County departments present $12.8 million of 2026 critical needs for roads, parks, roofs and parking

El Paso County departments presented a set of 2026 “critical needs” requests on Tuesday designed to protect infrastructure and respond to increased public use.

Nikki Simmons, the county chief financial officer, opened the budget hearing and said departments would present additional funding requests for the proposed 2026 budget. “We are here this morning to have budget hearing number 2, which is our critical need presentations,” Simmons said.

Public Works: $7 million for paving and preservation

Jack Ladley, director of the county Department of Public Works, asked commissioners for a $7,000,000 increase to the paving and preservation program aimed at maintaining recent gains in the county’s pavement condition index (PCI). Ladley said the county maintains more than 2,300 lane miles of roadway and that inflation in materials has eroded buying power. “Our most pressing need is a $7,000,000 increase for a paving and preservation program,” he said.

Ladley described preservation treatments such as microsurfacing, cape seal and wide‑crack repair as cost‑effective tools that extend pavement life; he said every dollar invested in preservation can save $4 to $6 in future reconstruction. He noted county PPRTA receipts average about $16 million annually and that roughly $13 million of PPRTA and $5 million of road‑and‑bridge funding are currently applied to paving and preservation; the requested $7 million would increase total programmatic paving funding to roughly $25 million.

Parks: $800,000 for Bear Creek Regional Park courts, archery range, playground and parking

Todd Martz presented the parks department’s request for $800,000 toward a project at Bear Creek Regional Park. The total project is estimated at slightly more than $2 million; parks staff said about $1.2 million would come from the parks budget and the county request is for the $800,000 balance.

Martz said the work includes replacing deteriorated tennis courts and surfacing pickleball courts, renovating an aging archery range, repairing playground equipment and reconfiguring a parking lot to reduce spillover on nearby private roads. “Our critical need request is at the Bear Creek Regional Park Tennis Court project. It is for 800,000,” Martz said. Commissioners noted the county has additional community support: a local pickleball association indicated it could contribute $100,000 if the project moves forward.

Facilities: about $4 million for roof replacements and parking‑lot repairs

Brian Olsen, executive director of Facilities and Strategic Infrastructure Management, presented several building and site requests totaling roughly $4 million. He asked for $1.6 million to replace the Public Works building roof (originally installed in 1995) and $1.4 million for a Centennial Hall roof replacement, noting both roofs have passed their expected service life and require infrared scans and likely insulation replacement at penetrations.

Olsen also asked for about $900,000 to repair the Criminal Justice Center (jail) parking lot and a separate amount for DMV‑East parking repairs; he described original‑era paving in poor condition and said the lots create trip and vehicle hazards if not rehabilitated.

Citizen oversight and outreach

The county’s Citizens Outreach Group reported on outreach activities and the recent Citizens College training series. The group said registrations rose to 79 in 2025 from 50 in 2024 and attendance rose to 56 people who attended at least one session (compared with 28 last year). The group said 19 participants attended all six sessions this year and noted increased county‑employee participation.

Where this goes next

Simmons told commissioners the budget process will continue with a final direction hearing in early November and that the board will adopt the final 2026 budget on Dec. 9. Commissioners asked follow‑ups about materials costs, parking‑lot sequencing and how preservation dollars are prioritized across supervisorial districts.

Ending: The presentations were part of the county’s 2026 budget hearing cycle; commissioners will consider the requests as they finalize budget direction in November and adopt a final budget in December.