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Park County commissioners flag public works shortfall in draft 2026 budget
Summary
Park County staff presented a preliminary 2026 budget showing a projected shortfall in the public works fund and an anticipated drawdown of the O3 fund; commissioners directed vacancy freezes and tighter budgeting while noting incoming grant and community project funding.
Park County commissioners reviewed a draft 2026 budget at their Oct. 8 meeting and heard that the county must address a projected shortfall in its public works fund and tighten spending across several funds.
The draft presented by April (staff member) showed the county is projecting $19,990,000 in revenues for a fund labelled in the packet as the O3 fund, with planned expenses of $21,223,000 and $864,000 in transfers — a decrease of about $2,100,000 to that fund balance from its current $6,395,000, April said. April also told the board the ARPA fund appears to be fully allocated and “looks a little strange right now” because some areas appear overspent and will require adjustments.
Commissioner Amy Mitchell and other commissioners pressed staff to avoid drawing reserves. “That’s not sustainable,” a commissioner said of using reserve balances to cover recurring costs. The board directed a freeze on vacancy savings and said any exception would require a special request to the board, a measure commissioners said will help rebuild reserves.
Why this matters: the public works fund supports roads and capital maintenance; a sustained deficit could force service reductions or require new revenue. The board said it will wait for final property tax mill levies and PILT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) receipts to firm revenue projections, but noted PILT timing has been late and the amount is critical to the county’s outlook.
Key details and supporting material - April (staff member) said the general fund for 2025 is projected at roughly $18.7 million in revenues and $18.8 million in expenses, near break-even for the year. She recommended tightening next year’s numbers to avoid tapping reserves. - Commissioners noted a large set of expenditures included on the consent agenda earlier in the meeting: total expenditures this week were reported as $1,485,000, with roughly $1,076,001 of that charged to a grant fund supporting county road projects on County Road 90 and County Road 92. - Commissioner Mitchell said $850,000 of that road work was funded by community project funding, with additional matching funds from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). April said DOLA provided money that offset a CDOT management fee. - The board confirmed there are 21 funds under county purview, including a fund identified as the “23 fund” for short-term rental tax distributions used for tourism grants, search-and-rescue, and law enforcement.
Staff and next steps April told the board she will refine revenue estimates after the county receives finalized PILT numbers and the board sets mill levies. Commissioners asked that staff return with tightened revenue assumptions and a revised budget that avoids using long-term reserves. The board also reiterated the vacancy freeze for department hiring and asked leadership to review special requests at a quarter-three leadership meeting.
Commissioner and staff comments “PILT timing is critical — that $2,000,000 is critical to our budget,” Commissioner Mitchell said during the discussion. April answered that PILT notice and funding have arrived late in recent years and committed to continue working with public-land advocacy groups and CCI on the matter.
The board did not adopt a final budget at the Oct. 8 meeting; staff will bring revised numbers for further board consideration and for appropriation after mill levies are set.
