El Paso County’s proposed budget boosts public safety spending while accounting for possible recession

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Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
The El Paso County Judicial Complex, including county courts, in Colorado Springs, June 12, 2023.

El Paso County released a proposed budget this week that includes additional funds for public safety, veteran services and roads. 

The county budget and finance division expects to spend a little less than $483 million in 2024. A spokesperson says the budget was based on conservative revenue estimates in case the county needs to weather a recession.

The budget doesn’t include significant spending cuts for any department. New public safety money will go toward new full time positions for veteran services, the district attorney and the coroner’s offices, as well as increased allocations for the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. 

Several public hearings scheduled over the next few months will give folks the chance to comment on the proposed budget.

If the statewide ballot initiative Prop. HH passes, it would change the county’s planned budget and also push its adoption back to January.