Residents press Larimer County on abandoned vehicles; speaker accuses local authorities of TIF abuse

Two public commenters used the Larimer County administrative matters meeting on Feb. 10 to press the county on separate public-policy concerns.

Brian Debuts, a resident of unincorporated Larimer County between Loveland and Fort Collins, told commissioners he has observed at least "10 vehicles" parked in road right-of-ways without plates or with expired tags and said some appear to be abandoned. "When they're parked in the road right away without a plate ... and they've been parked there a long time, I would consider them an abandoned vehicle," he said, and asked the county to tow or enforce code. He said deputies have sometimes removed vehicles but not always, that funding and enforcement capacity are a concern, and that he will send photos to commissioners and staff documenting locations.

Eric Sutherland, a Fort Collins resident, used his three minutes to accuse the county and local urban renewal authorities of misusing tax-increment financing (TIF). He said, among other claims, that a 2024 school ballot and subsequent levy produced a $3 million discrepancy he called illegal and said the board's inaction had "led the Poudre School District into a situation" of improper taxation. Sutherland called the pattern "nothing short of absolute corruption."

Commissioner responses and next steps: Commissioners thanked the speakers and described near-term follow-up. Commissioner Kristen Stevens said the county is "considering an ordinance" to make enforcement easier for the sheriff and will coordinate with code compliance to clarify right-of-way versus private-property enforcement. Commissioner John Kefalas said he expects a meeting within a month with the sheriff's office and county attorneys to finalize ordinance language and welcomed photographs to locate problem sites. Chair Jody Shaddow McNally pushed back on a blanket charge of corruption, said the board and staff have pursued accountability and reforms related to urban renewal authorities, and noted past and ongoing efforts—including state-level bills—to tighten TIF rules; she cited a county estimate that Thompson School District has lost about $51,000,000 since 2005 as part of those broader concerns.

Status of allegations: The TIF accusations were raised in public comment and met with a combination of acknowledgement about the issue and a denial of the assertion that the current board "allowed" corruption. Commissioners described legislative and oversight work but did not announce a specific enforcement action arising directly from the allegation during the meeting.

The board closed public comment and moved on to scheduled agenda items.