2025 Mesa County budget proposal made Tuesday

MESA COUNTY, Colo. ( KREX ) — The 2025 Mesa County budget proposal was made Tuesday to Mesa County's Board of Commissioners.

The 2025 budget, consisting of a general and capital fund, totals $246.9 million.

The total increased by $5.2 million from 2024.

The proposal, presented by County Administrator Pete Baier and Diane Dziewatkoski, showed most of the revenue will come from sales tax, with the general fund getting about $35 million and the capital fund getting $16.6 million, with the remainder of the amount coming from property taxes and state and federal funding.

"Sales tax is a big portion of the general fund revenues," said Dziewatkoski. "Looking at that 2% growth factor, we are expecting about a half-a-million dollar increase in sales tax revenues year over year."

A part of the presentation was dedicated to the addition of 13.25 full-time equivalence to the authorized staffing level. To counteract the addition, the county is cutting back by initiating a four-month hiring freeze.

The department seeing the largest increase in the FTE is the Mesa County Sheriff's Department. Dziewatkoski breaks down the increase.

"We are adding nine in the 2025 proposed budget. Three of those are additional patrol deputies that the sheriff's office requested. Two additional deputies are for Collbran, specifically. Four deputies are going to be taking over the animal enforcement services from our animal services department."

Collbran will pay the county for that service in the amount of $350,000. The majority of the contract will cover their salaries, benefits and overtime. Whatever is left over from the contract will be moved to the capital fund to purchase two vehicles for those deputies.

The final budget proposal will be voted on Dec. 10.