Greeley internal-services budget plan tops 2027 cut target, with slower support functions expected

Greeley’s internal-services leaders told City Council on Tuesday that they identified $3.35 million in 2027 reductions across the city clerk, innovation and high performance, human resources, and information technology divisions, slightly exceeding the portfolio’s $3.15 million target. The work-session presentation said the cuts were built by reducing director- and manager-level overhead before front-line services, while consolidating work and trimming some operating and software costs. Staff also warned that the changes will bring tradeoffs, including slower customer service in the clerk’s office, less strategic-planning and communications capacity, and reduced flexibility in 311 and other support functions.

Assistant City Manager Kimberly Southern presented the internal-services recommendations and said they were developed “through the lens of service level impacts” and aimed to protect “high-value and high-use services where possible.” She said the city clerk’s office met its 17% reduction target by eliminating an already-vacant administrative position, cutting spending on supplies, travel, memberships and other purchased services, moving Spanish agenda translation to an existing platform at no added cost, and increasing some liquor-license fees. Southern said the loss of a community-facing clerk employee will likely mean longer wait times, more appointments for licensing and higher fees for some customers.

Southern also highlighted a separate election-budget issue for council to revisit later in the budget process. She said Weld County raised coordinated election fees from $1.25 to $2.50 per voter in 2025, pushing the city’s cost from about $87,000 to $175,000. Because those costs do not occur evenly every year, staff presented options including fully funding the election line each year and returning unused dollars, funding it only in general-election years, or seeking an appropriation as needed. After Mayor Dale Hall asked when council would weigh in, Mayor Pro Tem Melissa McDonald said, “I believe we’ll be talking about that on the 11th.”

In innovation and high performance, Southern said the city identified $691,000 in 2027 savings, above that division’s reduction target, by eliminating two ongoing roles and one term role and by dropping funding for a planned citywide customer relationship management system. She said the city “will not move forward with a citywide CRM tool at this time” and instead will focus on improving existing systems. The staffing cuts, she said, will leave less capacity for strategic planning workshops and facilitation, reduce dedicated project management for complex city initiatives, and make executive communications less comprehensive and consistent even as Friday council updates continue.

Human resources and information technology were presented as meeting or slightly exceeding their targets largely through leadership and specialty-position reductions. Southern said HR exceeded its target by about $3,000 while preserving benefits, compliance and core employee-support functions, but cut four leadership roles and reduced spending on recognition, coaching, travel and certifications. In IT, she said the city met its target through maintenance-agreement cleanup and the elimination of the public safety technology services manager, an IT procurement and contract specialist, and the chief information officer. Southern said the expected effect there is “minimal impact to current service levels,” with public-safety technology support and contract-management duties absorbed elsewhere.

The discussion came during Item 6 of the city’s 2027 budget-development series. Budget and Policy Director Nathan Mosley said Tuesday’s session “wraps up the department-focused work sessions” before staff develops the city manager’s recommended budget, which is currently scheduled to go to council Sept. 4. Mosley said the city has identified $16.8 million in reductions overall, with about $1.3 million still unresolved citywide.