|
THE DENVER POST
<br />Thursday, January 4, 199
<br />Reservoir builders with bonus
<br />BONUS from Page 1A _me this have built this proj-
<br />ect ,
<br />_
<br />with a population <>f about 350,000, �� The bonuses were for completion of
<br />defended its decisioin. Wolford Mountain Reservoir, a $42
<br />You bet I'm worth that mucha million project near Kremmling that
<br />said began storing water this spring. A
<br />year district manz,iger who got the water district director said the dam
<br />biggest bonus — $:110,000. "We did a was finished one year ahead of sched-
<br />very good job, am9 our board was ule and for $250,000 less than the
<br />pleased with it... . If it wasn't for original construction bid. _
<br />Reservoir
<br />"It was recommended that 10 per-
<br />cent of the savings go to the team
<br />that built and was responsible for the
<br />reservoir. That was $25,000," said
<br />district Vice President Wes Signs.
<br />"They put in a lot of hours of work:
<br />We felt they deserved a bonus."
<br />After directors decided that their
<br />staff was worthy of $25,000 in bo-
<br />nuses, they asked two district em-
<br />builders get
<br />hefty bonus
<br />By Mark Obmascik
<br />Denver Post Environment Writer
<br />When managers of a,little -known Western
<br />Slope water agency built a reservoir ahead of
<br />time and under budget, they celebrated two
<br />ways.
<br />First they smashed a champagne bottle
<br />against the dam.
<br />Then they and other employees got a
<br />$25,000 bonus.
<br />Just in time for Thanksgiving, nine employ-
<br />ees of the Colorado River Water Conservation
<br />District were rewarded with a sweet addition
<br />to their regular paychecks.
<br />It's rare for local government workers to
<br />get bonuses for doing local government work.
<br />But the Glenwood Springs -based water dis-
<br />trict, which serves 15 Western Slope counties
<br />Please see BONUS on j 2A
<br />ployees to help them divvy up the
<br />cash.' Both those employees, Fischer
<br />and assistant manager Eric Kuhn,
<br />ended up receiving bonuses.
<br />In a state whose voters recently
<br />approved stern limits on govern-
<br />ment's ability to raise taxes, the wa-
<br />ter agency bonuses might be consid-
<br />ered a risky move politically.
<br />Anti -tax activist Douglas Bruce,
<br />who wrote the tax - limitation amend-
<br />ment to Colorado's constitution, said
<br />the bonuses represented lousy public
<br />policy.
<br />"This deal smells bad," Bruce said.
<br />"I don't believe in people in govern-
<br />ment giving themselves bonuses to do
<br />their jobs."
<br />Bonuses were approved unani-
<br />mously by 11 district directors, who
<br />supervise 15 district employees. Al-
<br />though directors are granted the pow-
<br />er of taxation — they collect $1.9
<br />million a year in property taxes from
<br />the Western Slope — they are ap-
<br />pointed by judges and not elected by
<br />voters.
<br />The financing was intricate.
<br />The money for the bonuses didn't
<br />come from the property -tax financed
<br />general fund of the Colorado River
<br />Water Conservation District. Instead,
<br />it came from a separate operation,
<br />managed by the same district direc-
<br />tors, called the Colorado River Water
<br />Conservation District Water Projects
<br />Enterprise Fund.
<br />This fund financed construction of
<br />Wolford Mountain Reservoir. It in-
<br />cluded payments from another une-
<br />lected taxing authority, the Northern
<br />Colorado Water Conservation District
<br />of Loveland, which paid the district
<br />millions for the privilege of building
<br />its own Western Slope dam; the Den-
<br />ver Water Board, which gets 40 pei
<br />cent of the water from Wolfor
<br />Mountain Reservoir; and the pry
<br />ceeds of a state government loan.
<br />The district's enterprise fund no,
<br />contains a $10.8 million surplus at th
<br />same time the district is collectin
<br />$1.9 million in annual property taxe:
<br />District officials said they place
<br />Wolford Mountain Reservoir in an er
<br />terprise fund to avoid complicatior.
<br />with Bruce's TABOR amendmen
<br />which limits government reverm
<br />and requires voter approval of an
<br />new taxes.
<br />The district now is considerin
<br />three other water projects that coul
<br />be financed from its surplus: an e;
<br />pansion of Elkhead Reservoir ne<
<br />Craig; the purchase of a small rese
<br />voir, Bolts Lake, near Minturn; ar
<br />construction of a new dam on Ranc
<br />Creek near Fraser, a district spoke
<br />man said.
<br />Other district employees receivir
<br />bonuses include David Merritt,
<br />$75,000 -a -year project engineer wl
<br />got a $6,000 bonus; Kuhn, a $90,500
<br />.year engineer who got $5,000; Jac
<br />Osborne, a $40,900 -a -year senior fig
<br />technician who got $1,000; Ray Te
<br />ney, a $64,400 -a -year engineer wl
<br />got $1,000; and Earline West,
<br />$51,500 -a -year office manager wl
<br />got $750.
<br />Also, David Hallford, an $82,500=
<br />year lawyer received $750; Kern D
<br />vidson, a $19,760 -a -year secreta:
<br />got $250, and Chris Treese, a $61,50
<br />a -year district spokesman got $250
<br />Treese said the bonus came as
<br />surprise.
<br />"I didn't expect it," Treese sai
<br />"and I never expect to see of
<br />again."
<br />
|