Opinion

It shouldn’t be easy

I just want to put a face on local small businesses in Rio Blanco County,” Matt Scoggins, a local Certified Public Accountant, told Rio Blanco County commissioners during public comment at Monday’s regularly scheduled meeting, which I attended Monday.
As Matt started to speak, I scrambled for my phone to start my app to record what he was about to say.
Matt owns Colorado CPA and has offices on Main streets in Meeker in Rangely, I’ve known Matt for several years, he helps us out here at the Herald Times by submitting articles and photos, asking for no bylines or photo credits, just wanting the efforts those in our community to be recognized in our newspaper. I greatly appreciate his help, which he does for free. My wife and I use Matt’s services to prepare our income taxes for our business and I have the utmost respect for him so I wanted to record what he had to say.
Matt recently bid his company’s auditing services to Rio Blanco County and his company was not awarded the bid. The bid was awarded to Paul Miller, a CPA from Grand Junction, who bid his services for the first of five years at $20,000, Matt’s bid for the first year was $24,900.
Matt told of having three CPAs on staff, all RBC property owners, who support local businesses in Meeker and Rangely and the many different non-profit organizations, but what prompted Matt to address the commissioners was the “very polite letter” he received about not getting the bid and in one part, the letter read, the price difference “made it easy” to decide.
“We need support from our leaders, which is the county, you are our elected leaders,” Matt said told the commissioners. “You are the people we elected to represent and grow our communities and our county and I hope you understand that when you spend money outside our community when we have people here who can do the work, it is a disservice.”
In a conversation after the meeting Matt told me “it should never be easy for them to buy out of county. We (small businesses) are Rio Blanco County, our employees the fabric of our communities and they should be supporting us. It all comes around. If others are successful, we are successful.”
RBC commissioner chairman Shawn Bolton said the board has made every effort to spend every dime here, on vehicles and construction projects but “where do you draw the line,” he asked. Bolton said putting a dollar amount or setting a percentage preference to local businesses was setting themselves up for failure and would possibly discourage out of town businesses to not bid.
“But I would like to know what an acceptable amount is. That would be a good article Bobby,” Bolton said to me. “How much would you be willing to pay to stay local?”
I appreciate the suggestion and I’m willing to give my opinion, although being born and raised in Meeker, it might seem a bit biased. I agree with Matt and a simple answer to commissioner Bolton’s question in this case would be $24,900.
I agree with Matt when he said we can’t always buy local but it shouldn’t be easy to decide to buy out of town because it is hard to put a price on some things.
Price for Rio Blanco County audit in 2013, $20,000 — free pictures with the Grinch this Friday during Rangely’s Christmasfest celebration at Colorado CPA, priceless.

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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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4 days ago
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A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
5 days ago
View on Instagram |
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Cowboy Carson Klinzmann on the mound for Meeker at Suplizio Field in Grand Junction last Saturday. Meeker took on the 4A Rifle Bears, losing 11-1, and the Basalt Longhorns, losing 7-3. Read the recap online at ht1885.com.
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