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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEconomic Advisory Board - MINUTES - 03/19/20253/19/2025– MINUTES Economic Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Wednesday, March 19, 2025 – 4:00 PM 215 N Mason, EOC, or Microsoft Teams 1. CALL TO ORDER: 4:03 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – • Braulio Rojas (Chair) • Erin Gray (Vice Chair) • Chris Denton • Richard Waal • Thierry Dossou b. Board Members Absent – • Val Kailburn • Renee Walkup • Tim Cochran c. Staff Members Present – • Tyler Menzales, Staff Liaison • Joe Wimmer, Finance Department • Ginny Sawyer, Senior Policy and Project Manager d. Guest(s) – • Brad Kreikemeier • Haley Wahl, Chamber of Commerce Advocacy Specialist Board Members had a moment of silence for Board Member Coleman who passed away a few days after the last meeting. Chair Rojas stated he will be missed on the Board and in the community. 3. AGENDA REVIEW No changes. 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Brad Kreikemeier stated he applied for the Board and was unsure if he was appointed. Haley Wahl Introduced herself as the new Chamber of Commerce Advocacy Specialist and stated she is present to take notes. 3/19/2025– MINUTES 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – FEBRUARY 2025 Chair Rojas made a motion, seconded by Denton, to approve the minutes of the February 2025 meeting as presented. The motion was adopted unanimously. 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Presentation and Discussion – City of Fort Collins Quarter Cent Sales Tax Renewal Ginny Sawyer, Senior Policy and Project Manager, stated the Community Capital Improvement Program quarter-cent sales tax will expire in December of 2025, and its renewal for another ten years will be placed on the November ballot. Sawyer noted the City is heavily dependent on sales tax for revenue and since the implementation of TABOR, all taxes or renewals must go to the voters. She stated the City has utilized dedicated taxes to help with transparency and predictability for voters. She noted these taxes do not apply to groceries. Sawyer stated the capital improvement tax has been used to complete some core infrastructure projects and build community amenities, and reiterated this is not a tax increase, but a renewal. Sawyer stated the last two capital improvement taxes have passed with 80% voter approval and commented on the importance of relying on Master Plans that have been informed by community input, ensuring the package of items put forth represents the desires of the community and places projects throughout the community, an d utilizing community engagement to help prioritize projects and programming. Sawyer outlined projects that have been funded by previous capital improvement taxes, including most recently the Poudre River Whitewater Park, Willow Street improvements, the Lincoln Avenue bridge, and the Gardens on Spring Creek visitor’s center expansion. She outlined the public outreach process and timeline for this upcoming renewal . Joe Wimmer, Finance Department, stated the ¼ cent tax will bring in around $11 million in revenue annually; therefore, there will be about $110 million of funding available for projects over the next ten years. He stated about $166 million in projects has been identified; therefore, the list needs to be reduced. Sawyer noted having a dedicated funding source for local matches has helped in attracting grants. Wimmer discussed the potential project list, including transportation and engineering and housing projects. Sawyer discussed additional potential projects, including parks and recreation, cultural and nature and environment projects. She provided a draft project package that would trim down the list to $110 million with both scaling and removal efforts. A Board Member noted some of the projects are new while others involve refurbishment of old projects and asked about the long -term view of the funds 3/19/2025– MINUTES in terms of maintenance. Wimmer replied the tax has generally funded the building of new assets and the General Fund has been used for operations and maintenance over time; however, operations and maintenance dollars have been built in initially in some cases. A Board Member asked if economic impact analyses are undertaken to see how projects might attract new people or create additional spending within the city. Sawyer replied Master Plans are relied upon for this package as those types of analysis are done with those efforts. A Board Member asked if this list assumes federal funds or grants. Sawyer replied the numbers do not assume federal funding, but if federal funding does occur, more items can be completed. Wimmer provided Board Members with a survey of which three items on the list would have the greatest community impact, which three items would have the least community impact, and which proposed name of the tax would best resonate with the public. Chair Rojas asked if any prioritization data already exists. Sawyer replied staff is still collecting data. Chair Rojas asked if there will be some type of campaign to attract support for the items prior to the election. Sawyer replied City resources cannot be used to promote the tax once Council refers it to the ballot. She noted residents have come forward in previous years to start committees to solicit support. She also noted the City is building a web page with information. Chair Rojas asked about the impact should the ballot item not be approved. Wimmer replied that would likely mean the project list was not correct for the community. Additionally, he stated a level of service would be dropped for some of the programs that have had funding for some time. Sawyer stated a new package would be formed for the following year’s ballot. Chair Rojas stated it is key for voters to know the implications of a negative vote on the ballot item. Members discussed the importance of outlining the community benefits of approving the tax renewal. Sawyer noted the item will go before Council at a work session on May 27 th. Chair Rojas asked when staff would like a letter of support from the Board. Sawyer replied it would be ideal to have some support around the final ballot language, or around shaping the ballot language by the May 27 th date. (**Secretary’s Note: The Board took a brief recess at this point in the meeting.) 7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 3/19/2025– MINUTES None. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Chair Rojas stated Board Member Coleman’s death is a reminder to be kind and never assume there will be a ‘next time.’ Members commended Board Member Coleman’s dedication to community service and economic issues despite what he was going through physically. Menzales noted a card and flower arrangement will be put together to send to Board Member Coleman’s wife and stated he will be honored in the City’s monthly volunteer newsletter. 9. STAFF REPORTS 10. OTHER BUSINESS a. Vice Chair Nominations Menzales noted there are now four vacant Board seats, including current Vice Chair Gray; therefore, a new Vice Chair will need to be appointed. He stated a call for nominations could be put out via email with an action item on the next agenda, or nominations could be solicited at the next meeting. Board Member Waal stated it could be beneficial for the new members to have input in the process. Chair Rojas suggested moving the item to the next meeting. Members agreed to seek volunteers via email, to meet new members at the April meeting, and to have a formal nomination and vote at the May meeting. b. Recognition of Departing Board Members Menzales noted Vice Char Gray and Board Members Waal and Walkup are term-limited and this will be their last meeting. Chair Rojas thanked the outgoing Board Members for their service and contributions to the community. 11. ADJOURNMENT a. 5:18 PM Minutes approved by the Chair and a vote of the Board/Commission on 04/16/2025 3/19/2025– MINUTES