Monument Sanitation District, Oct. 15 – Draft of 2026 budget reviewed

• Budget process begins
• Delinquent accounts go to treasurer for collection
• Beacon Lite Road work begins

By Jackie Burhans and James Howald

The Monument Sanitation District (MSD) board met in October to review a draft of its 2026 budget. It also voted on a resolution authorizing the El Paso County treasurer to collect MSD’s delinquent accounts. District Manager Mark Parker updated the board on the work that the county has planned for Beacon Lite Road.

Budget process begins

Parker presented the board with a draft of the district’s 2026 budget. He focused on the differences with the 2025 budget, noting:

• A change in janitorial companies led to a reduction of a few hundred dollars in that line item to $3,500.
• Parker used a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) of 2.7% to calculate wage increases. Money for merit raises was included.

Director Shannon Clark noted that the previous year’s budget included two rounds of PFAS testing that had been budgeted but not performed. PFAS chemicals are sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals” because they break down very slowly. They are associated with many health issues, such as increased risk of kidney cancer.

Parker said the 2026 budget anticipated lower revenue from tap fees due to some building projects being delayed. He said he estimated expenses high and income low to avoid amending the proposed budget.

Clark noted a decrease in postal costs due to the district’s successful implementation of online billing. Parker added that office supplies were reduced by half in the 2026 budget for the same reason.

Parker told the board a final version of the budget would be available to vote on at its December meeting.

Delinquent accounts go to treasurer for collection

The board voted unanimously to approve Resolution 10152025-1, which authorizes the county treasurer to collect MSD’s delinquent accounts as part of its collection of property taxes. The cost of collection will be added to the amount due.

Parker estimated there are 22 delinquent accounts.

Beacon Lite Road work begins

Parker told the board that regular meetings on Beacon Lite Road work had begun, with participation by MSD, the county, engineering firm Kimley Horn, and the Town of Monument. GMS Inc., MSD’s consulting engineers, will also attend the meetings, Parker said, to ensure the changes meet MSD’s requirements

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Monument Sanitation District meetings are held at 9 a.m. on the third Wednesday of the month in the district conference room at 130 Second St., Monument. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Nov.19. See MonumentSanitationDistrict.org. For a district service map, see www.MonumentSanitationDistrict.org/district-map. For information: 719-481-4886.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me. James Howald can be reached at jameshowald@ocn.me.

Other Monument Sanitation District articles

• Monument Sanitation District, Sept. 17 – Beacon Lite Road due for upgrades (10/2/2025)
• Monument Sanitation District, Aug. 20 – Parker explains Buc-ee’s wastewater estimate (9/4/2025)
• Monument Sanitation District, July 16 – Buc-ee’s potential impact studied (8/1/2025)
• Monument Sanitation District, June 18 Raspberry Point sewage spill resolved (7/3/2025)
• Monument Sanitation District, May 21 – Manhole overflow threatens Monument Lake (6/7/2025)
• Monument Sanitation District, April 16 – District plans for Buc-ee’s impact (5/3/2025)
• Monument Sanitation District, Mar. 19 –Upcoming election canceled (4/5/2025)
• Monument Sanitation District, Feb. 19: District manager clarifies upcoming election (3/1/2025)
• Monument Sanitation District, Jan. 15 – Board passes administrative resolution (2/1/2025)
• Monument Sanitation District, Dec. 18 – Four properties added to service area (1/4/2025)