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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - SUMMARY AGENDA - 03/27/2012 - SUMMARY AGENDA (WORK SESSION)Karen Weitkunat, Mayor Council Information Center Kelly Ohlson, District 5, Mayor Pro Tem City Hall West Ben Manvel, District 1 300 LaPorte Avenue Lisa Poppaw, District 2 Fort Collins, Colorado Aislinn Kottwitz, District 3 Wade Troxell, District 4 Cablecast on City Cable Channel 14 Gerry Horak, District 6 on the Comcast cable system Darin Atteberry, City Manager Steve Roy, City Attorney Rita Harris, Interim City Clerk The City of Fort Collins will make reasonable accommodations for access to City services, programs, and activities and will make special communication arrangements for persons with disabilities. Please call 221-6515 (TDD 224- 6001) for assistance. WORK SESSION March 27, 2012 6 p.m. 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Update on the Economic Health Strategic Planning Process. (staff: Bruce Hendee, Josh Birks; 1 hour discussion) The City of Fort Collins’ Economic Action Plan was first developed in 2005 and has been updated annually as part of the Budgeting for Outcomes process. Now, more than five years later, it is time to re-evaluate the Economic Action Plan and develop a revised Economic Health Strategic Plan. City Council approved $150,000 in one-time funding from the Keep Fort Collins Great funding allocation for this project in 2011. TIP Strategies from Austin, TX was selected to lead this process. TIP staff was present at the May 10, 2011 Work Session to present their overall scope of services and have an initial conversation with the City Council about the project. TIP staff returned on July 12, 2011 to present the Draft Economic Assessment and sought input on a draft strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis and potential list of benchmark communities. On December 13, 2011, TIP staff presented an overview of the Draft Economic Health Strategic Plan and sought feedback on the initial draft from City Council. The final plan is intended to refine the mission of the Economic Health Office and provide an action plan for the next five years. 3. Waste Stream Study and Integrated Recycling Facility. (staff: Bruce Hendee, Susie Gordon; 1 hour discussion) To help reach the community’s goal of diverting 50% of the waste stream from landfills, the City examined what continues to be disposed of as trash. Section 1 of a draft Waste Stream Study provides a characterization of Fort Collins’ discarded materials. A second report identifies how the City could build an Integrated Recycling Facility (IRF) to facilitate recycling and waste diversion for residents. The complete report is available on the City’s website but for the purposes of this work session, staff will present its recommendations for an IRF. 4. Poudre River Ecosystem Response Model. (staff: John Stokes, Jennifer Shanahan; 1 hour discussion) There are five bottom-line elements described in this Agenda Item Summary (AIS). 1. The Poudre River Ecosystem Response Model (ERM) is approximately 75% completed. It will be finished by summer. This AIS provides a status report on progress to date and should not be regarded as a definitive description of the model. 2. The model is a decision support tool that can help compare different scenarios and potential outcomes for the river ecosystem. It is a probability based model; it does not predict precise outcomes but provides decision makers with coarse level estimates of future ecological conditions. 3. An initial model “run” has been completed for so-called Scenario I, which is a representation of the current operating and environmental conditions of the Poudre River projected forward for 50 years. This particular model run indicates that the state of the five model indicators used in the model (riparian vegetation, native fish, brown trout, aquatic invertebrates, algae) is likely to change in a way that represents a decline from current conditions. 4. While there has been much focus on instream flows as a key driver of ecological health and resilience; the intentional channelization and hardening of the river’s banks also play a major role. 5. The model will provide insights as to how desirable river attributes could be supported. The purpose of this work session is twofold: (1) to provide Council with an early overview of the ERM; and, (2) to respond to any Council questions or concerns. Council and the community have expressed support for, and interest in, a healthy Poudre River. The purpose of the Ecosystem Response Model is to inform that desire with a scientific understanding. The model represents one element of a series of endeavors that are based on Council direction and designed to help achieve the community’s goals. Other elements include direction to the Natural Areas Department Director to allocate at least half of his time to the Poudre River, as well as a variety of restoration and rehabilitation projects. While the Poudre River provides many services, such as drinking water, local food production, and support for the City’s valued commercial enterprises, the project described herein focuses specifically on the river ecosystem. The ERM described in this AIS is an attempt to provide an understanding of the Poudre River that is informed by both data analysis and expert judgment. This understanding, in turn, should help the community make informed decisions that are more likely to achieve the aspirations described in Plan Fort Collins for a healthy, resilient Poudre River. The ERM will yield a decision-guidance tool and help us deepen our understanding of how the river works as an integrated ecological system. At a practical level, the model will provide a coarse-scale evaluation of the potential consequences of specific proposals, including proposed water supply and storage projects. It also should help us understand what mitigation measures would be most effective if those projects are implemented. The initial version of the ERM will be complete by summer. While the initial version of the model will provide indications of how the river may respond under certain flow and channel configurations, it has the potential to be a more powerful application tool. Staff believes that refining the ERM over time is desirable and we will include an offer for that purpose in the 2013/14 budget cycle. 5. Council Work Plan Update (2011-2013) and Policy and Plan Review Schedule Update. (staff: Diane Jones, Kelly DiMartino; 30 minute discussion) In July 2011, City Council developed its Work Plan for the 2011 – 2013 term. Council action items - topics and actions that are to be addressed over the two-year term and beyond - are captured and tracked in four documents: 1. Council Work Plan (2011 – 2013) 2. Work Plan Items to be Done Administratively 3. Agenda Planning Calendar 4. Policy and Plan Review Schedule Since July, twenty-four new items have been added for work session or formal consideration by City Council. The original schedule has been revised accordingly. The work session is an opportunity for City Council to review the information and suggest additional revisions if necessary. 6. Other Business. 7. Adjournment.