Longmont proposes $547.5 million 2027 budget ahead of public-safety tax vote
The proposal would use $34.38 million in fund balance, add 20 ongoing positions and set a $22.19 million Public Safety Fund baseline before voters consider higher taxes.
Longmont staff are proposing a $547.48 million budget for 2027, a 5.32% increase over the adopted 2026 budget. The proposal would use about $34.38 million in fund balance for capital projects and other one-time needs, according to the city’s 2027 budget materials.
The budget would add 20 ongoing full-time-equivalent positions, including firefighters, firefighter-paramedics, utility and electric-grid staff, tree-trimming employees, a sustainability coordinator and technology personnel. Eight fixed-term positions would shift from ongoing to one-time funding.
The proposed Public Safety Fund would have $22.19 million in expenditures, a 6.35% increase from the adopted 2026 budget. The proposal is based on the current 0.58% public-safety sales tax and includes about $872,000 in fund-balance use for one-time expenses.
That baseline could change if voters approve a tax package on the Nov. 3 ballot. The package would raise the public-safety sales tax to 0.91% and add a dedicated property-tax levy of up to 2.44 mills. The council referred the package to the ballot in a 6-1 vote Sept. 8. The taxes would take effect only if voters approve them.
City staff say they would update the proposed budget before the City Council considers final approval if the measures pass. If voters reject them, staff say annual service or spending adjustments eventually would be needed to keep ongoing Public Safety Fund revenues and expenses balanced.
For residents, the proposed taxes would mean a higher sales-and-use tax beginning Jan. 1, 2027, and a property-tax levy beginning with 2027 collections, if approved. Earlier city estimates put the added sales-and-use tax at about $3.30 per $1,000 in taxable purchases. The city estimated the property-tax cost at about $75 annually for a $500,000 home and $305 for a $500,000 commercial property; actual bills would vary by assessed value and other factors, the city’s earlier tax materials estimated.
The Sept. 15 council agenda scheduled a study-session discussion of the proposed budget, not a formal vote. The budget remains a proposal pending that discussion and the council’s later approval process.