After cutting 62 jobs and losing roughly 70 more workers through voluntary severance, Boulder County is preparing for another round of layoffs and potential service reductions.
County officials say they must trim another $13.2 million from the 2027 budget to address a structural deficit driven by costs rising faster than tax revenue, the same amount cut from the current year’s budget.
About 70% of the reductions are expected to come from personnel, ensuring another round of layoffs across county government. If this year follows last year’s timeline, many layoffs could occur before the end of 2026 as the budget is finalized.
County spokesperson Gloria Handyside said it is too soon to say exactly how many people will lose their jobs, which programs may be affected or which departments will be hit hardest. The Boulder County Employees Union says workers are pressing for alternatives to layoffs and clear communication about what comes next.
The coming cuts could again affect both county workers and public services. Last year, reductions fell heavily on social services. Many of the eliminated positions were program specialist or caseworker roles that helped administer health care services and federally funded projects, or provided support to vulnerable residents, including children, older adults and low-income families.
The county also ended several programs because of the cuts, including Parents as Teachers, a home visitation program that provided curriculum and educational support to disadvantaged families, and the foster care certification program. Foster care services are now being handled by outside nonprofit placement agencies. The county is also moving its High Fidelity Wraparound program, which supports children with serious mental health challenges, to a partner organization following state guidance that county human services departments can no longer act as HFW providers.
The county’s Office of Financial Management first publicized the structural deficit last year, saying expenses were consistently outpacing tax revenue. Officials projected the county would need to find $30 million to $40 million in savings by 2028. They also said uncertainty around federal and state funding added pressure to the county’s finances.
“The recommendations do not in any way imply that those programs do not provide value to the community,” Jana Peterson, director of the county administrator’s office, told commissioners during a Dec. 9 presentation.
“Boulder County has benefited from the ability to fund some niche programs that really meet community needs in the past,” Peterson said. “Unfortunately, in our current revenue scenario we’re not going to be able to continue to provide those types of services going forward.”
The county plans to provide more details about the 2027 budget cuts in early October, when staff are expected to present commissioners with a list of proposed positions to cut, followed by an opportunity for public comment. The county’s total 2026 budget was $745 million.
The county anticipates the 2027 budget will be “the last year of cuts that are needed to stabilize county finances,” Handyside said.
Trying to limit the impact on staff
While more than 130 people lost or left their jobs as a result of cuts, some were able to find other work with the county.
Of the 62 people laid off, 30 secured new county positions.
Departments are allowed to refill some positions for the employees who took severance, but they cannot replace all of that payroll. They must permanently cut 35% of the salary costs tied to those departing workers.
The Boulder County Employees Union, which is negotiating its first contract with the county, expects job losses this year to be similar to last year given the size of the planned cuts.
As part of those negotiations, the union is advocating for alternatives to layoffs, including reduced hours, furloughs and giving laid-off employees priority to be hired back once the budget outlook improves. Union leaders are also pressing the county to communicate about layoffs earlier.
“We don’t have any say in who gets laid off,” said union bargaining committee member Katie Arrington. “But we are going to continue to ask to support the notification of layoffs, and be a part of any meetings we can to help employees navigate those times.”
Arrington said last year’s layoffs were communicated to individual teams rather than the full county staff, creating what she called “a rumor mill situation.”
By contrast, she said this year’s press release on layoffs was “a good step in moving towards that better communication.”
“It gives employees more information and empowers them,” she said. “I hope that the county-wide messaging about layoffs continues.”
