HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Legislative Review Committee - 01/24/2023 -
City Manager’s Office
City Hall
300 LaPorte Ave.
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6505
970.224.6107 - fax
fcgov.com
Legislative Review Committee Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
3:00-4:00PM
Council Information Chambers (CIC) in City Hall
300 LaPorte Ave
In-person with Zoom option
Councilmembers present: Mayor Arndt, Councilmember Canonico (chair), Councilmember Peel
Staff present: Ginny Sawyer, Megan Valliere, Tyler Marr, Megan DeMasters, Lindsay Ex, John Phelan,
Jessica Jones, John Duval, Sylvia Tatman-Burruss
Guests present: Ed Bowditch (lobbyist), Jennifer Cassell (lobbyist)
1. Approval of minutes from October 25, 2022 meeting
a. The Mayor moved to approve the minutes from the October 25th, 2022, meeting.
Councilmember Peel seconded. Motion passed.
2. Session Kick-off
a. Jennifer Cassell and Ed Bowditch (lobbyists) intro to session expectations and bills of
note and overview of CML Policy Committee recommendations.
i. As of 01/24/2023, the General Assembly is in its third week of the 2023 session.
The Capitol is starting to get to work, and bills are now being heard in
committee.
ii. Both chambers have indicated priorities related to healthcare, childcare, and
housing affordability. Themes around human services, local government,
housing, and business are emerging.
iii. The following table details the specific bills that LRC discussed.
Bill/Bill Topic Introduced
Y/N
Prime Sponsors LRC Discussion Recommendation or
Consensus from LRC
SB23-001 -
“Authority of
Public-private
Collaboration
Unit For
Housing”
Y Sens. Roberts
and Zenzinger
Reps. Bird and
Lukens
Lobbyists informed LRC
that this bill passed
committee.
N/A
HB23-1001 -
“Expanding
Assistance for
Educator
Programs”
Y Sen. Zenzinger
Reps.
McLachlan and
Kipp
Lobbyists informed LRC
that FC Rep Cathy Kipp
was co-sponsoring this bill
to provide financial
N/A
incentives to retain
educators.
SB23-005 -
“Forestry and
Wildfire
Mitigation
Workforce”
Y Sens. Lewis and
Cutter
Lobbyists informed LRC
that this bill had been
introduced.
N/A
SB23-016 -
“Greenhouse
Gas Emission
Reduction
Measures”
Y Sen. Hansen
Reps.
McCormick and
Sirota
Lobbyists shared that this
GHG reduction omnibus
bill was also introduced
last year. The bill updates
statewide GHG reduction
goals, provides income
tax credits for electric
lawn and garden
equipment, and more.
One section requires local
governments to provide
an expedited process for
revamping transmission
lines.
N/A
HB23-1039 -
“Electric
Resource
Adequacy
Reporting”
Y Sens. Rodriguez
and Winter
Rep. Bird
John Phelan shared that
this bill had been
introduced and was
circulating.
The group agreed
that all were
interested in seeing
what CAMU says
regarding this bill.
Land Use Bill N Originating
from the
Governor’s
Office,
sponsors TBD
We may see a copy in
March. The Gov. Office
has been meeting with
cities and counties
individually, but there has
not been a broad effort to
connect with CML, CCI,
etc. Mayor shared that
she, Kelly D., and MPT
Francis met with Will and
Serena from the Gov.
Office to discuss the bill
and home rule
implications. She
indicated that the bill’s
most significant policy
items will likely include an
elimination of
exclusionary zoning, the
legalization of ADUs, and
The group discussed
that several portions
of the bill as
introduced may
address policy goals
held by City Council,
but home rule
authority is also our
baseline foundation
for evaluating
proposals from the
General Assembly.
Mayor committed to
brokering a meeting
between Will/Serena
and Kevin Bommer
from CML.
efforts to increase density
near transit.
Middle Housing
Bill
N Rep. Woodrow Lobbyists shared that this
bill is not currently part of
the Governor’s land use
package, but the sponsors
would like it to be.
N/A
DDA Bill N Unknown Tyler shared that this bill
would extend the sunset
of the DDA. Rep.
Boesenecker would like
the City’s position on this
bill.
N/A
Assault
Weapons Bill
N Rep.
Boesenecker
Lobbyists shared that this
bill would likely prohibit
the purchase of assault
weapons within the state
but would not prohibit
their possession. The
current version does not
have a local government
storage component. The
word is that the Governor
is not supportive of this
legislation.
N/A
Domestic
Violence in
County vs.
Municipal
Courts
N Unknown The Mayor shared that
Judge Heuser opposes
any bill that takes power
from the municipal court
regarding its ability to
hear domestic violence
cases. While the Fort
Collins Municipal Court
does not hear these
cases, the bill encroaches
on the authority of
municipal courts and
removes the ability of
municipal courts to
alleviate capacity
constraints on county
courts for domestic
violence cases.
We are open to
requirements
regarding Victims’
Assistance
programming for
municipal courts
hearing DV cases, but
we do not support
any attempt to
remove authority
from municipal
courts.
Microtrenching
Bill
N Rep. Titone The group discussed that
CML is aggressively
opposing a lot of this bill
The City generally
opposes
microtrenching as a
in draft form since it
mandates cities to allow
microtrenching, doesn’t
put the same
requirement in place for
the state, and doesn’t
follow the same process
as other utilities for
permitting and
regulation.
concept/procedure
for broadband
installation and did
not use it for
Connexion.
iv. CML Policy Committee Recommendations
1. The group discussed significant legislative stances coming from CML this
year, including:
a. Making car theft a felony regardless of the value of the vehicle
(currently, theft of vehicles assessed at less than $2000 is a
misdemeanor charge).
b. Opposing efforts in a bill by Sen. Fields to place limitations on
the use of no-knock warrants.
c. Opposing any attempt by Rep. Mabrey or others to reintroduce
the Right to Rest Act.
d. Opposing fee exemptions from CORA for press entities in a bill
that may be sponsored by Sen. Hansen and Rep. Snyder.
e. Supporting legislation that will provide grants to local
governments for environmental remediation at closed landfill
sites.
f. Supporting legislation that gives local government right of first
refusal to purchase properties at market value for development
into affordable housing (sponsored by Rep. Boesenecker).
b. Bill tracker overview and staff introductions
i. At the next LRC meeting, the group will work through the bill tracker tool and
discuss support and oppose positions on legislation we are tracking.
ii. The Mayor and Councilmember Peel indicated a preference for hybrid rather
than fully remote LRC meetings going forward.
3. Other Business and Announcements
a. None.
Minutes approved February 21st, 2023