Boulder County targets $13.2 million in ongoing reductions for 2027 budget

Boulder County commissioners established a $13.2 million ongoing-reduction target for the 2027 budget during a Sept. 15 work session. The target includes about $9.2 million in personnel reductions and $3.9 million in operating reductions, according to the commissioners’ meeting recording.

The reductions are intended to address a General Fund structural deficit that staff previously estimated at $30 million to $40 million. Earlier reductions, a voluntary separation incentive program and limits on new spending requests improved the outlook, staff said.

The work session was not a final budget-adoption vote. Commissioners gave direction on proposals for the recommended budget, while other proposals were rejected, questioned or left unresolved.

Proposals commissioners advanced

Commissioners supported changes in the Assessor’s Office expected to save about $95,000: reclassifying two vacant Appraiser II positions as Appraiser I positions and eliminating a vacant data-collector position while increasing the hourly-worker budget. Staff said the changes could increase workloads and create data-collection risks.

They also supported eliminating $24,300 in external leadership coaching for Clerk and Recorder managers, eliminating one vacant Community Services manager position for about $154,000 in savings, and decommissioning two underused fleet-service sites for about $25,000 in ongoing savings. Existing federally funded Community Services programs would continue, staff said.

The board supported shifting about $500,000 in jail medical-service costs from the General Fund to the Offender Management Fund. Staff said the change would not reduce jail medical services or staffing.

Commissioners also supported eliminating county-sponsored on-site flu-shot clinics, estimated to save about $20,000 annually, while asking staff to provide employees with information about other vaccination options.

Proposals commissioners opposed or questioned

Commissioners said they did not support reducing election-judge pay by $3 per hour or cutting election-outreach advertising. The proposal, which also included eliminating a redundant software tool, was estimated to save about $66,200. Commissioners cited voter access and misinformation concerns.

The District Attorney’s Office proposed freezing for six months a vacant part-time deputy district attorney position assigned to felony district-court prosecutions. The freeze would produce an estimated $63,000 in one-time savings. The office said permanently eliminating the position could affect prosecutions involving domestic violence, attempted murder, homicide and vehicular fatalities.