Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Adams County board adopts $67.36 million budget, approves 4.3% levy ask
Summary
The Adams County Board on a 17-1 roll call approved the fiscal 2025–26 budget, totaling $67,362,461.96 in expenses and $60,501,343.99 in revenues. Officials said remaining reserves and ARPA balances make the budget balanced despite a roughly $6.86 million gap on paper.
Adams County on a 17-1 vote approved an ordinance adopting the fiscal year 2025–26 budget that lists $67,362,461.96 in total expenses and $60,501,343.99 in total revenues.
The finance chair, Travis Cooley, told the board the figures produce a negative gap of about $6.86 million but said that existing balances allocated for the HVAC bond and ARPA projects close most of that shortfall. "Those two amounts add up to, 6,600,000.0, which leaves us a bit short, but within about $244,000," Cooley said while describing the balances the county will apply to the operating plan.
Why it matters: County officials said adopting the ordinance is a necessary step to set spending and proceed with levy calculations. The board signaled it will ask for roughly 4.3% more in levy dollars even though rising property valuations mean many taxpayers could see a lower tax rate.
Board debate and context: Several newer board members said they received the final printed budget at the meeting and asked for more time to review. The chairman replied that the county has published the budget draft in ClearGov since Sept. 15 and encouraged members to use the software; he also offered to meet individually with members who need help navigating the materials.
Members pressed for clarity on the use of ARPA funds and plans for capital projects, including an ambulance station replacement. The chairman said the initial $500,000 ambulance placeholder in the budget is offset by money "parked already in the ambulance department in a capital improvement available grant," and that there is roughly $800,000 in that account to draw on.
Union contracts and compensation were central to the budget discussion. The board highlighted that different bargaining groups negotiated different first-year raises (for example, a 5.5% first-year step in some sheriffs units) and that changes to sick-time payout treatment under recent accounting guidance affect the countys long-term liabilities. Several members urged a deeper, year-long review of total compensation (salary plus benefits) using the UCCI salary comp book and payroll tools such as Paycom.
What passed: On a roll call vote the ordinance to adopt the fiscal year 2025—2026 budget passed 17 yes, 1 no, with 3 members absent. The board indicated it will circulate a more detailed EAV (equalized assessed valuation) and levy schedule prior to the next meeting.
Next steps: Finance staff will finalize the levy worksheet and return to the board with the EAV detail; the board also signaled it will continue department-level review of compensation and consider capital budgeting tools to separate bond-funded projects from operations.
