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Grand County holds 2025 budget hearings as officials flag capital projects, grants and EMS costs
Summary
Grand County commissioners spent the day reviewing 2025 budget requests across departments, focusing on capital projects (airports, roads, EMS station), block grants and emerging revenue risks. Finance staff said the county is projecting roughly $107M in revenues with year‑end surpluses likely smaller than earlier estimates.
Grand County commissioners convened a multi‑department budget hearing on Sept. 30 to review preliminary 2025 revenue and spending proposals. Finance Director Curtis presented an overview that included a $107 million overall budget picture, a currently reported surplus that staff expect will decline to roughly $6–8 million after year‑end adjustments and a note that $25 million in certificates of participation (COP) debt is included in the baseline projections.
The hearing covered department budgets and capital plans. Commissioners and staff discussed how property‑tax receipts are front‑loaded in the year and how capital projects that were budgeted in 2024 but not spent are being rolled into 2025 projections — including a previously budgeted EMS station. Curtis said: "About $25,000,000 of certificate of participation in that number" and walked commissioners through functional spending categories such as general government (~$32M), public safety (~$24M) and streets/highways (~$11M).
Why this matters: the county is balancing ongoing operational pressures — inflation on materials, vehicle and equipment replacement — with multi‑million dollar capital requests. Commissioners directed staff to continue refining numbers during rebuttal hearings and to return a preliminary budget for certification in December. The Board also asked departments to identify efficiencies and to bring forward grant strategies to reduce reliance on county fund balance.
