The El Paso County Financial Services Department presented the Preliminary Balanced Budget at the October 3, Board of County Commissioners meeting. The next budget hearings will be held October 15 and October 17, as well as November 14 and December 10. Members of the public are invited to these meetings to share their views on the discretionary budget allocations.
The $385.6 million Preliminary Balanced Budget includes $127.8 million in discretionary revenue that the Board of County Commissioners will distribute to provide core services such as public safety and infrastructure. The remainder of the budget will go to projects and programs set by state or federal law or other restrictions which cannot be altered by Commissioners.
El Paso County government is able to meet these needs with the lowest property tax rate per citizen of any of Colorado’s top ten largest counties, with El Paso County being one of the two largest counties in the state.
Highlights of the 2020 Preliminary Balanced Budget include critical facility infrastructure maintenance, increased funding for the El Paso County Veteran’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, and Pre-Trial Services. If passed in its current form, the majority of the 2020 budget will go toward basic fundamental needs, such as public safety, critical infrastructure, and other core services. The 2020 budget also includes an approximate $4 million TABOR refund to property taxpayers.
“Even though the economy is doing well, we have a very tight budget in 2020,” said El Paso County Controller Nikki Simmons. “We will be focusing on the TABOR refund and covering basic services.”
The remaining 2020 El Paso County Budget hearing schedule is as follows:
October 15 & 17, 2019
November 14, 2019
December 10, 2019
Members of the public may attend and comment on the budget during any of the above meetings. Public may also submit comments and questions to our Financial Services Department by email (afs@elpasoco.com) or by phone at 719-520-6400. Budget information can also be found on our official county Facebook Page (@ElPasoCountyCO) and Twitter Page (@EPCPIO).
The 2020 Preliminary Balanced Budget may be viewed online at the El Paso County website by going to https://admin.elpasoco.com/financial-services/budget-finance/county-budget/ and will also be on file in the El Paso County Financial Services Department, Budget Division at 200 S. Cascade Ave., Suite 150 in downtown Colorado Springs.