In the midst of an economic crisis that took a $3 million chunk out of its budget, the state parks division filled six management vacancies and created three new executive positions costing the state about $100,000 more a year in salaries each.
All but one of the managers hired into vacant positions now earn six-figure or near six-figure salaries, though in most cases they are paid slightly less than their predecessors.
A spate of retirements left nearly all of the division’s management posts unmanned for parts of 2009, said Kim Burgess, chief operating officer of parks’ parent agency, the Department of Natural Resources.
And the three new executive positions were designed to address concerns outlined in a harsh 2008 audit that found flaws in financial, personnel and program oversight within the parks division, she said.
“They told us, ‘You need to manage these areas of business.’ So we’re bringing in management to make that a priority,” Burgess said. “The needs were critical.”
Most of the division’s budget comes from user fees and state lottery proceeds, with about 9 percent flowing from the state’s general fund and helping keep less-traveled facilities operating.
State auditors in June 2008 found that the division needed “to implement controls over its management and expenditure of public funds.”
They cited disorganization in the way projects were prioritized and paid for, lax oversight of employee expenses and poor accounting practices that left millions in receipts off the division’s books, among many other problems.
Legislative audit committee member and Colorado Springs Republican Sen. David Schultheis is frequently critical of expanding state government.
He credited the division for taking the audit recommendations seriously but said he’s uncertain about the new hiring without looking closely at the books.
“In the budget circumstance we’re under at this point, it seems inappropriate that they wouldn’t just rearrange current staff to deal with this issue,” Schultheis said. “But I don’t want to totally slam them. They really took this audit to heart. They have a lot of my trust in what they’re trying to do.”
Of the six vacancies — two regional managers, two assistant regional managers, an assistant director of field operations and a chief of law enforcement — all but one position was filled by someone from within the division, Burgess said.
Six-figure average
Annual salaries for newly filled vacancies range from $76,140 to $115,908, with the average being $101,000.
Two of the new positions — chief financial officer and trails manager — replace old jobs, adding new responsibilities and additional pay to the tune of $20,000 more per year for each.
The CFO position is critical to addressing accounting problems that were among the most serious uncovered in the 2008 audit, said Bill Levine, budget director of the Department of Natural Resources.
Trails position changes
The trails manager position replaces a post that once oversaw only nonmotorized paths but now handles off-highway vehicle trails as well.
The division also centralized duties for vetting and planning parks projects in a new capital construction management post for $105,000 a year.
Jessica Fender: 303-954-1244 or jfender@denverpost.com
