Commissioners get ready to work on 2009 budget

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

With adoption of an almost $290 million annual budget behind them, the Larimer County Commissioners on Jan. 3 will start focusing on predicted financial shortfalls for 2009 and beyond.

"By sometime in March, we have to have a long-term plan for dealing with sunsetting revenue streams and flat revenue streams," said Commissioner Randy Eubanks, who is eager to hear from citizens about what services are most important to them.

County departments this year received budget increases up to 3 percent based on rankings made by the commissioners. There was no public dissent at three hearings leading up to adopting the 2008 budget.

"We didn't have a lot of money, so there wasn't a lot of argument," Commissioner Kathay Rennels noted at the Dec. 19 budget adoption meeting.

While putting together the 2008 budget, the commissioners did not yet address a potential cataclysm in 2014 when a sales tax to operate the county detention center expires. If the funding stream is not replaced before then, the county will be faced with a $15 million annual shortfall.

Beginning in 2009, the anticipated shortfall in operating revenue compared with detention center expenses will hit $1.9 million, and sales tax reserve funds will be gone, according to Bob Keister, county budget director. If nothing happens to fix the shortfall, the deficit grows to $3.5 million in 2010.

Among the many pieces of paper commissioners review during the budget process is a list of all the development and urban renewal authorities that divert property tax revenue to special projects and away from the county general fund and other tax-supported entities. This year, the county lost nearly $3.4 million to the special projects.

When all taxing districts are combined, the two largest recipients of these funds, called tax increment financing, are the U.S. Highway 34 Urban Renewal Authority with $9.1 million and the Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority with $4.8 million. The Timnath Urban Renewal Authority, which is just beginning to boost its assessed valuation, will take in $803,979 this year.

Virtually unchanged since 1992, the property tax dedicated to county government services is 21.664 mills, which generates about $86.4 million.

The county also collects a voter-approved property tax of 0.75 mill for Foothills Gateway, which will provide about $3 million to the nonprofit agency this year.

Commissioners are also charged with certifying mill levies for other tax-supported entities. When added together, Larimer County residents will pay a total of $336 million in property taxes.

Here are a few highlights of taxing districts, their mill levies and the 2008 income generated from those property taxes:

• Poudre School District, 48.2 mills, $112,325,641
• Health District of Northern Larimer County, 2.167 mills, $5,151,639
• Town of Timnath, 6.932 mills, $73,370
• Town of Wellington, 14.307 mills, $697,793
• Fort Collins Regional Library District, 3 mills, $6,864,303
• Red Feather Regional Library District, 2.5 mills, $127,075
• Crystal Lakes Fire Protection District, 5 mills, $86,516
• Glacier View FPD, 7.394 mills, $140,544
• Livermore FPD, 6.639 mills, $98,537
• Poudre Canyon FPD, 5.492 mills, $41,901
• Poudre Valley FPD, 9.301 mills, $3,880,891
• Red Feather Lakes FPD, 12.112 mills, $161,740
• Wellington FPD, 9.24 mills, $780,88