The 2023 Proposed Larimer County Budget is now available online at Larimer.org/Budget. It includes $660.8 million in budgeted expenditures, of which $381.6 million is for general operations, $157.4 million is for capital projects, and $24.2 million is for disaster recovery. Some highlights of the budget are as follows:

Several facility construction projects are planned to include $8.5 million for the final stage of the new behavioral health facility, $8.5 million for the completion of the expansion of alternative sentencing facilities, and $6.2 million for the jail improvement project. These projects are all expected to be completed in the second half of 2023.

Larimer County also uses a five-year capital improvement program to budget for infrastructure, equipment and vehicles, land acquisitions, and major technology upgrades. The 2023 capital budget includes $24.1 million in expenses at The Ranch, $4.3 million for parks and open spaces, $31 million on roads and bridges, $39.7 million for landfill projects, $6 million on technology improvements, and $5.8 million for new and replacement vehicles.

The county is currently planning to spend $24 million of COVID relief funding in 2023 through the American Rescue Plan Act on projects that will have transformative impacts in important areas such as affordable housing, housing, and services for persons experiencing homelessness, behavioral health, and expansion of high-quality internet access.

Members of the community can explore the county budget at Larimer.org/BudgetExplorer, which provides an overview of spending and shows how taxes are calculated. The public is also invited to comment on the 2023 Proposed Budget at an upcoming commissioner community meeting. The final budget adoption hearing will be held on December 14th, 2022.

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The Eighth Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) has been activated to investigate an officer-involved shooting.

On October 21, 2022, at 10:13 p.m., an LCSO deputy attempted a traffic stop of a vehicle in the 2800 block of SE Frontage Road in Johnstown. The vehicle fled northbound on the frontage road at a high rate of speed. As the fleeing vehicle approached the roundabout at Highway 402, deputies successfully executed a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT Maneuver). The fleeing vehicle left the roadway and came to a stop.

An adult male exited the vehicle and advanced toward deputies carrying a knife despite multiple orders to stop. A Larimer County Sheriff’s Office deputy then fired their weapon striking the suspect. The individual was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries where he later died. No deputies were injured.

The vehicle, a Honda Pilot had two occupants during the incident, the suspect and an adult female passenger who was not injured.

The Eighth Judicial District CIRT was activated, and the Loveland Police Department will be leading the investigation. Anyone with information or who may have witnessed this incident should contact Loveland Police Detective Jenn Pfoff at 970-962-2225.

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A draft of updated regulations in the Larimer County Land Use Code for short-term rental properties in unincorporated Larimer County will soon be available for public comment and input.

In the past few months, public input from stakeholders and the community has been gathered to help develop the draft. The draft regulations will be available for public review on October 26.

Larimer County Community Development started work on the draft update in early July to better align the regulations with the home-sharing and rental industry and to address community concerns about impacts and compatibility.

Two webinars for the community to view the draft, ask questions, and make comments are scheduled for November 1 and November 7. The Nov. 1 meeting is intended for those in the Estes Valley and the meeting on the 7^th is for those in unincorporated Larimer County outside of the Estes Valley. To register and participate visit bit.ly/3zfeBPw.

The deadline to comment on the draft regulations is November 30. For further updates to the draft regulations or to make comments on the regulations after both webinars, visit the short-term rental project webpage at larimer.gov/planning/short-term-rentals.

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Monday, October 24, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park officially closed for the season to through travel. Many popular driving destinations for this time of year, including Bear Lake Road, Moraine Park, Horseshoe Park and the section of Trail Ridge Road along the Kawuneeche Valley, are all open.

Trail Ridge Road is not designed to be an all-season road, with 11 miles above 11,500 feet, few guard rails and no shoulders. Winter conditions of drifting snow, high winds and below- freezing temperatures occur above 10,000 feet.

Trail Ridge Road is currently closed at Many Parks Curve on the east side and Colorado River Trailhead on the west side. Closure points on the road may fluctuate this fall, however the road is closed to through travel for the season.

Trail Ridge Road normally opens the last week in May, weather permitting.

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According to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s survey of households, Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was flat in September at 3.4 percent. While the number of unemployed individuals fell by 2,200, the unemployment rate was unchanged due to rounding. The national unemployment rate edged downward by two-tenths of a percentage point to 3.5 percent, which translates to approximately 5.8 million unemployed.

• Colorado’s labor force declined by 2,800 in September to 3,255,100. The share of Coloradans participating in the labor force lowered by two-tenths of a percentage point to 69.4 percent last month. The U.S. labor force participation rate was 62.3 percent in September, dropping one-tenth of a percentage point from the month prior.
• The number of individuals employed in Colorado decreased slightly by 600 in September to 3,145,400, which represents 67.1 percent of the state’s 16+ population. That rate of 67.1 percent is over two percentage points higher than a year ago and six-tenths of a percentage point higher than it was in February 2020. The national employment-to-population ratio was flat at 60.1 percent in September and remains below its February 2020 level of 61.2 percent.

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Starting Wednesday, October 26, 2022, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment began reporting all monkeypox data released on a weekly basis. All monkeypox data will move to this new weekly reporting schedule, including case counts, vaccine administration, and available demographic information for cases and vaccine recipients.

“Thanks to the work of Coloradans, health care providers, and local public health and community partners across the state, monkeypox case numbers declined to a point where it makes sense to move to weekly reporting,” said Scott Bookman, director of the Division of Disease Control and Public Health Response. “With smaller daily case counts, weekly updates will help us better capture and display meaningful trends in the data while we continue to reach higher-risk Coloradans with information about monkeypox and opportunities for free and convenient vaccination.”

Coloradans can learn more about monkeypox on the CDPHE website, including information on how to access testing and vaccines. Continue to stay up to date by visiting cdphe.colorado.gov/monkeypox.