A public hearing regarding the proposed Larimer County budget for 2013 is set for Monday, Nov. 19, at 6:30 p.m. in the first floor Hearing Room of the Larimer County Courthouse Offices Building, 200 W. Oak St., in Fort Collins.
In addition to attending in person, there are several ways to provide input and follow the hearing. It will be televised on cable channel 14 in Fort Collins and channel 16 in Berthoud, Loveland, LaPorte and Wellington, and streamed online at larimer.org/bcc/broadcast.cfm. Questions can be emailed to the County Commissioners during the hearing at [email protected], and live phone-in questions can be asked by calling 970-498-7016.
The proposed budget is available online at larimer.org/budget/2013budget. The commissioners are scheduled to adopt a final budget on Dec. 20 at a 2 p.m. hearing.
In a prepared statement, the Larimer County Sheriff and the commissioners said they have committed to minimizing the impact of budget cuts on deputies needed to patrol and respond to emergencies in the rural areas of the county in 2013. The Sheriff will continue implementing a restructuring plan over the coming months to achieve the $1.02 million cut required in the budget proposal.
Countywide budget cuts also be needed in 2014 and 2015 as the 0.2 percent sales tax for operation of the county jail expires completely in 2014. Voters rejected an extension of the tax in November 2011; the first half of the tax expires at the end of this year.