County presents 2026 preliminary budget: $501.5M in revenues proposed, no new FTEs and $7M one‑time for roads

El Paso County Chief Financial Officer Nikki Simmons presented the county’s proposed 2026 preliminary balanced budget to the Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 7, outlining revenue forecasts, reserve policies, and proposed one‑time and ongoing allocations.

Simmons said the county is proposing $501,500,000 in total budgeted revenues and that, after accounting for restricted sources, roughly $309,000,000 would be available to allocate among funds. The administration proposed a conservative 2.5% sales‑tax growth forecast for 2026 and estimated $90,000,000 in property tax revenue under preliminary assessor certification.

On expenditures and staffing, Simmons said administration is not recommending any additions to full‑time employee authorizations for 2026 and proposed an average 3% total compensation adjustment. "We are not recommending any cuts to operations or personnel," Simmons said, describing the budget as intentionally recession‑resistant.

The presentation emphasized…