Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Grants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
El Paso County reports $47M in grants for FY25 and flags risk to 158 grant-funded positions
Summary
Grants leadership told the court the county accepted 66 awards in FY25 totaling about $47.1M, manages 158 grant-funded positions (personnel cost ≈ $30.1M) and launched a UNIT pre-award portal to better track award lifecycles and match commitments; staff warned of positions at risk when grants end.
The county’s grants team on June 18 delivered a detailed accounting of recent award activity and a plan to tighten tracking of grant lifecycles and match commitments, telling commissioners that grant revenue and grant‑funded staffing are a significant and growing element of county operations.
Adria/Carmen Aria de Candelaria, grants and budget staff, said the county applied for dozens of grants each year (an average of roughly 72 applications over the past five years) and in fiscal 2025 accepted 66 awards valued at about $47.1 million with required matches; the grants portfolio includes ARPA and many federal and state pass‑through awards. The county reported 158 grant‑funded positions in FY25, and recorded personnel costs tied to grants at roughly $30.1 million with total grant expenditures of about $95.6 million for that year.
Why it matters: many county programs — particularly in criminal justice, public safety and social services — rely on grant funding. Carmen’s team stressed that when grant funding sunsets some positions are transferred to the general fund or eliminated, a process the court must track to avoid unexpected budget pressure.
The grants division described several process improvements: a UNIT pre‑award portal launched May 1 to centralize opportunity tracking; a grant matrix and rubric to evaluate risks and match requirements before applying; and a closer coordination model between grant analysts and budget staff so impending grant sunsets are visible well in advance.
The court heard staff quantify 'positions at risk' by end dates for many grants and said some ARPA‑funded roles were already moved into the general fund. Commissioners asked for functional breakdowns (public safety vs. public works) and timelines for when grant positions are scheduled to end so the court can gauge fiscal exposure.
— Numbers and program details reported by the grants director and staff were presented as FY25 closeout figures and implementation steps for FY26; the court requested additional breakdowns on grant-funded positions by functional area.
