Los Alamos County Council schedules April 27-29 budget hearings

Three nights of hearings will decide how Los Alamos County balances a $349.3 million budget, higher reserves and the services residents feel every day, from infrastructure and public safety to the taxes and fees that pay for them.

Los Alamos County Council will meet at 6 p.m. on April 27, 28 and 29 in the Municipal Building Council Chambers, 1000 Central Ave., Los Alamos. The sessions run until 10 p.m. and will be available in person, through Zoom, on live stream and later on Video-on-Demand. Agendas are scheduled to post 72 hours before each meeting on the county’s Legistar page, giving residents a chance to track when specific spending choices come up.

The hearings will center on the first year of the county’s FY2027-2028 biennial budget cycle. The county’s proposed FY2027 budget totals $349.3 million in expenditures, down from FY2026 adopted expenditures of about $367.9 million. That makes the April hearings more than a routine review. They are the first public test of a leaner spending plan built around lower expenditures, stronger reserves and a response to recent Gross Receipts Tax volatility.

Gross Receipts Tax remains the county’s primary revenue source, accounting for roughly 75 percent of General Fund revenues. In the FY2027 Citizen’s Guide, the county proposed raising the targeted unassigned General Fund reserve from 20 percent to 25 percent, a five-point increase meant to strengthen financial stability. Council Chair Randall Ryti said the hearings come amid a shift in fiscal strategy and described the budget as one of stabilization after several years of unusually strong revenue growth.

The county’s 2026 Strategic Leadership Plan, adopted Nov. 4, 2025, sets out the larger framework behind the budget fights likely to surface in council chambers: Fiscal Stewardship, Infrastructure Asset Management, Public Safety, Housing, Water Conservation, Climate Action & Resiliency and Community Broadband. Those priorities point directly to the daily-life questions facing residents in Los Alamos and White Rock, including what happens to roads, utility systems, staffing levels and long-range capital work when the county chooses to save more money up front.

April 28 is the key turning point. At that public hearing, Council will decide whether the April 29 session is needed, and the county says the later hearing can be canceled if the budget is adopted earlier. For residents trying to follow the money, the schedule is simple: check the posted agendas, watch the April 27 and 28 hearings closely, and expect the final call on whether a third night is needed to come during the second meeting.