Commission approves budget adjustment to cover reverted DWI grant funds and payroll reporting penalties

Colfax County commissioners approved a budget adjustment to return $1,424 in unused DWI grant funds and to allocate about $15,000 to cover fees and penalties tied to untimely payroll tax reporting.

Treasury/finance staff described two distinct items in the resolution: the required reversion of unused DWI grant funds and a request for $15,000 to pay fines and fees that arose after payroll reports were not filed on time. The finance presenter said, "There was $1,424 in unused funds, which are required to be reverted," and described the second item as linked to delinquent payroll tax reporting.

Acting county manager Audrey Pryor explained that staff had been "cleaning those up" since her arrival and that most filings have been completed. She told the commission: "We found that there were several reports that hadn't been submitted to date, and we have been cleaning those up. And since they were submitted untimely, there were some fees and penalties attached." Pryor said two remaining reports were pending state confirmation.

When asked which reports were late, the county manager specified the filings as state wage withholding and workers' compensation reports and said the county was catching up for January through July: "The reporting that hadn't been submitted were the gross or the New Mexico wage withholding as well as the State of New Mexico ... workers' comp. So the reports hadn't been updated since the beginning of the year, so we're catching up January through July at this time." Commissioners asked what steps would prevent recurrence; the manager said training lapses and staffing changes had contributed and that processes were now in place to prevent future late filings.

A motion to approve resolution 2025‑74 carried on a roll call with Commissioners Kern, Trujillo and Chairman Tatum voting yes. The resolution covers the reversion and the payment of the assessed penalties.