Colorado requires county governments to publish employee compensation to provide transparency to the public about how taxpayer funds are spent. This report shows a snapshot of each county’s allocation of payroll across departments.

Grand County’s report, published as a printed legal notice in Sky-Hi News on Feb. 11, lists wages annually for county employees, from administrative staff to law enforcement and emergency services.

In total, Grand County employed 349 workers in 2025. The county budget for wages came out to about $14,520,000.

Grand County’s highest-paid employee in 2025 was the county manager, Edward Moyer, who earned nearly $222,000 in wages, according to a salary publication released Feb. 11. Several other top earners included department directors, attorneys and senior public safety officials, many of whom made well into six figures.

Also in the top five salaries were the County Attorney, Maxine LaBarre-Krostue, who made about $197,000; Undersheriff Wayne Schafer, who serves as second-in-command to the sheriff and made about $186,000; Special Operations Lieutenant Jeff Bauckman, who manages critical incidents and major crime scenes and made about $173,000 and Patrol Sergeant Derek Bell, who earned roughly $160,000.

What are the salaries of Grand’s elected officials?

The following positions are elected county officials serving four-year terms: commissioners, treasurer, assessor, coroner, clerk and recorder, surveyor and sheriff. Commissioner and sheriff salary amounts are set by state statute, according to Grand County Human Resources Director Colleen Reynolds.

All elected officials’ salaries for 2025 were as follows:

• District 1 Commissioner Edward Raegner: $115,266
• District 2 Commissioner Merrit Linke: $121,557
• District 3 Commissioner Randy George: $81,465
• Commissioner Richard Cimino (served part of the year): $6,291
• Treasurer Marcy Wheatley: $93,965
• Assessor Larry Banman: $81,465
• Coroner Tawyna Bailey: $81,465
• Clerk and Recorder Jolene Linke: $81,465
• Surveyor Warren Ward: $4,595
• Sheriff Brett Schroetlin: $105,834

County commissioners are typically paid a set annual salary, but the report reflected wages earned during the calendar year. As a result, totals varied widely, from about $122,000 for a full-year commissioner to about $6,300 for a commissioner who appeared to have served only partially.The sheriff’s office accounted for a large share of higher wages in the report.

Law enforcement accounts for largest share of salary budget

Law enforcement accounted for the largest share of wages. At just over $6 million, it made up 42% of the total budget. This was followed by emergency medical personnel at $3 million (21%) and public works at at $2 million (14%).

The lowest-paid detention deputy made $13,000 for part-time work and the highest-paid employee made $91,000. Patrol deputies made between $77,000 and $155,000; patrol investigators made between $66,000 and $132,000; patrol lieutenants made between $147,000 and $155,000 and patrol sergeants made between $119,000 and $160,000, making them among higher-paid county employees, according to the listing.

Additionally, the detention lieutenant made about $130,000, and three of four detention sergeants made over $100,000.

In contrast to top county salaries, administrative staff and mid-level positions generally fell in the $50,000 to $70,000 range, while many public works and technician employees made roughly $40,000 to $70,000.

Emergency medical personnel, including paramedics and EMTs, showed a wide range of pay depending on role and certification level. Positions such as dispatcher, equipment operator and EMT included entry-level and more experienced employees, with wages varying accordingly.

The highest-paid employee in this department was the emergency medical service chief, who made upwards of $132,000. Paramedics made up to $103,000, averaging at about $53,000 with a large fluctuation in salary amounts. EMTs also made up to $103,000, and the lowest-paid employee received $2,900, making the average salary $53,000. Dispatcher salaries averaged at $57,700, while equipment operators averaged at $62,500.

Some of the lowest wages in the report reflected part-time positions rather than full-time employment, such as part-time equipment operators who made an average of $7,900.

The salary publication stated employees are paid on a biweekly cycle, with 26 pay periods in 2025. It also stated the countywide average percentage of salary paid, plus wages as fringe benefits, was 24% for 2025. This means total compensation — including health insurance, retirement and other benefits — was roughly one-quarter higher than listed wages.

Read the full list of Grand County salaries on page 12 in the legals section of the Feb. 11 E-edition of Sky-Hi News.