Week of June 9, 2022
FREE
DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
ParkerChronicle.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 24
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 28
County government experiencing ‘staffing crisis’ amid low pay Managers, human resources director asking for raises BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Douglas County government is struggling to find employees and seeing “historically high” turnover rates as the board of commissioners has delayed approving raises.
In April, human resources director Laura Leary asked commissioners to approve a 3% across-the-board raise for the county’s 1,350 employees. “Some directors would say, they would describe it as a staffing crisis right now,” Leary said. Leary recommended that a raise be enacted for June 30 paychecks, saying the latest the board could vote to meet that timeline was in May.
Commissioner Lora Thomas supported the raise increase while commissioners Abe Laydon and George Teal were not ready to move forward. While the board agreed to revisit the subject in May, no meeting was ever scheduled. A spokesperson said it will be discussed sometime in June. Last year’s turnover rate at the county was about 18% and this year is on par to be about the same. As of
Bakery is sweet addition to Parker Poulette Bakeshop owners bring international touch to Colorado customers BY RACHEL LORENZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
When its doors open at 8 a.m., nearly two dozen varieties of beautiful, made-from-scratch pastries, desserts and bread fill the glass case at Poulette Bakeshop. “We know how to do a lot with a little,” chef Carolyn Nugent said. Nugent owns the 1,300-square-foot bakery with her husband, chef Alen Ramos. The shop, which opened seven months ago in south Parker, only has two ovens, one mixer, a walk-in cooler and a machine for folding and rolling dough. Poulette Bakeshop’s early success arises not from the bells and whistles in its kitchen but from the hard work and worldclass experience of its owners. “The training that we’ve had makes us able to do more with less,” Nugent said.
June 3, there were 139 vacancies in the organization. “In jobs we used to get say 20 to 30 applicants pretty regularly, we are seeing things like two applicants, three applicants,” Leary said. County Clerk and Recorder Merlin Klotz has also been asking commissioners to pay his staff higher wages in several emails obtained by Colorado Community Media SEE CRISIS, P9
County homelessness initiative to discuss temporary housing solution Castle Rock council opposes plan BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Boxes of extra large macarons can be preordered on Poulette Bakeshop’s website.
Douglas County’s Homelessness Initiative will be discussing a potential short-term housing solution in the form of a Pallet center at its June 9 meeting. The goal is to provide more local resources to unsheltered people. The committee will be evaluating possible locations for a Pallet center, which would include shelter space, bathrooms and an office for reintegration and human services. Douglas County Commissioner Abe
PHOTOS COURTESY OF POULETTE BAKESHOP
SEE SWEETS, P10
SEE SOLUTION, P8
NEED TO SUCCEED
The cost of college drives students down.
P4
DEVASTATION TO DELIGHT Artists forge wonderful works from wildfire’s remains P14