The regular Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) meeting scheduled for Dec. 3 has been moved to the following Tuesday, Dec. 10, due to the commissioners being out of town at the Colorado Counties Inc. conference taking place Dec. 2-4.
The BoCC unanimously approved Resolution 2024-84 during its regular meeting on Nov. 12, officially rescheduling the meeting.
Commissioner Veronica Medina indicated that a special meeting will still be held on Tuesday, Dec. 3, for the sole purpose of approving accounts payable for the past month.
The BoCC is expected to approve the 2025 county budget at the Dec. 10 meeting, as state statute requires the budget to approved before Dec. 15.
Budget discussions
Over the past two weeks, the BoCC has been discussing budget proposals for 2025 with all of the county’s departments.
During a work session on Tuesday, Nov. 12, the BoCC met with department heads from the Planning Department, Building and Grounds, Colorado State University Extension, fair board, Human Resources, the assessor, treasurer, coroner and Information Services.
Planning Manager Owen O’Dell provided some insight to the Planning Department’s budget, noting that more supplies are needed for staff.
He explained that he is proposing a 75 percent increase for supplies, adding that the department is over budget for 2024 by $1,314.
O’Dell explained that is mostly due to the amount of signs needed for public postings.
Finance Director Chad Eaton explained that some of the funds are able to be rearranged within the department’s budget so that the overall increase for the department would not exceed 2 percent.
Interim CSU Extension Director Terry Schaaf indicated the main change in the 2025 budget is an increase in utility costs.
According to the proposed 2025 budget, CSU Extension is proposing an overall increase in expenditures of 8.4 percent from 2024, going from $236,383 to $256,148.
The fair board is showing an overall increase in expenditures of 103.3 percent compared to 2024, going from $83,868 to $170,530. The proposed 2025 budget shows the actual amount of expenditures for the fair board in 2023 at $116,665.
Medina noted the fair expenditures budgeted are “quite a bit over” the desired 2 percent increase for all departments.
Human Resources Director Mitzi Brown explained there are not a “whole lot of changes” to her department’s budget, other than the request for a compensation study to be performed that will cost approximately $20,000.
Brown noted that it’s “been a few years” since the department last had a compensation study done.
Medina stated that $20,000 may be better used going toward department and position increases.
Commissioner Ronnie Maez commented that the compensation study could provide the county with useful information to justify wage increases.
The county assessor’s budget reflects an 8.4 percent increase in expenditures compared to 2024, going from $942,457 to $1,021,456. The actual amount of expenditures for 2023 is listed at $772,306.
Assessor Johanna Tulley-Elliot mentioned there is a 14 percent increase in wages as overtime, rather than comp time.
Medina stated, “I’m glad to see you budgeted for overtime, because that is important.”
The county treasurer’s department shows a decrease of 4.1 percent in expenditures compared to 2024, going from $700,568 to $672,122.
Treasurer Elsa White indicated the budget decreased due to removing a software program currently being used and switching to using the cloud for storage.
The Building and Grounds Department reflects a 17 percent decrease in expenditures compared to 2024, going from $1,136,708 to $943,444. The actual amount for 2023 expenditures is listed at $548,881.
County Coroner Brad Hunt explained that his main request is to move his position from part-time to full-time due to the increased work load.
The corner’s budget shows a proposed 62 percent increase in expenditures compared to 2024, going from $141,347 to $229,332. The actual expenditure amount for 2023 is listed at $126,699.
Hunt informed the board that the county has had only one drug overdose case in 2024.
Information Technology Coordinator Gabe Cersonsky explained that he is proposing a new geographic information systems (GIS) position that will work in his office and with the development department.
The information services and GIS proposed 2025 budget reflects a 36.8 percent increase in expenditures compared to 2024, going from $864,445 to $1,182,644. The actual expenditure amount for 2023 is listed at $681,506.
The county surveyor’s budget shows a decrease of 6 percent in proposed expenditures compared to 2024, going from $5,648 to $5,310.
The county attorney’s budget shows a proposed increase of 31.9 percent in expenditures compared to 2024, going from $364,361 to $480,769. The actual expenditure amount for 2023 is listed at $354,370.
The county commissioners’ proposed 2025 expenditures reflects a 31.8 decrease compared to 2024, going from $1,640,418 to $1,118,438, while the actual expenditure amount for 2023 is listed at $2,993,176.
During a work session held by the BoCC on Nov. 19, the board met with the remaining county departments to discuss department requests and budget proposals.
The Transportation Department is showing a decrease of 3.2 percent in administration expenditures compared to 2024, going from $116,027 to $112,308.
As for the Transportation Department’s expenditures being proposed for the Mountain Express Transit (MET) service, an increase in expenditures of 5 percent is being proposed, going from $6,649,722 in 2024 to $6,980,942 for 2025. The actual expenditure amount for the MET in 2023 is listed at $395,496, which was prior to the construction of a transit facility.
The Weed and Pest Department’s proposed expenditures for 2025 show an increase of 21.9 percent compared to 2024, going from $315,977 to $385,266.
Weed and Pest Supervisor Ethan Proud explained that he is proposing to purchase a new utility terrain vehicle.
Proud also mentioned that the Weed and Pest Department will be changing its fee schedule to match the state’s, raising the first offense charge from $100 to $500, with an additional charge of $50 per day until the issue is fixed.
Total expenditures for the general fund for 2025 are listed at $29,465,918, an increase of $1,698,607, or 6.12 percent more compared to 2024.
“The General Government Fund (100) fund’s expenditures by function for Archuleta County, CO have seen significant changes over the past few years. In 2023, there was a 14% increase in expenditures, reaching $12,719,519. This was followed by a larger increase of 49% in 2024, bringing the total to $18,966,760. Looking ahead to the upcoming 2025 budget, there will be a more modest 6% increase, with expenditures reaching $20,025,645,” the proposed 2025 budget states.
The Road and Bridge Department, which is part of the Public Works Division, is proposing a 7.01 percent increase in expenditures, or $765,602 more than 2024. The total proposed expenditure amount for 2025 is listed at $11,688,653.
The Solid Waste Fund shows a proposed 9.98 percent decrease in expenditures, or $325,824 less than what was budgeted in 2024. The total amount of expenditures proposed for 2025 is listed at $2,940,506.
The Department of Human Services is proposing a total expenditure cost of $2,509,654 in 2025, which is a 66.78 percent decrease, or $5,044,518 less, than 2024.
The Public Health Department is proposing total expenditures of $1,185,202, which is a 13.65 percent decrease, or $187,309 less than what was budgeted in 2024.
The Archuleta County Combined Dispatch Fund shows an increase of 5.55 percent in expenditures compared to 2024, which is an increase of $78,710 bringing the total amount to $1,495,724.
The county’s Conservation Trust Fund shows total proposed expenditures of $160,600, which is an increase of $600 compared to 2024.
The airport fund shows a proposed increase of 100.2 percent in expenditures compared to 2024. That translates to an increase of $510,490, bringing total expenditures for 2025 to $1,019,984.
The county’s fleet fund shows an increase of 6.18 percent, or $166,021 more than 2024, at a total of $2,851,433 for 2025. The actual expenditure cost for 2023 is listed at $3,529,363.
The 2025 proposed budget presentation, along with the entire proposed budget, is available for viewing online at the county’s website at https://www.archuletacounty.org/212/Budgets.
The proposed budgets available for public viewing were last updated as of Oct. 30.
clayton@pagosasun.com
