Larimer County Attorney Bill Resue told the Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 22 that his office’s performance measures focus on efficiency, reporting roughly one attorney for every 41,500 residents and about 7.5 full‑time equivalent non‑attorney legal support staff. He compared Larimer’s staffing to Weld, Boulder and Arapahoe counties as part of the staff report on support services performance measures.

Resue said the county’s ratios have remained “relatively stable” since 2022 and credited long tenures and experienced staff for efficiency. “We have attorneys both David and I have been in the office well over 20 years,” Resue said, noting many attorneys in his office have served 10–20+ years. Deputy County Attorney David Aver added that population is a proxy for caseload: for several matter types, “the more population you have the more cases it tends to generate.”

The measures shown to commissioners contrasted Larimer’s ratios with peers: Weld about one attorney per 37,000 people, Boulder about one per 14,000, and Arapahoe about one per 27,000. Resue said differences reflect counties’ choices about in‑house work versus outside counsel; Larimer uses outside counsel for civil‑rights litigation, water law and other specialized matters while keeping child support and many adult‑ and child‑protection cases in house.

Commissioner Jody Shattuck McNally asked whether metro differences or multi‑county municipalities complicate comparisons. Resue and Aver replied they do not have peer county case counts available for direct comparison and that residents‑per‑attorney is a practical performance metric when exact case loads are not available. Commissioner Cavallos asked about workload and capacity; Resue said the office currently manages by relying on experienced attorneys and a heavier paralegal burden in human‑services work.

Why it matters: staffing levels and the mix of attorneys, paralegals and outside counsel affect the county’s legal capacity to handle child protection, DHS and other matters and inform budget and hiring discussions.

The presentation did not include any formal motions or staffing changes; commissioners asked clarifying questions and received follow‑up details about the office mix and the role of support staff.