This is the time of the year that local governments in Colorado are busy working on setting their budgets for the coming year. But actually, the budget process starts almost as soon as one budget is set, with preliminary work, such as determining which infrastructure or capital improvement projects hope to be accomplished or started in the coming year.
Colorado has historically relied heavily on sales taxes to fund local governments and with that comes a certain volatility. If sales tax revenue drops, as it has in 2025, and with the delays between when sales taxes are collected and those taxes are fully accounted for, a government can be spending money in September based on a budget passed a year ago on what it expected to collect in July, only to find out that July’s tax revenue was lower than expected. Not only could this create a financial hole that the government needs to fill, but if a decrease in sales tax revenue continues, the hole could get deeper, while also decreasing the tax dollars available for the following year. An absurd 60% of the Colorado Springs budget comes from sales and use taxes. Meanwhile, property tax revenue is much more stable.
Declining sales tax revenue is impacting local government budgets in the Pikes Peak region, both for the remainder of this year and the upcoming year.
Colorado Springs has already laid off 38 employees – about 1% of its workforce – due to a $31 million shortfall. Many remaining employees will be forced to take unpaid days off, usually on either end of a holiday weekend, during the remainder of this year and into 2026.
Manitou Springs is also facing a budget shortfall, largely due to Colorado Springs voters approving recreational marijuana sales. According to a presentation at the Oct. 14 Manitou Springs City Council meeting, the town is facing budget cuts of 4.76% to achieve a balanced 2026 budget, and that “only capital projects that are grant funded” will be done.
If all this talk about money is making your eyes glaze over, I get it. It’s pretty boring, mundane stuff, and it’s hard to figure out what it means to the average citizen. And when budget cuts have to be made, it has often been parks and recreation departments that take the biggest hits. Although local governments have come to realize that parks, trails and open spaces are actually an important amenity and economic driver to both residents and visitors, when push comes to shove decisions have to be made as to whether public safety or recreation gets the bigger cuts, you can imagine what happens to recreation. And, as someone who spent my entire life in public safety, I get it, even if it pains me to see parks systems get cut.
So, what does 2026 portend for local parks systems? To find out, I asked parks department officials from El Paso County, Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs and the Town of Monument to give me an idea of what the average park visitor will see or experience as a result of the 2026 budgets. Will park maintenance decrease, increase or remain the same? What about planned capital improvement projects? Will they still be accomplished, or put on hold, or cancelled all together? Will manpower be affected? Will there be a change in the number of park rangers or maintenance workers, or other staff?
Before we go on, it’s important to note that budgets are not yet final and typically are not final until December, so anything that follows could change. However, given the current economic climate, it’s unlikely that things will get any better before budgets are finalized.
El Paso County is a bright spot in parks funding
First, the good news. El Paso County, which relies less heavily on sales tax than other local governments – its sales tax rate is only 1.23% – is in pretty good financial health, which is also a positive for the parks department. The county budget for 2026, while not adding any full-time employees, also does not require dipping into any reserve funds to maintain a balanced budget, or laying off any employees. Additionally, the budget includes $800,000 to go toward tennis and pickleball courts and an archery range for Bear Creek Regional Park which are identified as “critical needs.” According to El Paso County Parks Executive Director Todd Marts, his $4.1 million 2026 capital improvement plan for the parks system includes an additional $1.8 million for the tennis and pickleball courts and archery range – presumably from funding sources other than general tax revenue and $500,000 to complete an asset inventory and condition assessment for all park assets, $200,000 for the next phase of Paint Mines formation protection and $200,000 for Homestead Ranch trail improvements.
Colorado Springs makes painful cuts
Things are much different for Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services (PRCS) Department, which is facing a 12%, or almost $2 million, budget reduction from 2025. Much of the budget reduction is being met by the closure of the Meadows Park Community Center and the layoff of its staff and eliminating unfilled staff vacancies. While the city-wide plan is to schedule the five mandated “furlough” days for all non-public safety employees around holidays, PRCS Director Britt Haley is seeking to spread those out to other days, since holidays are also the busiest for the city’s parks and open spaces. Additionally, “we will make some modifications to our mowing and fertilizer application schedules. Hopefully the impacts will not be obvious. It is possible that in 2026, if there is significant vandalism of portable toilets or playground equipment that those units would not be able to be replaced” she said in a written statement. Additionally, PRCS enterprises, such as Pikes Peak-America’s Mountain and the city’s golf courses will not be impacted by the general fund budget cuts or mandated furloughs, as they are independently funded by user fees and not city tax revenue.
Lack of info on Manitou and Monument
Manitou Springs officials did not respond to my request, other than to refer to recent city council meeting packets, which do not go into any detailor address any of my questions as to how budget cuts may affect the average user’s experience of parks.
The Town of Monument did not provide any information on its 2026 budget and the effect on parks, despite repeated requests.
Colorado State Parks should not see much impact from a statewide reduction in tax revenue, since it is also an enterprise funded by various user fees and almost no general tax dollars.
Be Good. Do Good Things. Leave No Trace.
Bob “Hiking Bob” Falcone is a retired firefighter, USAF veteran, photographer and podcaster who has explored the Pikes Peak region and beyond for more than 30 years. He hikes more than 800 miles a year, much of it with his sidekick dog, Coal. He has served on boards and committees for city, county and state parks in the Pikes Peak region, and still volunteers many, many hours each year.
