On Tuesday, Garfield County renewed a contract with a consulting firm to audit the local oil and gas industry.
Garfield County will pay Martindale Consultants $100,000 to audit Encana, one of several energy companies operating in the county. Martindale will comb back through Encana’s records from 2011.
Oil and gas companies report their own production, which is what they pay taxes on. If they felt they’ve paid too much, they will file what’s called an “abatement,” which Martindale will also help Garfield County with.
Since 2008, Martindale has found the county more than $19 million in unpaid taxes.
