Larimer County: Essential Services

Larimer County provides critical services for every one of our residents and directly serves more than 364,000 people on average every day. Our departments and offices cover a wide spectrum including public safety, road and bridge repair, housing support for older adults, emergency aid for families, and safety net services for youth, and their families, to name a few.

With so many important services to balance with responsible local government funding, take a moment to gather a snapshot of just a few of these and then let us know your thoughts. Your input will determine the future for Larimer County.

Your Input Budget Tool

Roads & Bridges

On top of ongoing daily maintenance of the roads most residents use every day, the County’s Transportation Plan identified more than $500 million in needed improvements over the next decade.

These projects include:

Fixing bridges that have become functionally obsolete - some of which are over 50 years old.
Improving roads, sidewalks, and bike paths to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion.
Intersection improvements to increase safety for vehicles and pedestrians.
Plowing and removing snow, and upgrading street lighting, making our roads safer for residents throughout the year.

Learn more about our transportation planning efforts and more here.

Construction worker wearing safety gear operating a road saw on a street with traffic cones.

Rescue team tending to an injured person on a stretcher in a forested area with bystanders nearby.

Public Safety

The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) accounts for 41% of General Fund expenditures. Costs to hire and retain officers and to provide critical law enforcement services continue to rise. We know traffic and public safety is one of our residents’ top priorities, but maintaining this level of community engagement, patrolling, and policing, plus critical equipment replacement, will continue to strain the County’s budget.

Here’s a look at the services provided by LCSO:

Uniformed patrol
Traffic enforcement
Criminal investigation
Emergency management - including wildfire and flood emergency response
School Resource Officers

You can find more information about the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office here.

Human Services

Larimer County supports children and families every year through moments of crises and challenges, directly contributing to our shared quality of life. Today it feels more important than ever to continue serving our community.

Smiling woman with red glasses volunteers packing donations at a table with two other volunteers.

Here’s a snapshot of what we face today:

In-person visits to County Human Services offices have increased over 101% since 2018 (pre-COVID) and after numerous digital and online service improvements.
For example, our food assistance (SNAP) caseload has increased from approximately 12,000 households in 2019 to more than 19,000 households in 2025. Emergency economic security programs help children, families and neighbors in need, often preventing a worse economic and societal outcome for all.
Safety net services for youth, young adults, and their families are at risk.
Prevention services for seniors to avoid the system have already been eliminated, so we now only help those who are already in Adult Protective Services - potentially impacting over 50,000 County residents over 60 years of age.
Our reduction in Preventative Case Management means we have ended our dedicated case management services, such as the Family-to-Family program so we can no longer provide the long-term, one-on-one coaching that helps families set and achieve personal stability goals.
Housing support for older adults to age safely in their homes with dignity and respect is already depleted within the first quarter of every year.
Emergency rent payments and emergency transportation needs for neighbors are essential for our community.
Emergency aid for families, veterans and older adults when facing an unexpected financial or health crisis may not be available.

Please learn more about Larimer County’s Human Services here.

Please share your input

Funding Essential Services

Roads & Bridges

Public Safety

Human Services