Garfield County commissioners adopted the 2025 county budget during a public hearing on Tuesday, after reviewing the proposed budget with elected officials, administrative department heads and Garfield County residents in October. 

The budget appropriates around $137.7 million in funds and projects a decrease in revenue of approximately $3.3 million and about a $6.3 million increase in expenditures over the 2024 budget. Projected revenues exceed expenditures in the 2025 budget by around $1 million, according to the public hearing agenda sheet. 

Capital and discretionary items will decrease the Garfield County fund balance by around $10.8 million. The projected fund balance is $110 million by the end of 2025, with decreases in funds including the general fund, public health fund, road and bridge fund, human services fund, livestock auction fund and retirement fund, and increases in funds including the community events fund, conservation trust fund, emergency reserve fund and airport fund.

The county fund was around $108.5 million in January, with a projected balance of around $122.7 million by Dec. 31. 

Commissioners were presented the 2025 proposed budget on Oct. 7 and reviewed the proposal during public hearings on Oct. 8, Oct. 15 and Oct. 22. The proposed budget operating revenue exceeded operating expenditures by around $460,000. Around $118.3 million was proposed for operations, $12.8 million for capital and $8.6 million for discretionary expenditures, for a total of around $139.7 million.

The Garfield Board of County Commissioners edited the proposed budget, decreasing county revenue by around $455,000 and decreasing expenditures by around $2 million. The original projected balance for the county fund at the end of 2025 was around $86 million, Commissioner Mike Samson said. 

“We’re continuing to do, in my humble opinion, a good job of keeping that reserve up and not cutting services, not cutting personnel, giving our employees a good employee package. We continue to do that,” Samson said. “That’s one of the reasons the election turned out the way it did. People saw that. They saw that we’re keeping a tight fist on things, but we’re rewarding people that need to be rewarded and we’re treating our employees good.”

The final county budget for the 2025 fiscal year was approved on Tuesday by commissioners Samson and Tom Jankovsky. Commissioner John Martin was excused from the meeting.