Elected official urges Pueblo County to allow local spending without extra approval

An elected official at a Pueblo County meeting said locally elected leaders should be trusted to spend funds the county budgeted for them without an added sign-off requirement.

“I've had to almost sue commissioners because they budgeted something and then said, no. You can't spend it,” the official said, adding that the county should let local elected leaders “do with what we want” when implementing budgeted items.

The official also criticized what they called a “plus 1” requirement, saying it had prevented staff from acting on budgeted items. The speaker said the requirement upset them when they read about it the previous night but did not identify what policy or ordinance establishes that rule or whether it applies to all offices.

The remarks were a statement of concern and did not include a motion, vote, or formal direction recorded in the transcript. No other speakers or responses on the topic are included in the provided transcript.

Why it matters: processes that require additional approvals after budget adoption can affect how quickly offices hire staff or deploy funds. The speaker described past instances where funds approved in the budget were later blocked from use, a dispute they said nearly led to litigation.

The transcript does not specify which offices or line items were affected, how long the “plus 1” practice has been in place, or whether county rules formally require such approval. The official framed the issue as one of local control over staff and spending rather than a request for a specific policy change in the meeting record.