2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 29 - GOVERNMENT - LOCAL (§§ 29-1-101 — 29-37-210) › GENERAL PROVISIONS (§§ 29-1-101 — 29-3.5-102) › Article 1 - BUDGET AND SERVICES (§§ 29-1-101 — 29-1-1601) › Part 1 - LOCAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET LAW OF COLORADO (§§ 29-1-101 — 29-1-115) › Section 29-1-102 - Definitions

As used in this part 1, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1)
"Appropriation" means the authorization by ordinance or resolution of a spending limit for expenditures and obligations for specific purposes.
(2)
"Basis of budgetary accounting" means any one of the following methods of measurement of timing when revenue and other financing sources and expenditures and other financing uses are recognized for budget purposes:
(a)
Cash basis (when cash is received and disbursed);
(b)
Modified accrual basis (when revenue and other financing sources are due and available and when obligations or liabilities are incurred for expenditures and other financing uses, except for certain stated items such as, but not limited to, prepaids, inventories of consumable goods, and interest payable in a future fiscal year); or
(c)
Encumbrance basis (the modified accrual basis, but including the recognition of encumbrances).
(3)
"Budget" means the complete estimated financial plan of the local government.
(4)
"Budget year" means the ensuing fiscal year.
(5)
"Certified" means a written statement by a member of the governing body or a person appointed by the governing body that the document being filed is a true and accurate copy of the action taken by the governing body.
(6)
"Division" means the division of local government in the department of local affairs.
(7)
"Encumbrance" means a commitment related to unperformed contracts for goods or services.
(8)
(a)
"Expenditure" means any use of financial resources of the local government consistent with its basis of accounting for budget purposes for the provision or acquisition of goods and services for operations, debt service, capital outlay, transfers, or other financial uses.
(b)
"Expenditure" shall not include the payment or transfer of moneys by the office of the public trustee created in section
38-37-101
, C.R.S., that are received from and required to be paid to another person or entity pursuant to the requirements of article 37, 38, or 39 of title 38, C.R.S., including, but not limited to, recording fees and publication costs pursuant to sections
38-38-101
and
38-39-102
, C.R.S., and transfers of excess funds to the county treasurer made pursuant to section
38-37-104 (3)
, C.R.S.
(9)
"Fiscal year" means the period commencing January 1 and ending December 31; except that "fiscal year" may mean the federal fiscal year for water conservancy districts which have contracts with the federal government.
(10)
"Fund" means a fiscal and accounting entity with a self-balancing set of accounts in which cash and other financial resources, all related liabilities and residual equities or balances, and changes therein are recorded and segregated to carry on specific activities or to attain certain objectives in accordance with special regulations, restrictions, or limitations.
(11)
"Fund balance" means the balance of total resources available for subsequent years' budgets consistent with the basis of accounting elected for budget purposes.
(12)
"Governing body" means a board, council, or other elected or appointed body in which the legislative powers of the local government are vested.
(13)
"Local government" means any authority, county, municipality, city and county, district, or other political subdivision of the state of Colorado; any institution, department, agency, or authority of any of the foregoing; and any other entity, organization, or corporation formed by intergovernmental agreement or other contract between or among any of the foregoing. The office of the county public trustee shall be deemed an agency of the county for the purposes of this part 1. "Local government" does not include the Colorado educational and cultural facilities authority, the university of Colorado hospital authority, collegeinvest, the Colorado health facilities authority, the Colorado housing and finance authority, the Colorado agricultural development authority, the Colorado sheep and wool authority, the Colorado beef council authority, the Colorado horse development authority, the fire and police pension association, any public entity insurance or investment pool formed pursuant to state law, any county or municipal housing authority, any association of political subdivisions formed pursuant to section
29-1-401
, or any home rule city or town, home rule city and county, cities and towns operating under a territorial charter, school district, or local college district.
(14)
"Object of expenditure" means the classification of fund data by character of expenditure. "Object of expenditure" includes, but is not limited to, personal services, purchased services, debt service, supplies, capital outlay, grants, and transfers.
(15)
"Objection" means a written or oral protest filed by an elector of the local government.
(16)
"Revenue" means all resources available to finance expenditures.
(17)
"Spending agency", as designated by the local government, means any office, unit, department, board, commission, or institution which is responsible for any particular expenditures or revenues.
L. 90: Entire part R&RE, p. 1429, § 1, effective 1/1/1991. L. 91: (13) amended, p. 588, § 11, effective October 1. L. 93: (13) amended, p. 1846, § 3, effective July 1; (13) amended, p. 1855, § 4, effective July 1. L. 95: (13) amended, p. 1001, § 2, effective July 1. L. 98: (13) amended, p. 610, § 18, effective May 4; (13) amended, p. 1262, § 8, effective June 1. L. 2003: (8) amended, p. 733, § 1, effective August 6. L. 2004: (13) amended, p. 576, § 34, effective July 1.
(1) Amendments to subsection (13) by Senate Bill 93-240 and Senate Bill 93-243 were harmonized.
(2) Amendments to subsection (13) by Senate Bill 98-082 and Senate Bill 98-188 were harmonized.
For the legislative declaration contained in the act amending subsection (13) in 1991, see section 1 of chapter 99, Session Laws of Colorado 1991.