By Jesse Jones, City Desk in The Paper. — Unlike councilors in the City of Albuquerque who are trying to plug a $30-ish million budget hole tied to slower economic activity, Bernalillo County will start the year with a $70 million budget surplus thanks to increasing property tax revenue which funds the majority of county operations.
Like almost every household and government budget lately, Bernalillo County’s spending plan is going up, this time hitting $1.09 billion. Bernalillo County Commissioners unanimously approved the biennial budget, covering fiscal year 2027 through 2028, during the April 28 board meeting. The commissioners approved the $1.09 billion spending plan for the next two years, an increase from the 2026 fiscal year’s $1.03 billion budget. County officials said the plan will support public safety, parks, libraries and staff pay and benefits. It will also maintain the required state and county reserves, according to a county press release.
The total expenditures for the $1.09 billion budget include $478.7 million in General Fund, $361.9 million in non-general funds and $228.1 million in carryover funding for multi-year projects. According to the county, the budget meets the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration requirement to maintain a 25% reserve and it will also meet the county’s own requirement to maintain a 5% stabilization reserve. The spending plan also includes $17.1 million in new requests and funding for 17 new full-time positions to help meet growing demand for county services, along with a 1% raise for classified employees.
One reason the budget continues to grow is projected revenue increases in FY27, including a 4.8% rise in property tax and a 4.1% increase in gross receipts tax. A state law shapes property tax growth by limiting increases in taxable residential property values to about 3% annually, helping keep revenue changes more predictable over time. That’s different from Albuquerque’s, which leans more on gross receipts tax from shopping and consumer spending.
The county will send the budget to the state finance department by June 1 for approval.