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Grand County adopts tentative 2026 budget, opens detailed review of new positions and reclassifications
Summary
The county commission adopted a tentative 2026 budget and spent the workshop reviewing dozens of requested new hires and reclassifications, including a mandated airport operations manager, wildfire‑grant positions and a county victim advocate after an MOU ended with Moab PD.
Grand County commissioners adopted the tentative 2026 budget during a Nov. 5 meeting and directed staff to continue detailed, line‑by‑line review of dozens of personnel requests and reclassification proposals ahead of final adoption.
Clerk/Auditor Gabe Wojciech presented the packet and timeline for the budget process, saying the tentative budget was posted Nov. 1 and that public hearings and amendments will follow before final adoption in December. "This tentative budget was presented to you all by the November 1," Wojciech said as he described embedded documents and revenue worksheets used to build 2026 projections.
The packet included sales and use tax trend analyses, a capital projects list and fund balance estimates. Commissioners asked for an Excel version of the budget that would allow live calculations of how each personnel or program decision affects the general fund. Several asked staff to prepare alternative scenarios and a single spreadsheet that shows the bottom‑line impact when items (for example, cost‑of‑living adjustments or new hires) are toggled on or off.
Two items presented to the commission were described as mandatory: a county operations manager at Canyonlands Regional Airport required after the airport's FAA audit, and a part‑time victim advocate requested by the county attorney because a memorandum of understanding with Moab City Police that had provided victim‑services support will not be renewed. Tess Barger of HR said the victim advocate would be roughly a 25‑hour per week position and is intended to ensure the county continues to meet its victim‑services obligations.
Other personnel requests discussed included a maintenance technician for the Old Spanish Trail Arena (OSA), a part‑time film commission assistant funded by transient room tax promotion funds, and multiple positions tied to a four‑year Community Wildfire Defense Grant — including seasonal fuels‑reduction crew members whose wages would be grant‑reimbursable while benefits would be a county expense. Tess Barger said seasonal crew members were budgeted at approximately 900 hours each and that the county would carry payroll taxes and workers' compensation for those hires.
Commissioners also reviewed a set of reclassification proposals and a request to periodically update elected‑official pay to the regional average. Treasurer Chris Kaufman prepared comparative data; staff and commissioners noted the county's last comprehensive salary survey dated to 2021 and recommended planning for a broader review in 2026. Several commissioners said a targeted external salary survey could inform compensations and grade structure going forward.
What happens next: the commission formally adopted the tentative 2026 budget to open the public‑review period and instructed staff to provide the budget in a spreadsheet with live calculation capability, alternatives to proposed administrative fees on restricted funds, and additional documentation for each personnel request so commissioners can prioritize before final votes. The tentative adoption does not finalize hiring or reclassifications; those requests will return for further consideration and, where required, formal action.
