Boulder, county maintain level budgets for 2021-22

Despite ongoing uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, upcoming projects and several injections of relief funds from the federal government, Jefferson County and the city of Boulder are working through this fiscal year with budgets kept mostly level from last year. The Jefferson County Commission and Boulder City Council each approved their respective final budgets for the 2021-22 fiscal year last month.

This fiscal year, Jefferson County plans to spend about $27 million, up slightly from $25.7 million in the 2020-21 year. Much of that increase, according to Commissioner Cory Kirsch, was due to cost-of-living increases.

“Almost every year, it comes down to payroll. When we’re going back and forth with the unions and trying to figure out cost of living increases … that’s usually our biggest increase,” Kirsch said in a phone call Tuesday morning.