The El Paso County commissioners approved a $491 million budget, while praising steps taken to help ease the property tax burden on residents.

The county cut its property tax collection by 20% to stay within Taxpayer Bill of Rights limits, which will provide some relief to homeowners facing steep increases in taxes as the value of homes has soared in recent years.

“TABOR is the hero today. I am happy for us to pass this,” County Commissioner Carrie Geitner said.

The state also recently cut the assessment of homes by $55,000 to help property owners statewide.

The county’s budget didn’t change as a result of the state’s changes because the county had already anticipated providing relief, county spokesman Natalie Sosa said. However, the county was delayed in approving its 2024 budget because of the state changes.

A sample property tax bill presented by Chief Finance Director Nikki Simmons showed a home valued at $500,000 would owe about $3,388.24 in taxes this year. The taxes a resident may owe vary depending on whether a home is in a metro district, fire district or other tax-collecting district.

In Simmons’ example, about 46% of the taxes go to the local school district and 40% go to the local metro district. El Paso County receives about 6% of the tax bill to fund departments such as the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and the local Road and Bridge Department. Commissioner Longinos Gonzalez said that in order for residents to see further relief, school districts will need to take some action.

The county’s small slice of the overall property tax pie, is expected to bring in about $83 million next year. The county’s largest revenue source is sales and use tax and it is expected to bring in $165 million. The county expects to collect $446 million total.

Overall spending at the county is up from $483 million proposed earlier in the year to $491 million in the adopted budget because the county will receive additional funding for Human Services, she said.

The county also expects to boost spending on salaries, spending on the El Paso County jail’s health care provider and new positions to support the District Attorney’s office in this year’s budget. Public safety spending on the sheriff’s office and the District Attorney’s office will receive the largest portion of the budget with $97 million. Road and bridge will receive $40 million for the county’s 2,100 miles of roads.

El Paso County Commission Chairwoman Cami Bremer and her colleagues praised the county’s frugal budget.

“We do more with less here in El Paso County,” she said, also noting the budget is fairly recession proof.

The budget sets aside $7 million in emergency reserves, in addition to $10 million in reserves required by TABOR. An earlier version of the county’s 2024 budget anticipated about $9 million in emergency reserves.

The county reallocated $1.9 million in the emergency reserve to match a grant to address summer flooding damage, Sosa said.

Contact the writer at mary.shinn@gazettedev.gazette.com or (719) 429-9264.

El Paso County expects to spend $40 million on its roads and bridges in 2024. The county is responsible for 2,100 miles of roads.

Courtesy of El Paso County