Otero County approves $4 million adjustment for electronic benefit payments
The adjustment adds equal revenue and expenditure amounts to the Social Services Fund budget; the county says it will not increase the department’s overall budgetary needs.
Otero County commissioners approved a $4 million supplemental appropriation to the Social Services Fund on Sept. 14 to account for federal and state Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) funds issued directly to recipients, the county’s minutes record.
Resolution 2026-16 adds $4 million to both the fund’s revenue and expenditure budgets for 2026. It says the county auditor recommended recording the EBT flows in the county budget for accurate year-end reporting and compliance with state budget law. Because the revenue and expenditure additions are equal, the resolution says they will not affect the Department of Human Services’ overall budgetary needs.
The Social Services Fund supports services including welfare case management, child and elder abuse investigations, foster care, old age pensions, day care assistance and employment placement. The resolution does not allocate the $4 million among those programs; it identifies the adjustment as related to EBT revenue and expenditures.
A separate county financial report showed that Fund 070 had $1,155,382.09 in revenue and $1,198,006.73 in expenses through Aug. 31, a $42,624.64 deficit. The EBT adjustment is for Social Services Fund 089, not Fund 070.