Colfax County commissioners approve interim budget, plan to cover remaining shortfall from reserves
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Summary
The Colfax County Board of Commissioners voted to submit an interim fiscal year budget that still leaves a recurring deficit; commissioners said the remainder will be drawn from county reserves while departments pursue further cuts and comparisons with peer counties.
The Colfax County Board of Commissioners voted to submit an interim county budget on an interim basis and to cover the remaining shortfall from the county’s cash reserves.
The decision came after a daylong working session in which county staff and department heads reviewed proposed cuts across most county departments to reduce a recurring general-fund shortfall. Justin Reed, the county staff lead for the budget review, told the commission, “The current deficit in the general fund is right around 900,000.” Commissioners then discussed a package of personnel freezes, operating cuts and one‑time changes intended to bring the budget closer to balance before the final budget process.
The discussion focused on preserving essential services while trimming recurring costs. Commissioners asked staff to identify nonrecurring expenditures that could be shifted out of the operating budget, to compare Colfax with similarly sized New Mexico counties for staffing benchmarks, and to pursue potential additional revenue sources and collection improvements. Audrey (commissioner) asked staff to compile comparable staffing lists from neighboring counties; Justin said staff had already begun contacting other offices and would provide follow‑up information.
Multiple departments proposed personnel reductions or freezes. Staff and department heads reported targeted reductions and suggested freezing specific open positions to preserve operational capacity while creating immediate payroll savings. The commission also asked that any position freezes be recorded as “zeroed out” but retained in the salary schedule so they could be reinstated quickly if the county’s financial picture improved.
After the final discussion, Commissioner Kern moved to submit the interim budget as presented and to treat the remaining deficit as an interim draw on reserves; the motion was seconded and adopted on a roll call vote (Commissioner Kern: yes; Commissioner Trujillo: yes; Chairman Tatum: yes). The board directed staff to circulate the exact PDF of the approved interim budget and the associated personnel changes to commissioners and department heads for review ahead of the next meeting.
Why it matters: The interim budget submission obligates county staff to present a formal FY-26 budget with a planned draw on reserves unless the commission adopts other measures in coming weeks. Commissioners said they want to minimize reserve use over time but felt immediate action was necessary to submit a legally compliant interim budget and to give departments a stable baseline for operations and payroll planning.
Next steps: Staff will provide commissioners with peer-county staffing comparisons and an updated budget document that reflects the freezes, the one‑time adjustments and the commission-approved use of reserves. The commission scheduled continued budget work between the interim submission and the final budget vote to refine recurring savings and evaluate potential revenue options.
