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Budget office previews FY2027 assumptions: revenues, exemptions and fund-balance outlook
Summary
Budget staff presented FY2027 revenue projections and policy issues: projected revenues near $441 million, estimated total available funds $495.5 million, and an increase in the business personal property exemption reduced taxable value by about $1.112 billion with an estimated levy impact of $5.105 million.
On July 6 El Paso County’s budget and finance director presented a detailed preview of FY2027 revenue assumptions, preliminary central appraisal district values, fund-balance projections and a schedule-of-fees manual.
Budget director Carmen Arrieta Candelaria said preliminary revenue projections show an improving outlook versus the current year: staff presented a FY2027 projection of roughly $441,045,000 and reported total available funds of about $495,486,000 (including fund balance). Year-to-date collections for the current fiscal year, staff said, already totaled roughly $365 million.
Arrieta Candelaria described three current revenue items that exceeded projections this fiscal year — federal detainee revenue, intergovernmental receipts and miscellaneous items — and outlined key assumptions for FY2027 including a conservative federal inmate revenue estimate and use of the no-new-revenue tax rate with 2% new valuation growth.
She also reviewed changes to personal property taxation: the state raised the business personal property threshold, producing a preliminary exemption of about $1.112 billion in taxable value and an estimated levy impact of $5,105,000. Commissioners noted the state does not fully reimburse local governments for that change and discussed how the shift redistributes tax burden to other taxpayers.
On fund balance, staff projected an estimated total fund balance of about $115.9 million at year-end and unassigned fund balance near $95.5 million. The presentation also introduced a comprehensive schedule-of-fees manual and recommended continuing fee reviews as part of long-term planning.
Why it matters: The figures underpin tax-rate and budget decisions later this summer. Commissioners discussed justice-system staffing and jail-population management as interrelated budget pressures that may require targeted investments.
Next steps: Staff will return with certified CAD values in late July and more detailed expenditure-side proposals in a follow-up presentation later this month.
