Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Gus Rojas, the county’s former budget officer who resigned midyear in 2025, will be returning to the county manager’s office as a consultant on a contractual basis. County Manager Shannon Metty announced the hiring of Rojas at the meeting of the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners on Thursday morning, March 5.
Metty, whose resignation becomes effective June 12, said she was trying to wrap up all the projects that were close to finish. She also wanted to ensure that everything in the office was in order and running smoothly before leaving, especially concerning the budget, she said.
“We've done really well with the budget over the last two years,” Metty said, adding that she had advertised for a budget officer for a while and none of the individuals who had applied so far had had government experience.
That's where Rojas came in, she said. Under her authority as county manager, she had added Rojas as a budget consultant to her office, based on his qualifications and past performance.
“He used to work with us, and he did a really good job for us before the audit,” Metty said. “We finally got our findings back, and budget-wise, the county side of things are clean. and that had to do with having Gus on board.”
The contract she had negotiated with Rojas, she said, would cost the county $3,500 monthly, for a total of $19,500. The contract, she said, would run until Dec. 31, so that Rojas could get the county through the TRIM notice process, when taxpayers are informed of what property taxes they will pay in the coming year.
“I want the best for the county, and I want the transition to be as smooth as possible,” Metty said. “I don't want the budget when I leave in June to fall by the wayside. So that's where this decision kind of came from, since I don't have a good budget person and Ron [Deputy Manager Ron Russo] is under water constantly with random fires. I just want the budget to be done correctly.”
Rojas, she said, would not be making presentations before the board. Rather, he would work with the department heads and make sure that cost projections and other related information was accurate and correct.
“He was always very good with that aspect of the budget, and because of his guidance we were able to do really well the last two years,” Metty said. “So I really feel like he'll be good for the county.”
She said the money for the contracted service would come from the funds that had been allocated to the budget officer’s position and that remained unused in the budget since Rojas’ departure from the office.
“I have extra in that salary line item, so I'll be moving some money around for his contract,” Metty said.
She added that Rojas would not be entitled to any county benefits, as his services would be strictly on a contractual basis.