an oversight on the part of county staffers.
Landmark Community Newspapers, which publishes the Canyon Courier and other publications, filed a lawsuit alleging the violation of law and asking for a judge to issue an injunction keeping the county from holding illegal meetings, and asking for attorney’s fees.
Good for them for standing up for the public’s right to know what elected officials are doing with tax dollars.
The irony of the situation is that commissioners were meeting to discuss the county’s troubled budget, which isn’t going to get any better if a judge hits the county with legal fees associated with the litigation.
The gaffe threatens to be another episode in Jeffco’s sorry government traditions. Who can forget the Pinky T episode? Commissioner Rick Sheehan’s wife was caught sending raunchy faxes to a government critic in an effort to get the gadfly to publish the libelous material. Sheehan resigned in disgrace and cost the county more than $60,000 in legal bills.
Also, a special prosecutor is investigating allegations that the county used public money to spy on private citizens after Congrove and McCasky urged former county attorney Frank Hutfless to hire the investigator.
The other notorious image that haunts Jeffco is Mark Paschall in jail-issued orange togs. The former treasurer was indicted earlier this year in an alleged kickback scheme.
The citizens of Jefferson County have been putting up with dysfunctional government for far too long. They deserve better, and no one should be surprised if they voice their displeasure at the ballot box.
