County Budget
Annual Budget
Boulder County government assumes a variety of roles and carries out core responsibilities in order to help foster a vibrant, healthy, and active community.
Our annual budget process allows for the careful allocation of tax dollars to help with important county functions such as maintaining our well-traveled roads, conducting law and public safety services, providing housing counseling and nutrition assistance for our youngest and oldest residents, and working together to create visionary open space and land use policies.
2026 Budget
Developing Boulder County’s annual budget is a process that starts in May each year and involves hundreds of hours of work from county staff, elected officials, and the community.
Meeting links and additional details will be published as they become available.
Elected Official and Department Heads Budget presentations session 1:
9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7
- Visit County Budget Virtual Attendee link for Commissioners’ Tuesday Oct. 7 session to attend online. To attend by phone, call 1-833-568-8864 and use Webinar ID 160 404 2142.
- View the presentation from Human Services for General Fund expenditure increases.
- View the presentation on Information Technology project requests..
- View the presentation on transportation infrastructure project requests from Community Planning & Permitting and Public Works..
- View the presentation by the Public Works Department on requests for county facilities and infrastructure, fleet replacements and additions, the Recycling Center, and road maintenance.
Elected Official and Department Heads Budget presentations session 2:
9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9
- Visit County Budget Virtual Attendee link for Commissioners’ Thursday, Oct. 9 session to attend online.
To attend by phone, call 1-833-568-8864 and use Webinar ID 160 766 6817. - Related documentation is forthcoming.
Registration for either session is not required to attend in-person at the Commissioners’ Hearing Room, 3rd floor, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder.
There is no opportunity for public comment. Written feedback can be shared using the 2026 Budget Process Feedback Form.
Future events
- Public Hearing on Boulder County Recommended Budget: Tuesday, Oct. 14
- There is an opportunity for public comment at the public hearing.
- Budget Work Session presentation: Thursday, Nov. 6
- Budget Adoption: Tuesday, Dec. 9
Public meetings and hearings are available to attend in-person (3rd floor, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder), online through Zoom, or by phone.
Sign up for the Commissioners’ Advance Agenda to receive the most up to date two-week agenda, including final dates for all meetings and hearings.
Meeting dates are subject to change.
Public hearings provide an opportunity for public comment. More details, including access to previous meeting videos and documentation, are available through the Public Meetings, Hearings, Records and Video Archives page.
Past Meetings and Hearings
- View the video of the Sept. 30 Recommended 2026 Budget Presentation Public Meeting.
- View the 2026 Boulder County Budget Decision Package on OpenGov.
- View the Boulder County 2026 Recommended Budget presentation.
Revenue
Property Taxes
The Treasurer’s Office collects taxes for all taxing districts in the county, including Boulder County government, school districts, cities, fire districts, water and sanitation districts, and other special districts, and distributes the monies to those districts.
In 2025, taxing entities receiving portions of property tax revenues include:
- School districts: 54%
- Boulder County Government: 24%
- Cities and Towns: 11%
- All others combined: 11%
Sales and Use Taxes
Consult Boulder County’s Sales and Use taxes page for all details.
More Information
Interested in learning more about Financial Reporting for Boulder County? Visit our Financial Reporting page.
Share Comments and Feedback
2026 Budget Process
To share your comments with the Boulder County Commissioners, please complete the 2026 Budget Process Feedback Form.
2025 Budget
The final Budget was adopted on Dec. 11, 2024. View the 2025 Budget Adoption meeting.
Visit Understanding Boulder County’s Budget for a summary of the 2025 adopted budget.
2025 Budget Amendments
Starting in 2025, all Budget Amendments are being approved by the Board of County Commissioners on a quarterly basis.
- Q1: View the video for the March 27 Public Hearing on Proposed 2025 Quarter 1 Budget Amendment Requests.
- Q2: View the video for the July 7 Public Hearing on Proposed 2025 Quarter 2 Budget Amendment Requests.
- Q3: View the video for the Thursday Sept. 25 Public Hearing on Proposed 2025 Quarter 3 Budget Amendment Requests.
- Q4: Thursday Jan. 29, 2026
Online Budget Book – Expenses by Fund
This interactive report provided through the OpenGov portal details expenses by fund up to and including the current Budget year.
Hover over any part of the graph to display contextual information for a slice.
Mill Levy and Property Tax
The 2025 Mill Levies were formally approved during the Budget Adoption public meeting of the Board of County Commissioners on Dec. 11, 2024: view the meeting section concerning the Resolution Levying Property Taxes.. Boulder County will levy 22.661 mills for fiscal year 2025, with a temporary mill levy credit of -2.133. This reflects a 5.5% growth limitation in the entirety of the county’s General Use fund, and most of the county voter-approved property tax funds.
More information about Property Tax is available in the 2025 Budget Summary section about Property Taxes.
Sign up to receive the commissioners’ Advance Agenda for meeting details. Regular business meetings can be attended online, by phone, or in-person, but there is no opportunity for public comment. Written comments can be sent to commissioners@bouldercounty.gov.
The Boulder County Treasurer’s Office calculated property tax using the mill levies from all taxing entities, and sent out property tax notices in late January. Find out more about how tax is calculated.
Previous Years’ Information
Budget Summaries
- 2024 Budget Summary – OpenGov
- 2024 Boulder County Budget Summary – Printable PDF
- Resumen del presupuesto 2024 – PDF para imprimir
- 2023 Budget Summary
- 2022 Budget Summary
- 2021 Budget Summary
Accessibility Notice
Boulder County aims to ensure all digital content and documents are accessible for the benefit of everyone’s use of our programs, activities and services. While efforts have been made to maximize accessibility, some types of content have inherent technical limitations.
To request an Americans with Disability (ADA) accommodation, please contact us no later than 2 business days before an event, through the following channels:
- Submit an ADA Web Accommodation Request Form
- Email our ADA coordinator: ada@bouldercounty.gov
- Or call 303-441-1386
View Boulder County’s accessibility statement.