El Paso County Presents 2022 Preliminary Balanced Budget

Press release from the El Paso County Government:

October 6, 2021

October 6, 2021 – The El Paso County Financial Services Department presented the 2022 Preliminary Balanced Budget at the October 4, 2021 Board of County Commissioners meeting. El Paso County provides vital public services such as public health, public safety, and critical infrastructure. The preliminary budget aims to balance the competing needs of offering crucial public services, plan conservatively for the future, and issue a $7.1 million TABOR refund to area residents.

“Out of the ten largest counties in the state, El Paso County citizens enjoy the lowest county property tax burden and the lowest cost per citizen for delivering high-impact services,” said Nikki Simmons, County Controller. “This budget prioritizes the highest needs of service to our citizens while maintaining our fiscally conservative organizational culture.”

The $512 million Preliminary Balanced Budget includes the second tranche of $69 million American Rescue Plan Act funds and $159 million in discretionary revenue that the Board of County Commissioners will distribute to provide core services and departments. Other funds are considered “restricted” and are used to fund operations such as the Department of Human Services, the Road and Bridge Fund, and the Capital Improvement Fund.

The preliminary balanced budget addresses various critical needs of the county with increased service demands, population growth, and unfunded mandates from the legislature and governor. The proposed budget prioritizes high-impact road infrastructure, stormwater maintenance ($440,000), and additional support for El Paso County Public Health ($150,000) to help the community recover from the pandemic. The $11 million allocated to high-impact road projects represents a significant investment into local road infrastructure. The budget also includes funding for additional staffing for the District Attorney’s Office ($462,000) to support one of the busiest law enforcement agencies in the state, as well as funding for major facility improvements ($750,000) and the Templeton Gap and Beaver Creek Drainage Basin Planning Projects ($500,000).

Members of the public may attend and comment on the budget during any of the below meetings. The meetings are held at 9:00 am, in the Commissioner’s Hearing Room at Centennial Hall, 200 South Cascade Avenue.

The remaining 2022 El Paso County Budget hearing schedule is as follows:

2022 Budget Hearing – October 19, 2021

2022 Budget Hearing – October 21, 2021

2022 Budget Hearing – November 16, 2021

2022 Budget Hearing – December 7, 2021

This press release was produced by the El Paso County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.