With those words, the board adopted Arapahoe County’s
$332.2-million budget for 2007 and marked a major accomplishment,
according to some.

By By: Peter Jones

The budget before you today is balanced and is in compliance
with (the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights) and all other state
requirements,” Arapahoe County budget manager Todd Weaver told the
county’s elected commissioners last week.

With those words, the board adopted Arapahoe County’s
$332.2-million budget for 2007 and marked a major accomplishment,
according to some.

“This is the first time, though I’ve only been here two years,
that we actually had a balanced budget (going into a new year),”
said Aurora’s District 5 Commissioner Frank Weddig during the Dec.
12 meeting. “… I think that’s a great milestone.”

It will be a year of some groundbreaking, too. Next year, the
county will begin construction of the new $7-million Eastern
Arapahoe County Service Center on 72 acres at the southwest corner
of East Quincy Avenue and South Brick Center Road. The center will
eventually provide a new home for the county’s road and bridge
operations and a new vehicle-maintenance center to replace an aging
facility in Byers.

Twelve new full-time positions – two in the County Attorney’s
Office and seven in the sheriff’s detentions facility, are also
included in the budget. To help offset the staff increases, eight
jobs were cut in Public Works and Development. Their
responsibilities have been transferred to the new Southeast Metro
Stormwater Authority, a taxing district that represents a
partnership with the city of Centennial and other government
entities.

The overall 2007 budget grew by 13.5 percent due to projects in
the Arapahoe County Water and Wastewater Public Improvement
District and the increased cost of salaries, energy and
construction materials, according to officials. The general fund
portion of the budget, $147 million, is a relatively modest 1.3
percent higher than 2006.

Officials say they spent this year finding ways to reduce
expenses and increase efficiencies. The efforts included
refinancing debt and implementing the county’s touted Chevron
Energy Performance Contract, which favors energy-efficient
buildings.

As the result of new construction, increased assessed valuation
and inflation, the county’s property-tax income is expected to
increase from $103.6 million to $110 million in 2006. At 16.083
mills, the mill levy remains among the lowest in the metro
Denver.