HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019 - Economic Advisory Commission - Work PlanEconomic Health Office
300 LaPorte Avenue
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6505
970.224.6107 - fax
fcgov.com
Economic Advisory Commission
2019 Work Plan
Duties & Function of the Commission
The duties and functions of the Commission are:
1. To advise City Council on matters pertaining to the economic health and sustainability of
the city, including, but not limited to, (a) events and trends occurring outside the Fort Collins
community that may affect the local economy; (b) immediate and long-term threats to the
local economy; (c) ways in which to enhance the City's competitive position in relation to
other communities (example I-25, Talent 2.0, etc); and (d) possible partnerships with other
public and private entities;
2. To recommend programs and strategies that may enhance the economic health and
sustainability of the city;
3. To be aware of and coordinate with other City boards and commissions whose actions may
affect the economic health and sustainability of the City;
4. To advise Council on existing or proposed policies, practices or regulations of the City that
may affect the local economy; and
5. To perform other such duties and functions as provided by the City Council.
Overview
The Economic Advisory Commission’s (“EAC”) selected method for filtering thematic topics for
2019 is to focus on the nexus point between the EAC’s charter, economic impact to the
community, and board interest and capabilities by the citizens, EAC and the City Council. The
Venn diagram below represents this nexus visually.
EAC Potential Work Plan Topics
Topic
Charter
Aligned
Commission
&
Community
Interest
Council
Initiative
Upcoming
Action
Workforce (Talent Development) X X X None
Focus on I-25 Build-out X X None
Business Retention & Expansion (Engagement) X X X None
Small Business Visibility (Support & Engagement) X X None
City Plan X X X Adopt
Northern Colorado Regional Airport X X None
Revenue (Specifically KFCG) X X Refer
Affordable Housing X Work Session
Growth Dialogue (2017-2018 example) X X
City Plan
Board & Commission Experiment (2017-2018 example) X X
Resolution
Another way of displaying the information from the matrix above is presented in the graphic
below. This graphic shows visually the proximity of the various topics to Council’s work plan. A
key to having impact in 2019 will be to select topics that are already on Council’s radar, either
through specific planned action (e.g., KFCG Revenue, Affordable Housing, or City Plan) or
because of a declared priority, as evidenced by the Council’s own Initiative Dashboard (e.g.,
Talent Development, Business Engagement).
The growth dialogue and board and commission experiment – the thematic focus for 2017 and
2018 respectively – are listed in the matrix above and shown on the graphic below as examples.
In both cases, these were thematic topics that were outside the Council’s priority at the time
issues were chosen by EAC, but subsequently advanced to Council consideration (represented
by the green arrows in the graphic below). The growth dialogue is now incorporated into the City
Plan. EAC will continue to evaluate and participate in the joint boards and commissions pilot
that brings together Boards and Commissions from the Social Sustainability Service area
representing the Triple Bottom Line perspective in 2019.
Given the focus of EAC, the following topic areas will be used to filter other City policy items that
should be brought before the commission for input:
▪ Triple Bottom Line integration
(Social and Environmental);
▪ Balancing act between the benefits
and cost of growth
▪ Economic sustainability and diversity
▪ Affordable/Attainable Housing; and
▪ Workforce.
Prioritization, Meeting Structure, Agendas
While focusing on items already on Council’s radar will allow for efficiency and increased short
term impact., due to the frequency and timing of EAC meetings, it will be difficult to provide a
timely recommendation to the Council. Thus, EAC will prioritize selection of topics it can
respond to in a timely manner to be impactful. The process to select and discuss topics as well
as the current topics being discussed by EAC are listed below.
Additionally, EAC will place a priority on communication with Council. This may include
attending Council member listening sessions, attending Council meetings to speak on priority
topics, and meeting with the EAC Council liaison several times throughout the year.
The EAC will continue to manage meetings and agendas with the intent to focus on proactive
review and identification of economic issues instead of a reactive view of issues. The result has
been greater focus and engagement by commission members. This approach is summarized
below:
▪ All topics presented to the EAC will be reviewed in two parts:
o First, the EAC will review a presentation on the topic with the objective of
listening and clarifying; and
o Second, the EAC will discuss the topic with the objective of
understanding and acting (if required)
▪ Topics will be selected from the 6-month planning calendar by the Chair and Co-Chair
with recommendations from the staff liaison and suggestions from other EAC members;
▪ Topics will be placed on a planning calendar that resembles the City Council 6-month
calendar and will include: Topic, Purpose, Objective (Listen/Clarify or Discuss/Act),
Anticipated City Council Date (work sessions will be noted), Staff, and Time Allotted
▪ Open Slots in the planning calendar will be discussed by the Commission two times a
year and topics off the 6-month planning calendar can be selected for discussion.
Additionally, there will be flexibility as pertinent topics arise.
▪ The staff liaison will provide an update on the operations of the Economic Health Office
quarterly (typically the month after the close of each quarter)
Current Topics/Planned Activities
The following items are currently on the planning calendar for the EAC:
▪ Capital Expansion Fees
▪ Building Energy Scoring
▪ Deep Dive into Business Engagement (an identified key priority area)
▪ Deep Dive into Talent Development (an identified key priority area)
Other items will be identified as they are added to the 6-month planning calendar.