2022 Budget Approved, Weld County Reports It’s in Excellent Financial Condition

The Weld County Board of Commissioners recently approved the 2022 budget for the gross amount of $374,739,671. The board also extended the 20+ year practice of charging below the TABOR limit (which is 22.038 mills) for property taxes by agreeing to keep the mill levy at 15.038 mills.  The county is in excellent financial condition with no debt, no sales tax, one of the lowest mill levies among all Colorado counties, a significant cash reserve, and a fully-funded pension plan. The major factors impacting the 2022 budget continue to be dominated by oil and gas development in Weld County, population growth, state and federal budget issues, service restructuring in Weld County Government, and the added impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local and national economy.

Highlights from the 2022 budget include:

• Prepare the county for the most efficient and effective use of the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) revenues of $63 million.
• Adjust to account for a nearly 20% drop in assessed valuation due to oil and gas.  ­
• Address rising inflation concerns and salary survey information to ensure competitive wages.
• Complete the implementation of Public Safety Communications recovering 40% of costs through user fees versus 20%.
• Improvements and expansion to the Southeast Weld building of $6,000,000 as population increases in south county.
• The Sheriff’s Office is increasing the number of body-worn cameras for sworn officers as a result of the requirements in Senate Bill 20-217.
• The public safety information system of CentralSquare will be employed.
• The 2022-2026 Capital Improvements Plan for facilities is funded at $39,975,000.
• Continue providing staff resources in response to SB 19-181 for the air quality monitoring system.
• Fund the Public Works road and bridge 2022-2026 Capital Improvement Plan.
• 2022 is an election year with one general election and one primary election, requiring substantial increases in funding for new statutory requirements.
• Adding the Communications Capital Fund for increased visibility of the E911 capital projects.
• Progressing to the full implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act through Social Services.
• Beginning the implementation process for an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system