Data says El Paso County now Colorado’s most-populated

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- It's been a constant back-and-forth with Denver County in recent years, but El Paso County now stands alone as having more people and property parcels than any other Colorado county.

That fact was confirmed this week by County Assessor Steve Schleiker, based on data from last year's census by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The bureau's website lists a population of 730,395 as of April 2020, but Schleiker said that data is still being compiled and the actual population may be closer to 790,000.

"Much of that population is coming from the Denver metro area and from Douglas County," he said. "They're settling in the Monument Area, Security-Widefield and Falcon. The Falcon area is one of our fastest-growing. El Paso County is a great area and people like it here."

However, with that growth comes mounting financial challenges which the top county-wide elected leaders made county commissioners aware of Tuesday.

The sheriff, district attorney, clerk and recorder, and assessor alerted commissioners that those departments will need more funding and resources in upcoming years because of continued growth and unfunded requirements from new state laws.

For example, two upcoming new laws will require jail staff to more closely monitor the behavior of mentally ill inmates and ensure that inmates get two hours of fresh air breaks daily.

"We think that will cost us around $3 million," said Janet Huffor, a representative of the sheriff's office.

Commissioners have complained for years about state mandates that provide no state money and leave counties to foot the bill.

"I think that from now on, every time a state mandate comes down to us, the state should be required to fully fund it," said commissioners' chairman Stan VanderWerf. "We're tired of this."

Rep. Tim Geitner, a local Republican state lawmaker and the husband of Commissioner Carrie Geitner, blamed the Democratically-controlled state government for the unfunded mandates.

"What can we do about it? That's a good question," he said. "We recognize the impact of unfunded mandates on local governments. Unfortunately, that's how it is but maybe we can discuss it in more detail during next year's session."

But the sense of urgency for county leaders now focuses on helping departments that provide services to an increasing number of residents.

"We've been doing the best job we can with limited staff and resources," Schleiker said. "But that can't continue with the growth we're seeing, and it's growth that isn't going to stop anytime soon. Most of our departments have less staff and fewer resources than the Denver metro counties."

However, he added that county workers are doing an awesome job and don’t foresee the need to increase staffing, nor does he have any budgetary concerns or critical needs.

It's unclear where the county can find more resources; officials are already facing road improvements needs that commissioner chairman Stan VanderWerf recently described as "in the hundreds of millions of dollars."

With only 30% of county revenue coming from property taxes, Schleiker said that one option previously discussed by county officials is collecting property taxes from some local nonprofit organizations -- many of which are exempt.

The county assessor only has the authority to exempt federal, county, municipal and school district property. Nonprofits such as churches have to apply for the exemption through the Division of Property Taxation, and that exemption is not always guaranteed. Some nonprofits do pay property taxes if the division finds that they are only partially exempt. The question of why nonprofits don’t pay property taxes is something beyond the statutory powers of a county assessor, and any change would require action by state lawmakers..

"Another option is maybe finding a way to collect more revenue from all of the construction that's happening in the county," he said.

It's worth mentioning, however, that new construction is one of the variables used to determine a county's TABOR revenue limit, and the assessor's office is audited yearly on including new construction. It is not a new revenue source that isn’t already taken into account. 

One solution is expected within the next two years, in a vacant lot across from Fire Station 2 in Falcon -- one of the county's fastest-growing areas.

The county will build a sheriff's office substation there that will include some county departments and eliminate the need for citizens to drive to the Citizen Service Center in west Colorado Springs to conduct business.

"That's a huge convenience and timesaver when you consider how big the county is and the traveling involved for citizens and workers," said Sheriff Bill Elder. "We don't know what the cost will be yet, but we will ask for public feedback to see what services people think should be there."