City of Boulder · department
Finance
“The Finance Department develops, manages, performs, and oversees the financial operations for the city and various related organizations.” source as of 2026-10-30
Who runs it
AI-read · unreviewed read by a model from the city's pages, the Charter, the code and the budget books; every quote checked against its saved source; not reviewed by a person. Hover a source for its words.Researcher's note: Regulatory Licensing sits in Finance (see the division note). Finance also issues the city's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report ('Prepared by the Finance Department').
- Head
- Krista Morrison, Chief Financial Officer as of 2025-10-23 source source
- Answers to
- City Manager. A city department under the City Manager. The Charter creates a department of finance and licensing and has the city manager appoint and remove the directors of departments; the city manager hired the current Chief Financial Officer. Head appointed by City Manager. source source source as of 2026-10-30
- Legal basis
- Charter Sec. 65 · creates · Administrative departments source
- Charter Sec. 66 · governs · Directors of departments source
- BRC 2-3-13 · governs · Firefighters' Pension Fund Board of Trustees source
- Contact
- 303-441-3050 · Monday - Friday: 8:00 am-5:00 pm · contact page source as of 2026-10-30
Boards and commissions it staffs
- Beverage Licensing Authority · licensing staff (Regulatory Licensing Division), acting for the city manager as secretary / licensing clerk source source
- Boulder Municipal Property Authority · Secretary-Treasurer (the chief financial officer, under the bylaws); Finance's budget officer is the staff contact source source
- Cannabis Licensing Advisory Board · licensing staff (Regulatory Licensing Division), acting for the city manager as secretary / licensing clerk source source
- Firefighters' Pension Fund Board of Trustees · treasurer (the chief financial officer, ex officio, BRC 2-3-13) and city staff support (the Assistant Controller) source source source
- Knollwood Metropolitan District · staff support (the Deputy Director of Finance) source
- Old Hire Police Defined Benefit Board · city staff support (the Assistant Controller); the chief financial officer is a trustee source source source
Budget
from the city's approved budget books; each figure printed, to the dollar, in its source (hover a source for its words). A year may come from a different book or table than the next: the table says what each covers| Year | Basis | Amount | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | approved | $16,245,211 | All funds: department expenses, 2024 Approved Budget department page total source |
| 2025 | approved | $16,712,159 | All funds: department expenses, 2025 Approved Budget department page total source |
| 2026 | approved | $16,110,533 | All funds: department expenses, 2026 Annual Budget (department page total; the program and expense type table prints the same) source source |
Divisions
in the city's own words; heads only where an official source names them- Administration
“Administration directs activities and ensures communication and collaboration with city departments related to city financial matters.” source - Accounting and Treasury
“The Accounting and Treasury Division includes general accounting functions, external financial reporting, internal audit, daily cash management, debt management, bond disclosure and other compliance requirements.” source - Budget · Charlotte Huskey, Budget Officer source
“The Budget Division coordinates citywide operating budget development activities, collaborates with the Community Planning and Sustainability Department and other departments to create the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), provides budgetary support and guidance to city departments, performs budgetary forecasting and analysis, engages in long-range financial planning and performs policy analysis at the request of the city manager.” source page - Payroll and Accounts Payable/Receivable
“The Payroll and Accounts Payable/Receivable Division performs payroll functions including processing of paychecks, W2s, and vendor tax documentation, as well as financial document imaging and record retention, centralized mail coordination, accounts payable and accounts receivable.” source - Purchasing
“The Purchasing Division is responsible for managing the city’s procurement process and execution of contracts for constructing capital improvements, purchasing tangible personal property and obtaining insurance policies, as well as purchased and consulting services.” source page - Revenue and Licensing
“The Revenue and Licensing Division provides tax collection, reporting, education and enforcement functions for the city’s sales and use taxes, accommodation taxes, admission taxes and trash taxes.” source source page - Regulatory Licensing Division · Alisa Darrow, Licensing Manager source
“The Regulatory Licensing program is in place to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. The program licenses and regulates the activities of the sale and service of alcoholic beverages, the growing, processing, and sale of marijuana, the sale of tobacco, hemp extraction, mobile food vehicles, itinerant merchants (door-to-door sales), secondhand dealers, carnivals, circus or menageries, and auctions.” source source page - Risk Management
“The Risk Management Division plays an essential role in minimizing risk exposure for city employees, residents and visitors, as well as the city’s fleet and facilities.” source
What a resident can do here
services and programs, linked to the city's pages- Sales and Use Tax source
- Business Licenses source
- General Bill Payments source
- Accounts Payable source
- Budget source
- Financial Reporting source
- Vendor Guide source
- Community, Culture, Resilience and Safety Tax Grant Program source
- Construction Use Tax source
- Liquor Licenses source
- Medical and Recreational Marijuana Business Licenses source
- Special Event Liquor Permit (Private Property) source
- Mobile Food Vehicles License source
- Marijuana Odor Complaints source