Last week, the Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners approved the County’s annual budget for 2021. The County’s Finance department is expected to complete the full budget document by late-January. The 2021 Recommended Budget is now available for review. Among the highlights:

• Total adopted budget: $427.0 million
• Total adopted General Fund budget: $210.8 million
• Total staffing of fulltime employees (FTE): 2,297.27

• The General Fund, the main operating fund of the County, was structurally balanced with ongoing revenues of $205.5 million and ongoing expenditures of $203.9 million. Structurally balancing the operating budget has been a tenet of the Commissioners’ fiscal strategy for many years and continues in 2021.
• The total adopted budget of $427.0 million is a 0.8% decrease over 2020’s budget, due to a slowdown in revenue growth as a result of the pandemic and the ensuing economic downturn.
• Property values only increased by 0.6% for 2021. This slows the growth in the largest source of revenue for the County. Officials are expecting that the economic downturn may further slow or reduce property tax revenues in future budget years.
• The County’s mill levy for 2021 will be 12.013 mills, which remains among the lowest in the Denver metro area.
• The County’s budget includes 2,297 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, an increase of 15.87 positions over 2020. Twelve of these new positions are the result of the addition of nearly $2.5 million in expenses related to SB20-217. The new law mandates the implementation and use of body-worn cameras, and its fiscal impact includes additional staffing, equipment, and capital costs for technology and facilities.
• The County’s capital improvement program received $10 million in funding in the 2021 budget. This includes $6.5 million for transportation needs along Iliff Avenue and Gun Club Road, among others. Facility improvement needs are funded at $3.5 million, with most going to improvements at the County’s courthouse, detention facility, and the Sheriff’s Office administration building in Centennial.

View a complete rundown of the 2021 budget.