HomeMy WebLinkAboutResponse To Constituent Letter - Mail Packet - 9/5/2023 - Response From Mayor Jeni Arndt To Economic Advisory Board (Eab) Re: August 28, 2023 Memorandum, “Boards Reimagined And Eab Thank You To Council”
Mayor
City Hall
300 LaPorte Ave.
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.416.2154
970.224.6107 - fax
fcgov.com
August 31, 2023
Economic Advisory Board
c/o Jilian Fresa, Staff Liaison
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
Dear Chair Walkup, Vice-Chair Parks and Board Members:
On behalf of City Council, thank you for providing us with the August 28 memorandum
regarding Boards Reimagined and the EAB’s thank you to City Council. We understand that it
is helpful for Council to articulate when the input of EAB would be appreciated, with enough
lead time for the Board to discuss the relevant topic during your monthly meeting.
We understand that you are currently considering exploring and potentially commenting on the
Water Rate Policy, Mulberry Annexation Plan and the Economic Health Strategic Plan.
We do appreciate the expertise and perspectives that you bring to the Board and sharing them
with City Council.
Best Regards,
Jeni Arndt
Mayor
/sek
cc: City Council Members
Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
Davina Lau, Boards and Commissions Coordinator
Economic Health Office
300 LaPorte Avenue
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6505
970.224.6107 – fax
fcgov.com
MEMORANDUM
DATE: August 28th , 2023
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
CC: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager;
SeonAh Kendall, Economic Health Director
FROM: Renee Walkup, Chair – Economic Advisory Board ;
John Parks, Vice-Chair – Economic Advisory Board ; and
Members, Economic Advisory Board for 2023
RE: BOARDS REIMAGINED AND EAB THANK YOU TO COUNCIL
The citizen boards of the City of Fort Collins provide excellent opportunities for the
people of Fort Collins to engage as advisors to City Council in specific decision areas.
This advisory role is a key feature that attracts citizens to board positions. The
Economic Advisory Board (EAB) currently con sists of a diverse array of individuals with
extensive backgrounds and expertise in city planning, commercial real estate,
environmental economics, decarbonization strategies and energy systems, and other
areas related to economic health. At the City Council meeting of August 16, 2023, three
EAB members, Erin Gray, Denny Coleman, and John Parks, had the opportunity to
speak at the public comment session to express interest in increasing the EAB’s
advisory role and request that Council alert the EAB if there are upcoming topics for
which feedback is needed.
The members of the EAB would like to express our gratitude to Council, especially to
Councilmember Peel and Mayor Arndt, for recognizing the comments made by EAB
members at the conclusion of the public comment session on August 16. Members of
the EAB hope to develop two-way communication with Council moving forward so that
the experiences and combined knowledge of the EAB members can better serve
Council and provide relevant insights to support knowledge-based decision -making.
We recognize the demands placed on the time of Councilmembers and are open to
time -conscience approaches to facilitating this communication. Even a brief mention
during a Council meeting or work session such as “It would be helpful to hear from the
EAB on this”, if given enough lead time, can spur city staff to communicate to the EAB
to act and comment on the topic at hand. Sufficient time is required due to the monthly
cadence of EAB (and other board) meetings not coinciding with the weekly cadence of
Council meetings and work sessions.
Currently, some of the topics that the EAB is considering exploring and potentially
commenting on include Water Rate P olicy, Mulberry Annexation Plan and the Economic
Health Strategic Plan . Please let us know if there are other topics for which you’d seek
the EAB’s input. Thank you for your continued work to improve the City of Fort Collins.