For five years, Montezuma County Administrator Melissa Brunner has been the captain of the ship, guiding the county through smooth and rough waters.
But now she will get on board with Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1 as the new finance director, a post she held previously.
“It has been a real pleasure and honor to serve the county,” she said. “The best memories are working together with the staff and commissioners to manage the county and provide the best public services we can.”
Highlights of her tenure include helping to oversee the construction of the new $9.6 million courthouse, the reorganization of county departments into a remodeled old courthouse, and the creation of creating a county vehicle fleet program.
“We also provided a building for a new county museum and sold the Justice Building,” she said.
Brunner has expertise in public finance and as county administrator managed the county budget. Last year was challenging, she said. A budget shortfall due to falling oil and gas tax revenues led to program cuts.
“The biggest challenge for the county moving forward is declining tax revenues from oil and gas, growing demand for county services and the impacts that the Gallagher Amendment has on government budgets in rural areas,” she said.
The county has a “very strong” budget reserve of $28 million, Brunner said. The healthy rainy day fund allowed the county to draw $7 million to put toward the new courthouse, a project that was required by the state.
The administrator oversees 16 departments, implements policies set by commissioners, provides research information to the commissioners, prepares the budget and certifies the mill levy.
She credits a team of strong department heads and staff for keeping the county on track and handling challenges.
“The people here are phenomenal. We have a great team,” she said.
The county has posted the county administrator job opening, along with several other positions under the current job openings tab on the Montezuma County website. Brunner will stay on the job until January.
In an email to The Journal, RE-1 Superintendent Lori Haukeness announced hiring Brunner to again manage the district’s finances.
“We know that her experience and knowledge gained while she worked as County Administrator will only add to her already broad knowledge of public finance,” Haukeness said. “Her strong partnerships within our community will be an added strength as she moves into the Director of Finance job.”
Before taking the administrator job in 2013, Brunner was RE-1 finance director for 15 years.