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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEconomic Advisory Board - MINUTES - 06/18/20256/18/2025– MINUTES Economic Advisory Board REGULAR MEETING Wednesday, June 18, 2025 – 4:00 PM 215 N Mason, EOC, or Microsoft Teams 1. CALL TO ORDER: 4:00 PM 2. ROLL CALL a. Board Members Present – • Braulio Rojas (Chair) • Chris Denton (Vice Chair) • Val Kailburn • Tim Cochran • Phillip Callahan • Kim Palmer b. Board Members Absent – • Thierry Dossou • Brad Kreikemeier c. Staff Members Present – • Tyler Menzales, Staff Liaison • Michael Bussmann, Economic Health Office • Ginny Sawyer, Senior Policy and Project Manager • Taryn Moran, Project Management Coordinator d. Guest(s) – 3. AGENDA REVIEW Menzales reviewed the published agenda. 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION None. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – MAY 2025 Chair Rojas made a motion, seconded by Callahan, to approve the minutes of the May 2025 meeting as presented. The motion was adopted unanimously. 6/18/2025– MINUTES 6. NEW BUSINESS a. City of Fort Collins Quarter Cent Sales Tax Renewal Taryn Moran, City Manager’s Office Graduate Management Assistant, introduced herself. Ginny Sawyer, Senior Policy and Project Manager, noted the Board previously had questions about which of the identified projects are economic drivers and what kinds of economic drivers exist. She noted most of the projects on the proposed list have been scaled back from their original versions and stated staff will be going back before Council on July 8th. She stated Council’s initial input on the project package included a desire to have more funds for affordable housing, though no comments were made as to what should be cut. Sawyer discussed the various funding sources for the City and reiterated this is a renewal, not a new tax, and it does not apply to groceries. She noted staff has been cautious in putting together the package given costs, inflation, and the uncertainty of the economy. She outlined the overall groupings of the projects beginning with intersection improvements and the streetscape program. She noted the streetscape program is primarily focused downtown as that is one of the main areas over which the City has control and the downtown area is a main economic driver. The second grouping of projects includes the pedestrian program, which is likely the most equitable program in the package. Other groupings include Transfort bus replacements and stop enhancements, recreational paved trails, the affordable housing revolving capital fund, parks and recreation, cultural amenities which includes stabilizing the downtown trolley barn that could potentially be a draw and economic driver, and nature and environment. She provided a list of the projects in the total package and discussed which utilize dedicated funds and which need other sources of funding. She stated the project list is essentially divided into early, mid, and late term projects over the course of the ten years of the tax. Chair Rojas asked how the projects are chosen. Sawyer replied many are chosen from adopted master plans which have had a great deal of public vetting. Additionally, projects come from staff recommendations. She noted she has spoken to many Boards and Commissions and other community groups seeking input as well. Chair Rojas asked about the $4 million line item for a pickleball facility. Sawyer replied the Parks and Recreation Master Plan outlines a gap in the number of pickleball courts provided. She noted the $4 million is proposed for an outdoor facility, but acknowledged it is a bit polarizing. She also noted the City’s facilities are not meant to compete with health clubs or private venues as the City is providing a service for everyone. She stated the inclusion of the pickleball item could actually drive voters to vote in favor of the ballot measure. 6/18/2025– MINUTES Michael Bussmann, Economic Health Office, reiterated the role of the City to provide recreation services for all residents and stated providing dedicated pickleball facilities will free up tennis courts. Chair Rojas commented on how such a specific sport became so valuable. Kailburn asked how the affordable housing funds are used. Sawyer replied this is the first time affordable housing has been included in the tax package, and it is set for $4 million. The dollars have been identified to be used as first money in for projects. Kailburn commented on the importance of affordable housing, particularly as compared to pickleball. Sawyer noted the goal is to have this ballot measure pass and she cited the fact that the stand-alone ballot question related to a tax dedicated to affordable housing did not pass. She also stated the City does not want to overcommit the dollars for something that is still very unknown in terms of the methodology. Cochran asked if mixed-use projects could utilize the funding. Sawyer replied the City will likely rely heavily on Housing Catalyst and utilize the funds to help that organization get projects off the ground with this first set of funds. Vice Chair Denton asked how many housing units would be able to be funded with these dollars. Sawyer replied she was unsure and noted these funds are not meant for rental assistance as those funds come from Community Development and Block Grant funds that are distributed to other organizations that provide subsidies. Chair Rojas asked if there is any way to measure the results of previous investments and about the plan for measuring results of future investments. Sawyer replied staff outlines the accomplishments of previous tax packages during each renewal and there are measures and statistics available project by project. She cited an example of greenhouse gas reduction with added turn lanes. Cochran asked about the Downtown Parks Shop item. Sawyer replied it is the maintenance shop for Parks in the downtown area and the building needs to be replaced to accommodate equipment while still having staff in proximity to the areas they maintain. Cochran stated the $7.9 million for that item seems high, particularly given affordable housing is the number one priority for Council. Sawyer noted the staff is responsible for maintaining the downtown area, which is an economic driver. Sawyer noted the November election will be the first using ranked voting and will also include a renewal of the Natural Areas tax in perpetuity as well as potentially an item that would make the Hughes Stadium property solely a Natural Area. Additionally, it is possible Council will refer the civic assembly 6/18/2025– MINUTES multi-use recommendation regarding the Hughes Stadium property to the ballot as well. b. Dinner Break (**Secretary’s Note: The Board took a brief recess at this point in the meeting.) c. Council Memo: Quarter Cent Sales Tax Renewal Chair Rojas asked members to weigh in on the possibility of sending a memo to Council regarding the quarter cent sales tax renewal ballot measure. Callahan suggested more metrics should be included. Vice Chair Denton commented on the fact that Transfort is subsidized by CSU and cutting those services may mean CSU no longer wants to participate financially. Members commented on discussing the ballot measure in terms of trade-offs if it does not pass as well as return on investment if it does pass. Callahan commented on possibly including a comment regarding the affordable housing and pickleball expenditures being disparate. Vice Chair Denton commented on an important message to communicate to the community is that the use of the funds is not comparing apples to apples in that the pickleball funds are to use City-owned land to build a facility whereas the affordable housing funds can be used to fill gaps in various affordable housing projects. Chair Rojas commented on the number of people who will be reached with the $4 million pickleball investment. Members commented on the types of metrics they would like to see included in the ballot package. Palmer questioned whether operations and maintenance funding is included in the $4 million for the pickleball facility. Vice Chair Denton replied he believes operations and maintenance funding is built into the overall budget but suggested following up with Sawyer. Vice Chair Denton stated he would like a response to the question about why the Mulberry Pool is included as he believes those dollars should be coming from the City’s standard maintenance budget. Bussmann noted it is a full replacement of the pool as the Mulberry Pool is nearing the end of its useable life. Vice Chair Denton suggested most things can be built such that they can be maintained and not fully replaced. Chair Rojas asked members to weigh in on whether it is important for the City to get these additional funds for the proposed infrastructure projects. Members replied in the affirmative. 6/18/2025– MINUTES Chair Rojas summarized the Board’s interest in getting additional metric information and stated he would send members the list of questions to include in a memo. Palmer mentioned the Whitewater Park that was funded with $4 million of these tax dollars and questioned the metrics of it’s use. Members had a conversation about the optics of the pickleball item and discussed the timeline of Council’s consideration of the ballot item. Members also discussed the Natural Areas tax renewal and Hughes Stadium item. 7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS None. 9. STAFF REPORTS None. 10. OTHER BUSINESS None. 11. ADJOURNMENT a. 5:45 PM Minutes approved by the Chair and a vote of the Board/Commission on 08/20/25