The long and arduous process of finalizing a 2006 Fremont County budget came to a conclusion December 13th when the Fremont County Commissioners unanimously approved resolutions adopting a budget, appropriating the necessary funds, and establishing the property tax mill levy for the budget. The Commissioners praised the work and sacrifices elected officials and department heads made in developing the budget while cautioning citizens that while employees will work hard to maintain the level of service, budget cuts could impact some services. Those budgets expected to see the most impact are the Sheriff's Department and the Road and Bridge Department.
The Commissioners said that after a recent meeting with Sheriff Jim Beicker they did decide to restore $40,000 to the Sheriff's budget to help meet critical needs. Among 2006 expenditures restored for the Sheriff is $5,000 for membership in the Colorado County Sheriffs' Association, $8,100 to participate in a statewide pool that counties drawn upon to fight wildfires, money for ammunition for officers' training on the firing range, and $14,000 for the training budget. The Commissioners said they hope to allow the Sheriff to spend another $8,000 for training purposes in 2006 but that will still be short of the amount sought by the Sheriff.
Among Sheriff's budget cuts that remain is $84,000 for two positions eliminated by attrition.....a sargeant's post in the jail and a clerk who greets the public at the front window. $3,000 was also cut for program materials for the anti-drug DARE program in Penrose, Florence, and Cotopaxi schools, and over $5,000 in kitchen supplies.
Sheriff Beicker is on record as saying that in order to save money on fuel and to extend the life on an aging fleet of patrol cars, deputies are being directed to cut back on patrol miles traveled throughout the county.
The Fremont County Road and Bridge Department will also see the impact from deep budget cuts in 2006. Six positions will not be filled. The Commissioners note that in 2005 as those positions came open and were not filled, the road foremen were able to use those salary savings on other needs such as gravel purposes. But in 2006 the Commissioners say that won't be possible because the money for those six positions has been cut entirely from the budget. Even with those cuts, the Road and Bridge Department will have only minimal money to buy gravel and maintain roads. For the third straight year there will be no money available for new paving or chip sealing. The only asphalt and chip sealing money to be spent will be state gaming impact grants that must be used exclusively on High Park, Garden Park, and Phantom Canyon Roads which lead to Cripple Creek.
The Commissioners did announce that the 2006 budget allows the county to keep a commitment to its' employees to fund the second year of a three year salary plan. A survey in 2004 showed Fremont County employees' salaries were far below the market level for comparable jobs. The Commissioners said they feel it is important to fulfill the pledge for the second year of the salary plan so the county doesn't fall further behind. The fiscal impact on the 2006 budget from the pay plan amounts to a 3.63 percent budgetary increase.
The Commissioners say that as the cost to run county government continues to grow, the revenues to finance that growth are not keeping pace. In fact the Commissioners say that TABOR revenue limits will actually mean that many people will pay less property taxes to the county in 2006. Fremont County's assessed valuation on which property taxes are calculated has increased by nearly 11 percent. But because the TABOR amendment limits revenue growth to 5 percent, that means the cost of running county government is actually spread out among more people and thus a lower property tax bill for many. In addition those TABOR revenue limits will prevent Fremont County from collecting its maximum 12.92 mills of property tax. The 2006 total mill levy of 12.48 mills means taxpayers will be getting a TABOR refund. They won't actually get a refund check from the county but the temporary tax credit means they will be able to pay a lesser amount in property tax to fund county government.
The Commissioners say they plan to address the budget and revenue issues in more town hall meetings starting in January in an effort to find a solutions to financing the growing needs for the Sheriff's Department, Road and Bridge Department, Human Services, and the many other county departments.
The Commissioners said that after a recent meeting with Sheriff Jim Beicker they did decide to restore $40,000 to the Sheriff's budget to help meet critical needs. Among 2006 expenditures restored for the Sheriff is $5,000 for membership in the Colorado County Sheriffs' Association, $8,100 to participate in a statewide pool that counties drawn upon to fight wildfires, money for ammunition for officers' training on the firing range, and $14,000 for the training budget. The Commissioners said they hope to allow the Sheriff to spend another $8,000 for training purposes in 2006 but that will still be short of the amount sought by the Sheriff.
Among Sheriff's budget cuts that remain is $84,000 for two positions eliminated by attrition.....a sargeant's post in the jail and a clerk who greets the public at the front window. $3,000 was also cut for program materials for the anti-drug DARE program in Penrose, Florence, and Cotopaxi schools, and over $5,000 in kitchen supplies.
Sheriff Beicker is on record as saying that in order to save money on fuel and to extend the life on an aging fleet of patrol cars, deputies are being directed to cut back on patrol miles traveled throughout the county.
The Fremont County Road and Bridge Department will also see the impact from deep budget cuts in 2006. Six positions will not be filled. The Commissioners note that in 2005 as those positions came open and were not filled, the road foremen were able to use those salary savings on other needs such as gravel purposes. But in 2006 the Commissioners say that won't be possible because the money for those six positions has been cut entirely from the budget. Even with those cuts, the Road and Bridge Department will have only minimal money to buy gravel and maintain roads. For the third straight year there will be no money available for new paving or chip sealing. The only asphalt and chip sealing money to be spent will be state gaming impact grants that must be used exclusively on High Park, Garden Park, and Phantom Canyon Roads which lead to Cripple Creek.
The Commissioners did announce that the 2006 budget allows the county to keep a commitment to its' employees to fund the second year of a three year salary plan. A survey in 2004 showed Fremont County employees' salaries were far below the market level for comparable jobs. The Commissioners said they feel it is important to fulfill the pledge for the second year of the salary plan so the county doesn't fall further behind. The fiscal impact on the 2006 budget from the pay plan amounts to a 3.63 percent budgetary increase.
The Commissioners say that as the cost to run county government continues to grow, the revenues to finance that growth are not keeping pace. In fact the Commissioners say that TABOR revenue limits will actually mean that many people will pay less property taxes to the county in 2006. Fremont County's assessed valuation on which property taxes are calculated has increased by nearly 11 percent. But because the TABOR amendment limits revenue growth to 5 percent, that means the cost of running county government is actually spread out among more people and thus a lower property tax bill for many. In addition those TABOR revenue limits will prevent Fremont County from collecting its maximum 12.92 mills of property tax. The 2006 total mill levy of 12.48 mills means taxpayers will be getting a TABOR refund. They won't actually get a refund check from the county but the temporary tax credit means they will be able to pay a lesser amount in property tax to fund county government.
The Commissioners say they plan to address the budget and revenue issues in more town hall meetings starting in January in an effort to find a solutions to financing the growing needs for the Sheriff's Department, Road and Bridge Department, Human Services, and the many other county departments.