Timnath

Timnath draft budget would shorten July Fourth event, keep fireworks

October 14, 2026·Timnath·Larimer County

From the Timnath Town Council meeting of October 13, 2026

The change would save about $50,000 while maintaining the town’s 2026 number of community events. Public engagement is scheduled to begin Oct. 15, with adoption planned for Dec. 8.

Timnath’s draft 2027 budget would shorten the town’s Fourth of July event to a tailgate-style celebration while keeping fireworks, saving about $50,000. The town presented the draft at an Oct. 13 council work session. It would maintain the number of community events offered in 2026.

The budget timeline schedules public engagement for Oct. 15. A first reading and the setting of a public hearing are scheduled for Nov. 10, with budget adoption scheduled for Dec. 8. A staff member said the town would open public engagement after the work session and incorporate feedback as it finalized the budget.

The staff member described the draft as balanced and said it could be adopted without cuts while preserving financial flexibility. Timnath’s revenues were slowing but still growing, and its finances were in very good shape compared with some peers, the staff member said. The draft budget forecasts the town’s fund balance falling below its 25% working reserve target in 2029 and 2030 during significant capital investment, then rising above the target in 2031.

A proposed $55,000 impact-fee study drew opposing views on whether to defer it. The budget also includes $300,000 for a stormwater master plan, $60,000 for a streetlight study and $30,000 for a fee study. Another staff member said the impact-fee study would take 12 months and resulting fees probably would not take effect until 2028. One council member preferred to defer the study, while another speaker warned that delaying it could affect capital planning, stormwater and other matters. Single-family residential impact fees are “over twelve thousand dollars per unit,” the other speaker said, citing developers’ concerns about Northern Colorado fees compared with the Denver metro area.

The draft budget says a voter-approved 1.25% sales and use tax goes to the Community Center Fund, established in 2026 to pay for the center’s design, construction, maintenance and operations. The draft budget projects $92,150,000 in capital funding for the center from 2027 through 2031. It schedules $30,765,750 in 2027, $41,384,250 in 2028 and $20 million in 2029. Staff said the center is expected to open early in 2029.

The draft capital plan schedules $21 million for the County Road 5 Bridge and Widening project in 2027 and 2028. It sets aside $5 million in 2027 and $16 million in 2028. A staff member said work on the bridge and the remaining section from Cornhusk to Harmony was scheduled to begin in fall 2027.

More from this meeting

Timnath Town Council work session, Oct. 13, 2026
Timnath draft budget would shorten July Fourth event, keep fireworks; Timnath council adopts resolution supporting Timnath Elementary; Timnath approves $1.3 million Poudre River land purchase, 5-0; 3 consent items adopted.
Item 7.aTimnath council adopts resolution supporting Timnath Elementary
The resolution invites the district to work with the town on long-term alternatives that keep students in town while addressing enrollment, facilities and planning needs. The closure recommendation remains under consideration.
Item 7.bTimnath approves $1.3 million Poudre River land purchase
The parcel is intended for possible County Road 5 expansion and open-space use. Closing is scheduled 60 days after signing, and the sellers may remain for up to 14 days afterward.
Item 7.cTimnath approves $400,000 sale of vacant Old Town building
The contract puts $20,000 in escrow at closing, with portions released only if the buyers meet deadlines to open businesses or secure a tenant. The council did not dedicate proceeds to a master plan; spending plans remain for the budget.
Item 7.dTimnath advances owner-paid sewer hookups near public sewer lines
The requirement applies only to properties beside streets, alleys or rights-of-way with public sewer lines, when a line is within 400 feet and a provider is willing and able to serve. Covered owners would have 180 days after written notice to connect and decommission on-site…
Item 7.eTimnath advances updated flood maps; hearing set for Oct. 27
The measure would replace the town’s 2013 flood study and maps in its regulations with updated versions scheduled to take effect Nov. 27. It would take effect upon adoption at second reading.
Item 7.fTimnath council advances vinyl fencing allowance, sets Oct. 27 hearing
The amendment would also require neighborhood-meeting notices to include an owner’s or applicant’s address and phone number. Whether the 500-foot notice radius should expand remains unresolved; the ordinance would take effect if adopted on second reading.