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Commissioners press for tighter budget controls after multiple negative line items
Summary
During the meeting Commissioner Trujillo raised concerns about several department budgets showing negative balances and urged the county manager to provide follow-up. The commission asked for purchase-order and encumbrance clarifications and a report back by email.
Commissioner Trujillo told the Colfax County Commission she is concerned about multiple negative line items in department budgets and asked the county manager to follow up with written answers.
At the meeting Trujillo cited several examples during the expenditures discussion: payroll-related items can go negative, but she highlighted non-payroll negative balances she described as poor internal control. She said the roads equipment and maintenance budget showed only about 19.3% remaining and that the county fire vehicle account was shown at negative 116.6%.
Trujillo asked the county manager to send the commission itemized explanations by email and to consider using purchase orders (POs) to encumber utility costs and other recurring expenses so departments cannot overspend at the line-item level.
County staff acknowledged payroll can create temporary negative entries, but commissioners asked finance and department managers to use POs and encumbrances for predictable recurring costs (for example, annual utility averages) so available balances are clearer. The commission also requested a list of overtime approvals related to recent payroll draws.
Why it matters: Commissioners said internal controls and clearer encumbrance practices are important to prevent unplanned overspending and to give the commission accurate data for decisions about hiring and pay increases. The same budget concerns informed the commission's decision to delay a proposed immediate hire in the assessor's office.
Follow-up and next steps
- The county manager and finance director were asked to provide written answers and to return with a more detailed report at a future meeting. - Commissioners requested a list of recent overtime approvals and a plan for using POs to encumber recurring expenses such as utilities.
Provenance: transcript lines where Commissioner Trujillo raised budget questions and discussion about PO/encumbrance practices are recorded in the expenditures item of the meeting.
