Water conservancy talks 2027 budget

At its Oct. 26 meeting, the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District (UGRWCD) Board of Directors discussed changes in the district’s 2027 budget.

The budget was previously discussed at the board’s Sept. 28 board meeting, where the board suggested a variety of changes to the draft budget.

District Office Manager Beverly Compton explained to the board the changes made to the budget in response to the previous discussion and other factors.

She said income for line items related to implementing outside grants in the watershed and for the district’s Wet Meadows programs has increased, as the district is finalizing contracts for a Colorado Water Conservation Board Water Supply Reserve Fund grant and a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation RESTORE grant and anticipates income from them in 2027. The outside grants line item rose from $423,841 to $532,196, and the wet meadows line item rose from $354,576 to $556,711.

Expenses related to these line items were also raised to reflect the work to be done with these grants and other funding, Compton said.

Compton said the line item for board of directors’ expenses was reduced from $16,538 to $12,500 based on actual 2026 expenses. The line item for office supplies was also reduced from $12,600 to 10,000 for similar reasons, Compton said.

Several line items were modified after the district received information on dues and subscription fees for various services and associations that were not available at the previous meeting, she said.

Payroll expenses rose from $1,272,045 to $1,389,046, Compton said, due to refined estimates for the cost-of-living adjustment, payroll taxes and retirement and medical benefit costs. This payroll increase also included the addition of a new position for the district, UGRWCD General Manager Sonja Chavez added.

Funding for the district’s grant program was decreased slightly from $675,728 to $655,255, she said, reflecting the amounts identified by the UGRWCD for allocation to the district’s grant programs and the amount of prior-year grant awards expected to be completed in 2027.

Expenses related to the district’s regional water supply improvement projects also dropped, she said, going from $878,850 to $671,213 due to the district receiving actual cost amounts for its agricultural water return flow study and airborne snow observatory flights.