May 28, 2008 07:51 PM UTC

El Paso Faces "Unspeakable" Cuts

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• by: Colorado Pols

We wrote last week about how El Paso County’s attempts to drown its government in a bathtub have almost succeeded.

Today, the Colorado Springs Gazette reports that budget alternatives for the county are “unspeakable” should there be no new revenue:

El Paso County officials painted a grim picture Tuesday of drastic cuts in services because of rising costs and lowerthan-expected revenues.

Among the possible budget cuts were laying off at least 320 employees, selling hundreds of acres of parkland, closing the Bear Creek and Fountain Creek nature centers and eliminating support for services such as the Four-H Club.

Several judges from the 4th Judicial District worried about a proposal to eliminate a program that helps determine whether accused criminals should be released from jail before trial. Eliminating the program’s 11 employees would save an estimated $267,000.

The judges said they’ll be less likely to grant socalled personal recognizance bonds without information from the Court Services Division. That could lead to more inmates in the county jail, already packed with inmates.

“We’re talking about unspeakable alternatives,” said Robert Briggle, a judge for the Colorado Springs Municipal Court, during a hearing on budget-cutting options.

The five commissioners who oversee El Paso County’s $232 million budget expect to decide Thursday how to cut expenses to balance the finances…

…Some of the biggest cuts could come from the Department of Human Services, which manages welfare programs such as food stamps, Medicaid and child protection. That department could cut its work force from 415 employees to 234.

The remaining workers would be unable to determine whether people are eligible for many programs that support the poor. People could be dropped from the programs, and the county would be in violation of state and federal laws.