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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - COMPLETE AGENDA - AMENDED - 10/14/2025Fort Collins City Council Work Session Agenda 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 14, 2025 300 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80521 AMENDED 10/13/25 Language Services are available online for this meeting. NOTICE: Work Sessions of the City Council are generally held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month. Meetings are conducted in a hybrid format, however there is no public participation permitted in a work se ssion. City Council members may participate in this meeting via electronic means pursuant to their adopted policies and protocol. How to view this Meeting: Meetings are open to the public and can be attended in person by anyone. Meetings are televised live on Channels 14 & 881 on cable television. Meetings are livestreamed on the City's website, fcgov.com/fctv. Upon request, the City of Fort Collins will provide language access services for individuals who have limited English proficiency, or auxiliary aids and services for individuals with disabilities, to access City services, programs and activities. Contact 970.221.6515 (V/TDD: Dial 711 for Relay Colorado) for assistance. Please provide 48 hours’ advance notice when possible. A solicitud, la Ciudad de Fort Collins proporcionará servicios de acceso a idiomas para personas que no dominan el idioma inglés, o ayudas y servicios auxiliares para personas con discapacidad, para que puedan acceder a los servicios, programas y actividades de la Ciudad. Para asistencia, llame al 970.221.6515 (V/TDD: Marque 711 para Relay Colorado). Por favor proporcione 48 horas de aviso previo cuando sea posible. While work sessions do not include public comment, mail comments about any item on the agenda to cityleaders@fcgov.com Meeting agendas, minutes, and archived videos are available on the City's meeting portal at https://fortcollins-co.municodemeetings.com/ City of Fort Collins Page 1 of 2 City Council Work Session Agenda October 14, 2025 at 6:00 PM Jeni Arndt, Mayor Emily Francis, District 6, Mayor Pro Tem Susan Gutowsky, District 1 Julie Pignataro, District 2 Tricia Canonico, District 3 Melanie Potyondy, District 4 Kelly Ohlson, District 5 Council Information Center (CIC) 300 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins Cablecast on FCTV Channel 14 on Connexion Channel 14 and 881 on Comcast Carrie Daggett Kelly DiMartino Delynn Coldiron City Attorney City Manager City Clerk CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 6:00 PM AMENDED 10/13/25 Language Services are available for this meeting. A) CALL MEETING TO ORDER B) ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION 1. Staff Report: November 2025 Election Voter Information Guide Highlight The purpose of this item is to share the November 2025 Election Voter Information Guide which will be available online to the community. 2. Southeast Community Center The purpose of this item is to provide an update on the Southeast Community Center (SECC), including the current project scope, budget, proposed funding stack with trade-offs, and next steps. More than a decade in the making, the SECC will provide southeast Fort Collins with a community recreation center and library, implemented in partnership with Poudre Libraries and Poudre School District as the final standalone project of the 2015 Community Capital Improvement Program tax initiative. 3. 2026 Budget Revision Discussion Follow-Up and Utilities 2026 Budget Revisions & Review The purpose of this item is to familiarize and seek feedback from Council on the City Manager’s recommended revisions to the 2026 Budget. Based on direction from Council, the 2026 Budget Revisions will be combined with the previously adopted 2025-2026 Biennial Budget. The 2026 Annual Appropriation Ordinance is scheduled for 1st Reading on November 3. This item includes follow-up from the first work session on the 2026 Budget Revisions, as well as review of two 2026 Utilities revisions proposed for inclusion in the 2026 Budget. There will also be a review of the utility rates for Council consideration planned for adoption on November 3. C) ANNOUNCEMENTS Page 1 City of Fort Collins Page 2 of 2 D) ADJOURNMENT Upon request, the City of Fort Collins will provide language access services for individuals who have limited English proficiency, or auxiliary aids and services for individuals with disabilities, to access City services , programs and activities. Contact 970.221.6515 (V/TDD: Dial 711 for Relay Colorado) for assistance. Please provide advance notice. Requests for interpretation at a meeting should be made by noon the day before. A solicitud, la Ciudad de Fort Collins proporcionará servicios de acceso a idiomas para personas que no dominan el idioma inglés, o ayudas y servicios auxiliares para personas con discapacidad, para que puedan acceder a los servicios, programas y actividades de la Ciudad. Para asistencia, llame al 970.221.6515 (V/TDD: Marque 711 para Relay Colorado). Por favor proporcione aviso previo. Las solicitudes de interpretación en una reunión deben realizarse antes del mediodía del día anterior. Page 2 File Attachments for Item: 1. Staff Report: November 2025 Election Voter Information Guide Highlight The purpose of this item is to share the November 2025 Election Voter Information Guide which will be available online to the community. Page 3 City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 1 of 1 October 14, 2025 WORK SESSION AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY City Council PRESENTER Delynn Coldiron, City Clerk SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION Staff Report: November 2025 Election Voter Information Guide Highlight EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to share the November 2025 Election Voter Information Guide which will be available online to the community. ATTACHMENTS 1.Voter Information Guide Page 4 Item 1. 1 FC 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTION VOTER INFORMATION GUIDE Page 5 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 2 Welcome to your official 2025 City of Fort Collins Voter Information Guide. Read this guide to learn about how, when and where to vote; to learn more about ranked voting; and to find answers to frequently asked questions. This guide includes a list of the candidates expected to be on this year’s ballot, as well as a factual summary for the various ballot measures, including related pro/con statements. Additional information on candidates and the various ballot measures can be found at www.fcgov.com/elections. WHAT IS ON THE BALLOT FOR FORT COLLINS? • City Council Races for Mayor and Councilmembers for Districts 1, 3 and 5 »Ranked Voting will be used for any race where there are three or more candidates • Six Charter Amendments • Two Tax Initiatives (TABOR) • Two Ballot Questions related to the Hughes Stadium property WHEN IS ELECTION DAY? • Nov. 4, 2025 WHEN DO I VOTE? • You will receive a ballot in the mail sometime between Oct. 10-17. You can return your completed ballot anytime up until 7 p.m. on Election Day. HOW CAN I REGISTER TO VOTE OR CHECK MY VOTER REGISTRATION? • www.govotecolorado.com • Fort Collins City Clerk’s Office, 300 Laporte Ave. • Larimer County Administrative Services Office, 200 W. Oak St. • Voter Service/Polling Centers (starting Oct. 27) »Find locations: www.larimer.gov/elections • The last day to apply to register to vote through the mail is Oct. 27. However, you can register to vote online or at a polling center up to and including Election Day, Nov. 4. ELECTION DATES AND DEADLINES • Sept. 20 – Last day for County to transmit ballots and related materials to overseas voters and first day an eligible elector can request a ballot from the COUNTY CLERK • Oct. 3 – Last day for County to mail TABOR Notices to voters • Oct. 17 – Last day for County to mail ballots to voters • Oct. 20 – First day County can begin counting ballots • Oct. 27 – Last day to apply to register to vote through the mail • Nov. 4 – Election Day! Ballots must be received no later than 7 p.m.! • Nov. 13 – Last day for County to verify and count provisional ballots • Nov. 26 – Last day for County to finalize election Page 6 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS HOW TO VOTE ��4 RANKED VOTING ��6 CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES ��7 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ��7 2025 BALLOT MEASURES ��9 BALLOT ISSUE 2A ��11 BALLOT QUESTION 2B ��14 BALLOT QUESTION 2C ��16 BALLOT QUESTION 2D ��18 BALLOT QUESTION 2E ��20 BALLOT QUESTION 2F ��22 BALLOT QUESTION 2G ��24 BALLOT QUESTION 2H ��26 BALLOT ISSUE 302 ��29 BALLOT QUESTION 303 ��31 VOTER REGISTRATION ��34 Page 7 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 4 HOW TO VOTE BY MAIL: • Ballots will be mailed to voters sometime between Oct. 10-17. • Make sure to add postage before mailing. • Make sure there is enough time to mail – the ballot must actually be received by the County no later than Nov. 4 and postmarks do not count as the received date! • You can check the status of your mail ballot by: »Looking it up on the Colorado Secretary of State’s website: www.govotecolorado.com »Calling the Larimer County Elections Office: 970-498-7820 »Using the orange stub on your ballot to track your ballot through BallotTrax. • This is only available for mail-in ballots. BY DROP BOX: • This is a preferred method of turning in your ballot because the chain of custody is not broken. Your ballot goes directly from you (the voter) to Larimer County. • There are multiple 24-Hour Fort Collins locations: »Colorado State University - Lory Student Center (Walk-Up), 1101 Center Ave. Mall »Elks Lodge (Walk-Up/Drive-Thru), 1424 E. Mulberry St. »Edora Pool Ice Center (EPIC) (Walk-Up/Drive-Thru), 1801 Riverside Ave. »Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity ReStore (Walk-Up/Drive-Thru), 4001 S. Taft Hill Rd. »Fort Collins Police Services (Walk-Up/Drive-Thru), 2221 S. Timberline Rd. »Fort Collins Senior Center (Walk-Up/Drive-Thru), 1200 Raintree Dr. »Fort Collins Traffic Operations (Walk-Up/Drive-Thru), 626 Linden St. »Harmony Library (Walk-Up), 4616 S. Shields St. »Larimer County Administrative Services (Walk-Up/Drive-Thru), 200 W. Oak St. - Outside SW entrance »Larimer County Human Services (Walk-Up/Drive-Thru), 1501 Blue Spruce Dr. »Northside Aztlan Community Center (Walk-Up/Drive-Thru), 112 E. Willow St. »South Transit Center (Walk-Up/Drive-Thru), 4915 Fossil Blvd. • There are locations in surrounding communities that can be used as well. A full list of available drop boxes is at www.larimer.gov/elections. Page 8 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 5 AT A VOTER SERVICE AND POLLING CENTER (VSPC): • These centers are open Oct. 27-Nov. 4 »Here you can vote in person, obtain a replacement mail ballot, deliver your voted mail ballot, register to vote, change your address, or vote on an ADA accessible voting machine. • Locations of Fort Collins VSPCs: »Larimer County Administrative Services (Walk-Up), 200 W. Oak St. – 1st Floor »Colorado State University – Lory Student Center, 1101 Center Ave. Mall »Front Range Community College – Longs Peak Student Center, 4616 S. Shields St. (Nov. 3-4 only) • Hours and more information: www.larimer.gov/elections ON ELECTION DAY: • Nov. 4, 2025 • Polls are open for in-person voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. • Larimer County must have your ballot no later than 7 p.m. Nov. 4 to ensure your vote counts! Page 9 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 6 RANKED VOTING HOW DO I FILL OUT MY BALLOT WITH RANKED VOTING? 1. Pick your first-choice candidate and completely fill in the oval next to their name under the 1st column. 1. If you have a second-choice candidate, fill in the oval next to their name under the 2nd column. 1. You can rank all candidates within an existing race (up to 10). You can still rank just one candidate; however, if that candidate does not have enough votes to make it through to the next round, you will have no further say in the outcome of the vote. SAMPLE BALLOT A sample ballot is posted for review at www.larimer.gov/clerk/elections/current-elections/2025. This is a correctly marked ballot with the voter’s 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices indicated. Voters cannot give multiple candidates the same ranking. This voter’s 1st choice would be counted, but if their candidate was eliminated there would be no way to determine the voter’s intent for second choice. At that point, the voter would have no further active choice in the race. Voters cannot rank one candidate multiple times. This voter’s 1st choice would be counted and would continue until their candidate either won or was eliminated. If their 1st choice was eliminated, the voter’s 2nd and 3rd choices would not count because the candidate would no longer be in the race. CANDIDATES 1ST CHOICE 2ND CHOICE 3RD CHOICE strawberry chocolate vanilla CANDIDATES 1ST CHOICE 2ND CHOICE 3RD CHOICE strawberry chocolate vanilla CANDIDATES 1ST CHOICE 2ND CHOICE 3RD CHOICE strawberry chocolate vanilla WHAT IS RANKED VOTING? Starting this year, Fort Collins will use Ranked Voting – commonly known as ranked-choice voting – in all City Council races that have three or more candidates. With Ranked Voting, you can rank up to 10 candidates in your order of preference instead of choosing just one. This gives you more say in who gets elected and results in a candidate being elected who receives more than 50% of the vote. WHY ARE WE USING RANKED VOTING? Fort Collins voters elected to use Ranked Voting in a 2022 ballot measure. It passed with 58.15% support and included a provision that this form of voting would be implemented during the 2025 election. WHICH OFFICES WILL I VOTE FOR WITH RANKED VOTING? • Mayor • Councilmember – District 1 (for those who live in District 1) • Councilmember – District 3 (for those who live in District 3) You can find out which District you live in here. Page 10 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 7 CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES There are 15 candidates running across four races: Mayor, Councilmember for District 1, Councilmember for District 3, and Councilmember for District 5. You can find a Council District map here. The candidates for each race are listed below, and additional details on the candidates can be found at www.fcgov. com/elections/candidate-filings. • All Fort Collins voters can vote for a Mayor and rank up to 7. The candidates include: »Tricia Canonico - triciaforfoco.com »Adam Eggleston - adamegglestonformayor.com »Emily Francis - emilyforfc.com »Adam Hirschhorn - @electadammayor.bsky.social »Shirley Peel- shirleyforfoco.com »Jeff Shumway - shumwayformayor.com »Scotty V VanTatenhove - scottyv.com • District 1 residents can vote for a District 1 Councilmember and rank up to 3. The candidates include: »Chris Conway - chrisconwayfc.com »Susan Gutowsky - susan-gutowsky.org »Daisy Montgomery - daisyforfoco.com • District 3 residents can vote for a District 3 Councilmember and rank up to 3. The candidates include: »Josh Fudge - fudgeforfortcollins.com »Lance Smith - lancesmith4foco.com »Steve Yurash - steveyurash.org • District 5 residents can vote for a District 5 Councilmember. Because there are only two candidates, this race will not use ranked voting. The candidates include: »Amy Hoeven - amyforcouncil.com »Zoelle Lane - zoellelane.com The order of candidates on the ballot is set out in the City’s Charter under Article VIII, Section 6 and requires that the candidates for each office be arranged in alphabetical order based on surname. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS GENERAL ELECTION Who can vote in City elections? To vote in a City election you must be a resident of the state of Colorado for at least 22 days immediately prior to the election. To vote on City of Fort Collins questions, you must also reside within the Fort Collins city limits and be registered to vote at your current address by election day. You can find more information about being registered to vote on page 2 of this guide. Many people believe they should be allowed to vote in City elections because they own property or a business in Fort Collins. Others believe that a Fort Collins mailing address or the fact that they pay City sales tax while shopping in Fort Collins should qualify them. While we understand your desire to participate in City elections, the law simply does not permit it.Page 11 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 8 Why don’t I get to vote for a District candidate? District Councilmembers are nominated and elected by the voters in their District. The election of District Councilmembers alternates so that voters from Districts 1, 3 and 5 elect Councilmembers in one election, and voters from Districts 2, 4 and 6 elect Councilmembers in the next election. All Districts vote on candidates for the office of Mayor at every election (elections are held on the first Tuesday in November of odd-numbered years). You can find out which District you live in here. Can I give my ballot to a candidate or other person to mail or deliver to the County? State statute provides that an elector may deliver the ballot to any person of their own choice. However, you should take into consideration how well you know the person you are giving your ballot to and whether or not you trust them to perform that service. Under state statute, no person may receive more than 10 mail ballots in any election for mailing or delivery. RANKED VOTING Do I have to rank all candidates? No. You may rank as many or as few candidates as you like. However, any choices after a skipped ranking will not be tabulated. If you mark a first choice, skip a second choice, and then mark a third choice, only your first choice will be tabulated. Can I rank two or more candidates the same preference? No. You cannot give more than one candidate the same ranking. Ranking two or more candidates in the same preference column (for example, marking two candidates as your first choice) would invalidate your vote because there would be no way to determine voter intent. Only one candidate can represent the voter’s first, second, third, fourth or other vote, depending on the number of candidates. How are votes counted in ranked voting? During the first round of counting, the voting system will tabulate all first-choice selections on each ballot. If a candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice selections, they win the election outright. If no one gets a majority of the votes in the first round, tabulation will continue to the next round; the candidate with the fewest first-choice ranks is eliminated and the votes they received are transferred to the second-choice candidate indicated on each of those ballots. This process continues until one candidate receives more than 50% of ballots cast. What happens if my top candidate gets eliminated? In that case, if you have selected a second-choice candidate, your second-choice vote will be counted and added to the vote count for that candidate; this process will continue until a candidate receives more than 50% of the votes cast. Does Ranked Voting mean some votes are counted more than others? Ranked voting is designed to give every voter an equal opportunity to express their preferences, but not to count more than one vote per voter. In each round of counting, only one choice per voter is counted. If your first-choice candidate is still in the running, your vote stays with them. If your first-choice candidate is eliminated, your vote transfers to your next-ranked candidate. This ensures all voters have an opportunity to express their preferences, even if their top choice doesn’t advance. Think of it like a series of runoff elections, but instead of having to cast a new ballot each round, all of your preferences are already indicated on your ballot. How does Larimer County ensure ranked voting is accurate? The accuracy of tabulation is verified both before the election (with a Logic and Accuracy Test) and after (with a Risk- Limiting Audit). Page 12 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 9 The purpose of the Logic and Accuracy Test is to verify the voting system is properly configured and programmed to accurately tabulate votes. The Logic and Accuracy Test verifies that the system correctly records all valid votes, under votes, over votes, and blank votes. A Risk-Limiting Audit is a post-election audit that gives a statistical level of confidence that the outcome of an election is correct. In a Risk-Limiting Audit, the county examines and reports to the Secretary of State voter markings on randomly selected ballot cards, then compares them to the voting system’s tabulation as reflected in the corresponding cast vote records. How long will it take to count the votes and determine the winner? The process of verifying and tabulating mail ballots received up to and on Election Day can continue for several days after. In the 8 days following Election Day, the Larimer County Clerk and Recorder’s Office will continue to legally receive and tabulate ballots from military and overseas voters, ballots returned in other Colorado counties, and ballots that have been “cured” (due to a missing signature, missing identification, or signature discrepancy). While ballots are still being received and processed, results are subject to change and should be considered unofficial. Election results will remain unofficial until all election processes conclude and the election has been canvassed, no later than Nov. 26, 2025. What happens if there is a tie? According to the Colorado Secretary of State Election Rules, if two or more candidates tie for the lowest number or votes in a tabulation round, the designated election official will determine the eliminated candidate by drawing. If two or more winning candidates tie for the most votes in any round, the designated election official must first count the surplus votes of the candidate chosen by drawing. Read more Election and Ranked Voting FAQs at www.fcgov.com/elections/faq. 2025 BALLOT MEASURES There are 10 local measures that will be on Fort Collins voters’ 2025 ballot: • Two TABOR (tax) questions that ask voters to extend already existing taxes; • Six Charter Amendments; and • Two ballot questions related to the Hughes Stadium property and associated uses. Here is the order these will appear on the ballot: BALLOT ISSUE 2A City-Initiated Ballot Issue No� 1 (Community Capital Improvement Program (CCIP) Tax Extension – Resolution 2025-077) BALLOT QUESTION 2B City-Initiated Proposed Charter Amendment No� 1 (Correct Errors and Eliminate Outdated or Unnecessary Language - Ordinance 63, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language)) BALLOT QUESTION 2C City-Initiated Proposed Charter Amendment No� 2 (Modernizing and Updating – Ordinance 067,2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language)) Page 13 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 10 BALLOT QUESTION 2D City-Initiated Proposed Charter Amendment No� 3 (Modernizing publication requirements and requirements for adopting ordinances, resolutions and motions – Ordinance 065, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language)) BALLOT QUESTION 2E City-Initiated Proposed Charter Amendment No� 4 (Alignment with amended or further developed laws and removing inconsistencies – Ordinance 064, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language)) BALLOT QUESTION 2F City-Initiated Proposed Charter Amendment No� 5 (Conflicts of Interest – Ordinance 066, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language)) BALLOT QUESTION 2G City-Initiated Proposed Charter Amendment No� 6 (Council Vacancies – Ordinance 108, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language)) BALLOT QUESTION 2H City-Referred Ordinance – Expressing Support for the Civic Assembly Recommendations for the Hughes Site and Adopting a Conceptual Framework for the Use and Management of the Hughes Site BALLOT ISSUE 302 Citizen-Initiated Ballot Issue No� 2 (Natural Areas Tax Extension – Resolution 2025-077) BALLOT QUESTION 303 Citizen-Initiated Proposed Ordinance No� 1 (Making the Hughes Site a 100% Natural Area – Resolution 2025-073) The order of ballot measures is set out in the Secretary of State Rules governing elections. City-referred items are listed first by order of measures to increase taxes, measures to retain excess revenues, measures to increase debt and other referred measures. These are followed by citizen initiatives to increase taxes, initiatives to retain excess revenues, initiatives to increase debt and other initiated measures. The order of the ballot measures included in this guide reflect the order they will be shown on the ballot. The following pages contain factual summaries of each ballot measure. Each factual summary includes the question as it will be written on the ballot, a summary of the item, what “yes” and “no” votes mean related to the item, and a summarized listing of pro/con statements written and/or received for the item. Page 14 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 11 BALLOT ISSUE 2A CITY-INITIATED BALLOT NO� 1 (Community Capital Improvement Program (CCIP) Tax Extension – Resolution 2025-077) Without raising additional taxes, shall the City’s existing 0.25% sales and use tax (25 cents on a $100 purchase) approved by the voters in 2015 for capital projects be extended from its current expiration at the end of 2025, through the end of 2035; Provided that revenue from the extension of such tax shall be used for planning, design, real property aquisition, and construction of the following capital projects, and five (5) years of operation and maintenance (“O&M”) for certian of these capital projects, all subject to proposed voter-approved ordinance No. 003, 2025: • Pedestrian Sidewalk Program • Arterial Intersection Improvements and Streetscapes • Bicycle Infrastructure & Overpass/Underpasses • Affordable Housing Capital Fund • Mulberry Pool Recreational Replacement Support • Poudre River - River Health, Access, Parks, and Trails (with O&M) • Composting Infrastructure (with O&M) • Downtown Parks Shop • Community Bike Park (with O&M) • Outdoor Pickleball Facilities (with O&M) • Nature in the City • Transfort Buses & Stops • Recreational Paved Trails (with O&M) • Construction Waste Diversion Equipment • Historic Trolley Building Renovation (with O&M) • Gardens on Spring Creek - Children’s Garden & Infrastructure • Lee Martinez Farm Improvements • Timberline Recycling Center Improvements; And provided that all revenues from the tax may be retained and expended by the City for such purposes, notwithstanding any state revenue or expenditure limitation including, but not limited to, Article X, Section 20 of The Colorado Constitution? _______ YES/FOR _______ NO/AGAINST SUMMARY: The current City sales tax includes a twenty-five hundredths percent (0.25%) tax dedicated to capital projects designed to serve the community as a whole. The tax does not apply to food for home consumption and equates to 25 cents on a $100 purchase to generate revenue for the construction of certain capital projects. The projects funded were identified in Ordinance No. 013, 2015, which was approved by City voters on April 7, 2015. The current tax expires at midnight on December 31, 2025. Page 15 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 12 For four decades, the revenue generated by such 0.25% tax has supported expanded City facilities and infrastructure to serve the needs of the community. City Council believes it is in the best interests of the City’s residents to extend the existing tax for an additional ten-year period to generate additional revenues for purposes similar to those for which the existing tax was originally imposed. The list of capital projects included in the ballot language were decided on by City Council after public outreach and are believed to meet the needs and desires of the community. What a “Yes” vote means for this measure: A “yes” vote on this measure indicates a voter agrees with continuing the existing 0.25% tax for another ten-year period to cover the proposed capital projects. What a “No” vote means for this measure: A “no” vote indicates a voter does not agree with continuing the existing 0.25% tax for another ten-year period to cover the proposed capital projects. ARGUMENTS FOR THIS MEASURE: A supporting comment notes that Fort Collins has a long history of paying for City projects as funds are collected, rather than borrowing money. The commenter explains that the 0.25-cent sales tax has been an important tool to make this “pay as we go” approach possible. The tax is set to expire every 10 years, which allows enough time for the City to plan and complete large projects. At the end of each 10-year period, voters are asked to decide on a new package of projects. A supporting comment notes this system provides accountability because the City must commit to a specific set of projects and then return to voters for input on the next set. The current proposal includes projects spread across different parts of the community and addressing a variety of needs. The planned funding is divided into categories similar to past packages: • 42% for transit, transportation, bicycle, and pedestrian infrastructure • 25% for parks and recreation • 20% for river and environmental projects • 10% for affordable housing • 3% for cultural amenities Supporting comments emphasize that this package balances priorities, continues a proven funding method, and allows residents to see direct results from their tax dollars. Supporters urge voters to support this measure. ARGUMENTS AGAINST THIS MEASURE: Opposing commenters were concerned about the proposed spending priorities in this measure. They noted that $5 million would be allocated to build a community bike park, with an additional $15,000 per year for maintenance. It was pointed out that another $11 million would go toward bike-related infrastructure, totaling over $16 million for biking projects. A commenter argued that this spending is too high when compared to the smaller amount planned for affordable housing, which community surveys show is a top need. An opposing comment questioned the timing of the measure. With state and federal funding cutbacks and an uncertain economic future, the commenter believes now is not the right time to approve new taxes for large recreational projects. Another opposing comment noted the measure is more of a “community wishlist” than a carefully chosen list of high- priority projects. The comment reflects that the list includes items that appeal to certain groups but do not benefit Page 16 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 13 the entire community. The commenter argues that elected officials should have been more deliberate and selective in proposing projects for taxpayer funding. An opposing comment reflects frustration that voters are being put in a difficult position. The commenter believes the ballot measure allows elected officials to avoid accountability—if the measure passes, officials can say it was voter- approved; if it fails, they can say voters rejected it. They argue this protects officials while leaving taxpayers responsible for tough choices. Opposing commenters urge voters to reject the measure and send it back to officials to create a better proposal that focuses more directly on the community’s top needs. Page 17 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 14 BALLOT QUESTION 2B CITY-INITIATED PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT NO� 1 (Correct Errors and Eliminate Outdated or Unnecessary Language - Ordinance 63, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language)) Shall Articles II, IX, and X of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins, be amended to correct errors and eliminate outdated or unnecessary language in light of the Charter amendments adopted in November 2024, by: • Clarifying in Section 2(d) of Article II that a registered elector must notify the City Clerk before seeking a court determination to challenge the qualifications of any member of the Council; and • Updating language in Section 2(e)(i) of Article IX about determining the number of votes cast in a specific race to work with the new ranked voting rules that were approved in November 2024; and • Changing language in Section 2(e)(i) of Article X to restore the number of days for a signature gatherer to circulate an initiative petition by increasing it from 63 days to 77 days? _______ YES/FOR _______ NO/AGAINST SUMMARY: This Charter Amendment has three parts, each correcting language related to local elections within the City to be in conformance with amendments adopted by the voters in November 2024 and to correct errors in the language presented to the voters at that time. First, this Charter Amendment requires a registered elector to notify the City Clerk before seeking a court determination challenging the qualifications of a Council Member, in part for consistency with language adopted in November 2024. Second, this Charter Amendment updates the language regarding recall petitions to align with the new ranked choice voting process that was approved in November 2021. Third, the current version of the Charter gives signature gatherers sixty-three (63) days to circulate an initiative petition. This timeframe was not updated in November 2024 to reflect an increase to seventy-seven (77) days intended by City Council. The proposed amendment incorporates the intended timeframe for circulation of an initiative petition by updating the Charter language to give signature gatherers seventy-seven (77) days instead of sixty-three (63) days. What a “Yes” vote means: A “yes” vote indicates the voter agrees with updating the Charter language regarding local elections. What a “No” vote means: A “no” vote indicates the voter does not agree with the updates and would rather leave the Charter language as is. Page 18 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 15 ARGUMENTS FOR AMENDMENT: These updates make the Charter and Code more consistent and cohesive throughout, as well as correct language that is now outdated in light of Charter amendments adopted in recent elections. For example, the adoption of ranked choice voting requires updates to election language to ensure clarity throughout the Charter. This results in procedural fairness by ensuring consistency in applying the new ranked voting provisions. The proposed corrections to increase the petition circulation time aligns with City Council’s initial intentions and increases civic access and participation by giving residents more time to collect signatures. These updates improve legal clarity by ensuring proper procedures for challenging a Councilmember’s qualifications and align election timelines with recent revisions to Charter Article VIII. ARGUMENTS AGAINST AMENDMENT: Requiring electors to provide notice to the City Clerk before challenging a Councilmember’s qualifications adds a step to the process and might discourage electors from taking action or may delay action. Some voters may feel the changes result in minimal policy changes and question the need for a Charter amendment. Page 19 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 16 BALLOT QUESTION 2C CITY-INITIATED PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT NO� 2 (Modernizing and Updating – Ordinance 067,2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language)) Shall the Charter of the City of Fort Collins be amended to modernize and update it by reformatting and updating language usage for ease of reading and clarity, and eliminating inapplicable and invalid provisions, without undoing any substantive Charter amendments approved by the voters at the Tuesday, November 4, 2025, municipal election, by: • Changing the words “shall” to “will,” “must” or “may,” or other words to improve clarity; and • Making the language more inclusive by taking out words “he” and “she” and related word forms; and • Dividing sections into subsections and adding titles to subsections to make them easier to read and understand; and • Eliminating transitional provisions that »Address residency requirements for City department heads appointed prior to March 6, 1985 (Section 3 of Article IV); and »Set a mill levy cap on Council’ s adoption of taxes (Section 6 of Article IV), which Council must now adopt only with voter approval; and »Provide for transition from the prior Charter when the Charter was adopted Article XIV); and • Renumbering and updating section cross-references throughout the Charter? _______ YES/FOR _______ NO/AGAINST SUMMARY: This proposed Charter Amendment updates and removes provisions of the City Charter that, through the passage of time and other outside circumstances, have become outdated, unnecessary, or redundant. Such deletions include references to department heads appointed before 1985, tax provisions now provided in State law, and language guiding the transition from a Commission to a Council form of government that was completed in 1955. This Charter Amendment will also modernize the language and syntax of the entire Charter in general. Examples of updated language include changing “shall” to “must”, “will”, or “may” where appropriate, and “he or she” to “they”. This Charter Amendment updates formatting by separating sections into subsections. What a “Yes” vote means: A “Yes” vote indicates the voter agrees with updates and removes language in the Charter that no longer serves any purpose and modernizes the language of the entire Charter. What a “No” vote means: A “No” vote indicates the voter does not agree with the updates and keeps the Charter language as is. Page 20 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 17 ARGUMENTS FOR AMENDMENT: The Charter provisions at issue are redundant with State law or no longer serve a purpose. Removing them makes the Charter shorter, easier to read, and less confusing. The wording of the Charter as written does not reflect modern language. Updating the wording of the Charter makes it more legible to the average person without changing its meaning. ARGUMENTS AGAINST AMENDMENT: The Charter language is part of the City’s history. It has no negative impact on the City and thus there is no reason to remove it. This may seem to some as legal fine-tuning and not necessary. Page 21 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 18 BALLOT QUESTION 2D CITY-INITIATED PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT NO� 3 (Modernizing publication requirements and requirements for adopting ordinances, resolutions and motions – Ordinance 065, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language)) Shall Articles II and IV of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins, be amended to modernize publication requirements and requirements for adopting ordinances, by: • Revising Section 6 of Article II about adopting ordinances, resolutions, and motions to: »Make the provision easier to read and understand by adding subsections, subsection titles and better organizing them; »Remove language entitling any Councilmember to request that an entire ordinance be read aloud at a Council meeting; and • Revising Section 7 of Article II about publication and effective date of ordinances to: »Allow an ordinance to proceed to adoption if publication of the ordinance before adoption was not timely, so long as all other notice requirements have been met; and »Cure late publication of ordinance after final passage if publication completed within a reasonable period of time; and »Delay the effective date of the ordinance until publication requirements are met; and »Toll the deadline to file a notice of referendum protest; and • Revising Section 7 of Article IV to require notice be published on the City’s website and posted at City Hall, instead of publishing formal legal notices in a local newspaper; and • Adding a new Section 17 to Article IV of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins about how to apply deadlines throughout the Charter in the manner already enacted for Articles VIII, IX and X? _______ YES/FOR _______ NO/AGAINST SUMMARY: This Charter Amendment modernizes requirements for adopting ordinances, including publication requirements. For example, the amendment would add sections detailing the effects of late publication and the methods for computing time for the purpose of publication. The amendment also removes the option for a City Councilmember to request that an ordinance be read aloud in its entirety at a City Council meeting. What a “Yes” vote means: A “yes” vote indicates the voter agrees with updating the Charter language regarding publication and adoption requirements of ordinances and adds language detailing how time is computed for these processes. What a “No” vote means: A “no” vote indicates the voter does not agree with updating the Charter language and would rather leave the language as is. Page 22 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 19 ARGUMENTS FOR AMENDMENT: These Charter Amendments remove outdated processes and replace them with modern equivalents that better suit the needs of the City’s electors. For example, the requirement of publishing ordinances in a newspaper would be replaced with the option to publish ordinances on the City’s website. This reaches a wider spread of electors and conserves vital City resources. Removing the ability of City Councilmembers to request that an ordinance be read in its entirety prevents political manipulation of City Council meetings and protects the Council’s ability to take action during the meeting time. This amendment reduces restarts and prevents legislative delays due to minor publication errors and provides needed clarification regarding what happens if publication of an ordinance is not timely. This amendment increases consistency by applying clear deadline rules across the entire Charter. ARGUMENTS AGAINST AMENDMENT: Some electors prefer the current methods for ordinance publication or may not feel comfortable using the internet to find political information. Hearing the entire ordinance read during a City Council meeting is helpful because it increases transparency and it’s never a waste of time for electors to have all the information available to them before voting on an issue. Changes may be seen as overly administrative. Page 23 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 20 BALLOT QUESTION 2E CITY-INITIATED PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT NO� 4 (Alignment with amended or further developed laws and removing inconsistencies – Ordinance 064, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language)) Shall Articles II, IV, XIII of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins be amended to improve consistency with amended or further developed laws and removing inconsistencies, in order to minimize conflicts between the Charter legal developments, by: • Changing Section 8 of Article II about contributions to City Council elections to: »Specify which city employees are prohibited from contributing to Council elections for consistency with state law; »Continue to prohibit a political party, public service corporations, and persons or entities with city contracts from contributing to any City Council election, while recognizing that some speech is protected by the U.S. or Colorado constitution; • Adding definitions to Article XIII to correspond to the changes to Article II; and • Adding language to Section 11 of Article II incorporating state law provisions regarding City Council executive sessions; and • Clarifying language in Section 5 of Article IV that City records are available for public inspection and disclosure consistent with state open records laws? _______ YES/FOR _______ NO/AGAINST SUMMARY: This Charter Amendment has three parts, each aiming to better align the City’s charter with state and federal laws. First, the current Charter language prohibits all City employees from contributing to City Council elections. Colorado statutes provide that local governments must allow employees to participate fully in political activity. The law allows limits on political activities of public employees with policy-making responsibilities. Other provisions address how the City may restrict political activity of those interested in City Council elections. This Charter amendment aligns the Charter language about supporting and opposing City Council candidates with state and federal constitutions and statutes. Second, the current Charter language allows the City Council to go into executive session to discuss specific topics confidentially, including personnel matters, legal matters, water and real property acquisitions and sales by the city, or matters of competition for electric utility (including broadband) matters. The Council is not allowed to make decisions in executive sessions. This Charter amendment updates the language to also allow executive session discussions for any matter authorized by the Colorado Open Meetings Law. Third, the current Charter language requires that City records be available for public inspection subject only to reasonable restrictions. This charter amendment updates the City’s records requirements to coordinate with the Colorado Open Records Act. Page 24 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 21 What a “Yes” vote means: A “yes” vote indicates the voter agrees with the updates to the Charter language to reflect legal developments in state and federal law, including regarding employee election contributions, permissions for City Council to go into executive session, and City records requirements. What a “No” vote means: A “no” vote indicates the voter does not agree with the updates would rather leave the Charter language as is, without regard to conflicting state and federal laws. ARGUMENTS FOR AMENDMENT: The changes clarify how City employees may engage in City Council elections and ensure that campaign contributions are in alignment with federal and state law. This continues to promote ethical governance by limiting campaign influence from certain high-level and policymaking employees. The changes provide legal consistency by aligning the City Charter with state and federal law. The amendment also promotes efficiency since the voters would not need to approve changes as laws evolve over time. Executive sessions provide a limited opportunity for City Council to receive and discuss confidential information. Over the years state law allowing executive sessions has evolved, while the Charter has not been amended to stay consistent with the statute. This change gives Council the same ability to go into executive session that is set out in the state statute. Finally, the change to the records process clarifies to all that the City’s records policy will follow the state’s Open Records Act. This promotes efficiency and eliminates potential confusion. ARGUMENTS AGAINST AMENDMENT: The language protecting free speech guaranteed by the U.S. and Colorado constitutions is too vague and does not emphasize citizens’ constitutional rights enough. No City employee should be involved in City Council elections. Executive sessions lack transparency and the City Council should not be allowed to have them for the reasons specified in state law but rather only those specified in the Charter. The current Charter has not been challenged and this may reflect that the City’s campaign contribution limitations are already sufficient and do not need clarification. If the Charter violates state or federal constitutions or laws, someone should litigate the issue and ask a court to invalidate the provision. Page 25 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 22 BALLOT QUESTION 2F CITY-INITIATED PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT NO� 5 (Conflicts of Interest – Ordinance 066, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language)) Shall Section 9 of Article IV of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins, regarding conflicts of interest, be amended to: • Allow City Councilmembers or the Mayor to sell real property to the city if the property is needed for a city project or public use, while retaining all requirements for disclosure and refraining from involvement that otherwise apply in the case of a conflict of interest; and • Allow City employees to rent property from the city with City Manager approval, if it is for the city’s benefit and related to the employee’s performance of their job? _______ YES/FOR _______ NO/AGAINST SUMMARY: The current Charter of the City does not allow the City ever to buy real or personal property from a Councilmember under any circumstances. Proposed Charter Amendment 5 will allow the City to purchase real or personal property from a Councilmember when the City needs the property for City projects or purposes, provided the property is purchased at fair market value. This amendment does not change the existing requirement that Councilmembers must recuse themselves from participating in decisions when they have a financial or personal interest. Charter Amendment 5 will also specifically authorize the City to rent City property to City employees when such an arrangement is related to the employee’s position and beneficial to the City. For example, a park ranger may live in a housing unit in a park or natural area so they may be closer to and monitor the site. What a “Yes” vote means: A “Yes” vote indicates the voter agrees with updating the Charter to allow the City to buy needed real or personal property from Councilmembers at fair market value, and to allow the City to rent property to City employees when related to their job. What a “No” vote means: A “No” vote indicates a voter does not agree with the updating the Charter and would rather leave the Charter as-is, forbidding the City from ever buying property from Councilmembers or renting property to City employees. Page 26 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 23 ARGUMENTS FOR AMENDMENT: The current language of the Charter is too restrictive on the City. The City may have legitimate need for a property to carry out a project but is prevented from doing so because the property is owned by a Councilmember. Other provisions in the City Charter and Code prevent Councilmembers from participating in decisions where there is a conflict of interest. This would ensure continued transparency through disclosure and non-participation requirements. Both the City and employees in certain positions would benefit from allowing the employee to live on site by renting property from the City, such as park rangers living at the site of parks. This would allow practical lease arrangements that serve the City’s interest. ARGUMENTS AGAINST AMENDMENT: The authority to go forward with projects and buy property ultimately stems from Councilmembers. Allowing the City to buy property from Councilmembers could affect which projects City Council chooses to move forward on. Leasing property to employees could be viewed as allowing special treatment for certain employees. This change may lead to future weakening of conflict-of-interest or ethical standards. Page 27 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 24 BALLOT QUESTION 2G CITY-INITIATED PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT NO� 6 (Council Vacancies – Ordinance 108, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language)) Shall the Charter of the City of Fort Collins be amended to revise Section 1 and Section 18 of Article II to update the process for filling a vacant district Councilmember or Mayoral office and to clarify how existing term limits apply to partial terms to fill a vacancy, by: • Adding a new subsection ( e) to Section 1 of Article II providing that if a person serves a total of more than one- half a term in office, this will count as a term when determining term limits; and • Revising Section 18 of Article II to: »Add procedural steps including public announcement of a vacancy and acceptance of applications to the process for filling vacancies; »Require Council to appoint a replacement to fill a District Councilmember vacancy within 35 business days; »Retain the provision that if the Mayor office is vacated, the Mayor Pro Tem becomes the Acting Mayor and Council selects a new Mayor Pro Tem during the time there is an Acting Mayor; »Require the Council to fill the district Councilmember seat that is vacant for the time the Mayor Pro Tem serves as Acting Mayor using the vacancy filling process; »Provide that any vacated office will appear on the next regular municipal election ballot for which process requirements can be met; and »State that if there is no qualified candidate for an elected office on a municipal election ballot, the Council organized after the election will then appoint a qualified person to fill the resulting vacancy? _______ YES/FOR _______ NO/AGAINST SUMMARY: The current Charter does not address term limits. Instead, Councilmember term limits are only governed by the Colorado Constitution provisions about local government term limits. The Constitution allows local governments to set their own term limits or eliminate them altogether. This proposal addresses a term limits question that arises when a person serves a partial Council term. Proposed Charter Amendment 6 will establish how the term limits apply to a partial Councilmember term. It provides that in the event of a person filling a vacancy, the time they serve on Council in that seat counts as a “term” for term limit purposes if they serve at least half of the length of a full term. Proposed Charter Amendment 6 also updates the process of filling vacancies on City Council. The Amendment will require City Council to post notice of such vacancy and appoint a new Councilmember within thirty-five business days. The Amendment will also require Council to appoint a qualified person for a full term if no qualified candidate is on the ballot to fill an opening. The Amendment also clarifies language describing the process for making appointments. Page 28 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 25 What a “Yes” vote means: A “Yes” vote indicates the voter agrees with a Charter Amendment that will clarify how a “partial” term is calculated in regard to term limits and clarifies the process Council must follow when filling a vacant Council seat. What a “No” vote means: A “No” vote indicates the voter does not agree with the Charter Amendment and would rather keep the Charter as is. ARGUMENTS FOR AMENDMENT: The current Charter is unclear how a “partial” term should be dealt with in connection with the City’s term limits. Currently anyone who serves a “partial” term may run for Council for two full terms with that “partial” term not counting toward their limit. This change would align the application of term limits to reflect the language of the Twenty-Second (XXII) Amendment to the United States Constitution. This change sets out a specific process and timeline for filling a Council vacancy and ensures the vacancy will appear on the next election ballot when feasible. ARGUMENTS AGAINST AMENDMENT: There is no need to clarify how a partial term impacts Council term limits. Someone willing to serve out an existing term to fill a vacancy should be permitted to have an additional two full terms. Counting partial terms could discourage future qualified applicants for appointment to a vacancy if they wanted to serve an additional two full terms. Changes include procedural detail that is unnecessary in the Charter. Page 29 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 26 BALLOT QUESTION 2H City-Referred Ordinance – Expressing Support for the Civic Assembly Recommendations for the Hughes Site and Adopting a Conceptual Framework for the Use and Management of the Hughes Site Ordinance No. 141, 2025, Expressing Support for the Recommendations of the Civic Assembly and Adopting a Conceptual Framework for the Use and Management of the Hughes Stadium Site (the “Council-Adopted Ordinance”), was adopted by the City Council on September 2, 2025, and provides for the following City actions: • requiring multi-use development and management for the approximately 165-acre Hughes Site; • requiring the City to consult with Native American tribes and the Indigenous community throughout the process; • requiring site plans to feature native and xeric vegetation and a naturalistic architectural palette, and include the following new amenities for the Hughes Site: »a City natural area, up to 60 acres; »dedicated space and facilities for environmental education and wildlife conservation, to include wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, up to 30 acres; »a trail system throughout the site connected to nearby City natural areas and parks; »a City park with a community bike park up to 35 acres, a community gathering area and appropriate related facilities; • may include existing uses, such as disc golf and winter sledding; and • requiring the City to manage these uses over time as planning, design and funding allow, in accordance with regular City planning and review processes, and consistent with the Public Open Lands zoning. Shall the Council-Adopted Ordinance for multi-use of the Hughes Site be approved? _______ YES/FOR _______ NO/AGAINST SUMMARY: An initiative relating to the purchase by the City, zoning, and use of the former Hughes Stadium property was approved by 68.61% of the registered electors of Fort Collins at the regular City election on April 6, 2021. The ballot initiative required the City of Fort Collins (“the City”) to rezone the former Hughes Stadium property as a Public Open Land, acquire the property, and use it for “parks, recreation and open lands, natural areas, and wildlife rescue and education.” The City rezoned the Hughes Site as Public Open Lands and then on June 30, 2023, the City acquired the Hughes Site for a total cost of $12,700,000. The City Council adopted as one of its 2024-2026 Council priorities moving forward with an inclusive process to develop and adopt a general use plan of the Hughes Site. In 2025, the City used a facilitated “Civic Assembly” process to engage the public on the future of the Hughes Site. After extensive preparations, 20 Fort Collins residents were selected by lottery to form the Civic Assembly, with the goal of representing a balanced cross-section of the community. In April and May 2025, the Civic Assembly met to receive information and then discuss and develop recommendations for the site’s development and management. During a series of public meetings, they heard from various presenters and reviewed information from past outreach efforts, all of which focused on potential uses for the Hughes Site that align with its voter-mandated zoning as Public Open Lands. Page 30 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 27 Members of the Civic Assembly and City staff presented the Assembly’s recommendations for the development and management of the Hughes Site to City Council on May 27, 2025. On September 2, 2025, City Council adopted Ordinance No. 141, 2025. Ordinance No. 141, 2025, sets out Council’s intent to establish use and management plans for the Hughes Stadium Site based on the recommendations of the City’s Civic Assembly, as outlined in the ballot measure above. What a “Yes” vote means: A “Yes” vote indicates the voter approves of the use and managements plans for the Hughes Stadium Site described in the measure. What a “No” vote means: A “No” vote indicates the voter does not approve of the use and management plans for the Hughes Stadium described in the measure. ARGUMENTS FOR AMENDMENT: Supporting comments argue that this proposal would conserve the former Hughes Stadium property as Public Open Lands, consistent with the 2021 voter direction to use the site for “parks, recreation, open lands, natural areas, wildlife rescue and restoration.” Supporting comments note key elements including: • Habitat Conservation: Approximately one-third of the land with the highest ecological value would be conserved as Natural Areas, providing wildlife habitat and trail connections to existing Natural Areas. • Wildlife Rescue and Education: A new wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and nature center is proposed. This “Conservation Campus” would provide education, research, and stewardship opportunities for residents of all ages, along with demonstration gardens and restoration projects. • Recreation Opportunities: The plan keeps open the possibility of continuing the popular disc golf course and sledding hill. It also proposes a family-friendly bike park for riders of all ages, as well as new multi-use trails across the site. • Shared Funding Model: Costs would be shared across multiple City departments and nonprofit partners, reducing reliance on Natural Areas funds and allowing those funds to support conservation in other parts of the community. Supporters expressed as key benefits: • Equitable Access: The site would be open and welcoming to all Fort Collins residents, providing inclusive access to recreation, education, and nature. • Support for Youth: A bike park, outdoor learning, and hands-on conservation programs would offer safe and engaging opportunities for younger residents. • Fiscal Responsibility: By spreading costs across departments and partners, the proposal minimizes impact on existing conservation budgets. • Wildlife Protection and Restoration: Ecological restoration and stewardship would be prioritized, including the creation of a collaborative wildlife rehabilitation center. • Preservation of Community Uses: Existing recreational uses such as sledding and disc golf could be maintained, while adding new opportunities for trails, biking, and environmental education. • Community Support: The proposal reflects the strongest recommendation of the Fort Collins Civic Assembly, which preferred a balanced, multi-use approach over a 100% Natural Area designation. Page 31 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 28 Supporters also argue that the proposal commits to consulting with Indigenous communities about site decisions and allows long-term flexibility for the property’s use as community needs evolve. Overall, supporters argue this plan is presented as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect important natural areas, provide diverse recreation, expand environmental education, and honor the will of voters expressed in 2021. ARGUMENTS AGAINST AMENDMENT: Opposing comments for the proposal argue that Question 2H does not fully reflect the recommendations of the Fort Collins Civic Assembly. They point out that the Assembly’s strongest consensus was for Indigenous groups to have both a role in using the land and in shaping development plans. They say this measure fails to guarantee those commitments, raising concerns about equity and transparency. Opponents expressed as key concerns: • Conflicting with Voter Intent: Opponents say the 2021 voter-approved measure intended the Hughes property to be preserved primarily as natural areas and low-impact recreation. They argue that the current proposal allows for high-impact development—such as a bike park and wildlife facility—that could cover more than 75% of the site, with no minimum acreage guaranteed for natural areas. • Environmental Impact: The Hughes site sits within an important ecological corridor supporting deer, elk, moose, coyotes, and many bird species. Opponents believe development would fragment wildlife habitat, reduce biodiversity, and undermine the ecological health of the foothills-to-plains transition zone. Concerns also include added roads, parking lots, and buildings, which could worsen heat island effects and increase the city’s carbon footprint. • Equity and Accessibility: Critics say a bike park would primarily serve a limited group, excluding older residents, people with mobility challenges, and those unable to afford equipment. They argue this is inconsistent with promises of inclusive, low-impact recreation for all. • Traffic and Location: The site is not easily accessed from regional communities such as Loveland, Windsor, and Wellington. Opponents suggest a more central location would better serve regional users and local businesses. • Transparency and Planning: Opponents raise concern about the City’s process, including limited disclosure about private partnership opportunities, the omission of the Civic Assembly’s top priorities, and the lack of a publicly released feasibility study for the bike park. • Funding and Long-Term Costs: The measure does not identify clear funding sources. Critics say this creates uncertainty about construction costs, long-term maintenance, and the potential tax burden on residents. • Natural Area Protection: Opponents do not consider the measure to provide a sufficient level of commitment to preserve a significant portion of the site as natural area, raising fears that development could expand incrementally over time. • Climate Goals: With City commitments to reduce emissions and preserve open space, opponents argue that paving portions of the site would conflict with climate action goals by reducing open land, harming habitat, and increasing emissions. • Feasibility: With no defined funding, timeline, or implementation plan—and amid current City budget shortfalls— opponents say there is no guarantee the project can be completed or sustained. Opponents argue that Question 2H leaves too many questions unanswered about ecological protection, funding, equity, and voter intent. They believe it risks high-impact development on a critical open space without sufficient safeguards for taxpayers or the environment. Page 32 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 29 BALLOT ISSUE 302 CITIZEN-INITIATED BALLOT ISSUE NO� 2 (Natural Areas Tax Extension – Resolution 2025-077) Without raising additional taxes, shall the City’s existing 0.25% sales and use tax (25 cents on a $100 purchase), authorized by citizen-initiated ordinance No. 1, 2002, for the acquisition, maintenance, and operations of natural areas, be extended, without expiration, from its current expiration at the end of 2030; provided that revenues deerived from such tax extension shall be used to aquire, operate and maintain natural areas, open spaces, community seperators, wildlife habitat, river, streams, riparian areas, wetlands, and biodiverse landscapes, and to provide for the appropriate use and enjoyment of them by the citizenry consistent with citizen- initiated ordinance No. 2 2025, including the following changes from the 2002 ordinance: • Beginning in 2061, reduce the minimum percentage of annual revenue that must be spent on land conservation activities, as defined in the ordinance, to 70% (instead of 80%); • Beginning in 2061, increase the maximum percentage of annual revenue that may be spent on operations and maintenance activities, as defined in the ordinance, to 30% (instead of 20%); • Treat improving acquired lands by restoring, enhancing, and maintaining native plant and animal communities for the primary purpose of improving the ecological health of protected lands as “land conservation activity”; and • Clarify other language of the ordinance for consistency with the City’s natural areas program. And provided that all revenues that all revenues from the tax extension may be retained and expended by the City notwithstanding any state revenue or expenditure limitation, including, but not limited to, Article X, Section 20 of The Colorado Constitution? _______ YES/FOR _______ NO/AGAINST SUMMARY: A citizen-initiated measure to continue the City’s Open Space Sales and Use Tax for a period of 25 years (the “2002 Initiative”) was approved by the registered electors of Fort Collins at a special City election on November 5, 2002. An initiative petition amending the terms of the 2002 Initiative and extending the Open Space Sales and Use Tax without expiration (the “Initiated Measure”) was submitted to the City, certified as sufficient and approved to move forward to a vote of the people at the next regular City election on November 4, 2025. In addition to removing the expiration of the Tax, the Initiated Measure amends the terms of the 2002 Initiative by: a. Starting in 2061: i. reducing the percentage of revenues from the tax that must be used for “land conservation activities” to 70 percent (from 80 percent); and ii. increasing the percentage of revenues from the tax that may be used for maintenance and operations to 30 percent (from 20 percent); b. Changing the definition of “land conservation activity”, for which a specified amount of the tax revenues must be used, to include expenditures to support the ecological health of protected lands; and c. Clarifying other language to eliminate confusion and more accurately reflect the policies and practices of the Natural Areas program. Page 33 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 30 What a “Yes” vote means: A “Yes” vote indicates the voter approves of extending the Natural Area tax without expiration and amending how the revenues will be allocated. What a “No” vote means: A “No” vote indicates the voter does not approve of extending the Natural Area tax without expiration or amending how the revenues will be allocated. ARGUMENTS FOR THE MEASURE: A supporting comment for this measure explains that this item continues the existing ¼ of 1 percent sales and use tax for Natural Areas in Fort Collins. It is not a new tax, and it is not a tax increase. The Natural Areas tax was first approved by voters in 1992 to protect land, wildlife, and outdoor spaces. Over more than 30 years, the program has protected thousands of acres of land and built 114 miles of trails. It is widely seen as one of the City’s most successful and popular programs, but unlike most other City programs, it relies almost entirely on voter-approved sales tax revenue. A “yes” vote would ensure the Natural Areas Program can continue into the future. If approved, the funds would: Protect open space, natural areas, and wildlife habitat in and around the community • Provide opportunities for walking, hiking, biking, and outdoor education • Support long-term maintenance and ecological restoration of protected lands • Leverage local partnerships to stretch taxpayer dollars further Supporting comments highlight accountability measures built into the program. Natural Areas funds cannot be used for other purposes. Spending is guided by a Council-adopted framework, reviewed by the citizen-led Land Conservation and Stewardship Board, and reported publicly through annual and quarterly financial reports. Land purchases are only made from willing sellers. A supporting comment notes that the Natural Areas Program has earned community trust by managing taxpayer funds responsibly for more than three decades. The commenter believes this program defines Fort Collins’ identity and quality of life and says the measure will allow the community to protect more land, expand access to nature, and restore wildlife habitats for future generations. ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE MEASURE: An opposing comment raises concerns about giving the Natural Areas Program permanent funding. The commenter argues that removing the expiration date of the existing 0.25% sales tax would take away the regular opportunity for voters to review how their money is being used. Currently, the tax must be renewed by voters every 10 years, which creates accountability and allows for adjustments to changing community needs. Another opposing comment notes that approving this measure would give the program a “blank check” without requiring future voter approval. The commenter expresses concerns about trust and transparency in the City’s management of the program. One commenter worries that locking in funding formulas for decades could limit flexibility for future City Councils. Priorities may change over time, and permanent funding could make it harder to respond to new needs or economic challenges. The commenter also notes that funds could be spent on projects outside of city limits, such as buying water or mineral rights, which may not provide clear or direct benefits to Fort Collins residents. In summary, opposing commenters argue that this measure removes important voter oversight, limits future flexibility, and risks committing taxpayer dollars for purposes that may not align with the community’s needs over time. Page 34 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 31 BALLOT QUESTION 303 CITIZEN-INITIATED PROPOSED ORDINANCE NO� 1 (Making the Hughes Site a 100% Natural Area – Resolution 2025-073) An ordinance modifying the citizen-initiated ordinance approved by the registered electors in April 2021, which required the City of Fort Collins to rezone, acquire, and use for specified purposes the approximately 165-acre parcel of real property formerly home to the Hughes Stadium, so as to require that the property be designated and used 100% as a City natural area. _______ YES/FOR _______ NO/AGAINST SUMMARY: An initiative relating to the purchase by the City, zoning, and use of the former Hughes Stadium property was approved by 68.61% of the registered electors of Fort Collins at the regular City election on April 6, 2021. The ballot initiative required the City of Fort Collins (“the City”) to rezone the former Hughes Stadium property as a Public Open Land, acquire the property, and use it for “parks, recreation and open lands, natural areas, and wildlife rescue and education.” The City rezoned the Hughes Site as Public Open Lands and then on June 30, 2023, the City acquired the Hughes Site for a total cost of $12,700,000. The City Council adopted as one of its 2024-2026 Council priorities moving forward with an inclusive process to develop and adopt a general use plan of the Hughes Site. An initiative petition for a citizen-initiated ordinance amending the terms of the 2021 initiative so as to require that the former Hughes Stadium property be designated and used 100% as City natural area was submitted to the City, certified as sufficient, and approved to move forward to the next regular City election on November 4, 2025. As stated in the citizen-initiated ordinance: “Since the passage of the ballot initiative and subsequent purchase of the former Hughes Stadium property, public discussions and stakeholder processes have occurred regarding the specific allowable future uses of the former Hughes Stadium property. Some residents and elected officials have expressed confusion about the ballot initiative’s intent related to the future uses of the former Hughes Stadium property during those discussions and stakeholder processes.” The purpose of the initiated ordinance is to require that the Hughes property be designated and used entirely as a City Natural Area, considered by the initiative proponents to best reflect the intent of the 2021 ballot initiative. What a “Yes” vote means: A “Yes” vote indicates the voter approves of the citizen-initiated ordinance requiring that 100% of the Hughes Stadium property be designated and used as a City natural area. What a “No” vote means: A “No” vote indicates the voter does not approve of the citizen-initiated ordinance requiring that 100% of the Hughes Stadium property be designated and used as a City natural area. Page 35 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 32 ARGUMENTS FOR THE MEASURE: Supporting comments argue a YES vote on this citizen-initiated ordinance would designate the entire 165-acre Hughes property as a Natural Area, protecting it permanently as public natural area. Supporters emphasize several key points including: • Habitat Protection: The Hughes site is a vital ecological corridor connecting Maxwell and Pineridge Natural Areas. It provides important habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and is one of the last large, undeveloped open spaces within Fort Collins city limits. Designating the whole property as a Natural Area would safeguard this land for future generations. • Public Access and Recreation: The measure would provide free, inclusive access to low-impact outdoor activities such as hiking, running, biking, bird watching, and other multi-use recreation. Supporters note that these uses are open to people of all ages and abilities, ensuring equitable access for the entire community. • Conservation Legacy: Advocates view this proposal as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect the site from future development. They argue that preserving the land as a Natural Area honors the will of voters, who approved the purchase of the site in 2021 with the intent of protecting it as open space. • Immediate Implementation: Since 1992, Fort Collins has dedicated sales tax funding for the acquisition and management of Natural Areas. Designating Hughes as a Natural Area would not require new taxes or funding sources. Supporters believe the City can implement the designation right away under existing resources. • Community-Driven Values: The proposal reflects resident concerns about disappearing open lands and a desire for Fort Collins to continue its leadership in conservation. Supporters say this measure ensures a clear, lasting commitment to preservation, wildlife protection, and low-impact recreation. Supporters in favor of the measure say a YES vote secures permanent protection of the entire Hughes site as a Natural Area, ensures inclusive public access, and provides a conservation legacy for generations to come—all without requiring new taxes. ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE MEASURE: Opposing comments note that while the Hughes property is already zoned as Public Open Lands—which prohibits residential and commercial development—requiring the entire 165-acre site to be designated only as a Natural Area would create significant downsides for the Natural Areas Program – limiting future land acquisition and restoration efforts, as well as other community-wide benefits. Opposing comments highlighted several key issues, including: Financial Impacts: • Under City rules, departments must pay for the portion of the Hughes property they manage. If the entire site is zoned as a Natural Area, the Natural Areas Department would be responsible for the full $12.5 million purchase price plus bond interest, totaling more than $75,000 per acre. • Opponents say this cost would divert funds away from higher-priority land acquisitions and restoration projects across Fort Collins. • By contrast, the alternative multi-use proposal would conserve about 60 acres of the site as Natural Areas, reducing costs while protecting the most ecologically valuable portions. Page 36 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 33 Restoration Burden: • Much of the site is degraded and covered with invasive species. Designating the entire property as a Natural Area would require significant restoration costs and staff time, drawing resources away from projects already identified as top priorities. Restrictions on Public Uses: • Natural Areas zoning carries strict limitations. Activities like disc golf and sledding may not be permitted, meaning these popular uses could eventually be eliminated. • The measure may also prohibit a wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and education center and prevent development of other recreational and educational opportunities for families, youth, and outdoor enthusiasts. • Consistency with Voter Intent: • Opponents argue that the measure conflicts with the 2021 voter-approved ordinance, which directed the City to rezone Hughes as Public Open Lands for “parks, recreation, open lands, natural areas, wildlife rescue and restoration.” • They say the 100% Natural Area approach narrows this vision to a single use, while the multi-use proposal balances conservation, recreation, and education. This limits the ability to meet diverse community needs at the site. Community Support: • In the Civic Assembly process, the 100% Natural Area option was the least supported, receiving only 16% of votes, while the multi-use approach received the strongest endorsement. • Opponents also note that this measure does not require consultation with Indigenous communities, unlike other proposals. Opponents believe Issue 303 is too costly, too restrictive, and inconsistent with both voter intent and community needs. Page 37 Item 1. 2025 FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONVOTER INFORMATION GUIDE 34 FC VOTER REGISTRATION Make sure you are registered to vote and that your voter information is up to date. Visit www.govotecolorado.com to register to vote, or to check or update your registration. • If you prefer to register in person, you can do this at: • Fort Collins City Clerk’s Office, 300 Laporte Ave. • Larimer County Administrative Services Office, 200 W. Oak St. • Voter Service/Polling Centers (starting Oct. 27) »Find locations: www.larimer.gov/elections The last day to apply to register to vote through the mail is Oct. 27. However, you can register to vote online or at a polling center up to and including Election Day, Nov. 4. We encourage you to register and to vote! Your voice matters in this important election! ELECTION CONTACTS If you have any questions related to the election, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We can be reached at: Delynn Coldiron, Fort Collins City Clerk 970-416-2995 elections@fcgov.com Cecilia Good, Senior Deputy City Clerk 970-221-6516 elections@fcgov.com Tina Harris, Larimer County Clerk & Recorder 970-498-7852 tina.harris@larimer.gov Michele Mihulka, Larimer County Elections Director 970-498-7820 elections@larimer.gov WEBSITES • fcgov.com/elections • vote.larimer.gov Page 38 Item 1. File Attachments for Item: 2. Southeast Community Center The purpose of this item is to provide an update on the Southeast Community Center (SECC), including the current project scope, budget, proposed funding stack with trade-offs, and next steps. More than a decade in the making, the SECC will provide southeast Fort Collins with a community recreation center and library, implemented in partnership with Poudre Libraries and Poudre School District as the final standalone project of the 2015 Community Capital Improvement Program tax initiative. Page 39 City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 1 of 7 October 14, 2025 WORK SESSION AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY City Council STAFF LeAnn Williams, Director, Recreation Dean Klingner, Community Services Director SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION Southeast Community Center EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to provide an update on the Southeast Community Center (SECC), including the current project scope, budget, proposed funding stack with trade-offs, and next steps. More than a decade in the making, the SECC will provide southeast Fort Collins with a community recreation center and library, implemented in partnership with Poudre Libraries and Poudre School District as the final standalone project of the 2015 Community Capital Improvement Program tax initiative. GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED 1. What feedback do you have for the options presented? 2. What option would Council like to see come forward for appropriation in November, and are there any additional adjustments needed? BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Project Background The Southeast Community Center (SECC) project represents more than 11 years of planning and development, beginning with the completion of a 2013 feasibility study and continuing through today. Due to the volume of supporting materials, this Agenda Item Summary provides a high-level overview of key milestones rather than a comprehensive history.  October 2013: The City completed the Fort Collins Southeast Community Recreation & Arts Center – Summary of Needs and Development Plan. This study established the original concept for a facility in southeast Fort Collins; however, it no longer reflects current community needs.  April 2015: Voters approved the Community Capital Improvement Program (CCIP) ¼-cent sales tax, which included funding for a “Southeast Community Center and Outdoor Pool.” The ballot language envisioned a facility emphasizing innovation, technology, art, recreation, and the creative Page 40 Item 2. City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 2 of 7 process, including an outdoor leisure pool with slides, sprays, jets, decks, a lazy river, and open swim areas.  January 2021: City Council adopted ReCreate, the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which serves as the guiding document for parks and recreation policy and investment. The plan affirmed the need for a Southeast Community Center.  2022: At Council’s request, the City completed an Aquatics Study to assess demand and opportunities for public aquatic facilities in Fort Collins. That same year, City Council held two work sessions and a Council Finance Committee discussion focused on the SECC project. While no formal decisions were made, these discussions directed staff to continue exploring partnerships with the Poudre River Public Library District (Poudre Libraries) and Poudre School District (PSD) and to consider an expanded facility that could be phased or supported by future funding sources.  November 2023: Voters approved the 2050 ½-cent sales tax with ballot language allocating “50% for the replacement, upgrade, maintenance, and accessibility of parks facilities and for the replacement and construction of indoor and outdoor recreation and pool facilities.”  2023–2024: The City budget included funds for project development and design. Staff began active work on this phase in the first quarter of 2024.  February 2024: IGA executed between City, Poudre Libraries and PSD.  February 6, 2025: Staff presented four facility scope and budget options, along with a proposed “funding stack,” to the Council Finance Committee. The Committee recommended advancing Option 2B to the full Council. This option aligned with staff’s recommendation as it: o Met the intent of the 2015 CCIP ballot measure. o Fulfilled partnership commitments with Poudre Libraries and PSD. o Could be fully funded through identified sources. o Met the ReCreate Master Plan level of service for a community center; and o Was comparable in size and amenities to the City’s other community centers while addressing the identified service gap in southeast Fort Collins.  February 25, 2025: Staff presented the four facility options and funding stack at a City Council Work Session. Council expressed support for proceeding with the scope and budget of Facility Option 2B.  Option 2B and the proposed funding stack presented in February 2025 are included. Page 41 Item 2. City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 3 of 7 Work Since February 2025 Significant progress has been made over the past seven months as the Southeast Community Center project has advanced from concept to schematic design. Key milestones include:  Schematic Design (30% Completion): Achieved September 2025.  Major Amendment and Site Plan: Prepared and ready for Development Review submission.  Community Engagement: Ongoing engagement has continued to inform design and programming decisions. The design team, Clark & Enersen, and the pre-construction team, GH Phipps, presented the schematic design (SD) scope and budget in early September 2025. At that time, the total estimated project cost for the City exceeded the February range by approximately $13 million. Bond against 2050 Tax Bond Proceeds $27 $36 $43 2050 Tax Reserves $10 $10 $12 CCIP Appropriated $18 $18 $18 CCIP Reserves $12 $12 $12 DOLA Grant $2 $2 $2 Recreation Reserves $1 $2 $3 Total City Funding for SECC $70 $80 $90 % of 2050 Parks & Recreation Share 13%17%20% Bond Years 20 20 20 Bond Rate 5.0%5.0%5.0% Net Taxable Growth Rate 2.5%2.5%2.5% Potential Funding Scenarios ($ in M illions) Assumptions Page 42 Item 2. City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 4 of 7 In response, City staff collaborated closely with the project team to refine the scope and identify cost - reduction strategies that would bring the project back within the February budget range while maintaining alignment with the original program intent. These refinements were guided by community feedback, ballot language, partnership commitments, the Aquatics Study, the Parks & Recreation Master Plan (ReCreate), revenue generation and current and projected program space needs. Staff will be discussing the balancing of competing priorities.  Maximize Project Goals o Community Benefit/Ballot and Plan Guidance o Health and Well-Being, Access & Equity, Sustainable  Maximize 2050 dollars available for future Mulberry Pool Replacement facility  Preserve other future options for CCIP reserves – Affordable Housing Some scope reductions such as reducing the number of lap lanes from ten to eight will require a renegotiation and amendment to the original IGA. LEED Gold The SECC will be the most sustainable Recreation facility built in the region. With the goal of LEED Gold, the current scope with reductions will meet this standard. While the city has larger goals on the way to electrification, staff are not recommending the geothermal system that was modeled and priced out unless grants and/or alternate funding becomes available. The return on investment financially will cause further trade-offs and at this time doesn’t pencil out as a good investment. The project will be able to achieve a LEED gold certification regardless of the system that is chosen. The design team is not referencing or attempting to leverage LEED requirements and LEED's reference to older baseline models to drive HVAC system selection. Every mechanical/HVAC system that is being considered will meet the requirements of the 2024 IECC. The state of Colorado requires buildings to meet the requirements of the 2021 IECC. The design team is aware of additional State of Colorado requirements such as the electrification ready and solar ready codes and will consider these requirements during design. The design team is also considering all energy recovery options that are available to all the proposed systems in addition to considering the use of solar energy. Page 43 Item 2. City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 5 of 7 Finally, the design team is also aware of the Building Performance Colorado program. This program comes into play more after construction is complete, but the design team is also tracking these requirements. At this time, the project team does not believe that we will need to concern ourselves with the High- Performance Certification Program as we are not a state funded project. This program mostly requires a 3rd party verification such as LEED or green globes as well, which we will already be pursuing. Funding The two main funding sources of the SECC are the 2015 Community Capital Improvement Program (CCIP) tax and the 2050 Parks and Recreation tax (2050 tax) passed in 2023. The remaining $2M is through a grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). There are many considerations with the 2015 CCIP reserve funding, with a balance of $14.5M.  $12 of the $14.5M was included in the SECC original funding stack  There is consideration to allocate $10 of the $14.5M available to Affordable Housing  The original funding for the SECC would need to be reduced another $7.5M  There is an option to increase the 2050 tax allocation and leave less remaining for the future replacement of the Mulberry Pool facility  There is also consideration around the timing and restrictions of spending the reserves on something other than the SECC, as the remaining project from the 2015 CCIP. CCIP Ordinance in 2015 regarding excess collections states “Section 3. That any revenues generated by the Tax and remaining unexpended and unencumbered after the completion of the construction of all the Projects described on Exhibit “A”, excluding any of these Projects eliminated by the City Council under the provisions of Section 2(b) above, may, in the discretion of the City Council, be used to fund additional operation and maintenance of the Projects or for the planning, design, real property acquisition, construction, operation and/or maintenance for any other capital project approved by City Council.” There are multiple ways to stack the 2050 tax and CCIP funding for the SECC project budget. Staff will be providing 2 options that take into consideration the balancing of competing priorities. Staff will also be showing a high-level overview of the projected revenue and expenses for the Operation and Maintenance of the SECC. This number will be refined as the scope of the facility is finalized. Berry Dunn was contracted to provide a pro forma report for the SECC. According to the report, Revenue projections are highly influenced by the number of pass holders and drop in visits to a community recreation center. Current revenue projections for the SECC were taken from multiple sources to reflect the diverse activities in a full-service community recreation center. Memberships and passes were the primary driver, supplemented by daily admissions, aquatics, fitness programs, rentals and seasonal camps. Participation and membership numbers and fee structures were informed by both city data and regional comparisons. Patron data from northern Colorado recreation centers, as well as benchmark facilities in Denver-Boulder region, illustrate a clear pattern of proximity-based usage. Approximately 51% of visits originate from within three miles of a facility, 72% within five miles, and 88% within 10 miles. These findings suggest that over half of anticipated visitors will come from nearby neighborhoods, with nearly three quarters residing within five miles of the facility. Service area overlap with other municipal centers is minimal, reinforcing the distinct market reach for the location. The overall cost recovery for the SECC is anticipated to be 75-90%. The SECC operation and maintenance expense will be off set for the first five years of operation by $220K from the 2015 CCIP O&M fund. Page 44 Item 2. City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 6 of 7 • Projected Expenses: $2,630,000 • Projected Revenue: $ 2,000,000-$2,300,000 • Projected General Fund Subsidy: • Year 1-5 $100-400K per year • Year 6-10 $350-600K per year • Full-time Staff: ~15 FTE • Annual Cost: $1.2M • Part-time Staff Cost: $700,000 The operation, staffing and revenue projections will continue to be refined as the facility moves through the design process. Staff will continue to consider staffing and operational efficiencies from our current system, expanded needs with a new facility, revenue optimization, customer experience, equity and access and partner utilization when refining the revenue and expense projections. Community Engagement During community engagement, participants expressed limited interest in a full childcare program and did not identify it as a high priority. However, staff consistently heard the need for a child drop-in area to provide short-term supervision for non-school-aged children while parents or caregivers use the facility. This element was incorporated into the revised design when the childcare was removed to reduce the capital cost. Feedback from the community engagement sessions, technical advisory committee and boards and commissions were used to inform spaces as we went through the value engineering process to bring the facility back under the max budget. We also held an engagement session with multiple groups committed to accessibility in the facility. Themes heard during multiple engagement sessions over the past eight months were:  Pools, lazy river, slides, diving boards  Tween/teen pools and fitness  Drop in child watch  Court sports like basketball, volleyball, pickleball  Fitness area able to accommodate sleds, Olympic weights, functional fitness  Indoor play in the pool for the winter months  Lap lanes Page 45 Item 2. City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 7 of 7 The SECC represents a major community investment for more than a decade in the making. As the project advances toward final design, appropriation, and groundbreaking, staff remain focused on balancing fiscal responsibility with community vision and Council direction—delivering a thoughtfully designed, inclusive, and sustainable facility that supports recreation, learning, and wellness while honoring the intent of voter- approved funding. NEXT STEPS Staff will bring the funding stack for approval and ask to appropriate any available funds in November 2025. Staff will also move forward with the issuance of Certificates of Participation from the Parks and Recreation 2050 tax. ATTACHMENTS 1. Presentation Page 46 Item 2. 10.14.25 Southeast Community Center Update LeAnn Williams Director, Recreation Dean Klingner Director, Community Services Page 47 Item 2. Questions 2 What input do you have on the options presented? What option would Council like to see come forward for appropriation in November, and are there any additional adjustments needed? Page 48 Item 2. Project Purpose and Goals 3 The purpose of the SECC is to provide a vibrant, relevant, enduring, and innovative community destination for generations of residents of Fort Collins, the Library District, and the PSD community, with one-stop access to recreation, aquatics, and library services and resources. By joining together to create and operate this facility, partners will maximize and enhance their individual investments and provide increased convenience, better services, and more varied uses than would be possible in separate standalone facilities. Page 49 Item 2. 4 Increase access and inclusion for vulnerable populations Why Fund the SECC? Who benefits? Brings health and wellness to southern half of Fort Collins •All community members benefit Access to Recreation facility and programs for low-income populations •All Recreation facility pass -$50 per year •70-90% off programs including summer day camp Expands access to Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation Opportunities Fulfills the 2015 CCIP facility scope and 2050 Tax approval to completely fund the facility Page 50 Item 2. Recap of Previous Discussion February 2025 5 Page 51 Item 2. 6 Project Timeline –2015-2023 APRIL CCIP ballot measure passed 2015 2021 202320222021 OCTOBER City Council requests completion of aquatics study AUGUST IGA developed and adopted between Poudre Libraries, PSD and City JANUARY ReCreate: Parks & Recreation Master Plan adopted JAN. -MARCH Aquatics study completed and presented to City Council at work session Partnership conversations with Poudre Libraries and Poudre School District began 2023 NOVEMBER 2050 Parks & Recreation tax passes NOVEMBER City Staff present at Council Work Session Page 52 Item 2. 7 Next Steps 2025 2025 20262025/262025 NOV. –DEC. Appropriations and funding stack resolution MARCH/APRIL Guaranteed Maximum Price / 2050 Bond Appropriation DEC. –APRIL 2050 Bond Development / Design Development 2026 JUNE Facility Groundbreaking OCTOBER Schematic design and funding stack options to Council WE ARE HERE FEBRUARY Present conceptual design and funding stack options at Council Work Session Page 53 Item 2. Program Option 1 Option 2a Option 2b Option 3 Proposed Amenities 40-50,000 sf Large Outdoor Recreation Pool 10-Lane Indoor Pool Small Fitness No Licensed Daycare No Group Exercise No Gymnasium No Walk/Jog Track 60-70,000 sf Large Outdoor Recreation Pool 10-Lane Indoor Pool Medium Fitness Licensed Daycare Small Group Exercise One Court Gym Smaller Track 64-74,000 sf Large Outdoor Recreation Pool 10-Lane Indoor Pool Medium Fitness Licensed Daycare Small Group Exercise Two Court Gym Larger Track 75-85,000 sf Large Indoor/Outdoor Recreation Pool 10-Lane Indoor Pool Medium Fitness Licensed Daycare Small Group Exercise Two Court Gym Larger Track Program Diversity Lowest Medium High Highest Usage (Annually):Lowest Medium High Highest Construction Cost:Lowest Medium Medium Highest Cost Recovery Lowest Medium Highest Medium 30-Yr. O&M General Fund Cost Est: Highest Medium Lowest High 8 Page 54 Item 2. Facility Option 2b –Recommended in Feb 2025 9 Estimated Cost Recovery: 66 –82% Estimated Annual General Fund Subsidy: $450,000 –$850,000 Total Area: 64-74,000 sf Total Cost: $68-80M Group Exercise Small Locker Rooms & Family Change Outdoor Recreational Pool Multiple Pools, Lazy River, Slides Aquatic Support Fitness Center Medium Indoor 10-lane 25 m x 25 yd Lap Pool Admin Offices Lobby/ Reception Maint/ Mech 2-court Gymnasium Licensed Daycare Multi-Purpose Meeting Rooms Event Hall Creative/ Messy/ Innovation Space Catering Kitchen Café/ Lounge Shared Spaces Walking/ Jogging Track Page 55 Item 2. Funding Stack 2.25.25 Council Work Session 10 Bond Years 20 Bond Rate 5.0% Net Taxable Growth Rate 2.5% Assumptions Bond against 2050 Tax Bond Proceeds $27 $36 $43 2050 Tax Reserves $10 $10 $12 CCIP Appropriated $18 $18 $18 CCIP Reserves $12 $12 $12 DOLA Grant $2 $2 $2 Recreation Reserves $1 $2 $3 Total City Funding for SECC $70 $80 $90 % of 2050 Parks & Recreation Share 13%17%20% Bond Years 20 20 20 Bond Rate 5.0%5.0%5.0% Net Taxable Growth Rate 2.5%2.5%2.5% Potential Funding Scenarios ($ in M illions) Assumptions Page 56 Item 2. Community Outreach 11 Page 57 Item 2. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TIMELINE APRIL 21 ADVISORY & ADVOCACY MEETING APRIL 28 LIBRARY TEEN COUNCIL LEADERSHIP MAY 1 YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD MAY 28 PARKS & REC MEETING JULY 23 LAGOON CONCERT SERIES MAY 13 ADVISORY & ADVOCACY MEETING JULY 25 KIDS IN THE PARK JULY 31 CITY PARK POOL END OF SUMMER AUGUST 6 UNIVERSAL & ACCESSIBLE DESIGN MEETING SEPTEMBER 14 OPEN STREETS SEPTEMBER 9 ADVISORY & ADVOCACY MEETING 12 Page 58 Item 2. Community engagement response themes 13 What would make the new Southeast Community Center a place you’d want to return to regularly? Page 59 Item 2. Site, Schematic Design and Budget Update 14 Page 60 Item 2. Schematic Design –Entire Facility 15 Schematic Design that aligned to scope supported by City Council in February 2025 Total Area: 74,641 sf Total Cost: $93M Page 61 Item 2. Options 16 Page 62 Item 2. Facility 2B conceptual to Schematic Design Cost 17 $93M / September 2025 Schematic Design $68-80M / February 2025 Conceptual Design $13M over max City budget 17 Page 63 Item 2. VE to maintain ballot and scope 18 62,400 Sq feet $78.4M 74,641 Sq feet $93M Page 64 Item 2. VE to shared spaces and Library 19 •Library exceeded their $23M budget by ~$4M •Reduced and reconfigured commons and shared spaces (2 rooms plus great hall) •Library general massing changes in yellow and green Page 65 Item 2. Considerations with 2015 CCIP Reserve Funding 20 •Original Funding stack for the $68-80M range included $12M from the 2015 CCIP Reserves •There is consideration to allocate $10 of the $14.5M available to Affordable Housing. •That would reduce the SECC another $7.5M in funding. •Options are to increase the 2050 bond and exhaust the available capital for future projects or reduce the scope. •Timing and restrictions of spending reserves are described in ordinance Page 66 Item 2. Balance Competing Priorities Funding Stack Priorities $72M $78M $12M $24M $2.5M $10M Maximize Project Goals: Community Benefit/Ballot and Plan Guidance Health and Well-Being, Access & Equity Sustainability Maximize 2050 funding available for future recreation facility and aquatic needs Preserve other future options for CCIP reserves 21 Page 67 Item 2. PRIORITY FACILITY AMENITIES AND FEATURES Reduction Buckets and Partner Considerations Exceed LEED Gold Pools Site and Commons Recreation Center (Gym, Weights, Childcare, Track) Shared decision with Poudre Libraries Shared decision with PSD –lap lanes City decision - leisure Shared decision with Poudre Libraries City decision 22 Page 68 Item 2. 2050 Grounding 2050 FUNDING $1M = ¼% 17% to SECC = ~$12M for future Recreation & Aquatic Capital 14% to SECC = ~$24M for future Recreation & Aquatic Capital 23 Page 69 Item 2. Funding Options OPTION 1 Maximize Project Goals $76.5M OPTION 2 Reduce scope/scale features $72.5M Note: All options would include $2M from DOLA Grant A.17% 2050 $9.5M CCIP Reserves B. 16% 2050 $12M CCIP Reserves •Adheres to IGA commitments •$5M to Affordable Housing •$12M to future recreation & aquatic needs •Adheres to IGA commitments •$2.5M to Affordable Housing •$16M to future recreation & aquatic needs A. 14% 2050 $12M CCIP Reserves B. 17% 2050 $4.5M CCIP Reserves •Reduces Lap Lanes – must renegotiate IGA •$2.5M to Affordable Housing •Maximizes $ to future recreation & aquatic needs ($24M) •Reduces Lap Lanes – must renegotiate IGA •$12M to future recreation & aquatic needs •Maximizes $ to Affordable Housing ($10M) 24 Page 70 Item 2. Operations & Maintenance Cost/Projected Cost Recovery 25 •Projected Expenses: $2,630,000 •Projected Revenue: $ 2,000,000-$2,300,000 •Projected General Fund Subsidy: •Year 1-5 $100-400K per year •Year 6-10 $350-600K per year •Full-time Staff: 15 FTE •Annual Cost: $1.2M •Part-time Staff Cost: $700,000 •Revenue projections are highly influenced by number of pass holders. 70-75% of total revenue •Year 1-5 will receive $220K from 2015 CCIP Operations Page 71 Item 2. Proposed Next Steps: November 2025 26 •Resolution to approve the presented funding stack •Make any available appropriations •Move forward with issuance of Certificates of Participation from the 2050 tax 26 Page 72 Item 2. Questions 27 What input do you have on the options presented? What option would Council like to see come forward for appropriation in November, and are there any additional adjustments needed? Page 73 Item 2. 28 Back Up Slides Page 74 Item 2. Engaging Kids 2929 Page 75 Item 2. 30 How should 2050 P&R tax be split between eligible elements? Illustration: Life of 2050 tax = 27 years x $10.5M (2024 dollars) = $283 M ~80% = ~227 M replacement/refresh ~=$8.4M/year ~20% = ~$57 M replacement and construction of indoor and outdoor recreation and pool facilities 80% 20% Potential Split of 2050 Parks and Rec Funds Replacement, Upgrade, Maintenance, etc. -- PARKS & RECREATION Replacement & Construction of Indoor and Oudoor Recreation and Pool Facilities Page 76 Item 2. IGA Update 31 •IGA development in progress •Focus on fair share capital and O & M •Additional considerations: water usage, shared parking spaces, land/sewer uses Page 77 Item 2. Affordable Housing Units Future Southeast Community Center 32 Page 78 Item 2. Affordable Housing and CCIP 33 Status •$4 million over 10 years from 2015 CCIP •Approximately $2 million available in fund currently ($1.6 million for direct subsidy and/or fee credits plus $400,000 dedicated to fee credits) •$1.4 million subsidy request in process (VOA Switchgrass Crossing) Additional Funding Options •Additional direct subsidies for affordable housing projects •Timing for use dependent on housing pipeline; adding funds to competitive process could speed deployment •Expand fee relief •Timing for use dependent on housing pipeline •Equity investments/revolving loan fund •Additional work required to prepare for implementationPage 79 Item 2. 34 Section 3. That any revenues generated by the Tax and remaining unexpended and unencumbered after the completion of the construction of all of the Projects described on Exhibit “A”, excluding any of these Projects eliminated by the City Council under the provisions of Section 2(b) above, may, in the discretion of the City Council, be used to fund additional operation and maintenance of the Projects or for the planning, design, real property acquisition, construction, operation and/or maintenance for any other capital project approved by the City Council. CCIP Ordinance in 2015 regarding excess collections Page 80 Item 2. File Attachments for Item: 3. 2026 Budget Revision Discussion Follow-Up and Utilities 2026 Budget Revisions & Review The purpose of this item is to familiarize and seek feedback from Council on the City Manager’s recommended revisions to the 2026 Budget. Based on direction from Council, the 2026 Budget Revisions will be combined with the previously adopted 2025-2026 Biennial Budget. The 2026 Annual Appropriation Ordinance is scheduled for 1st Reading on November 3. This item includes follow-up from the first work session on the 2026 Budget Revisions, as well as review of two 2026 Utilities revisions proposed for inclusion in the 2026 Budget. There will also be a review of the utility rates for Council consideration planned for adoption on November 3. Page 81 City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 1 of 7 October 14, 2025 WORK SESSION AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY City Council STAFF Caleb Weitz, Chief Financial Officer Kelly DiMartino, City Manager Joe Wimmer, Utilities Finance Director Randy Reuscher, Utilities Rates Manager SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION 2026 Budget Revision Discussion Follow-Up and Utilities 2026 Budget Revisions & Review EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to familiarize and seek feedback from Council on the City Manager’s recommended revisions to the 2026 Budget. Based on direction from Council, the 2026 Budget Revisions will be combined with the previously adopted 2025-2026 Biennial Budget. The 2026 Annual Appropriation Ordinance is scheduled for 1st Reading on November 3. This item includes follow-up from the first work session on the 2026 Budget Revisions, as well as review of two 2026 Utilities revisions proposed for inclusion in the 2026 Budget. There will also be a review of the utility rates for Council consideration planned for adoption on November 3. GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED What questions or feedback does Council have on the City Manager’s recommended revisions to the 2026 Budget? BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION OVERVIEW: The 2026 Budget Revisions include both reductions to 2026 ongoing expenses within the Governmental Funds and additional budget revisions for consideration. The first Council work session on September 23 covered the economic conditions being experienced by the City. The uncertainty at all levels of government has resulted in lower forecasted growth in ongoing Sales Tax collections. Additional revenue challenges impacting the General Fund were also reviewed. On the expense side, although the rate of inflation has decreased closer to the long-term goals of the Federal Reserve, the increasing prices over the last few years have not subsided. The City also has expense challenges in personnel costs, primarily from lower than expected turnover than had been planned in the budget. This is very good from a staff and service delivery perspective, but previous financial assumptions need to be revised to keep expenditures within the Council approved spending limits. Although there have been some positive indicators, now the City will need to use the 2026 revision process to address these revenue and expense challenges. Page 82 Item 3. City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 2 of 7 2026 Utilities Budget Revisions #1 - Halligan Environmental Mitigation Credits City’s Water Utility requests an additional appropriation of $10,357,500 in the Water Utility Fund to purchase needed stream credits and wetland credits (collectively referred to as environmental mitigation credits) in support of City’s Water Utility receiving a finalized mitigation plan by the United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE). The Halligan Water Supply Project will result in impacts to both wetlands and streams. Pursuant to requirements of the Clean Water Act, City’s Water Utility is required to undertake mitigation. Among the project mitigation measures that were proposed, USACE directed the City to purchase environmental mitigation credits from an accredited bank. Required wetlands and stream credit amounts will be part of the finalized mitigation plan that City’s Water Utility is currently working on with US ACE. The finalized mitigation plan is required to be approved by USACE for commencement of construction of the Halligan Water Supply Project. The USACE prefers mitigation through bank credits as these credits are backed by legal instruments that ensure long-term protection and monitoring. City’s Water Utility entered into a mitigation credit reservation and purchase agreement in June 2024 associated with the North Fork Poudre Mitigation Ba nk. The 2024 agreement secured 19.37 acres of wetland credits and 1,220 stream credits and will be revised up to include a total of 19.9 wetland credits and 1,514 stream credits. The City has spent $1,471,340 to date, with an additional $6,931,660 to be spent from December 2025 through 2027 dependent on timing of credit releases for the North Fork Bank. While City’s Water Utility anticipated environmental mitigation credits as part of the finalized mitigation plan approved by USACE, the proposed quantity has increased substantially due to recent determinations by USACE that the original preservation/conservation stream mitigation plans are no longer sufficient to meet current federal requirements. In response to the additional stream credit requirements, discussions are underway with the Moraine Bank in Rocky Mountain National Park, and other potential banks on the North Fork, to purchase additional stream credits. The Water Utility is intending to be under contract prior to 2025 year-end, securing upwards of 6,834 in stream credits, totaling an estimated $14,020,350. To keep the dam design work and environmental mitigation projects on schedule, the Water Utility plans to spend the project’s remaining $7.4 million unencumbered balance by the end of Q2 2026. An additional $10,357,500 is needed to meet 2026 obligations in purchasing environmental mitigation credits. In July 2025, the City submitted a request for $100 million under Colorado Water Conservation Board’s Water Project Loan Program in support of funding the Halligan Water Supply Project. Provided City Water Utility is successful in the pursuit of $100 million under the Water Project Loan Program, the earliest funds would be available for appropriation by City Council is August 2026. The Water Fund 2025 reserves are available for the $10,357,500 appropriation in advance of loan acceptance. Customer Information System Operational Costs Utilities requests a 2026 budget revision of $702,480 to support 2026 operational costs for the existing Utilities Customer Information System (CIS) and billing software. The new CIS continues to be developed with a new go-live date of May 22, 2026. Due to the project extension, the existing CIS and billing software needs to be extended through 2026. The $702,480 provides funding for unanticipated operational costs of the legacy CIS and associated billing software into 2026. The software system supports billing of Utility customers and tracking of customer payments and amounts due. Page 83 Item 3. City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 3 of 7 2026 Utilities Budget Revisions #2 - Halligan Environmental Mitigation Credits City’s Water Utility requests an additional appropriation of $10,357,500 in the Water Utility Fund to purchase needed stream credits and wetland credits (collectively referred to as environmental mitigation credits) in support of City’s Water Utility receiving a finalized mitigation plan by the United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE). The Halligan Water Supply Project will result in impacts to both wetlands and streams. Pursuant to requirements of the Clean Water Act, City’s Water Utility is required to undertake mitigation. Among the project mitigation measures that were proposed, USACE directed the City to purchase environmental mitigation credits from an accredited bank. Required wetlands and stream credit amounts will be part of the finalized mitigation plan that City’s Water Utility is currently working on with US ACE. The finalized mitigation plan is required to be approved by USACE for commencement of construction of the Halligan Water Supply Project. The USACE prefers mitigation through bank credits as these credits are backed by legal instruments that ensure long-term protection and monitoring. City’s Water Utility entered into a mitigation credit reservation and purchase agreement in June 2024 associated with the North Fork Poudre Mitigation Ba nk. The 2024 agreement secured 19.37 acres of wetland credits and 1,220 stream credits, and will be revised up to include a total of 19.9 wetland credits and 1,514 stream credits. Based on timing over proposed credit releases, the City has spent $1,471,340 to date, with an additional $6,931,660 to be spent from December 2025 through 2027. While City’s Water Utility anticipated environmental mitigation credits as part of the finalized mitigation plan approved by USACE, the proposed quantity has increased substantially due to recent determinations by USACE that the original preservation/conservation stream mitigation plans are no longer sufficient to meet current federal requirements. In response to the additional stream credit requirements, discussions are underway with the Moraine Bank in Rocky Mountain National Park, and other potential banks on the North Fork, to purchase additional stream credits. The Water Utility is intending to be under contract prior to 2025 year-end, securing upwards of 6,834 in stream credits. To keep the dam design work and environmental mitigation projects on schedule, the Water Utility plans to spend the project’s remaining $7.4 million unencumbered balance by the end of Q2 2026. An additional $10,357,500 is needed to meet 2026 obligations in purchasing environmental mitigation credits. In July 2025, the City submitted a request for $100 million under Colorado Water Conservation Board’s Water Project Loan Program in support of funding the Halligan Water Supply Project. Provided City Water Utility is successful in the pursuit of $100 million under the Water Project Loan Program, the earliest funds would be available for appropriation by Council is August 2026. The Water Fund 2025 reserves are available for the $10,357,500 appropriation in advance of loan acceptance. Customer Information System Operational Costs Utilities requests a 2026 budget revision of $702,480 to support 2026 operational costs for the existing Utilities Customer Information System (CIS) and billing software. The new CIS continues to be developed with a new go-live date of May 22, 2026. Due to the project extension, the existing CIS and billing software needs to be extended through 2026. The $702,480 provides funding for unanticipated operational costs of the legacy CIS and associated billing software into 2026. The software system supports billing of Utility customers and tracking of customer payments and amounts due. The individual Utilities enterprise funds will cover their respective shares of the software costs through a transfer to the internal Customer Service & Administration Fund. Page 84 Item 3. City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 4 of 7 2026 Utility Rates The revenues needed to support the ongoing operation and maintenance costs of providing each of the four utilities services to customers are collected through monthly utility rates. As costs change over time, it is necessary to adjust rates to reflect those changes. Long-term financial planning is important to ensure revenues are adequate and reserves are available to maintain and replace infrastructure in a timely fashion to continue providing high quality and reliable services for our customers. Frequent review and updating of the cost-of-service allocation models behind the monthly utility rates maintains equity across rate classes and helps to reduce the impact of higher utility rates on customers by providing gradual, modest rate adjustments over time rather than less frequent and larger rate adjustments. These actions help ensure the delivery of current and future utility services occurs in a fiscally responsible manner, balancing both costs and levels of service with affordability and prudent planning and investments. There are no proposed changes from what was previously planned and adopted in the 2026 fiscal plan and included in the 2025-26 Budget. A summary of the proposed rate increases for the four utility services are shown in the table below. Electric Staff are proposing a 6% retail rate increase for the Electric Fund in 2026. This increase is driven by a combination of an increase in wholesale electric expenses in 2026, as well as an increase to cover distribution operating and maintenance costs and investments in capital projects. Roughly two-thirds of costs incurred each year to provide electric service are attributable to wholesale expenses, while the other one-third is attributable to costs related to operating and maintaining the distribution system. The portion of the proposed 6% increase that is not applied to wholesale cost increases will be used to help fund distribution system needs. There are multiple capital projects necessary to meet future needs, some of which include feeder cable and transformer replacements, streetlighting upgrades, distribution automation, and demand response technology upgrades. The largest expense for the electric fund is wholesale power costs. Platte River Power Authority (PRPA) is planning to increase their wholesale blended rate ($/MWh) by 6.3% in 2026 and is forecasting 7.5% wholesale rate increases for 2027-28. There is variability in how the increase is applied to individual component charges. Fort Collins Utilities participates in the Colorado Association of Municipal Utilities (CAMU) survey each year. Below are the residential electric rate comparisons for the electric utilities in Colorado that responded to the survey. Fort Collins is shown in the maroon-colored bar within the graph. Based on the July 2025 Page 85 Item 3. City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 5 of 7 survey, Fort Collins Utilities came in towards the lower end of average electric cost within the state, assuming 700 kWh of consumption in a month, at $100.28, or 12th lowest overall of all responses. Water Staff are proposing a 9% retail rate increase for the Water Fund in 2026. Water rate increases are primarily driven by the cost of capital investment, particularly construction of the Halligan Water Supply Project and maintaining replacement of the water distribution system. In the 2026 budget, capital projects account for 38% of the total W ater Fund expenditures. This percentage is expected to increase in the coming years and is a significant driver for future rate increases in the Water Fund. Debt financing for the Halligan Water Supply Project will be the major component impacting substantial water rates over the next 3-5 years while the project progresses towards and starts construction. Development of the Water Fund’s comprehensive Capital Improvement Plan is underway and will inform a long-term rate forecast in advance of the 2027-28 budget process. Wastewater Staff are proposing an 8% retail rate increase for the Wastewater Fund in 2026. In addition to rate increases needed for ongoing operational inflationary pressures, the Drake Water Reclamation Facility (DWRF) recently completed a comprehensive condition assessment and is in need of significant capital investment. The report indicates that 39% of the plant is beyond it’s useful life, and 45% of the plant is in fair condition The upcoming 10-year Capital Improvement Plan may include plans for a large revenue bond debt issuance needed for reconstruction of the DWRF Preliminary Treatment Facility, and the combined Wastewater-Water Quality Laboratory Project. Page 86 Item 3. City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 6 of 7 Stormwater Staff are proposing a 6% retail rate increase for the Stormwater Fund in 2026. The Oak Street Stormwater Improvement Project revenue bond issuance of $40M in 2023 increased debt service payments for this fund. Additional capital improvement budget capacity is being created to continue capital replacement and improvements to the stormwater infrastructure system. Bill Impacts and Front Range Comparisons The table below shows the impacts of the proposed rate change to the average residential monthly bill. Under the proposed rate changes, a residential customer’s total utility bill, for a customer receiving all four municipal utility services, would increase by 7.1%, or $13.49 per month. The table below compares typical residential electric, water, wastewater, and stormwater monthly utility bills across neighboring utilities along the Front Range, based on proposed 2026 rate adjustments and charges. In total, Fort Collins Utilities comes in the lowest at $230.26 for all four services. With proposed increases for 2026, Fort Collins will remain the lowest overall, as there are known increases proposed amongst the other bordering utilities for 2026, with some of them being substantially higher than the percentage increases proposed for customers within our community. Note that community comparisons use different usage thresholds than the Fort Collins customer averages shown in the bill impact table above. Page 87 Item 3. City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 7 of 7 CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS The 2026 City Manager’s Recommended Budget includes these proposed increases in revenues available for the budget. The electric increase would offset increased wholesale costs for 2026, as well as contribute to increasing distribution system operating and maintenance and capital costs. The water, wastewater, and stormwater increases would contribute to operating and maintenance costs, as well as assisting with future debt issuances for large capital projects. BOARD / COMMISSION / COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION Review of the proposed changes to the Utilities electric rates are planned for discussion with the Energy Board on October 9, 2025. Review of the proposed changes to the Utility water, wastewater, and stormwater rates are planned for the Water Commission on October 16, 2025. PUBLIC OUTREACH The required electric outside city limit postcard will be mailed in early October and a notice was posted in the Coloradoan. Rates and fee presentations will be shared at the Business Accounts meeting for all commercial customer accounts on November 18, 2025. An annual rate brochure will go out to customers in late November or early December, along with updated information posted to the utility website. NEXT STEPS First reading of the 2026 Annual Appropriations is scheduled for Monday, November 3 (due to elections on November 4). Second reading is then scheduled for November 18. ATTACHMENTS 1. Presentation Page 88 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here Caleb Weitz Joe Wimmer Randy Reuscher Council Work Session 2026 Budget Revisions 10-14-2025 Page 89 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here 2 Agenda •October 23 work session follow up •$22k of reduction alternatives for immigration/legal defense funds •Utilities update of 2026 Revisions Page 90 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes HereFollow up from the October 23 work session 3 Highlights of the questions and requests included in Council’s Thursday Pack materials on October 9 include: •Clarity on positions in the hiring freeze vs those proposed for elimination,including detail on positions in Sustainability Service and Code Compliance in Community Development •Additional information on the Camera Radar Red Light program •Comparative staffing data with S&U Tax Audit programs along the Front Range •Updated chart on Digital Inclusion reserve estimates to cover the 2026 shortfall of the Grocery Tax Rebate program •Additional information about the Poudre Flows offer and why staff believes the delay in the planned 2026 funding is not an issue for the City •Updated information on the community impacts from the proposed reductions in the 2026 Budget Revisions Page 91 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes HereAlternative Reduction Opportunities -$22k 4 •Available 2026 Digital Equity revenue ̵Impact: No impact to the projected positive cash balance in the Digital Equity Reserve in 2030 •Decrease to Bridge Asset Management Program ̵Impact: Decreased ability to respond to unforeseen repairs and maintenance needs; and lowered ability to advance design for scheduled replacements •Decrease in Parks Operations and Programming ̵Impact: Deeper cuts to currently proposed reductions to 4th of July by eliminating City programming and/or partial closures of bathrooms in neighborhood parks Page 92 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here Utilities 2026 Budget Revisions Page 93 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here 6 Direction Sought What questions does City Council have regarding the proposed 2026 Utilities budget and revisions?01 Page 94 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here 72026 Light & Power Budget PRPA Wholesale •6.3% Increase Capital Investment •Cable Replacement •Transformers Operational Technology •Distributed Energy Resource Management (DERMS) Purchase Power PRPA 66% Capital & Asset Management 10% L&P Operations 7% PILOTs 5% Cust Serv & Admin 4% Energy Services 4% Internal Transfers Out 2%Purchase Power Community Renewables 2% Other Misc 1% 2026 Budget -$183.5M Page 95 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here 82026 OneWater Budget Capital Investment •Halligan Water Supply Project •Water Main Replacement Program •Drake Water Reclamation Facility Projects •OneWater Laboratory Design Operations •OneWater Operator & Engineering •GIS Utility Network Capital & Asset Management 38% Plant Operations 14% Cust Serv & Admin 14% Transmission & Collection 12% Planning & Sciences 8% PILOTs 4% Engineering 3% Internal Transfers Out 6%Other Misc 1% 2026 Budget -$103.7M Page 96 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here 92026 Budget Revisions Halligan Project Mitigation Credits $10,357,500 Wetland Credits Requirement (17.94 acres); est. $3.1M Stream Credits Requirement (8,348 ft); est. $19.3M Poudre North Fork Mitigation Bank •Under contract •19.9 wetland credits •1,514 stream credits RMNP Moraine Mitigation Bank •6,834 stream credits needed •Contract pending Page 97 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here 102026 Budget Revisions Halligan Project Mitigation Credits: Timeline •Mitigation plan must be approved before construction •Record of Decision (ROD) expected:August 2026 •Pending CWCB Water Project Loan ($100M), appropriation of Water Fund Reserves Page 98 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here •Operational budget needed for continuing legacy systems until go-live •CIS replacement go-live date May 2026 2026 Budget Revisions 11 Customer Information System (CIS) Operational Extension $702,480 Page 99 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here 122026 Utility Rates Utility 2026 Rate Increase Electric 6% Water 9% Wastewater 8% Stormwater 6% 2025-2026 City Manager's Recommend BudgetPage 100 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here 132026 Utility Rates Page 101 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here 142026 Utility Rates Page 102 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here 152026 Utility Rates Page 103 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here 16Utilities Affordability Assistance Retrofit Programs •Larimer County Conservation Corps Water and Energy Program (LCCC) •Colorado Affordable Residential Energy (CARE) Reduced Rates •Income-Qualified Assistance Program LEAP & IQAP One-Time Payment Assistance •Payment Assistance Fund •Utilities Emergency Fund Outreach •Water Conservation resources •Energy Services programs •Utilities Insights Newsletter •Direct customer engagement Page 104 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here 17Utilities Outlook & Initiatives 2027/28 Budget Preparation •Capital Planning •Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) •Strategic Asset Management Plans •Asset Replacement Analysis •Major Projects •Halligan Water Supply Project •Drake Water Reclamation Facility Preliminary Treatment •OneWater Quality Lab •Drake Substation •PRPA Integrated Resource Plan •Long-Term Financial Modeling •Capital Financing •Long-Term Rate ScenariosPage 105 Item 3. Headline Copy Goes Here 18 Direction Sought What questions does City Council have regarding the proposed 2026 Utilities budget and revisions?01 Page 106 Item 3.