County Administration

Strategic planning

Garfield County sets priorities, policy directives, strategies, and priorities under direction of the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) that promote the county’s mission to deliver quality services to the citizens of Garfield County. Key priorities are identified by the BOCC through annual budget public hearings. These are in addition to the department and office initiatives, work plans, and programs currently underway and day-to-day operations and services provided to the community. The strategic planning process is adaptive as resident needs change, and focuses on:

• Infrastructure and investment
• Health and human services
• Community outreach and transparency
• Federal state and local policy
• Economic development
• Organizational, core and internal services

Garfield County 2023 policy directives

Fred Jarman, County manager

Garfield County has named Fred Jarman as its new county manager, whose role is to implement the Board of County Commissioners’ policies and priorities, balancing an annual budget of more than $101.7 million, and overseeing service delivery to this western Colorado county of more than 60,000 residents.

The county manager serves the citizens of Garfield County by working to implement the policies of the Board of County Commissioners, and by managing a large organization that provides quality services to the citizens of Garfield County. Garfield County administration supports the county’s other elected officials.

Jarman holds a master’s degree in community and regional planning from the University of Oregon, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Emory and Henry College in Virginia. Prior to working in local government, he served two tours in the U.S. Peace Corps in west and central Africa in international development. He has lived in Garfield County for 23 years, where he and his wife are raising two daughters.

Garfield County organizational chart

Administration and Commissioners’ staff