Larimer County asks for budget input at hearings

The Larimer County Proposed 2015 Budget was released Oct. 15 by Larimer County Manager Linda Hoffmann. A public input process has been underway since then and, although the county commissioners will continue to take input right up to December 18 when they’re schedule to adopt the budget, the two biggest forums for input are about to get underway.

The Proposed 2015 Operating Budget is $225,217,568 without disaster costs while the total Proposed 2015 Budget, $258,834,827, includes $33,617,259 for disasters. The Proposed Budget is online at: http://larimer.org/budget/2015budget/. The 2012 High Park Fire and 2013 flood, along with limited property tax growth and sales taxes that were expiring when the proposed budget was released on October 15, molded how the proposed 2015 budget was configured. The public is invited to get involved in the budget process and there are multiple ways to do that:

Attend a Hearing, there are two:

• Fort Collins – Monday, November 17 – 6:30 p.m., County Offices Bldg., 200 West Oak St., 1st floor Hearing Room.
• Estes Park – Thursday, November 20 – 6:30 p.m., Estes Park Municipal Bldg., Board Chambers, 170 MacGregor Ave.

Watch the Hearing on Cable TV:

• Nov. 17 – Fort Collins/Cable Channel 14, Loveland/Cable Channel 16, Wellington, LaPorte, North County/Cable Channel 16
• Nov. 20 – Estes Park/Cable Channel 12

Telephone-in during the live Hearing, Nov. 17 only, 970-498-7016

Email-in during the live Hearing: Nov. 17 & Nov. 20 – BOCC@larimer.org

Other methods to get budget input to the Board of County Commissioners:

• E-mail the County Commissioners at BOCC@larimer.org
• Write the Commissioners at: PO Box 1190, Fort Collins, CO 80522
• Phone the Commissioners at: 970-498-7010

Copies of the 2015 Proposed Budget are available at the Larimer County Budget Office, 200 West Oak Street, Fort Collins, Colorado (phone 498-7017). Copies are also sent to local public libraries.