Larimer County to seek technical assistance from Trust for Public Land and The Nature Conservancy on potential public funding for open space and forest health

Dalen Figgs, director of the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources, told the Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 11 that staff will bring a letter of intent to place a request for technical assistance from the Trust for Public Land and The Nature Conservancy on the administrative consent agenda at the board’s next administrative meeting.

Figgs said the technical assistance would help Larimer County explore public funding options to support open space and recreation access and to address forest and watershed health needs. "The technical assistance doesn't get us to a ballot measure, but basically, the intent of it is to work with TPL and TNC to conduct feasibility research, public opinion surveys, develop strategies, and recommendations on public funding measures for us to consider in the future years," Figgs said.

Figgs said the work would be iterative and could include polling and development of potential funding strategies; he said emergency operations and the solid waste program are also involved because some of their work overlaps with forest and watershed health. Figgs said staff would return to the board in the appropriate format to discuss options and polling questions as the process unfolds.

Commissioner Joey Shand McNally and Commissioner John Kefalas acknowledged the update; no formal decision was made at the work session beyond the plan to place the request on the administrative consent agenda. Figgs said the assistance is intended to produce recommendations for the board to consider in future years rather than to immediately place a measure on the ballot.

The matter was described as an administrative consent agenda item on the board’s agenda for the next administrative meeting; staff said the request would be a research and strategy effort to inform any future policy or ballot decisions.