The Garfield County Board of County Commissioners approved the renewal of its highest-dollar contract — a $2.9 million agreement for jail medical services — and unanimously authorized a gravel quarry permit for QB Energy at its June 8 meeting in Parachute. The board also signed a letter of support for a regional transit feasibility grant and received updates on the County Road 108 bridge, insurance procurement, and a countywide workforce analysis. Chairman Jane Foster, Commissioner Perry Will, and Commissioner John Sampson were all present. No members of the public offered comment on items outside the agenda.
Jail Health Contract: $2.9 Million Renewal
The board approved a one-year renewal of its contract with CORE Health, LLC to provide medical, mental health, and ancillary care services to individuals held in the county jail, at a total not to exceed $2,936,119.38. Procurement Manager Cimberlee Keesbery and budget representative Cathy Dalla presented the contract. The figure includes a $160,000 pass-through medication grant and reflects a 4% rate increase — reduced from an initial ask of 5% — directed entirely at nursing staff compensation to keep the county competitive in the regional labor market.
County Manager Fred Jarman called it the county’s single most expensive contract. Commissioner Will, returning from a county council conference where jail medical liability dominated discussion, said CORE Health had been a strong partner in limiting exposure compared to vendors other counties use. The board approved the renewal unanimously.
QB Energy Quarry Permit Approved
The board unanimously approved a limited impact land use permit for QB Energy’s Jackrabbit Quarry, a gravel mining operation on an existing oil-and-gas well pad located approximately 13 miles north of Parachute on County Road 215, on a parcel exceeding 26,000 acres.
The application proposes to mine native materials already on the pad — graded in 2018 under a prior ECMC permit — and transport them for use on QB Energy’s roads and oil-and-gas properties across Garfield County and in Rio Blanco and Mesa counties. Staff Planner Philip Berry told the board the operation would remain within the existing disturbed footprint, involve no blasting, require no permanent structures, and include progressive reclamation over a projected 20-year permit period. Taylor Valentine and Dylan Boston of River City Consultants represented the applicant.
The approval carried nine conditions. One — added at the hearing — requires QB Energy to record a corrective deed before the land use change permit issues. The property’s title shows a discrepancy between county offices: the clerk and recorder lists prior owner Karis Energy, while the assessor shows QB Energy and Prairie Energy Partners as current co-owners. Ed Seymour, QB Energy’s legal representative, attributed the gap to minor scrivener’s errors in the transfer and said a resolution was underway.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife recommended a March 1–July 15 operational closure to protect greater sage grouse habitat. The applicant’s wildlife mitigation plan, developed with CPW, already incorporated most of those recommendations. Referral comments from county consulting engineer Chris Hale, Public Health’s Ted White, CPW’s Kirk Oldham, and county Road and Bridge and Vegetation Management staff were addressed through the conditions. No public comments had been received as of the hearing date.
Commissioner Will called it “probably one of the most clean-cut applications for a gravel pit I’ve ever seen.”
Transit Feasibility Study: County Signs Letter of Support
The board unanimously agreed to sign a letter of support for an FTA Section 5304 grant application to fund a one-year transit feasibility study covering the western Garfield County corridor — primarily between Silt and Parachute, with Newcastle as an adjacent consideration.
Vinnie Tomasulo, Parachute’s community and economic development director, and Dana Wood, transportation mobility director for the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, presented alongside Parachute Town Manager Travis Elliott. The $100,000 grant carries a 20% local match, split among Northwest COG, the Regional Transportation Coordination Council, and the towns of Parachute, Silt, and Rifle.
Wood said the study would assess existing conditions, model ridership demand, and identify funding options for local transit service in the region. She noted December as a potential pressure point if RAFTA — the regional bus service — loses federal funding, which could affect existing transit access in the area.
County Manager and Other Updates
Jarman told the board the countywide workforce analysis contracted to MGT is expected complete by late August, in time to shape budget decisions. The county has narrowed its CAP property-liability insurance broker competition to four finalists, with interviews underway and a decision targeted before the July 14 budget kickoff.
Road and Bridge’s Rob Hannah reported the County Road 108 bridge replacement is on schedule. Workers had replaced approximately 40 feet of decking by the end of the prior week, with guardrail upgrades, a concrete pour, and asphalt still ahead. The bridge is targeted to reopen July 24.
Executive Session
An attorney from the county attorney’s office — covering while County Attorney Heather Beattie was in trial — requested executive session under CRS 24-6-402-4B and E for legal advice on contract negotiations between the county and the state government. The board voted unanimously to enter and subsequently to exit the session.
Consent Agenda
The board approved four consent agenda items without discussion. The meeting adjourned following the county manager’s calendar review.
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