Sand Flats Recreation Area director outlines 2026 budget, flags paving grant and capital projects

Andrea Brand, director of Sand Flats Recreation Area, presented the area’s proposed 2026 budget to the Grand County Budget Advisory Board on Sept. 26, 2025, describing routine operating needs and a set of capital projects that would draw on the recreation area’s enterprise fund balance.

Brand told the board the recreation area operates as an enterprise fund and that staff budget conservatively for operations while preserving savings for planned capital work. “We have 5 trucks, 1 ebike, and 3 UTVs,” Brand said when explaining an increase in the vehicles line item; she also said the vehicle account had been increased from $8,000 to $10,000 to keep pace with regular maintenance and tire replacement.

Why it matters: Sand Flats is largely self-funded through user fees and uses a fund balance to pay for infrequent capital needs. Brand said the proposed 2026 operating total is higher than a single year’s anticipated revenues because the budget includes capital draws from that fund balance.

Major budget items and staff explanations

- Overtime, utilities and supplies: Brand described modest increases in overtime and utility cushions. Utilities are shared with co-located departments so Sand Flats budgeted a slight increase as…