Rio Blanco County advances multi-part finance modernization plan; payroll rollout targeted for October

Rio Blanco County commissioners and staff used a work session to outline a multi-year plan to strengthen the county’s finance operations, including recruiting a full-time finance director or, alternatively, hiring an Accountant II, migrating accounting software to InCode 10, moving payroll and timekeeping to BambooHR and piloting accounts-payable automation.

County leaders said the work is intended to reduce manual ledger work, improve reporting and lower audit risk while preserving continuity for ongoing duties such as payroll and DHS reimbursements. Staff said the county budget contains funds for the finance director in 2025 and that some software purchases were included in the 2025 budget; other purchases could come from contingency.

The presentation framed hiring and staffing as the top priority. Staff recommended posting both a finance director and an Accountant II position at the same time but hiring only one, with the finance director as the preferred hire and Accountant II as a fallback so current staff have a promotion pathway. Staff noted that Danny currently holds an Accountant I position and could be a candidate for an Accountant II promotion if the county does not hire a finance director.

Officials described a phased technology program that would begin immediately and continue through 2026 and…