Rio Blanco County leaders presented the proposed 2026 draft budget at a special Nov. 10 meeting, showing a strong overall reserve position and a plan to reduce the amount drawn from fund balance next year. County Administrator Vicky, joined by Lisa from finance, briefed the Board of County Commissioners on revenue assumptions, key capital projects and post-wildfire recovery needs and said the board will finalize adoption at a Dec. 9 public hearing set for 8 a.m.

The presentation said the county’s beginning fund balance for 2026 is projected at roughly $38.7 million, following a modest projected addition to the 2025 balance. “Beginning fund balance up here across the top is used as a source in the budget,” Lisa said while walking commissioners through reconciled numbers and comparisons to the adopted 2025 budget and audited 2024 figures (presentation materials provided in the budget book).

Why it matters: the county’s tax base is concentrated in volatile sectors. The administrator warned commissioners that oil, gas and property together accounted for about 78% of the assessed valuation, making property-tax revenue sensitive to market and legislative changes. Officials also emphasized recovery from the summer wildfires: “multiple lightning strikes caused wildfires … which burned nearly a 155,000 acres combined across Rio Blanco County,” the administrator said, and FEMA and Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) funding decisions remain pending and could affect infrastructure repair needs.

Key revenue and reserve details

- Revenues that vary by year include PILT (Payments in Lieu of Taxes), federal mineral lease and severance receipts; presenters noted those intergovernmental sources were excluded from conservative line-item estimates and together were cited near $2.1 million for the year. (Provenance: SEG 521–531.)
- Investment income has been volatile: staff said 2023 interest earnings were about $2.1 million, 2024 actual about $3.2 million, and 2025 projections conservatively around $2.1 million, creating multi-million-dollar variances in fund-level results. (Provenance: SEG 536–542.)
- The presenters estimated the county has roughly 660 days of operating reserves remaining in the general fund after setting aside TABOR and other restricted amounts; TABOR restrictions were estimated at about $800,000. (Provenance: SEG 646–699.)

Major funds and capital plans

- Road and Bridge: The 2026 budget anticipates using about $3.8 million in fund balance for capital projects, including work on County Road 77 bridge (staff showed an expected grant of about $2.6 million applied to that project) and other bridge projects that together were cited near $5.6 million in future capital. (Provenance: SEG 781–805.)
- Solid Waste/Landfill: The landfill fund is projected to end 2026 with roughly $5.3 million; presenters identified about $863,000 of planned capital outlay (including a weigh-station redo) and approximately $100,000 for replacement trucks and light vehicles. Staff also noted a commercial hauler expects its work to continue for about five more years, smoothing that revenue stream. (Provenance: SEG 1002–1031, SEG 1059–1066.)
- Use tax and capital funds: The use tax fund was described as healthy (roughly $4.5 million available for general purposes); capital improvement and airport-related grants (FAA) were shown in the capital fund after timeline adjustments that moved some revenues into 2026. The presenters said most American Rescue Plan (ARP) recovery funds have been spent by 2025 and that remaining LATCF monies are largely available for projects (with restrictions such as not being used for lobbying). (Provenance: SEG 831–896.)

Organizational and process notes

County Administrator Vicky reviewed organizational reporting changes for 2026, naming departments that will report to the county administrator and noting that public health and the Department of Human Services will report directly to the board. She also noted the county attorney (Don Stearman) will serve through Jan. 1 when a new contract attorney will assume the role. Staff told commissioners they followed statutory timelines for budget preparation despite delays caused by wildfire response and FEMA application work. (Provenance: SEG 307–336, SEG 219–238.)

Public process and next steps

Commissioners were told the final public hearing and budget adoption are scheduled for Dec. 9 at 08:00 a.m.; the adoption hearing will include validity certification and related resolutions. The presentation materials referenced specific page numbers in the budget book for commissioners to review. The meeting adjourned at 06:08.

Quotes from officials were limited to the presentation and numeric explanations; no in-room public commenters spoke during this session. The budget presentation materials and line-item schedules will be posted and available for review before the Dec. 9 adoption hearing. (Provenance: SEG 241–256; SEG 1253–1264.)