The Board of El Paso County Commissioners approved the 2019 Original Adopted Budget during its regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, Nov. 29. The vote was unanimous, 5-0 in favor of the $374.5 million Budget.
“We are very pleased with all the hard work County staff has done to make sure that the 2019 budget is fiscally responsible and sustainable,” said Board of County Commissioners President Darryl Glenn. “This budget will help El Paso County move in a positive direction and continue to meet the needs of the taxpayers.”
El Paso County government is able to meet those needs with the lowest cost-per-household of any large county in the state. The average household with a home market value of $250,000 will only contribute $140 in property taxes to the County budget during 2019.
Highlights of the 2019 Budget include money for the Coroner’s Office for an additional forensic pathologist, funds set aside for neighborhood and homeless camp cleanups, the continuation of an ongoing effort to make sure County facilities, tools and programs are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, additional staff for the District Attorney’s Office, and money allotted to transportation and high-impact projects. It will be the responsibility of the future Board of County Commissioners to determine how the money for those high-impact road projects is allocated.
The El Paso County Financial Services Department presented the Preliminary Balanced Budget at the Sept. 20, 2018 Board of County Commissioners meeting. County departments and offices presented their critical needs for 2019 on Tuesday, Oct. 16 and Thursday, Oct. 18, and on Nov. 8 Commissioners provided staff with direction to solidify the Original Adopted Budget before Thursday’s vote.
The 2019 Original Adopted Budget reflects an increase of a little more than $11 million from the 2018 El Paso County Budget of $363.1 million.
All five budget hearings are available to watch on the Budget page.