Eagle County Board of Commissioners approves $281 million in spending for 2025
Budget includes spending for the last portion of Eagle Valley Trail
Vail Daily archive
The Eagle County Board of Commissioners on Thursday gave final approval to the county’s 2025 budget, with nearly $281 million in spending.
The approval hearing didn’t take much time, following a lengthy Dec. 5 work session. The county in 2025 will take in about $227 million in revenue, meaning it will use about $48.7 million from its reserve funds. Even with the spending from reserves, more than $223 million remains in those accounts.
The budget includes spending roughly 29%, the largest single outlay, on salaries and benefits. Another 22% will be spent on capital spending including construction of a new county building in Edwards, geothermal projects at the county administration building in Eagle and the county’s vehicle maintenance building in Gypsum, and a $15 million expense to finish the final 7.5 miles of the Eagle Valley Trail.
At the Dec. 5 meeting Eagle County Chief Financial Officer Jill Klosterman noted that county revenues are expected to remain relatively flat in the coming year, with sales taxes increasing 2.5%.
At the Dec. 12 meeting, county finance director Anna Earl noted that while reserve funds are being used, the 2025 budget is balanced.
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Commissioner Jeanne McQueeney praised the county’s finance team for its transparency in preparing the budget.
McQueeney said she only sits on “one other board” with that level of transparency: the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, a nine-member board that has representatives from local governments from throughout that valley.
Calling the county’s budget “clear and transparent,” McQueeney said the county’s finance team is “doing better than almost everybody else.” The entire budget book is available on the county’s website.
