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Roosevelt County commissioners adopt 2025 budget despite spreadsheet discrepancies and vendor questions
Summary
After staff said updated projections trimmed an initial $2 million shortfall to roughly $3,000 in the black, Roosevelt County commissioners approved Resolution 2025-26 to adopt the fiscal year budget, even as they flagged LGBMS upload mismatches, questions about a contractor’s role and a possible $1.2 million ARPA matter.
Roosevelt County Manager Patterson presented Resolution 2025-26 and said payroll and revenue updates reduced an earlier projected deficit to a roughly $3,000 surplus, and the commission voted to adopt the fiscal year budget.
"We went from the starting product of uh at a $2 million loss for the year to being in the black about $3,000," Manager Patterson said while reviewing department inputs and recent changes to benefit and revenue assumptions. Patterson credited the treasurer’s office for updated projections and described vehicle and equipment line-item removals requested by department heads.
Commissioners pressed staff on discrepancies between the spreadsheet packet and the file uploaded to the state financial system (LGBMS). Staff said the version uploaded the night before aggregated encode numbers differently than the spreadsheet’s GF summary tabs, producing roughly a $1.1 million difference in the totals as presented.
Several commissioners said cuts the commission believed had been made in prior meetings were not reflected in the preliminary spreadsheet that a vendor had used to prepare the upload. Commissioners discussed the county’s contract with an outside vendor (referred to in the meeting as TKM), the vendor’s scope and related costs, and whether those services had been largely limited to data entry rather than substantive budget preparation.
Commissioners also raised a separate concern about ARPA funds: the packet referenced about $1.2 million in ARPA aid that county staff had previously feared might need to be returned for paperwork issues. Staff reported they had contacted state and federal representatives and believed required submissions had been filed, but they did not confirm a formal clawback during the meeting.
Staff advised the commission that, while the LGBMS upload currently showed a net operating loss at the consolidated level, the general fund worksheet and department-level tabs produced a small surplus. Given the filing deadline with the state Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), staff recommended submitting the currently prepared file and pursuing budget adjustments later via budget adjustment requests (BARs) if needed. Commissioners noted that missing the DFA deadline could jeopardize eligibility for certain state funding programs for multiple years.
Commissioner Grider moved to approve Resolution 2025-26; Commissioner Chrisell seconded. When asked, Commissioner Munoz voted yes, and Commissioner Parker also voted yes; several other commissioners voiced assent and the chair declared the motion carried.
The meeting record shows the commission approved the resolution by voice vote and adjourned. Staff said they would follow up with DFA and review the uploaded LGBMS entries to reconcile the reported differences and, if necessary, submit BARs to correct line items after filing.
The vote and approval closed the agenda; staff indicated they planned additional budget workshops and better documentation for future cycles so that approved cuts and updates would be traceable in the packet and in the state system.
