{"id":17056,"date":"2024-12-11T09:31:23","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T16:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elpasoco.com\/?p=17056"},"modified":"2025-02-21T16:52:27","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T23:52:27","slug":"el-paso-county-approves-2025-budget-balancing-fiscal-efficiency-and-enhanced-public-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elpasoco.com\/el-paso-county-approves-2025-budget-balancing-fiscal-efficiency-and-enhanced-public-services\/","title":{"rendered":"El Paso County Approves 2025 Budget, Balancing Fiscal Efficiency and Enhanced Public Services"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]December 10, 2024\u00a0<\/strong>–\u00a0During today\u2019s Board of County Commissioner\u2019s meeting, El Paso County\u2019s Chief Financial Officer, Nikki Simmons, presented the 2025 Original Adopted Budget for approval. The Board approved the budget with a unanimous 5-0 vote. This was the final step of a months-long process that ensures the county can continue operations in the coming year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis budget is the result of many months\u2019 worth of work from the entire El Paso County staff,\u201d said Simmons. \u201cElected officials, all department directors, and their financial teams were all involved, so we\u2019re very excited to present this budget for adoption.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2025 budget evaluated critical needs due to increased service demands attributed to population growth and was developed with an emphasis on public safety and infrastructure. El Paso County prioritized building a recession-resistant budget, ensuring a stable future for the county. The $533 million balanced budget allocates $51.4 million towards critical needs and investments in road construction, the county courthouse, stormwater projects, and public safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to give a big thank you to our staff, our county administrator, and other countywide elected officials for making this possible,\u201d said Board Chair Carrie Geitner. \u201cWe are a low-tax county \u2013 that\u2019s what our citizens asked us for. That means we have to be very disciplined about how we are spending our money. I want to emphasize the importance of roads in this budget. We hear from citizens all the time that they want that to be a focus of ours, so it\u2019s critical that we meet that expectation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The budget includes a TABOR refund of $8.2 million, which will be refunded to residential property owners on their 2025 property tax bills. The budget also maintains $9.23 million in emergency reserves reinforcing El Paso County\u2019s commitment to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances and public safety.<\/p>\n

Highlights from the 2025 budget include:<\/p>\n