Grand County staff says sales, use tax near budget; presents linear method for 2026 projections

Grand County staff presented an update to the Budget Advisory Board on year-to-date sales and use tax collections and proposed a simple linear-trend method for projecting 2026 revenue.

The county’s current actual sales and use tax collections through August were reported as $10,150,000, compared with an amended 2025 projection of $10,330,000 — a variance of about $185,465 under the amended budget, according to the presentation. Staff said monthly performance this year has mixed results: several softer months, several flat months and two relatively strong months in July and August.

Board members were shown a chart comparing the original 2025 budget, the July amendment (a downward adjustment), and actual collections by month. Staff said the variance has ranged from several hundred thousand dollars below budget in earlier months to the current roughly $185,000 shortfall, and that recent months have outperformed the amended projection.

Why this matters: staff also presented a snapshot…