Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Clear Creek County adopts 2026 budget and mill levy after tweaks to open-space and lobbying lines
Summary
Commissioners adopted Resolution R-25-85 (budget) and R-25-86 (mill levy) after revising a $1 million open-space appropriation and adding $45,000 for a one-time contract lobbyist to pursue state tax-authority options; motions passed on voice votes.
The Board of County Commissioners approved the county’s 2026 budget and property tax levy Dec. 9, adopting Resolution R-25-86 to levy property taxes and Resolution R-25-85 to appropriate the county’s budget with on‑the‑record modifications.
Finance director Rachel Harlow Schock recommended maintaining the mill levy at last year’s level; staff and commissioners discussed the state-mandated cap on revenue growth and how the county will report any required credit to taxpayers. "The recommendation is that you adopt the same mill levy as last year," Rachel said when presenting the mill-levy slide.
During detailed budget deliberations, commissioners debated a proposed $1,000,000 pre-appropriation in the Open Space Fund intended to let the Open Space Commission make rapid acquisitions. Several members raised transparency concerns about showing large appropriations that the county did not plan to spend immediately. The board agreed to remove the $1,000,000 figure from the appropriation and directed the Open Space Commission and staff to return with a written plan before any expenditures.
The board also approved adding $45,000 to the general fund as a limited-scope contract to hire a lobbyist to pursue state-level options for local revenue authorities and tax proposals. One commissioner described the item as a targeted, one-off expenditure to advance legislative options that member organizations have not successfully pursued.
Other amendments discussed on the record included a correction to the animal-shelter FTE chart and accounting changes to the district attorney allocation. The final motion adopted the appropriation resolution subject to the on‑record modifications; the motion carried on a voice vote.
Budget staff warned the board that, under conservative long-term assumptions (3% expense growth and 1% revenue growth), fund-balance projections indicate stress points in 2029–2031 and that new revenue or additional reductions will be needed to maintain reserves. Staff said they will return with follow-up analyses and options.
