Media Coverage
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11/25/2008	Pension Fund Needs $4.7M, Officials Say
El Paso County’s pension fund will need a cash infusion to stay afloat because it’s now paying out more than it takes in. The fund needs an additional $4.7 million annually to meet its obligations over the long term, pension officials told county commissioners Monday. Retirement plan officials said the fund has lost 29 percent of its value, or $88 million, since October 2007.
11/16/2008	Commissioners’ move lets county borrow money without voter appr
“We need the money,� Commissioner Jim Bensberg said in an interview. “That’s one of the ways we’re able to balance the budget going forward to 2009.� (We`re burning the furniture to keep warm.)
08/12/2008	Bruce criticized employees, not sheriff or victim program
My main criticism is of his employees, who should not have invited this Denver radical to speak. They should also read all materials before allowing their distribution.
06/11/2008	THE COUNTY`S BUDGET VOODOO
El Paso County commissioners have thumbed their noses at the Colorado Constitution. It’s likely they outright broke state law Monday when they approved what has been widely reported as $9.1 million in spending cuts.
05/31/2008	COUNTY PLANS HOCUS POCUS LOANS
The recommended departmental cuts are great. The proposed debt shenanigans are not. County officials need to live within their means and focus on those services that lie within the proper purview of government. County officials need to understand what the citizens they serve already know: You can`t borrow your way out of debt.
03/12/2008	Lathen`s pay hike shows contempt for voters
When does this "robbery" (of our tax dollars) and "favoritism" for "one of their own" END??? When will this County`s leaders show the citizens some REAL honesty, fairness and justice FOR ALL???
12/23/2007	Commissioners’ meeting disappoints audience
Five minutes after the meeting began, the board voted 4-1 to go into executive session, though it was not on the agenda. Douglas Bruce mentioned his regret that the rest of the board had such a lack of respect for the public’s time.
11/16/2007	COST OF COLLECTING TAX FALLS ON COMPANIES
Bruce encouraged Faricy and other business owners to sue the county for what he called a violation of the Taxpayers’s Bill of Rights. Eliminating the vendor fee is a tax increase, he said.
11/08/2007	STATE MAY OWE COUNTY $4 MILLION
An analysis of 2005 and 2006 figures has El Paso County claiming the state may have shorted it by up to $4 million in sales taxes collected on the county’s behalf. That is nearly the amount the County Commission is expected to trim from its 2007 budget during a meeting that begins at 9 a.m. today.
09/23/2007	Bruce refuses to join county`s secret discussions
Friday`s Our View, “No more mysteries,� rightly criticized El Paso County government for its secretive behavior in placing the county attorney on paid leave. Unfortunately, the critique incorrectly implied I participated. I did not.
09/14/2005	Buying silence? County severance policies breed suspicion
Commissioner Douglas Bruce blew the whistle on this payoff by reporting it to the Gazette minutes after he was told about it.
09/13/2005	Official gets deal to quit county job
El Paso County’s public information officer received a severance deal worth more than $31,000 this month in exchange for leaving her job and promising not to discuss the reasons for her departure. Ann Ervin’s annual salary as public information officer was about $62,000. The settlement she signed Sept. 2 called for giving her six months pay, plus health and dental benefits.
07/29/2005	Bruce loses liaison post
El Paso County Commissioner Douglas Bruce clashed sharply with his colleagues Thursday as they booted him from his role as a liaison to the county Department of Health and Environment.