Broomfield staff preview 2026 budget: officials warn of 6–8M drop in property tax base, endorse conservative spending and infrastructure focus

City and County of Broomfield finance and executive staff presented an economic and fiscal update to council that frames the draft 2026 budget around slower growth, structural revenue changes and a shift toward careful, data-driven spending.

Finance staff led by Jeff Romine and Finance Director Graham Clark told the council the metro-area economy has entered a slow-growth, higher-inflation period often described as stagflation, and that several factors — state property assessment changes and slowing market fundamentals — combine to reduce the city’s property-tax base. Romine said staff conservatively projects a 6–8 million dollar annual decline in property-tax revenue attributable to a mix of lower assessed values and an assessment-rate reduction enacted in recent state legislation.

Why it matters: Broomfield relies heavily on property taxes and sales taxes to fund core services. Council members were told the revenue change alters the city’s long-range financial assumptions and raises trade-offs…