As finance director of Castle Rock, Jeff Hansen has been a part
of most of the town’s recent accomplishments, but he won’t get to
see some of them completed.
As of Friday, Hansen moved on to become finance director for
Golden.
“There have been a lot of accomplishments in Castle Rock,”
Hansen said of his four and a half years here, “including capital
projects like town hall, the police station and fire
headquarters.”
But Hansen also mentioned the Community Park at Metzler Ranch,
Red Hawk Ridge Golf Course, improvements to the town’s water system
and streets.
Leaving Castle Rock was not an easy decision, Hansen
said.
“It’s been a great experience,” Hansen said. “There are so many
issues in the near future the town has to address, I hope it works
out.”
Because of the town’s dynamic environment, Hansen said he’s
learned flexibility and meeting new challenges.
“A good day for me is when I send it in productive meetings that
make progress on solutions,” Hansen said. “It’s when I’m able to
help other departments or citizens with concerns. I feel like I’m
contributing to the betterment of the community or organization.
That’s a good day.”
Hansen decided now was the time to move on because the job that
opened in Golden will allow him and his wife Jill to fulfill a
personal dream they’ve had for several years.
“We bought 10 acres of land on Floyd Hill,” Hansen said.
“Working in Golden will allow us to fulfill our dream of building
on that land.”
In the near future, Castle Rock will face challenges of how to
find more money for its general fund through a possible increase in
taxes or provide a lower level of service to its residents, Hansen
said.
“It’s human nature to want all sorts of things but not want to
pay for it,” Hansen said. “The challenges Castle Rock faces is to
find a way to provide and afford the services the citizens
demand.”
Whomever is hired to fill Hansen’s shoes is going to have a
difficult time, said Jay Beeton, communications manager for the
town.
“He has set the bar high,” Beeton said. “He has a high level of
professionalism and tremendous level of integrity. For the last 13
years, Castle Rock has been awarded for excellence in financial
reporting by the government financial officers
association.”
Hansen recently was elected vice president of the Colorado
Government Financial Officers Association, Beeton said.
“His professionalism is recognized by others in the state,”
Beeton said. “As a person he’s accessible and open. I consider him
a friend.”
For Hansen, a large part of working for government is serving
the public.
“It may be naive to think you make a difference,” Hansen said.
“But you hope you do.”