Board backs staff recommendation to forward 2024–25 budget supplemental package; clerk to add two passport positions for Aurora

Arapahoe County finance staff presented the fourth-quarter 2024 budget review during the Feb. 11 study session, summarizing projections for the county’s major operating funds and asking the Board of County Commissioners to move a package of 2024 supplemental appropriation requests forward for formal action.

Lede: Finance Director Todd Weaver and staff told commissioners the county’s general fund will finish 2024 with a structurally positive balance driven in part by one-time interest and the accounting treatment of ARPA receipts; they reviewed proposed supplemental adjustments and reappropriations across capital, social services, Road & Bridge and other special-purpose funds. The Board gave direction to forward the packet to the next step and indicated support for several items, including two full-time passport positions to expand services into Aurora.

Nut graf: The Q4 review combined routine year-end cleanups with project reappropriations. Staff highlighted that Measure 1A revenue will materially increase available spending capacity beginning in 2025 (staff estimated roughly $62 million tied to Measure 1A in 2025), but commissioners and department leaders emphasized the need for clear guardrails and public-facing reporting tied to that revenue. Separately, the clerk and recorder’s office requested two full-time positions to provide passport services in Aurora; commissioners supported the addition, contingent on the state approving Aurora as an annex passport facility.

Budget highlights and supplements: Finance staff walked the board through adopted versus amended 2024 budgets and year-end projections. Notable items included: an amended general fund revenue figure that reflected additional onetime items (board-designated fund consolidation and ARPA revenue-loss calculations), projected general fund investment income above the adopted budget (largely onetime), and project reappropriations in the capital fund. The capital expenditure fund projections showed many projects reappropriated into 2025 (about $22.8 million staff-identified for reappropriation), and staff noted a planned general fund transfer tied to capital priorities.

Passport positions and the EBC recommendation: Clerk and Recorder staff asked the board to add two FTEs for Aurora to offer passport services locally (the county currently provides passport appointments from Littleton). Clerk staff said Littleton’s passport appointments are routinely booked weeks in advance and that Aurora residents currently travel to Littleton for the service. Staff estimated roughly $200,000 in annual passport revenue if Aurora appointments are established (about $100,000 per new FTE) and described operational timing: the county must apply to the state to designate Aurora as an annex passport facility and then train staff (staff estimated about two months from hire to operational readiness). The Board of County Commissioners, after discussion, indicated support for adding two full-time passport positions contingent on the state’s approval of Aurora as a passport annex and directed staff to include the request in the supplemental package going forward. The board also directed staff to monitor revenue performance and to adjust FTE counts if demand changes.

Other action items and follow-ups: Finance and department staff also presented a set of carry-forward and cleanup items: transfers from central services to address one-time replacement needs, ARPA project cleanups, and adjustments to grants and interlocal revenues received in late 2024. The board indicated support for forwarding the full supplemental package to the formal appropriation process. Staff said they would present reappropriations and the detailed supplemental ordinance at the March reappropriation meeting and adjust recommended requests if new information emerges.

What the board asked staff to do next: (1) submit the Q4 supplemental package for formal processing and public agenda consideration; (2) proceed with Aurora passport annex application to the state and, if the state approves, proceed with recruitment and training for two FTEs; (3) track 2024 carry-forwards and present detailed reappropriation items in March; and (4) continue to report quarterly on the fiscal impact of Measure 1A and any reallocation of one-time ARPA-derived balances.