Commissioners approve filling a vacant criminal justice services officer position to avoid staffing shortfalls

Garfield County commissioners on Monday approved filling one vacant Criminal Justice Services Officer I position in the county’s community corrections program, a vote applicants said was intended to prevent larger staffing shortfalls and rising overtime costs.

Community Corrections Director Travis Horton told the board that the department already had two vacancies under the hiring freeze, and a third resignation effective Sept. 27 would leave three of nine Criminal Justice Services Officer I positions open. Horton said that level of vacancy “is pretty significant” and would increase overtime pressure and reduce services such as work‑ender supervision and useful public service work.

The nut graf: Horton and commissioners weighed the cost of a new hire (which Horton estimated along with the county manager at roughly $100,000 with benefits) against projected overtime expenses (about $60,000 for the current year), with the board concluding that filling the position was the less disruptive option for service continuity.

Commissioners asked how filling the position would affect work‑ender and useful‑public‑service programs; Horton said one position had already been reallocated to cover coverage needs and that filling this vacancy would allow those programs to continue. The board approved the request to fill the position for the remainder of the 2025 fiscal year.

The decision did not include additional appropriations at the meeting; finance staff will adjust budget documents as required for the 2026 budget process.