Eubanks proud of push for fiscal responsibility

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Randy Eubanks may be leaving his post as Larimer County Commissioner, but his days as a politician are probably not over.

"I'll likely look at politics again," he said.

Eubanks, a Democrat, lost the commissioner race in November to State Sen. Steve Johnson. He was appointed to the post about one and one-half years ago to replace Karen Wagner, who resigned midway through her term.

For now, Eubanks is looking for a position in the renewable energy field. "The time is right, and Colorado is so well situated to take advantage of the technology and the funding," he said, besides being a state with lots of sunshine.

While serving as a commissioner, Eubanks pushed hard for fiscal responsibility in the county. "It's something I'm most proud of and most concerned about," he said, noting that Coloradans want top-notch services but are not willing to pay for them. "We set the course for the county to deal with financial realities for the next few years."

The 2009 county budget is a step in the right direction, Eubanks said, in that it begins to correct overspending, especially in law enforcement. The law enforcement budget, he noted, is going up at three times the rate of all other county budgets, and the department has operated in the red for eight years. "This is the first year the sheriff will have to make the hard decisions - like everyone else has to," Eubanks commented.

Eubanks has long been critical of accounting practices in the sheriff's department. "This is a kingdom that has not had proper oversight," he said.

A sales tax that supports jail operations expires in 2014, and Eubanks is pessimistic about voters approving a tax increase to replace it. If they don't, the county will be looking at a significant reduction in services across the board, he said.

"We need a long-term campaign to educate the public about choices so they will pass a tax increase," he added.

Other major challenges facing Larimer County stem from the financial situation, Eubanks said. He listed funding challenges for roads and bridges and for human services as examples.

Eubanks pointed to several areas in which he saw progress during his tenure, such as the county's adoption of "measurable outcomes" in departmental accounting. He said he also helped increase awareness of some environmental challenges in the county, such as uranium mining and the proposed Glade Reservoir. He was the only commissioner to publicly oppose Glade.

"The issues I brought up were confirmed by reports from the Environmental Protection Agency and the State Water Board," he said.

Eubanks spearheaded adoption of 1041 powers, which allow county governments oversight on large projects affecting their jurisdictions. So far, Larimer County has adopted regulations only for power plants, substations and electric transmission lines.

"We used industry as a partner to be sure we came up with something reasonable," Eubanks said.

Eubanks also lobbied for the county to extend benefits to domestic partners of county employees. Larimer County was only the second county in the state to grant such benefits, but Eubanks said he has heard of other municipalities that are now considering doing the same.

Morale among county employees has improved in the last couple of years, Eubanks said. When he was appointed to the office, he had brown-bag lunches with every department to find out what their priorities were. "We made some changes as a result of those comments," he said.

Eubanks, 44, did not hesitate when asked about the most enjoyable part of his job as commissioner. "The people of Larimer County are just fantastic," he said, including both county employees and the public. "There are days when a citizen will just let me have it, and I learn something every time."

Eubanks said he was "very humbled" to have served in the commissioner position.

Eubanks, his wife Joan and their two children, Grant and Lily, live in Windsor.