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 29-1-103 - Budgets required

(1)
Each local government shall adopt an annual budget. To the extent that the financial activities of any local government are fully reported in the budget or budgets of a parent local government or governments, a separate budget is not required. Such budget shall present a complete financial plan by fund and by spending agency within each fund for the budget year and shall set forth the following:
(a)
All proposed expenditures for administration, operations, maintenance, debt service, and capital projects to be undertaken or executed by any spending agency during the budget year;
(b)
Anticipated revenues for the budget year;
(c)
Estimated beginning and ending fund balances;
(d)
The corresponding actual figures for the prior fiscal year and estimated figures projected through the end of the current fiscal year, including disclosure of all beginning and ending fund balances, consistent with the basis of accounting used to prepare the budget;
(e)
A written budget message describing the important features of the proposed budget, including a statement of the budgetary basis of accounting used and a description of the services to be delivered during the budget year; and
(f)
Explanatory schedules or statements classifying the expenditures by object and the revenues by source.
(2)
No budget adopted pursuant to this section shall provide for expenditures in excess of available revenues and beginning fund balances.
(3)
(a)
The general assembly finds and declares that the use of financed purchase of an asset or certificate of participation agreements by local governments creates financial obligations of those governments and that the disclosure of such obligations is in the public interest and is a matter of statewide concern.
(b)
In addition to the governmental entities included in the definition of "local government" in section
29-1-102
, the provisions of this subsection (3) shall apply to every home rule city, home rule city and county, school district, and local college district.
(c)
As used in this subsection (3), "lease agreement" means a lease as defined in the generally accepted accounting principles issued by the governmental accounting standards board that the controller prescribes for the state as specified in section
24-30-202 (12)
.
(c.5)
As used in this subsection (3), "certificate of participation" means any certificate evidencing a participation right of a proportionate interest in any financing agreement or the right to receive proportionate payments from the state or an agency due under any financing agreement.
(c.7)
As used in this subsection (3), "financed purchase of an asset" means a financing agreement that includes the purchase of an asset.
(d)
(I)
The budget adopted by every local government shall separately set forth each of the following:
(A)
The total amount to be expended during the ensuing fiscal year for payment obligations under all financed purchase of an asset or certificate of participation agreements involving real property;
(B)
The total maximum payment liability of the local government under all financed purchase of an asset or certificate of participation agreements involving real property over the entire terms of such agreements, including all optional renewal terms;
(C)
The total amount to be expended during the ensuing fiscal year for payment obligations under all financed purchase of an asset or certificate of participation agreements other than those involving real property;
(D)
The total maximum payment liability of the local government under all financed purchase of an asset or certificate of participation agreements other than those involving real property over the entire terms of such agreements, including all optional renewal terms.
(II)
Each budget required to be filed pursuant to section
29-1-113
shall include a supplemental schedule that contains the information described in this paragraph (d).
(e)
(I)
No local government shall enter into any financed purchase of an asset or certificate of participation agreement whose duration, including all optional renewal terms, exceeds the weighted average useful life of the assets being financed. In the case of a financed purchase of an asset or certificate of participation agreement involving both real property and other property, the financed purchase of an asset or certificate of participation agreement shall provide that the real property involved shall be amortized over a period not to exceed its weighted average useful life and the other property shall be separately amortized over a period not to exceed its weighted average useful life. This provision shall not prevent a local government from releasing property from a financed purchase of an asset or certificate of participation agreement pursuant to an amortization schedule reflecting the times when individual pieces of property have been amortized.
(II)
Nothing contained in this subsection (3)(e) shall be construed to apply to any financed purchase of an asset or certificate of participation agreement entered into prior to April 9, 1990.
Amended by 2021 Ch. 325, § 66, eff. 7/1/2021.
L. 90: Entire part R&RE and (3) added, pp. 1431, 1289, §§ 1, 4, effective 1/1/1991. L. 2009: (3)(c) amended, (HB 09-1218), ch. 573, p. 573, § 8, effective July 1. L. 2021: (3)(a), (3)(c), (3)(d)(I), and (3)(e) amended and (3)(c.5) and (3)(c.7) added, (HB 21-1316), ch. 2053, p. 2053, § 66, effective July 1.
This section is similar to former § 29-1-104 as it existed prior to 1990.