Globe

City Budget Watch

For more than 70 years, the City of Loveland has been a full-service City working to keep our community vibrant, healthy and safe. The City’s budget process ensures that Loveland can provide exceptional service levels and allows for investment in infrastructure that will benefit our community for years to come. We take pride in effectively managing public funds, ensuring that every dollar is spent wisely and in the best interest of the community.

How the City Gets Its Revenue

The City receives funds from sources such as sales and use taxes, licenses and permits, charges for services, interest income and more.

The General Fund supports services provided by the police, fire rescue, public works, library, parks and recreation, cultural services and more. Sales tax is the largest source of General Fund revenue.
The City’s Enterprise Funds support services like water, wastewater, stormwater, power, solid waste and golf. Enterprise Funds are dedicated funds supported through user fees. Just like a business, user fees fund the operation, maintenance and capital projects necessary to provide the service. Only people who pay for these services receive the benefit of these services.
Special Revenue Funds are dedicated funds established by federal or state law, or by municipal ordinance or resolution. Each has its own specific revenue source, such as the countywide Open Lands Sales Tax, which can only be used to support that specific service.

Of these three major fund types, both Enterprise and Special Revenue Funds are dedicated funds, which means they cannot be legally used for anything other than their dedicated purpose.

Changes in The City's General Fund Budget

Since 2016, the increases in costs to maintain infrastructure and provide services to the community have outpaced available revenue. In 2024, the City also lost an ongoing multi-million-dollar revenue stream to fund General Fund departments, including public safety (police and fire), transportation, community spaces (parks, library, museum, Rialto Theater, the Chilson Recreation and Senior Center and Winona Pool), infrastructure projects, general government services, and support services for nonprofits, small businesses, and residents in need.

Stay in the Know

Stay tuned to this webpage to learn more about the City’s budget, ask questions and find helpful resources as the City navigates budget options for 2024 and planning for the 2025 Budget.

For more than 70 years, the City of Loveland has been a full-service City working to keep our community vibrant, healthy and safe. The City’s budget process ensures that Loveland can provide exceptional service levels and allows for investment in infrastructure that will benefit our community for years to come. We take pride in effectively managing public funds, ensuring that every dollar is spent wisely and in the best interest of the community.

How the City Gets Its Revenue

The City receives funds from sources such as sales and use taxes, licenses and permits, charges for services, interest income and more.

The General Fund supports services provided by the police, fire rescue, public works, library, parks and recreation, cultural services and more. Sales tax is the largest source of General Fund revenue.
The City’s Enterprise Funds support services like water, wastewater, stormwater, power, solid waste and golf. Enterprise Funds are dedicated funds supported through user fees. Just like a business, user fees fund the operation, maintenance and capital projects necessary to provide the service. Only people who pay for these services receive the benefit of these services.
Special Revenue Funds are dedicated funds established by federal or state law, or by municipal ordinance or resolution. Each has its own specific revenue source, such as the countywide Open Lands Sales Tax, which can only be used to support that specific service.

Of these three major fund types, both Enterprise and Special Revenue Funds are dedicated funds, which means they cannot be legally used for anything other than their dedicated purpose.

Changes in The City's General Fund Budget

Since 2016, the increases in costs to maintain infrastructure and provide services to the community have outpaced available revenue. In 2024, the City also lost an ongoing multi-million-dollar revenue stream to fund General Fund departments, including public safety (police and fire), transportation, community spaces (parks, library, museum, Rialto Theater, the Chilson Recreation and Senior Center and Winona Pool), infrastructure projects, general government services, and support services for nonprofits, small businesses, and residents in need.

Stay in the Know

Stay tuned to this webpage to learn more about the City’s budget, ask questions and find helpful resources as the City navigates budget options for 2024 and planning for the 2025 Budget.

Question and Answer

Have a question about the City’s budget, sales tax or something else? Ask it below and we'll follow-up shortly!

Share As someone who voted to remove the sales in tax (Due to inflation of.. everything) I would be in favor of bringing back some of the sales tax to help support the city. on Facebook Share As someone who voted to remove the sales in tax (Due to inflation of.. everything) I would be in favor of bringing back some of the sales tax to help support the city. on Twitter Share As someone who voted to remove the sales in tax (Due to inflation of.. everything) I would be in favor of bringing back some of the sales tax to help support the city. on Linkedin Email As someone who voted to remove the sales in tax (Due to inflation of.. everything) I would be in favor of bringing back some of the sales tax to help support the city. link

As someone who voted to remove the sales in tax (Due to inflation of.. everything) I would be in favor of bringing back some of the sales tax to help support the city.

Tom asked 7 months ago

Hi Tom, thanks for your feedback and continued interest in this topic.

sales tax
sales tax
Share I am a resident of Loveland. On April 24th, the City of Loveland was identified as having the crime rate in Larimer County. Please do not cut funds from the Police Department. Regards, Pat Striplin on Facebook Share I am a resident of Loveland. On April 24th, the City of Loveland was identified as having the crime rate in Larimer County. Please do not cut funds from the Police Department. Regards, Pat Striplin on Twitter Share I am a resident of Loveland. On April 24th, the City of Loveland was identified as having the crime rate in Larimer County. Please do not cut funds from the Police Department. Regards, Pat Striplin on Linkedin Email I am a resident of Loveland. On April 24th, the City of Loveland was identified as having the crime rate in Larimer County. Please do not cut funds from the Police Department. Regards, Pat Striplin link

I am a resident of Loveland. On April 24th, the City of Loveland was identified as having the crime rate in Larimer County. Please do not cut funds from the Police Department. Regards, Pat Striplin

p.striplin asked 7 months ago

Hi, thank you for your feedback and continued interest in this topic.

public safety
public safety
Share Where did the money to pay for breach of contract with McWinney south of Eisenhower and west of I-25 come from? What is the status of grocery store previously announced for the East side of Loveland? Where did the money to pay out millions from the police department settlements come from? When is the Amazon Distribution Center becoming operational? Does the city operate Pulse? Why? Can it be sold off to a private company? What is the city's expenses for the homelessness response? "Budgeting" should not just focus on additional taxation/ increasing income but on the viability and sustainability of past decisions. on Facebook Share Where did the money to pay for breach of contract with McWinney south of Eisenhower and west of I-25 come from? What is the status of grocery store previously announced for the East side of Loveland? Where did the money to pay out millions from the police department settlements come from? When is the Amazon Distribution Center becoming operational? Does the city operate Pulse? Why? Can it be sold off to a private company? What is the city's expenses for the homelessness response? "Budgeting" should not just focus on additional taxation/ increasing income but on the viability and sustainability of past decisions. on Twitter Share Where did the money to pay for breach of contract with McWinney south of Eisenhower and west of I-25 come from? What is the status of grocery store previously announced for the East side of Loveland? Where did the money to pay out millions from the police department settlements come from? When is the Amazon Distribution Center becoming operational? Does the city operate Pulse? Why? Can it be sold off to a private company? What is the city's expenses for the homelessness response? "Budgeting" should not just focus on additional taxation/ increasing income but on the viability and sustainability of past decisions. on Linkedin Email Where did the money to pay for breach of contract with McWinney south of Eisenhower and west of I-25 come from? What is the status of grocery store previously announced for the East side of Loveland? Where did the money to pay out millions from the police department settlements come from? When is the Amazon Distribution Center becoming operational? Does the city operate Pulse? Why? Can it be sold off to a private company? What is the city's expenses for the homelessness response? "Budgeting" should not just focus on additional taxation/ increasing income but on the viability and sustainability of past decisions. link

Where did the money to pay for breach of contract with McWinney south of Eisenhower and west of I-25 come from? What is the status of grocery store previously announced for the East side of Loveland? Where did the money to pay out millions from the police department settlements come from? When is the Amazon Distribution Center becoming operational? Does the city operate Pulse? Why? Can it be sold off to a private company? What is the city's expenses for the homelessness response? "Budgeting" should not just focus on additional taxation/ increasing income but on the viability and sustainability of past decisions.

CBlake asked 7 months ago
Hi there, thanks for writing in and for your questions! We'll do our best to address them here.
The money to pay for litigation (lawsuits) against the City or any City department comes from an Internal Service Fund that is designated for Risk Management and Insurance expenses, which is funded by allocating costs to all funds/departments, including General Fund, Enterprise Fund and Special Revenue Funds. Specific to the cases you're curious about:
- In the McWhinney Real Estate Services, Inc., et al. v. City of Loveland case, the City and McWhinney reached a settlement agreement requiring McWhinney to pay the City $750,000 in two installments. The first installment of $250,000 has already been made, covering a large portion of the City's legal expenses (the remaining legal expenses were paid from the City Attorney's Office professional services budget line). The second installment of $500,000 will be made upon the issuance of a final certificate of occupancy for the proposed Whole Foods or a successor anchor tenant.
- In the Garner v. City of Loveland case, the City's insurance provider paid for the $3 million settlement after the City paid a $250,000 deductible.
You asked a few questions about current and future developments within the City. It may be helpful to know that all developments need to go through our robust development review process before approval. For the status of the projects you mentioned, please note that since these are not City projects, we do not have specific information on their operational timelines. However, you can review the Current Development Activity Map for updates on the status of these applications.
In general, if the City doesn't have an active application, any announced project likely still has a long way to go before being approved. Once development applications are approved, the City's role includes overseeing code compliance and issuing building permits. Businesses need a Certificate of Occupancy before operations can begin. You can access public records of Building Permits on the City's website through our Citizen Access tool.
On May 18, 2022, City Council passed an emergency Unauthorized Encampment ban. Ever since, this has been a new ongoing expense for the City's General Fund to pay for encampment enforcement and cleanup, building and maintaining the City-run daytime resource center, the Loveland Resource Center and the City-run overnight shelter South Railroad Facility. From May 2022 to May 2024, the City has spent a little more than $5 million in this area with funding from the following sources:
- $3.07 million from an ARPA Grant
- $200,000 through HUD/DOLA grants
- $1.78 million has been paid for by the City's General Fund
Yes, Pulse is a City of Loveland Utility. In 2018, after more than five years of studying the potential for municipal broadband, City Council voted to add this as Loveland's newest utility, and Pulse has been operational ever since. Visit the Pulse website to learn more.
Please let us know if you have any other questions, and thank you for engaging with us.
litigation,lawsuits,development,homelessness,pulse
litigation lawsuits development homelessness pulse
Share Hi! Thanks for all this information. I love living in Loveland and all these cuts worry me as a resident. Curious if you can help guide how the city was able to find funding for the transit center (I’m thankful for this!) and also how using grant funding sources can potentially help provide support for cut funds. Lastly, has a new revenue source been identified as a possibility to fund these other programs? I’m new to this forum and happy to be engaged! on Facebook Share Hi! Thanks for all this information. I love living in Loveland and all these cuts worry me as a resident. Curious if you can help guide how the city was able to find funding for the transit center (I’m thankful for this!) and also how using grant funding sources can potentially help provide support for cut funds. Lastly, has a new revenue source been identified as a possibility to fund these other programs? I’m new to this forum and happy to be engaged! on Twitter Share Hi! Thanks for all this information. I love living in Loveland and all these cuts worry me as a resident. Curious if you can help guide how the city was able to find funding for the transit center (I’m thankful for this!) and also how using grant funding sources can potentially help provide support for cut funds. Lastly, has a new revenue source been identified as a possibility to fund these other programs? I’m new to this forum and happy to be engaged! on Linkedin Email Hi! Thanks for all this information. I love living in Loveland and all these cuts worry me as a resident. Curious if you can help guide how the city was able to find funding for the transit center (I’m thankful for this!) and also how using grant funding sources can potentially help provide support for cut funds. Lastly, has a new revenue source been identified as a possibility to fund these other programs? I’m new to this forum and happy to be engaged! link

Hi! Thanks for all this information. I love living in Loveland and all these cuts worry me as a resident. Curious if you can help guide how the city was able to find funding for the transit center (I’m thankful for this!) and also how using grant funding sources can potentially help provide support for cut funds. Lastly, has a new revenue source been identified as a possibility to fund these other programs? I’m new to this forum and happy to be engaged!

Maryann asked 4 months ago

Hi Maryann, thanks so much for reaching out! We appreciate your support. Here's some info that might help:
The first phase of the Transit Center project cost just over $3.3 million, with $1.4 million coming from the City’s transit fund and the rest from federal grants. The City was recently awarded a $3.9 million federal grant to complete construction at the Transit Center. You can read more in this news item: COLT awarded a $3.9 million federal grant to construct Transit Center building
Grants greatly support the City and our operations, and we're continuously seeking new grant opportunities to fund projects. Thank you for allowing us to explain this in more detail.
Regarding your second question, the City has not yet established a new substantial revenue source; however, a few options are currently being discussed with City Council. Details have and may continue to change, so be sure to stay connected here on Let's Talk Loveland for updates.
Please let us know if you have any other questions!

transit,grants
transit grants
Share Hello 👋 My question is if “we” The city of Loveland is short on the budget. Why are we offering free weekly concerts? Doing three gay pride events ? Buying an old church’s to convert to a homeless shelter which will drive down property values thus reducing tax revenue. As a tax payer, businesses & home owner I’d prefer to eliminate such line items. I’d rather see the library run at full capacity. Yes the library is “free”but it ads value to the community at a low cost. The other free services do not bring in revenue nor does it bring business to the local business. on Facebook Share Hello 👋 My question is if “we” The city of Loveland is short on the budget. Why are we offering free weekly concerts? Doing three gay pride events ? Buying an old church’s to convert to a homeless shelter which will drive down property values thus reducing tax revenue. As a tax payer, businesses & home owner I’d prefer to eliminate such line items. I’d rather see the library run at full capacity. Yes the library is “free”but it ads value to the community at a low cost. The other free services do not bring in revenue nor does it bring business to the local business. on Twitter Share Hello 👋 My question is if “we” The city of Loveland is short on the budget. Why are we offering free weekly concerts? Doing three gay pride events ? Buying an old church’s to convert to a homeless shelter which will drive down property values thus reducing tax revenue. As a tax payer, businesses & home owner I’d prefer to eliminate such line items. I’d rather see the library run at full capacity. Yes the library is “free”but it ads value to the community at a low cost. The other free services do not bring in revenue nor does it bring business to the local business. on Linkedin Email Hello 👋 My question is if “we” The city of Loveland is short on the budget. Why are we offering free weekly concerts? Doing three gay pride events ? Buying an old church’s to convert to a homeless shelter which will drive down property values thus reducing tax revenue. As a tax payer, businesses & home owner I’d prefer to eliminate such line items. I’d rather see the library run at full capacity. Yes the library is “free”but it ads value to the community at a low cost. The other free services do not bring in revenue nor does it bring business to the local business. link

Hello 👋 My question is if “we” The city of Loveland is short on the budget. Why are we offering free weekly concerts? Doing three gay pride events ? Buying an old church’s to convert to a homeless shelter which will drive down property values thus reducing tax revenue. As a tax payer, businesses & home owner I’d prefer to eliminate such line items. I’d rather see the library run at full capacity. Yes the library is “free”but it ads value to the community at a low cost. The other free services do not bring in revenue nor does it bring business to the local business.

Olivas asked 4 months ago

Hi there, thank you for sharing your thoughts and questions! For more than 70 years, the City of Loveland has been a full-service city working to keep our community safe and vibrant. In the past, this has meant hosting events like the Loveland Summer Concert Series at Foote Lagoon and the July 4th Festival at North Lake Park. While we realize that not all services and events appeal to everyone, many are community favorites with large interest. 😊 To that end, it's important to note that some of the events you've mentioned are not City events and receive little to no funding from the City.
Additionally, the proposal to rezone 2000 N. Lincoln Ave., which would allow a homeless shelter to be located in the existing church building, is currently under review with the City of Loveland's Development Review Team. Please note that this development is not a City project. The applicant is the nonprofit organization Homeward Alliance. If you have any other questions specific to the shelter, we would encourage you to reach out to Homeward Alliance.

events,homelessness
events homelessness
Share Hi, I don't have a question, but I do have a comment. I notice every Monday around 5:30 pm the weeds at the new transit station are being watered. It would be a money saver to NOT water the weeds. on Facebook Share Hi, I don't have a question, but I do have a comment. I notice every Monday around 5:30 pm the weeds at the new transit station are being watered. It would be a money saver to NOT water the weeds. on Twitter Share Hi, I don't have a question, but I do have a comment. I notice every Monday around 5:30 pm the weeds at the new transit station are being watered. It would be a money saver to NOT water the weeds. on Linkedin Email Hi, I don't have a question, but I do have a comment. I notice every Monday around 5:30 pm the weeds at the new transit station are being watered. It would be a money saver to NOT water the weeds. link

Hi, I don't have a question, but I do have a comment. I notice every Monday around 5:30 pm the weeds at the new transit station are being watered. It would be a money saver to NOT water the weeds.

catsmeowgh1 asked 4 months ago

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
As a City, a big part of our job is maintaining the public spaces that we manage. Your feedback is crucial to us, so we asked our Public Works team for more information.
They let us know that the project requirements for the Transit Center include planting native seeds in all landscaped areas except the sodded ones, and temporary irrigation is necessary to establish native seed growth. However, they are reviewing the watering schedule to ensure it supports the required growth while potentially reducing the watering frequency.
Please let us know if you have any other questions!

public spaces,transit center,irrigation
public spaces transit center irrigation
Share The April City Update says that monthly reports on sales tax revenue are posted online. Where do I find this? on Facebook Share The April City Update says that monthly reports on sales tax revenue are posted online. Where do I find this? on Twitter Share The April City Update says that monthly reports on sales tax revenue are posted online. Where do I find this? on Linkedin Email The April City Update says that monthly reports on sales tax revenue are posted online. Where do I find this? link

The April City Update says that monthly reports on sales tax revenue are posted online. Where do I find this?

kat asked 6 months ago

Thanks for reaching out and for reading our City Update newsletter, Kat!
You can find monthly sales tax reports and the City's monthly and quarterly financial reports online.
It’s helpful to know that reporting happens on a one-month delay (for example. reporting for April happens in June, reporting for May happens in July, etc.). Please let us know if there's anything else that we can help with!

sales tax,reporting
sales tax reporting
Share No question, just advocating for the library to not have funds cut. They are a huge asset to our community! on Facebook Share No question, just advocating for the library to not have funds cut. They are a huge asset to our community! on Twitter Share No question, just advocating for the library to not have funds cut. They are a huge asset to our community! on Linkedin Email No question, just advocating for the library to not have funds cut. They are a huge asset to our community! link

No question, just advocating for the library to not have funds cut. They are a huge asset to our community!

madleighmcc asked 7 months ago

Hi, thanks so much for reaching out. We appreciate you sharing your concerns. The City of Loveland has been a full-service City for over 70 years – something we take great pride in. However, the ongoing multi-million-dollar shortfall to the City’s general fund requires us to rethink the service levels that the City of Loveland can realistically sustain.
While no decisions regarding the budget have been made, City staff continue to present their recommended approach to 2025 budget shortfalls for City Council feedback.
We hope you’ll stay connected on this topic moving forward, but please let us know if you have any additional questions we can help with in the meantime.
Share If we are in a financial deficit can we please take a serious look at removing funding for non profits and homeless programs that are continuing to drag our town down, it is time to focus on the quality of life and not abusing citizens money for things that are not being fixed and removing services that we pay for, we need to make panhandling and vagrancy illegal and stop this nonsense, how is it we have increased the budget and in 3 years the homeless numbers have tripled, the shortfall can be recouped, also downsizing non essential staff especially in this farce of homeless help would be a simple audit, if it is not working, end spending. on Facebook Share If we are in a financial deficit can we please take a serious look at removing funding for non profits and homeless programs that are continuing to drag our town down, it is time to focus on the quality of life and not abusing citizens money for things that are not being fixed and removing services that we pay for, we need to make panhandling and vagrancy illegal and stop this nonsense, how is it we have increased the budget and in 3 years the homeless numbers have tripled, the shortfall can be recouped, also downsizing non essential staff especially in this farce of homeless help would be a simple audit, if it is not working, end spending. on Twitter Share If we are in a financial deficit can we please take a serious look at removing funding for non profits and homeless programs that are continuing to drag our town down, it is time to focus on the quality of life and not abusing citizens money for things that are not being fixed and removing services that we pay for, we need to make panhandling and vagrancy illegal and stop this nonsense, how is it we have increased the budget and in 3 years the homeless numbers have tripled, the shortfall can be recouped, also downsizing non essential staff especially in this farce of homeless help would be a simple audit, if it is not working, end spending. on Linkedin Email If we are in a financial deficit can we please take a serious look at removing funding for non profits and homeless programs that are continuing to drag our town down, it is time to focus on the quality of life and not abusing citizens money for things that are not being fixed and removing services that we pay for, we need to make panhandling and vagrancy illegal and stop this nonsense, how is it we have increased the budget and in 3 years the homeless numbers have tripled, the shortfall can be recouped, also downsizing non essential staff especially in this farce of homeless help would be a simple audit, if it is not working, end spending. link

If we are in a financial deficit can we please take a serious look at removing funding for non profits and homeless programs that are continuing to drag our town down, it is time to focus on the quality of life and not abusing citizens money for things that are not being fixed and removing services that we pay for, we need to make panhandling and vagrancy illegal and stop this nonsense, how is it we have increased the budget and in 3 years the homeless numbers have tripled, the shortfall can be recouped, also downsizing non essential staff especially in this farce of homeless help would be a simple audit, if it is not working, end spending.

Roz asked 7 months ago

Hi there and thanks so much for your feedback. Our apologies for the delay getting back to you. Decisions regarding the budget haven't been finalized yet.
Regarding your question, “how have we increased the budget and in three years the homeless numbers have tripled,” it may or may not be helpful to know that the program cost has been offset by several grants and partner support. This includes a Transformational Homelessness Response Grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, ARPA funding, money from a national opioid settlement, and more.
When it comes to the number of people experiencing homelessness in our region, according to annual point-in-time counts, the number has increased fractionally. You can find more information on the Northern Colorado Continuum of Care website.
Thanks for your continued interest in the City’s ongoing budget discussions.
Share Why are you cutting Police budgets?? We should not be cutting services for American citizens. Illegal immigrants should not be part of the city budget. on Facebook Share Why are you cutting Police budgets?? We should not be cutting services for American citizens. Illegal immigrants should not be part of the city budget. on Twitter Share Why are you cutting Police budgets?? We should not be cutting services for American citizens. Illegal immigrants should not be part of the city budget. on Linkedin Email Why are you cutting Police budgets?? We should not be cutting services for American citizens. Illegal immigrants should not be part of the city budget. link

Why are you cutting Police budgets?? We should not be cutting services for American citizens. Illegal immigrants should not be part of the city budget.

Bill Lovell asked 4 months ago

Hi Bill, thanks so much for your feedback. Decisions regarding the budget haven't been finalized. To learn more about the methods City Staff have been using to suggest reductions, we would encourage you to check out our prior news updates.
Thanks for your continued interest in the City’s ongoing budget discussions.

1
2

Page last updated: 08 Nov 2024, 12:53 PM