The Grand County Commission on Nov. 18 approved three personnel backfill requests identified as essential to county operations and heard a staff presentation on a proposed 2.8% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) for 2026.

Commission approval: During a budget workshop that opened at 2:31 p.m., commissioners voted unanimously to backfill a full‑time lead invasive‑species technician in the Weeds Department, a full‑time maintenance technician at the Old Spanish Trail Arena (OSTA) and a part‑time bus driver at the Grama Center. The personnel services presenter told the commission the lead technician vacancy — which occurred June 23 — has prevented the county from hiring 3–4 grant‑funded seasonal positions tied to the Community Wildfire Defense Grant; staff estimated the county had foregone about $66,000 of reimbursements for 2025 because the seasonal hires could not be supported without a full‑time lead.

Senior transportation: County staff said the Grama Center’s bus driver position requires a CDL with a passenger endorsement. Without a CDL‑qualified driver the center would be limited to a nine‑passenger van, reducing transport capacity from 15 seats and curtailing meal and social‑service trips for seniors. The county estimated the remainder of 2025 costs to backfill the part‑time driver at about $2,492 and about $25,000 for a full year at roughly 20 hours per week.

Arena maintenance: Staff told the commission that OSTA has exceeded its overtime budget because the department is operating one position short. The county estimated a 2026 cost of roughly $100,000 to fill the maintenance role and warned continued short staffing could raise safety and burnout risks for event operations.

COLA proposal: Personnel services presented a draft pay chart that would raise grades and steps by 2.8% — the same figure announced Oct. 24 by the Social Security Administration — and explained the county’s step‑and‑grade system. Staff estimated a general‑fund fiscal impact on the order of roughly $536,000 if the COLA is adopted; commissioners asked for fund‑by‑fund breakdowns and historical context including how retroactive COLAs were applied in 2018. Staff also flagged a growing number of ’topped out’ employees at step 15 who are ineligible for additional merit increases, and suggested policy options to preserve competitiveness for elected and senior positions.

Next steps: Commissioners asked staff to provide a full list of vacant positions with their estimated fiscal impacts to inform upcoming budget balancing decisions. The chair proposed tabling any new administrative‑fee increases until Q1 2026 to give departments time to plan and the commission agreed to revisit fees early next year.

Commission members and staff said they will continue budget workshops through the end of the calendar year to refine revenue projections and finalize personnel decisions.