Budget
- korigsalazar
- Oct 29
- 2 min read
Let’s talk numbers.
One of the first things I did when I started on council in December 2024 was go through every line of the 2025 budget.
I have met with the finance director and city manager five times in the past 10 months to better understand the budget and mill levies.
The city takes 16.5 mills from property taxes.
4.5 mills is for law enforcement and public safety.
12 mills funds city-managed amenities, improvements, operations, and maintenance (e.g., park upkeep, trail enhancements) and construction of a new park in the canyons. This was approved by voters via Ballot Measure 2F in November 2023.
Key Impacts on Residents - No Net Increase for Most: The 12-mill parks portion offsets prior metro district levies, keeping overall property taxes stable relative to 2023 (excluding statewide value increases). CPNMD was using 15-17 mills for parks, trails, and open space without a lot of maintenance and minimal improvements. The city took 12 of that to use for maintenance, improvements, and construction of new parks, trails, and open spaces.
Example Calculation: For a home with a 2024 actual value of $800,000:
Assessed value (local government portion): $800,000 × 6.25% = $50,000.
City tax due: $50,000 × (16.500 / 1,000) = $825 annually.
This is just the city's share; total taxes include county (e.g., ~15 mills), schools (~50 mills), metro districts (varies, e.g., 20–30 mills), and others, often totaling 90–170 mills per district.
$500,000/year is budgeted for capital projects (I apologize for the video - I mentioned this and then said operations and maintenance. It is for capital projects, not O&M.)
The city maintains 25% fund reserve in the general fund, parks fund, and roads fund. The is being constantly reinvested to ensure it is earning the best percentage interest.
What questions do you have about the city budget?
Check out: https://www.castlepinesco.gov/city-services/city-departments/finance-human-resources/city-budget/
What I believe and what I support as an incumbent council woman-
Grow thoughtfully
Budget wisely
Be a good neighbor 🌲
Vote for me so I can vote for you! 🇺🇸 I will be a voice on council that advocates for preserving small-town charm while driving thoughtful growth without increasing the tax burden.
Remember to vote by 7pm on November 4th!
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