Larimer County employees were recognized at the 2024 Innovation Awards for finding better, innovative, and groundbreaking ways to better serve our community.

Even with the best tools and equipment, Larimer County’s most valuable asset is its employees, and they were recognized by the Board of Larimer County Commissioners for their creativity and ingenuity in improving the way services are delivered to Larimer County residents.

Grand Prize: Youth Crisis Response Team

Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Team: Sgt. Robert Cook; Deputy Brandon Solano

The Youth Crisis Response Team [YCRT] comprises a School Resource Officer [SRO] paired with a mental health crisis clinician. They respond to address school-age children with mental health, substance abuse, or co-occurring crises. More collaboration then occurs with school administration teams and school counselors.

This groundbreaking approach to serving students in crisis brings together three entities to serve students and provide the resources they need: A Law Enforcement SRO, Mental Health Professionals, and the Thompson School District.In this partnership, the YCRT builds relationships, cooperation, and collaboration with the school district and its schools, counselors, and administrators, who are already aware of students who might be struggling with mental health or substance abuse. More understanding is gained from this partnership so that help and resources can be provided to students that school counselors could not provide by themselves.

1st Runner-Up: Dream On

Larimer County Solid Waste Department: Alex Studee; Jeremy Goves; and Chris Jones

With the increasing number of mattresses and box springs being thrown away, a better way to recycle and divert them from our landfill was needed. During 2022, about 1,300 mattresses were put in the landfill --- if you stacked them on top of each other, they would reach two-and-a-half miles high or fill 300 trash trucks.

Larimer County Solid Waste answered the call with their Mattress Recycling Program that started in June 2023. Since then, a whopping 715,000 pounds of metal, wood, foam, cotton, and textiles have been kept out of our landfill, conserving valuable space worth about $200,000 annually.

1st Runner-Up: EMPOWER [Employees Making Positive & Objective Work Environment Recommendations]

Community Justice Alternatives [CJA] Team: Jean Wallace; Magie Vasilvea; Jason Faris; Max Bourke; and John Flaherty

The Empower Program provides a structured platform for employees of Community Justice Alternatives to submit ideas that enhance efficiency, employee engagement, and customer satisfaction. All submissions, anonymous or not --- are accepted, recorded, and addressed by the 15-member review committee.

Through this program, employees can contribute to positive changes by submitting their ideas, no matter how big or small for departmental improvements. Larimer County residents benefit from the discovery of better ways to provide services.