The Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) unanimously approved three resolutions at a special meeting held on Tuesday, Dec. 9, adopting the county’s 2026 budget, appropriating sums of money and setting county mill levies for 2026.
Finance Director Chad Eaton began with a presentation of the 2026 budget, noting that it is a “fairly balanced budget overall.”
Revenues and
expenditures
According to Resolution 2025-70 adopting the county’s 2026 budget, total revenues across all of the county’s 11 funds is $42,797,505.31 and total expenditures are $42,003,153.80.
The General Fund is the county’s largest fund and is balanced, with $23,174,821.62 listed for revenues and $23,174,821.62 for expenditures.
The Road and Bridge Fund has $7,842,026.32 listed for total revenues and $7,255,538.16 listed for total expenditures.
The Department of Human Services is listed to have a total of $2,713,439.35 in total revenues with $2,348,311.95 in total expenditures.
The Public Health Department has a total of $1,134,026.47 in revenues with $1,185,952.48 of total expenditures.
The Combined Dispatch Fund is balanced with $1,286,230.27 listed in total revenues and expenditures.
The Conservation Trust Fund is also balanced, with $155,000 listed for total revenues and expenditures.
The County Capital Fund is balanced, as well, with $1,168,400 listed for total revenues and expenditures.
No revenues or expenditures are listed in the Fairfield Settlement Fund.
The Solid Waste Fund is balanced with $2,042,211.28 listed for total revenues and expenditures.
The Airport Fund has $956,350 listed in total revenues, with $1,061,688.04 listed for total expenditures.
The Fleet Management Fund is also balanced, with $2,325,000 listed for total revenues and the same listed for total expenditures.
Commissioner Veronica Medina commended her fellow commissioners and Eaton for “really diving deep down into this like never before. So, thank you all.”
Commissioner John Ranson also commended county staff and for work done on the budget.
Commissioner Warren Brown commented that this has “been a very positive team effort” that did not have a bright outlook at the beginning.
The BoCC then unanimously approved Resolution 2025-71, appropriating sums of money for the 2026 budget year.
Prior to approving that resolution, Eaton indicated that total appropriations from the General Fund are listed at $23,174,821.62.
Mill levies
According to the special meeting’s agenda, Resolution 2025-72 levies property taxes for the year 2025, “to help defray the costs of government for Archuleta County for the 2026 budget year.”
According to the resolution, “the amount of money necessary to balance the budget for general operating purposes from property tax revenue is $8,133,895,” and the county is required to temporarily lower the operating mill levy to render a refund for $2,125,059.
The resolution also notes that the 2025 valuation for assessment for the county, certified by the county assessor, is $609,310,586.
“For the purpose of meeting all general operating expenses of the County of Archuleta during the 2026 budget year, there is hereby levied a tax of 18.233 mills upon each dollar of the total valuation for assessment of all taxable property within Archuleta County for the year 2025,” the resolution states.
For the purpose of rendering a refund to its constituents during 2026, the county levied a temporary tax credit/mill levy reduction of 3.488 mills, the resolution explains.
clayton@pagosasun.com
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