Jefferson County sheriff's office to proceed with LED lighting project after federal reimbursement withdrawn

David Krips, budget and finance director for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, briefed commissioners on a stalled LED lighting upgrade originally tied to a Department of Energy grant administered through a Boulder program. Krips said that procurement difficulties prevented the project from meeting the grant’s requirements and the granting agency indicated it would pull the reimbursement funding.

Krips told commissioners the sheriff’s office still has $269,410 in general-fund dollars carried forward for the project. “We can still benefit as the sheriff’s office and as the county in saving utilities down the road,” Krips said, noting the office could proceed without federal reimbursement and likely do more than the original grant would have allowed because the county would not be bound by the grant’s restrictions.

The correction of funding status leaves the county with two practical choices, Krips said: redirect the earmarked funds to higher priorities or allow the sheriff’s office to use the general-fund carryforward to complete the LED conversion. Commissioners indicated support for the sheriff’s office proceeding with the project as planned. One commissioner summarized the options and noted that returning the funds to the county would require a supplemental appropriation.

No formal vote or motion to reallocate funds was recorded in the briefing; staff said that if the board instead wanted the money returned, a supplemental appropriation process would be necessary. Krips said the project will likely continue into the next fiscal year if the county elects to proceed.