The Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) unanimously approved three resolutions at a regular meeting held on Tuesday Dec. 17, adopting the county’s 2025 budget, appropriating sums of money and setting county mill levies for 2025.
The three resolutions, along with the budget presentation, were originally on the BoCC’s Dec. 10 meeting agenda, but were removed by unanimous approval of the BoCC.
During the Dec. 17 meeting, Finance Director Chad Eaton presented a summary of the county’s 2025 budget, noting that a “conservative approach” was used.
Eaton mentioned that conservative assumptions were used in projecting property tax revenues.
“Of course, we had the reassessment last year, so we … each year in the past two years have issued a refund to stay within our TABOR limits,” Eaton said.
He also mentioned that sales tax projections include a 1 percent increase in comparison to 2024 numbers.
Eaton explained that, overall, the 2025 budget averages around a 2 percent increase with the exception of certain line items.
The budget includes a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment and a maximum of a 1.5 percent merit increase, Eaton noted.
He went on to give a breakdown of employee positions being added to the county for 2025, noting there are five new full-time positions.
Eaton explained that a new mechanic position will be filled once the county’s new transit facility is completed, which is expected to be done in the spring of 2025.
Eaton also commented that a new part-time bus driver position has also been approved.
He explained that an additional accountant will be added, as well, to help serve the needs of the Department of Human Services and the Public Health Department, “because it is growing.”
The Public Health Department will also have two additional part-time nurse positions, which will also help “offset” the jail medical work that the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office currently contracts out, he mentioned, also noting that two part-time health navigator positions will be added, as well.
The county coroner will also be moving from a part-time position to a full-time position, Eaton noted.
Revenues and
expenditures
“The general fund is balanced. Expenses are not higher than appropriated fund balances for the fiscal year,” Eaton said.
According to Resolution 2024-87, total revenues across 11 of the county’s funds for 2025 is listed at $500,396,872.88 and total expenditures is listed at $451,615,502.95.
There are a total of 12 funds listed on the resolutions, including the Fairfield Settlement Fund, which does not have any dollar amount listed for either revenues nor expenditures.
The General Fund is equally balanced with $29,62,124.15 listed for both expenditures and revenues. The Road and Bridge Fund is the second largest of the county’s funds with $7,910.102.32 listed for revenues and $10,064,353.17 for expenditures.
The Human Services Fund has $3,724,459 in revenues and $2,531,138.38 listed in expenditures. The Public Health Fund has $1,419.569 listed in revenues and $1,298.020.01 in expenditures.
There is $1,500 shown in expenditures from the 1A fund with nothing listed in revenues (the funding came from a ballot measure that has since sunset). The Justice System Capital Fund lists $800,000 in revenues and no expenditures.
The Combined Dispatch Fund has $1,461.71 listed for revenues and $1,347,271.49 listed in expenditures. The Conservation Trust Fund has $175,000 in revenues and $160,600 listed for expenditures.
The Solid Waste Fund has $2,252,050 listed in revenues and $2,985,3880.14 listed in expenditures, while the Airport Fund fund has $945,544 listed in revenues and $1,020,911.33 in expenditures.
The Fleet Management Fund shows $2,066,307.70 in revenues with $2,564,502.28 listed in expenditures.
According to Resolution 2024-88, total appropriations across 10 of the county’s funds is listed at $5,615,811. The resolution also shows $165,153 is debt service in the Solid Waste Fund.
The Resolution also states that the BoCC “previously adopted the annual budget in accordance with the Local Government Budget Law, on December 10 th, 2024.”
The budget was approved at the Dec. 17 BoCC meeting.
According to Resolution 2024 - 89, “the amount of money necessary to balance the budget for general operating purposes from property tax revenue is $ 7,490,611” and that the county is “required to temporarily lower the operating mill levy to render a refund for $2,573,206.”
The resolution also indicates the 2024 valuation assessment for Archuleta County, certified by the county assessor, is $598,419,940.
According to the resolution attached in the meeting’s agenda, the BoCC “has adopted the annual budget in accordance with the Local Government Budget Law, on December 10, 2024.”
Wage increases
The BoCC unanimously approved wage increases for staff members in the county’s Road and Bridge and Solid Waste departments during a regular meeting held on Dec. 10.
The increase for Road and Bridge staff is 5 percent, or an additional $72,000 annually overall that will provide raises to 19 employees.
The increase for Solid Waste staff is 10 percent, increasing the annual budget by $47,994.24 while providing raises for 10 employees.
clayton@pagosasun.com
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