Commissioners pass ‘23 budget, allocate $8.44 million
Phillips County Commissioners passed a budget on Dec. 9 whose planning “went smooth,” according to Board Chair Tom Timm. Looking at the document when compared to those of the previous two years, expenditures involve the same nine items. An exception exists at a tenth factor between the 2021 plans and the following two: The former incorporates a Contingency Fund, while the 2022 and ‘23 plans replace it with monies from the American Recovery Act.
“We didn’t have a lot to change,” Commissioner Terry Hofmeister said. “You almost mirror it from one year to the next...you’ll have some changes for [updated equipment] and things like that.”
Total funding increased by about 24 percent from the budget planned for 2021 when compared to the one for ‘22: $7.31 million to $9.06 million respectively. For the ‘23 budget, total funding decreased by about 7 percent to $8.44 million.
The highest amounts allocated for 2023 – as with the previous two years – involve the general, and road and bridge funds. General fund monies, used to run the local government, is budgeted at $4.13 million. The total sits at $2.16 million for roads and bridges.
The latter pair, Timm explained, are expensive to maintain, especially when “a road grader costs $325,000 and we have eight of those,” combined with the cost of fuel to operate equipment and gravel for maintenance.
A smaller part of the budget, just over $410,000, has been allocated to American Recovery Act funds. These monies, provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, are set aside to help local communities recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Recovery Act funds may be used to decrease the virus’ spread, replace lost public sector revenue and services, stabilize households and businesses, and address the inequal impact the pandemic might have on certain populations.
Next year’s mill levy – a tax with one mill equal to $1 per $1,000 of assessed property value – is set at 28.28. This levy is identical to the number planned for 2021 and a tenth of a percentage decrease from ‘22.
Resolutions and ordinances for the county may be found at phillipscounty.colorado.gov/resolutions
and-ordinances.