craigdailypress.com

Although Moffat County wrote more than $1 million in checks for operations in May, not many of them were big purchases at the time.

For instance, a check for $2.50 went to Favorite Things, at 584 Yampa Ave., for a book to place in the Museum of Northwest Colorado archives.

The county road and bridge department also wrote an $8 check to Nick and Ann Charchalis for large-rock gravel hauled out of a county pit.

Not every expense is so small, however.

Road and bridge spent $152,125.88 with New Mexico-based Desert Mountain for magnesium chloride, which local crews spray on the county's gravel roads.

County Budget Analyst Tinneal Gerber said the county budgeted more than $500,000 for the chemical this year, with helps keep down dust and bond gravel together.

"If you ask road and bridge, the commissioners and a lot of the citizens, it's very important to have that for the roads," she said.

A slightly larger expense was the county's monthly premium of $152,293.39 to Great West Healthcare for its employees' health insurance.

Moffat County solicits new bids for its health insurance provider every year, Gerber said, to keep costs down.

Despite that, costs increase every year, as well, she added. But this way, they don't increase quite so much.

Great West also provided the county's health care coverage in 2008, but initially notified the county its costs would increase 24 percent for 2009.

Through the bid process, Great West reduced its cost increase to 12 percent and won the award for having the lowest bid.

Also in May, the county paid out $87,892.58 for a long-term community project, which went to the Craig/Moffat County Economic Development Partnership to cover expenses for the Work and Life Skills Program.

The program sought to provide job training and other life skills to local students this spring and was paid for by Moffat County Social Services reserve funds.

All told, the county spent $1,039,719.89 in May, which Gerber said was typical for a month's worth of county business.

She added that although Moffat County does not have a set budget for each month, its total expenses for the first half of 2009 are less than budgeted.