Fort Morgan advances $139.9 million 2027 budget proposal

Fort Morgan’s City Council unanimously advanced a proposed $139,859,289 budget for 2027 on first reading Nov. 3. The proposal includes a 13.254-mill levy and covers 10 city funds, city officials told the council. A public hearing and second reading are scheduled for Nov. 17; the budget has not received final approval.

The total includes substantial construction spending, not just routine operations. The proposed Capital Improvement Fund budget is $33.37 million, including $22.9 million anticipated for aquatic-facility construction next year. Staff said departments had been instructed to keep budgets flat compared with 2026, with construction accounting for much of the capital fund’s proposed total.

The proposed Sewer Fund budget totals $29.83 million. At an Oct. 6 city discussion, officials estimated wastewater-project spending at about $21 million, plus about $2 million for inspection and engineering. Those project estimates are distinct from the full Sewer Fund budget.

The aquatic-facility construction estimate is also separate from the project’s financing. An October report on the financing plan said certificates of participation were structured to raise $25 million for construction. That financing is separate from the annual budget ordinance.

The Nov. 3 presentation did not provide a household tax-bill estimate, so the proposed mill levy alone does not show how an individual resident’s bill would change.