Health District of Northern Larimer County: What is it? Who is running for the board?

While people may have heard of the Health District of Northern Larimer County in passing, not many are familiar with what the district, or its elected body, is tasked with handling. 

With an election in May for two open spots on the health district's board of directors, the Coloradoan set out to answer your questions about the governing body and the district itself. 

What is the Health District of Northern Larimer County? 

The county health district is a special tax district that has been operating since 1960 and working to broadly meet the community’s health needs. 

The district represents the northern part of Larimer County and includes Fort Collins, Laporte, Timnath, Wellington, Livermore and Red Feather Lakes. 

What does the district do? 

The district provides care to residents in its boundary area and works with other providers “to assess and plan for the larger health-care needs of our community.”

As of now, the district provides dental care, mental health care, assistance with prescriptions, cholesterol and blood pressure testing, programs to help quit tobacco, assistance with health insurance and advance care planning services, according to the district's website. To find out if you qualify for their services or to make an appointment, visit https://www.healthdistrict.org/services.

How is it funded?

The district is primarily funded by property and ownership taxes. The mill levy is currently 2.167. If the district wanted to raise its rate to collect more money, it would need to go to a public vote. The district also collects lease payments from UCHealth and interest income and fees from clients.

According to the district's website, money from lease payments covers most of the administrative costs so property tax dollars are able to go toward providing resident services. The district also accepts private, state and federal grants — along with individual donations — to support specific programs.

In 2021, per the district’s annual report, it had just more than $14 million in expenditures and its most costly program was dental services. 

What does the board of directors of the health district do? 

A five-person board of directors governs the health district. 

Board members are elected at large by residents in the boundary areas and serve staggered, four-year terms. Elections are held every two years in odd-numbered years. 

The board meets monthly at 5 p.m. on fourth Tuesdays and holds special meetings as needed. All meetings are open to the public, but meetings are canceled if there are no topics for discussion or action.

Board members receive presentations on health issues or topics in the community, like things ranging from Medicaid applications to integrated care, and get updates from UCHealth and the district’s executive director. 

You can view past meeting agendas for a better idea of the board’s activities at healthdistrict.org/board-meetings-archive. 

Who is running for the board? 

The candidates are:

• Michele Christensen
• Erin Hottenstein
• Rose Marion Lew
• John Peter McKay
• Mark Stiger
• Averil Strand

Profiles of the candidates can be found at healthdistrict.org/2023-board-candidate-profiles.

All six candidates for the board of directors have accepted the invitation to participate in a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Larimer County.

How can I learn more about the candidates? 

There is one candidate forum for candidates running for election to the board. That forum will be held Thursday, April 6. Candidates will be asked the same questions and allotted 60 seconds to answer. They will make opening and closing statements, and people at the forum will be able to submit questions. 

The forum will run from 7-8:30 p.m. and will happen at Fort Collins City Council Chambers, 300 Laporte Ave.  

It can also be streamed at www.fcgov.com/fctv, watched on television on Fort Collins’ Comcast channels 14 or 881 and Connexion channel 14.

After the forum, recordings will be posted on lwv-larimercounty.org, www.Vote411.org and www.fcgov.com/fctv. 

How do I vote in the health district election?

To vote in this election, you must be a U.S. citizen at least 18 years old who is registered to vote in Colorado and lives in the district. Non-district residents are able to vote if they, or their spouse or civil union partner, own property within the district boundaries. 

The election is May 2, 2023. 

You can vote in person at two polling locations in Fort Collins: 

• The Health District main office, 120 Bristlecone Drive
• Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, 4501 S. Lemay Ave. 

If you want to vote by mail, you must request an absentee ballot at healthdistrict.org/2023-board-election by April 25.

Editor's note: A previous version of this article had the incorrect date for the forum. The article has been corrected.

Molly Bohannon covers city government for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter @molboha or contact her at mbohannon@coloradoan.com. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.