HomeMy WebLinkAboutWORK SESSION SUMMARY-02/12/2019-Work SessionCity of
F6rt Cothns
""NZ I
MEMORANDUM
Date: February 15, 2019
To: Mayor Troxell and City Councilmembers
Thru: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Jeff Mihelich, Deputy City Manager .'H
Jackie Kozak Thiel, Chief Sustainab lity Officer JkT {
Lucinda Smith, Environmental Services Director LS 4-4-j
Environmental Services
222 Laporte Ave.
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221-6500
970.224-6177 - tax
fcgoucom
From: Honore Depew, Sr. Sustainability Specialist
Re: February 12, 2019 Work Session Summary — Regional Wasteshed IGA and
Ordinance for Construction Debris Recycling
Jackie Kozak Thiel and Honore Depew presented an overview of an intergovernmental
agreement (IGA) with regional partners for solid waste infrastructure, proposed in a 2018
Larimer County master plan; they also reviewed an ordinance directing all mixed loads of
construction and demolition waste to a future County -owned sorting facility, which would go into
effect only once that facility is operational.
General Comments
• Councilmembers expressed appreciation for the staff work on this project and important
regional collaboration, highlighting County leadership and stewardship
• Direction to bring both items forward for formal consideration at March 5, 2019 meeting
• Council asked if flow control would affect trash or apply to curbside collection services
o The IGA formally states that flow control will not extend to trash
o Proposed code change would only apply to mixed loads of construction and
demolition waste
• Council asked why customers from jurisdictions without flow control would bring
construction waste to the new facility if it is more expensive than landfilling
o Many construction firms will voluntarily divert their C&D (even if it costs 20%
more) because it helps them meet corporate sustainability goals
o Larimer County Solid Waste Department will consider price incentives that may
drive mixed loads of construction and demolition (C&D) waste to sorting facility
(e.g., surcharge for landfilling C&D)
Staff Follow-up
• Bring intergovernmental agreement between Fort Collins and the participating
jurisdictions to March 5, 2019 regular meeting for Council consideration
• Bring an ordinance amending City Code to require all mixed loads of construction and
demolition (C&D) waste be delivered to a future County -owned sorting facility (C&D flow
control ordinance) to March 5, 2019 regular meeting for Council consideration
o Staff will make it clear in the title of the C&D flow control ordinance that
requirements would take effect only once a new facility is operational
• Prepare read -before memo with input from Building Review Board after Feb. 28 meeting
..............
Z��M
I!= w DE
281 Noitth; College Avenue
R0, Box 580
970.221,6376
970224.6134
TO: Mayor Troxell and City Councilmerribers
THRU: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Jeff Mihelich, Deputy City Manager(�_
Laurie Kadrich, Director of, Planning' 'Development & Tran i sportat oov
FROM: City Plan Project Management Team
tE'; February 12, 201'9 Work, Session S u m mary�— 0ty Plan, Overview& B iq I dea-4
U111111111 M.;n-. 700M. "M 01 lizi I ? I'l 1� I
rN
0 4
Tot ine
discussion.
Draft Plan, Availability
Staff will be providing phys,ical copies ofthe Draft�City �Plan �and) Transit Master Plan' Documents,
as well as links electronic download links', in, next week's Council packet. The final adopfiodraft
of each document will be available as part of the Agenda Item Summary two weeks in advance
of the adoption hearing. Staff will include detailed information on any changes between the two
versions.
City Plan Overview
Overall, staff noted,that Coppoe,ldirection of,the draft Plan and is readyJ0 consider
adoption of City P9., Council members;expre'sseddraft Plan reflects the
priorities oounciV and of the community and that they appreciated the'Plan's) emphasis on
flexibility and choices. More specific comments! related to the"'big ideas" contained in the'Plan are
outlined below., Additions, changes, and clarifications that will be included in the draft Plan as a
reflection of Council's feedback have been identified below in bold. I ;
I I am o - I ." I
Growth
Staff heard concerns from some Councilmembers about growth and the need to clarify our
[ON ME FiMpg= W M-M. &J
MPUAT a*,
innovation within the community's, physical, economic, � and on mental limits.
Economy
Councilmembers requested information about the current ratio of public sector jobs 4o total jobs
in Fort Collins, Staff will be working with Economic Health to provide additional information to
Council in the near future regarding the proportions of different types of jobs in a well-balanced,
• Engagement and Metrics— Staff received questions about how engagement is measured
and evaluated for engagement -focused projects like City Plan. Whenever possible, Staff
requests demographic information from participants at public events via RSVP or
questionnaire at the event. These demographics include income, education, age, gender,
and other relevant demographics. To evaluate the representativeness of engagement
efforts, Staff uses U.S. Census data for Fort Collins to compare demographics from public
events to the community as a whole. When gaps in representativeness are identified,
targeted outreach is conducted to improve the quality of information. Targeted outreach
completed in January with low-income and Hispanic/Latinx residents is one example.
o Comparisons to Other Communities— Staff received feedback from Council that it would
be helpful to compare Fort Collins's efforts with those of other communities throughout the
Plan document. Staff will investigate opportunities to add this kind of information
into the draft City Plan document.
Next Steps & City Plan Adoption Timeline
Councilmembers and the City Manager confirmed that the draft Plan is on track for a March 19
adoption hearing. Councilmembers will receive a full public draft of City Plan and the Transit
Master Plan in next Thursday's packet.
February 12, 2019 Council Work Session Summary page 2
City Plan Overview & Big Ideas
— 1— --'
Federal an(
fu
Federal an
hinds, bor
On for 11 Federal an
funds, I tran
exp
d) I trar
M�
J state grants, local
)ds, trans�,>ortaboir)
J state grants, local
sportabon capital
ansion fees
J state g:rants, local
ds, transportation
expansion fees
i funds, federal and
ants, local funds,
ar contributions,
)rtation capital
ansion fees
J state grants, loca:l
ds, transportation
expansion fees
I state grants, local
cls, transportation
expansion fees
i state grants, local
ds, transportation
expansion fees
I state grants, local
ds, transportation
expansion fees
To meet the transit vision outlined in this Plan, Fort Collins will need to expand the revenues dedicated to
transit service in the City. This section summarizes Transfprys currenthunding and highlights strategies that
can be used to raise additional transit revenue, Given the need for voter and/or City Council approval for any
revenue increases for transit, additional studies vvi|| he required to determine how to best fund future transit in
Collins. ForL
The chart below provides a summary of the Transbudget,s 2018 year operating budget, Nearly three quarters
ofTranshor1'sbudget isfrom local sources, including over 48Y6originating frornthe Genesa|Fund (which is
genenstedroost|yfnornsa|estaxes.governrnentfees^andproperh/tax)andl6% from Aairtnercontributions
mostly with CSU. About2796 ofTransfnrt's budget is provided fromState and Federal sources (of which a
substantial portion goes to capital costs, like purchasing buses), Fares and fees exclusive ofCSU and business
contracts account for only 39&ofthe operating budget.
* General Fund (47.G%)
* Federal Operating (26.0%)
* Agreements & Partner Contributions (1G.496)
* Faren& Fces(2.89S)
* Federal Capital (2.696)
* Advertising (1,7S6)
40 Other Capital (1,296)
«� State Operating (l]%)
0 Miscellaneous (,596)
Implementation Strategy 83
The chart below providedate on the annual funding peer cities expended per capita in 2016(o provide tnanslt
service to the community. Fort Collins faUs on the lower half ofthe spectrum iUustrat ng the opportunity to
continue to increase investment in transit in the future. In general, the communities that have invested more in
transit also see higherproductivity
Champaign-Urbana,|L $244
Chapel HiU.WC $221
Madison, WI
$210
Ann Arbor, M| $194
GainesviUe.FL $147
il Collins, CO EMENNEEMEM $106
Asheville, NC INNIIIIIIIIIIN $ 9 9
Miosou|a.MT INNIINONN $85
Lawrence,KS IIIIINIANNI $79
Davis, CA NINON= $69
Achieving the tnansitvision and growling ridership will require a
doubling ofrevenue service hours by2O4Ofrom what is provided
today as well as several major capital investments. The City's portion
of operating expenses to implement the 204O Plan are expected to
roughly double from $75,8 nni|Unn per year in 2018 to $30.5 million per
year in 2040 (both in 2018duUars). This will require developing e plan
to increase funding fortransit over time,. In addition to the existing
revenue sources, there are anurnberofaddiLiona|sources Fort Collins
could tap into in order to fund future services.
OPERATING EXPENSE
(CITY PORTION) I
2018 5-Year Plan 2040 Plan
84 DRAFT Fort Collins Transit Masher Plan
Higher Sales Tax - Given the population and
number of regional retailers in Fort Collins, a
small increase to the sales tax has the ability to
generate a large amount of revenue. This would
require voter approval. A well -crafted transit tax
that identifies specifically what the money will
be used for and how the community will benefit
typically stands a better chance at passing a
public vote. The existing KFCG tax which funds
about 10% of transit service today is set to expire
in 2020, The City is in the process of determining
how to renew this tax and whether to make it
permanent. This would represent a short-term
opportunity to potentially grow sales tax revenue
for transit, make that change permanent, and
support implementation of the 2040 Transit
Master Plan.
New Partner Agreements - Negotiating new
agreements to provide bulk -rate discounted
passes for apartment complexes, school districts,
existing business districts (such as the Downtown
Development Authority), business parks and
other entities presents an opportunity for the City
to both increase ridership and farebox recovery.
Bulk pass programs are typically more successful
at generating revenues than seeking to have all
the bulk pass participants purchase a monthly/
annual pass themselves. Transfort already
has a bulk pass program in place with CSU.
Another successful example of this comes from
RTD's EcoPass, which is a bulk -rate discounted
pass offered to hundreds of businesses and
neighborhoods throughout the Denver Region,
and accounts for a substantial portion of system
ridership and revenue.
Utility Fee - A utility similar to those established
fees for gas and electricity could be implemented
to fund transit or transportation. Existing fees
on the electric utility could also be increased.
Loveland used to have a transportation utility fee.
Utility fees can be established without a public
vote, and can generate significant revenues,
but at a higher cost burden per household than
sales tax, which also generates revenue from
non-residents, A major benefit of utility fees is
stability. Sales tax can vary considerably due
to economic cycles and even seasonal weather
patterns. Utility fees tend to be very stable.
Transportation Capacity Expansion Fee (Street
Oversizing Fund) - This is a one-time fee that
is assessed on new development to support the
construction of transportation infrastructure in
Fort Collins. This fee cannot be used to support
ongoing transit operations, but it can be used
for fixed capital costs like BRT infrastructure,
the maintenance facility expansion, mobility
hubs, and speed and reliability improvements.
The Transportation Capacity Expansion Fee
also has to be allocated to implement capital
improvements for other modes (roads, sidewalks,
bike facilities) and therefore, its ability to raise
substantial transit capital revenue is somewhat
limited, However, many communities use similar
"impact fees" as effective ways to leverage state
and federai grants, thus multiplying the benefit of
this type of fee. Currently, this fee is not used for
transit capital projects, but it could be expanded
to do so. Note that impact fees are highly volatile
and can be high during strong economic times
and very low during recessions.
Public -Private Partnerships - Fort Collins
already established itself as an innovator in
this respect through a recently established
partnership with a private sector taxi company
to supplement its on -demand and Dial -a -Ride
service. This partnership allowed Transfort to
offer a better service at a lower cost. Public -
private partnerships with new mobility services,
including microtransit providers, TNCs, and
autonomous vehicle transit services would be
a great opportunity to pilot new service as part
of future mobility innovation zones. There may
also be opportunities to partner with the private
sector to integrate fare payment, trip planning
and other mobile device technologies with other
agencies and modes.
Payroll or Business Head Tax - A substantial
funding source for transit in the Portland area
(and in Oregon in general) is a payroll tax
deduction. This is in part because Oregon does
not have a sales tax, which is a primary source of
transit funding in most of the country. In addition,
this type of tax is seen as a way for businesses
to help pay for a share of transit since there
are not many other transit taxes that are suited
just for employers. Locally, Denver implements
a similar business head tax on all employees to
generate revenue for transit service. This could
be an option for Transfort to collect a portion of
revenue from the employee market.
Additional Advertising - Transfort already
contracts with a media advertisement agency,
which generates a bit less than 2% of operating
costs. Transfort should explore opportunities to
expand advertising revenue as it is generally easy
to administer, but it should be acknowledged that
advertising will never be a major generator of
transit revenue.
» Increased Farebox Recovery - When combined
with contracts with CSU and others, Transfort's
farebox recovery rate in 2018 was about 19%
Implementation Strategy as
(only 336 if those contracts are exc|uded), which is lower than most transit agencies ofthis size. Setting a
goal of increasing Transfort's farebox recovery would generate additional revenue for expansion, however,
higher fares tend to reduce ridership, Three primary strategies would help Transfort increase itafarebVx
recovery overtirne� increasing the productivity of routes' expanding the bulk -rate pass program to
additional partners, and increasing tares, VVhi|e Increased fares can help toqvicNygenerate new revenues
(hare increases can be quickly recovered where as some taxes like sa|es/uti|ity car take many months
to realize gains)' the ridership impacts erode some of the benefit ofthe fare increase. Bulk rates (if
negohatedvve|Dcanhovestrongerirnpao1onrevenuesand|essofanirnpactonridership(assurningthat
rnanybu|kpassbuyersdonot|eavethesystern).Givenirnpaotstmridershipandequity,this plan warrants
caution about increasing transit fares in genera[ but potential changes to bulk -rate pass prices could be
explored.
v Improvement Districts - An improvement district can be considered for generating revenue for capital
improvements within a defined area. Increases to property taxes would need to be confirmed to be within
the state's rnaxirnunn property tax |evy. |rnprovernmntdistrioLs can generate substantial revenues' but
property taxes are often difficult to win voter approval for,
Some transit agencies set a fanobox recovery target that balances the funding raised byfares against the
social benefits that come from subsidized transit (improved mobility for low income popu|ations, improved
eroA|pyem access for high -density employment areas, affordable mobility for youth and thee|dedy). Based
on data from the Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database. in 2016 (the most recent year
that data are available), fixed -route bus systems, like Transfort's, had an average farebox recovery rate of 24%
across the United States. Locally, Loveland has a hsnebox recovery ratio of about 796. Greeley is about 1196. and
RTOisabout 2lY6,
When comparing to other similar sized cities with a major university, Transfort's farebox recovery is on the
|ovv end of the spectrum, The reasons for the highertsnebnx recovery in some of the other Cities are primarily
because the universities in those communities fund a higher percent ofthe service, For example, The
University of F|nr|da funds over5O% of the Regional Transit System in Gainesville, To lesser extent higher
farebox recovery is achieved because more service is provided with higher productivity.
Gainesville, FL 62%
Davis. CA MEMO= 57%
Chapel HUi NC 4796
Madison.VV| NJJJJJJJJ= 24%
Champaign -Urbana, IL 23%
Asheville, NC 220
mm
DRAFT Fort CoHins Transit Master Plan
Mayorw and City Counclimembers
"' Darin +' erear:
Jeff Mihelich, Deputy City ManawUrr
Laurie Kadrich, Directorof Development
Dean Klingner, Deputy Director — Planning, Develop,
Sizemore,
FROM: Tessa Greegor, Manager — FC Bikes
Paul # riMoves
u
#• #�
Transportatrion-pr-,-
RE: February 12 Work Session Summary: Paved Trail E-bike Pilo)
Program
' ebruary 12 Council Work Session, Tessa Greegor and' Paul Sizemore dell' ered
Councila presentation and requested Council Input on a proposed one-year pilot program to
allow Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes on paved trails. Present for the discussion from
ere Mayor Troxell,
MayorPro Tern Horak,and Councilmembers
Gu:towsky, Kristin Stephens,
Ray Martinez,
Ken Summers,
*. Ross
rconcerns werediscussed:
• Trail speeds: Council discussed concerns related to trail safety and bicyc
speeds. There was Interest in collecting speed -related data to assess bicycle us
speeds as part of the pilot program. This data could be er to inform fu�tu
discussions related to trail speed limits and enforcement.
• Class I and Class 2 E-bikes: There was discussion about Class 1 and Class
e-bikes and whether to include both in the PilotProgram.
Pilot• Program Evaluatiw we "# about the standard
objectives and measures forpilot project; suggested that addition
Lessons from other Pilot Programs: There war, discussion about what other
communities have learned through their pilot programs and if any significant
findings can be applied to Fort Collinspilot proposal.
z a
. . . . . . . . . . . .
I
FA