JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Jefferson County has a new county manager, and she's coming home to take the job.
Laura Aldrete, who previously served as executive director of community planning and development for the City and County of Denver, met with Denver7's Jefferson County reporter Allie Jennerjahn to answer questions from residents about affordability, housing, tax hikes and more.
"I was born and raised in Jefferson County, and I love the idea that I'm coming back to continue and contribute to a place that helped raise me," Aldrete said.
Residents raised concerns about the overall cost of living in the county.
"What are you going to do about sustaining the way of life people had around Jefferson County before?" Dan Richards asked. "Affordability wise, parking, infrastructure."
Aldrete said housing affordability should be a central part of her economic development strategy.
"Part of affordability needs to be incorporated into our economic development strategy because we need to allow for or provide for housing for everyone," Aldrete said. "I think having a thoughtful sustainable economic development plan for Jefferson County will include thoughts about affordability, policy about affordability, and that will help us make those right decisions and balance between growth, but then also delivering on affordability."
Residents also raised concerns over emails about potential tax increases. Aldrete addressed those concerns directly, pledging careful stewardship of public funds.
"It's important that we understand our fiduciary responsibility with the taxpayers' dollars," Aldrete said. "I will promise that that is what we are going to do. We're going to be very careful with how we spend the taxpayer dollars."
When asked what she sees as the county's biggest challenge, Aldrete pointed to cuts in federal and state funding for human services programs.
"I think one of the biggest challenges that I think a lot about, and I'm learning a lot about, is the reduction from the federal government and then the state government in the revenue or the funding sources … to our human services and those programs that really help our … communities that are most vulnerable," Aldrete said. "We are working as hard and as fast as we can to continue to adjust to be able to continue to serve those populations."
Aldrete also discussed wildfire risk.
"I think we are at the forefront of because of our high wildfire risk in the state," Aldrete said. "We have new code and and we are communicating and looking to provide grants to our community to help with implement that. It will stay at the forefront of of our minds and certainly of what I think about every day and making sure we are coordinated as a county for what that you know for preparedness in case there is an emergency, then what is that recovery and how do we think about our county in terms of resiliency?"
Lastly, Denver7 asked Aldrete how she plans to interact with the community.
"When I was talking to a number of folks as part of the interview process, several people said they are interested in ... a county manager thinking about Jefferson County as all of Jefferson County, not the spaces just in between the municipalities. And I've already met several times ... as a group with the municipalities and working with one already on a particular issue, and we're a team, right? We are only going to succeed if we are in this together, and we have different agendas and we have different geographic areas, but we will be better if we come together."
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