Larimer County 2024 Proposed Budget Released

Larimer County’s 2024 Proposed Budget is now available online at Larimer.gov/budget. It includes $610 million in budgeted expenditures. Some highlights of this fiscal year are as follows:

• The 2024 Proposed Budget assumes that Proposition HH will pass, and Larimer County will remain under the new property tax revenue growth cap. County departments and elected offices were asked to make budget cuts to keep ongoing expenses below ongoing revenues.
• The county commissioners requested reduction proposals from each department and elected office that receives funding from property taxes. Two million dollars of these reductions are included in the 2024 Proposed Budget. All service areas will be impacted, but the cuts will be achieved through attrition and reduction of contracts—no layoffs will be required.
• Spending in the 2024 Proposed Budget will be nearly $94 million less than in the 2023 Revised Budget. This is due to the completion of major capital projects like the jail improvement, the new behavioral health facility, and the alternative sentencing women’s facility expansion.
• The 2024 Proposed Budget anticipates continuing some facilities capital spending, with $12 million budgeted to continue work on a new county fleet campus and another $20 million to begin a new landfill and central transfer station.
• Due to uncertainty with state-level legislation and future ballot items that may impact property taxes, the 2024 Proposed Budget prioritized funding for services facing extraordinary inflation, new state mandates, cost increases of existing contracts, and other critical needs.
• Should Proposition HH fail, the county commissioners will reevaluate the need for reductions. They have also indicated that they would consider providing a tax credit to offset the record-breaking increase in property values.
• Members of the community can explore the county budget at Larimer.org/BudgetExplorer, which provides an overview of annual spending and how taxes are calculated. The public is invited to provide feedback at an upcoming commissioner community meeting or one of two public hearings on the 2024 Budget:

  Hearing held to Review Proposed Budget and Receive Public Comment:

  November 6, 2023 – 6:00 PM

  Larimer County Administrative Services Building

  Hearing Room – 1st Floor

  200 West Oak Street 

  Fort Collins, CO 80521 

  Hearing to Consider Adoption of Budget

  December 14, 2023 – 2:00 PM 

  Larimer County Administrative Services Building

  Hearing Room – 1st Floor

  200 West Oak Street 

  Fort Collins, CO 80521

  About Larimer County

  Larimer County serves all residents and businesses through stewardship of numerous community resources, infrastructure improvement and maintenance, planning services, transparent public records, human and economic health initiatives, and broad community-wide public safety services. The County has a rich agricultural and western heritage that is reflected in our commitment to a high quality of life and preservation of our natural areas.