Larimer County, Colorado
invites your interest in the position of
Budget
Director
Rocky Mountain National Park
Photo by Paul Carlson
Larimer County - Community Overview
Fort Collins
Larimer County is located in north central Colorado. Organized
in 1861 as one of the original 17 counties in Colorado, it is the
sixth largest county in Colorado based on population, with an
estimated 2014 population of 316,000. The principal cities are
Fort Collins, the county seat, and Loveland. Larimer County
employs approximately 1500 full time workers and has an
annual operational budget of more than $225,000,000.
The county extends to the Continental Divide and encompasses
2640 square miles that include some of the finest irrigated
farmland in the state, as well as vast stretches of scenic ranch
lands, forests and high mountain peaks. Over 50% of Larimer
County is publicly owned, much of it within Roosevelt National
Forest and Rocky Mountain
National Park. In addition to
these federal lands, Colorado
state parks and recreation
areas, Larimer County parks
and open lands, and local
parks within urban areas
provide a wide spectrum of
recreational opportunities that
are enjoyed by both residents
Fort Collins
and visitors. Colorado State
University, one of the
county’s major employers, is located in Fort Collins. The
University of Colorado is located in Boulder County, immediately
south of Larimer County.
Loveland
Wellington
Wellington
Fort Collins, like much of Larimer County, enjoys a pleasant
climate with low humidity and moderate temperatures. The
average high temperature during the summer months is 85
degrees and winter
high
temperatures
average 42 degrees.
The
area receives
ap p r o x i m a t e l y
18
inches of precipitation
per
year,
with
snowfalls
averaging
around 55 inches each
Windsor
winter.
Larimer
County enjoys approximately 300 days of sunshine
per year.
The area economy is diverse and stable. As a regional center
for healthcare, major private employers include University of
Colorado Health System and Banner Health (McKee Medical
Center). Other major private companies include
Hewlett Packard, Avago Technologies, Advanced
Energy, Woodward Inc., and Anheuser-Busch.
Living in Larimer County
Located approximately one hour north of Denver in north
central Colorado, Larimer County is well known for its
beautiful and diverse landscapes, abundant recreational
opportunities, excellent educational environment, vibrant
and growing communities, and attractive and moderate
climate.
Prospective homeowners can find everything from small
starter homes to farmland to elegant expansive properties
with mountain or city light views. Neighborhoods along
numerous picturesque lakes and natural areas abound.
Town homes and rental apartments in an array of convenient
and attractive locations are also available.
Larimer County is a friendly community with wonderful
neighborhoods, excellent schools, higher education
opportunities, quality medical care and small-town ambiance
with amenities normally associated with larger metro areas.
Residents enjoy National, State and local parks and there are
plenty of recreational opportunities for residents and visitors
alike.
Division heads are appointed by the County Manager and
they, in turn, appoint department directors for their
respective areas. In addition to the Board of County
Commissioners, the following seven other County officials
hold elected office:
Assessor, Clerk and Recorder,
Coroner, District Attorney,
Sheriff, Surveyor and
Treasurer.
Services provided under policy direction set by the County
Commissioners include human services, workforce center,
cooperative extension, engineering, solid waste, natural
resources, fairgrounds/event center, road and bridge,
community corrections, alternative sentencing, planning,
building inspection, rural land use and numerous internal
services such as finance, human resources, facilities
maintenance, fleet management and technology support.
The County has a 2014 budget of $228,067,994 and a
proposed 2015 budget of $225,217,568, excluding
disaster response and recovery costs and non-operational
accounts. For more information visit our Budget page at
http://larimer.org/budget/.
The Position
Each of the towns and communities in the County offer a
friendly and welcoming environment along with an excellent
quality of life. In fact, the City of Fort Collins was ranked at
#6 on Money Magazine’s list of best places to live for 2010
and has consistently ranked highly on many such lists over
the past few years.
The County Government
Larimer County is governed by a Board of County
Commissioners elected at large and representing three
districts; one of the three Commissioners is elected as Chair
by majority vote of the Board. Linda Hoffmann, County
Manager, is appointed by the Board and has been with the
County since 2008; she has been the County Manager since
2012.
The Larimer County Budget Director reports to the
County Manager as part of the County Manager’s
Division and currently provides direct supervision for
one employee, a Senior Budget Analyst. The Budget
Director performs highly responsible professional fiscal
planning for County government. Responsibilities
include directing, coordinating and producing the
County's annual budget, long-range fiscal planning, and
directing/preparing budget analyses and reports. The
Director makes budget recommendations to the County
Manager and Board of County Commissioners, prepares
financial policies, and assists in the development of
countywide programs and services
inventory with goals, objectives, and
performance measures.
Candidate Profile
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The Larimer County Budget Director leads and manages 
the activities and projects related to the
Budget Office including budget preparation, monitoring
and projection; performance management; strategic
planning; budget system management and
maintenance; certification of mill levies and other 
related responsibilities. This is an at-will, non-classified
Department Head position that is appointed by the
County Manager and is part of the County’s senior 
management team.
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Develops proposed policies and recommendations to
improve cost effectiveness, efficiency and productivity.
Directs the review of annual budget requests for
compliance with budget guidelines, the preparation of
reports and information for presentation to the County
Manager, elected officials, Board of County
Commissioners and other County groups.
Reviews overall budget forecasts for adequacy of fund
balances, financial soundness and compliance with
Colorado Revised Statutes.
Oversees the preparation and filing of all documents for
budget adoption and mill levy adoption.
Represents the County in presentations, public hearings,
formal and informal meetings with the Board of County
Commissioners and with organizations, groups of
citizens, and individual citizens.
Produces budget-related documents for citizen meetings
and electronic media publication.
Monitors County-wide performance measures and
identifies opportunities for continuous improvement.
Participates in the preparation of the County’s Annual
Report to citizens.
Responsible for investigating and responding to
questions, concerns, and complaints from customers,
media or other sources related to budget activities.
Job Duties
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Directs the formulation of the County-wide budget
for the County Manager, Board of County
Commissioners and the public.
Prepares budget narratives describing the general
economic climate, annual budget policies, budget
features, annual budgetary changes, future trends
and other necessary topics.
Develops budget policies, guidelines and
procedures for the adoption, management and
administration of the budget including personnel
costs, operating costs and equipment replacement.
Acts as liaison between the County Manager,
elected officials and other agency directors for
budget matters.
Oversees the preparation of departmental budgets;
provides advice and assistance concerning budget
and management problems.
Makes recommendations to the County Manager
and Board of County Commissioners regarding the
County budget and long-term fiscal planning
issues.
Directs the development and maintenance of the
financial reporting system to capture departmental
expenditure and revenue budgetary data to
provide historical and current financial data to the
enterprise.
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Manages the annual certification of mill levies and
revenue for special tax districts (county, schools, cities,
fire, etc.) to create the annual local tax roll.
Exercises direct and indirect supervision of assigned
staff in accordance with County policies and procedures.
Works in close coordination with departmental budget
staff providing guidance, information and advice.
Directs the development and provision of a budget skills
training program for County employees.
Participates in the development, practice, and
implementation of County emergency response plans.
Participates in various professional groups such as CCI
(Colorado Counties, Inc.) and other
related organizations.
Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have:
Experience Ten years of increasingly responsible
experience in governmental budgeting, financial analysis
or accounting administration and supervision of staff.
Education Equivalent to a Bachelor’s Degree from an
accredited college or university with major coursework in
Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Finance,
Public Finance, Systems Development or a related field. A
Master’s Degree is preferred.
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Apply principles of logical thinking to define
problems, collect data, establish facts and draw
valid conclusions.
Interpret an extensive variety of technical
instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form.
Proficiently perform desktop publishing and annual
report creation.
Exercise considerable tact, courtesy and diplomacy
with County officials, department managers and
the public.
The successful candidate must also be in possession of or
have the ability to obtain a valid Colorado Driver’s License.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Advanced Knowledge of:
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Federal, state and local laws and policies concerning
county or municipal budget and fiscal operations.
Operations of county government, including taxation
and other sources of revenue.
Colorado public finance administration and the budget
process.
Standard research techniques, methods and
procedures
Excel, Access, Word, PowerPoint, Crystal Reports and
Oracle Financial s for Government software.
Ethical guidelines as outlined by professional standards
and/or federal, state, and local laws, rules and
regulations.
Current literature, trends and developments in the
field of public finance and budget administration.
Supervisory principles, procedures and methods.
Ability to:
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Communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and
in writing.
Read and comprehend department and County rules,
regulations, policies and standard operating
procedures.
Implement and maintain standard accounting and
control measures for County government.
Supervise and mentor professional and support staff in
a productive and positive manner.
Prepare clear, concise reports and compile and analyze
financial statements and reports.
Speak to groups of people with poise and confidence.
Exercise independent judgment and initiative in
planning and directing an extensive fiscal control
systems
Effectively deal with abstract and concrete variables.
Analyze, evaluate and manage financial data.
Compensation & Benefits
The annualized salary range for this position is
$86,850 to $121,590; the hiring rate will depend on
the qualifications of the applicant selected. Benefits
are competitive and a variety of benefits are currently
available to County employees including sick and
vacation leave; retirement, 401(a) and 457 plans;
medical; dental; vision; life; long term disability and
flexible spending accounts. Larimer County employees
also have the ability to purchase other optional
benefits. More information about Larimer County
benefits can by found by clicking here.
How to Apply
Please apply through the following link by filling out
the required information and uploading a cover
letter and resume containing current salary and five
(5) work-related references: Budget Director
Application. All applications must be submitted
through this link by 11:00 pm (MST) on Sunday,
January 4th, 2015.
Please direct any questions to:
Sarah Hunt - HR Recruiting & Employment Specialist
via e-mail, shunt@larimer.org, or by calling
(970) 498-5974.
Larimer County is an Equal Opportunity Employer