Members of the public are invited to review recommended budget proposals and comment at a public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 22

(Boulder County, Colo.) -- On Oct. 10, 2019, the county’s Office of Financial Management presented a recommended budget of $436.6 million* – a preliminary budget document which includes a description of proposed spending packages by fund, elected office, and department, as well as projected revenues for calendar year 2020 – to the Board of County Commissioners and the residents of Boulder County for their consideration, review and guidance.

Earlier this year, the Board of County Commissioners set the following budgeting goals to guide the Office of Financial Management in drafting the recommended budget for 2020:

• Rebuild Boulder County’s unassigned General Fund balance to an optimal level that would allow the county to withstand an economic downturn or an unforeseen disaster. (To begin restoring the reserve level, the Board aims to adopt a 2020 General Fund budget no greater than the 2019 adopted budget, plus ongoing base amendments made to-date in 2019.)
• Recognize county employees as our most important asset and continue to provide a total compensation package that is in line with the market as far as other competing requests for the budget allow us to. (Note; The Board of County Commissioners will be making a decision on 2020 employee benefit plans by the end of the month in order to set county premiums for 2020 before open enrollment this fall.)
• Provide the best in public service by funding services that effectively meet the needs of our community.
• Continue to complete flood recovery projects while finalizing the tasks necessary to receive reimbursement for this work.

Public feedback on the 2020 Recommended Budget

The Boulder County Commissioners welcome public feedback, questions, and comments on the 2020 Recommended Budget.

• A public hearing will take place at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22 in the Commissioners' Hearing Room, 3rd Floor, County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl Street, Boulder. The public is invited to be heard.
• Written comments may be submitted at any time using the public comment form.

Additional budget requests, priorities, and adjustments to the recommended budget will be considered by the Board of County Commissioners at their annual budget work session from 1-4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7. The final 2020 Boulder County Budget will be adopted at a public meeting at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10.

Additional details about the 2020 Budget adoption process and information about current and prior years’ budgets is available at: bouldercounty.gov/Budget.

* The 2020 Recommended Budget is a baseline budget prepared by the Office of Financial Management to serve as a starting point for the Board of County Commissioners to consider as part of their statutory responsibility to set a balanced budget by Dec. 15. (View: Video link to Oct. 10, 2019 public meeting – scroll to and then click on “V. 3:00 p.m. Public Meeting” to watch the budget officer’s presentation of the recommended budget to the Boulder County Commissioners.)

To watch the budget officer’s presentation of the recommended budget to the Boulder County Commissioners: 1) click the image above and 2) scroll to and click on “V. 3:00 p.m. Public Meeting” to view the video recording.