HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 12/5/2023 - Memorandum From Seonah Kendall, Shannon Hein, And Jillian Fresa Re: November 14, 2023 Work Session Summary: Economic Health Strategic PlanEconomic Health Office
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PO Box 580, Fort Collins, CO 80522
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MEMORANDUM
Date: November 22, 2023
To: Mayor and City Councilmembers
Through: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
Tyler Marr, Deputy City Manager
Jacob Castillo, Chief Sustainability Officer
From: SeonAh Kendall, Economic Health Director
Shannon Hein, Economic Health Manager
Jillian Fresa, Economic Health Manager
Subject: November 14, 2023, Work Session Summary: Economic Health Strategic Plan
The purpose of this memo is to summarize the discussions and respond to questions during the
November 14, 2023 Work Session regarding the Economic Health Strategic Plan.
Councilmembers present: Mayor Arndt, Mayor Pro Tem Francis, Canonico, Ohlson, and Pignataro
Councilmembers absent: Gutowsky and Peel
Presenting staff: Jacob Castillo, Chief Sustainability Officer; SeonAh Kendall, Economic Health Director;
Shannon Hein, Economic Health Manager; and Jillian Fresa, Economic Health Manager
Direction sought from Council:
What feedback does Council have on the proposed elements of the Economic Health Strategic
Plan?
Does Council agree with moving forward with the adoption of the Economic Health Strategic Plan
on December 5th?
Discussion Summary:
Staff presented an overview of the proposed Strategic Plan during the Work Session. The presentation
highlighted the importance of economic health to overall community wellbeing, the connection of the
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Economic Health Strategic Plan to other guiding documents and council priorities, and detailed the four
areas of focus for the plan;
1. Approach business retention, expansion and attraction of primary employer businesses
thoughtfully
2. Ensure small businesses thrive
3. Support talent and workforce
4. Reposition innovation
The feedback staff received from council after the conclusion of the presentation was as follows:
Request to consider on how the plan might align and enhance internal processes for small
businesses to start and grow in Fort Collins.
Positive feedback on the integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion principles throughout the
plan.
Recommendation to align the plan with the 15-Minute City initiative, emphasizing the value of
creating accessible commercial spaces. As this contributes to the reduction of commute times,
but also aids the City’s commitment to climate goals.
Some concern that the plan is promoting growth in an unsustainable way; others sought
clarification on the plan’s focus on enabling people to have the ability to both live and work in Fort
Collins while ensuring alignment with the City’s climate goals.
Follow-up:
1. How many people both live and work in Fort Collins?
a. Number of people that are employed and live in Fort Collins is 32,592.
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b. Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, OnTheMap, https://onthemap.ces.census.gov/
i. 2021 is the most recent data available.
2. How will the plan intend to focus on how to ensure the people who live in Fort Collins are
able to work here and vice versa, and how does that help achieve climate goals while
managing growth?
a. This plan aims to empower community members with the choice to live and work in Fort
Collins, recognizing the role of the Economic Health Strategic Plan in managing the
community’s projected growth. This includes ensuring there are good jobs in our
community so people commute less and can afford to stay. Good, quality jobs are the
result of business retention and expansion, also known as BRE or "grow your own" to
support our existing companies through resource connections, expansion opportunities,
and workforce support. As our community evolves and the region grows around us and
with us, there are opportunities to add attraction to our strategy.
b. Deliberate outbound attraction efforts will allow us to reach Council's circular economy
goals by creating needed supply chain connections and developing “cradle to cradle”
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product solutions within our local economy. We aim to be thoughtful and prioritize
businesses that align with the sustainability goals of our community and create jobs for
climate solutions and life sciences, For example, targeting a firm that can help local
industries reduce their GHG emissions and need to be in close proximity to their
customers.
c. City Plan Trends and Forces Report (2018) - https://www.fcgov.com/cityplan/files/city-
plan-trends-forces-report-2018.pdf?1602105034
i. A projected 236,000-237,000 residents by 2040 (page 7) includes entire Growth
Management Area (GMA), not just current City limits.
ii. Our rate of growth has declined over the years, but we are still growing (just
more slowly than we were from 1950-2000).
iii. According to the Colorado State Demography Office, the population of Larimer
County will increase at an average annual rate of 1.4% between 2018 and 2050,
while age groups over 65-years old will largely grow at faster rates. Estimates for
the growth are only available for Larimer Count y, but Fort Collins is likely to see
similar trends. There are significant economic impacts of having much faster
growth in “retired” populations 65+ that exceeds the overall population growth
projection. This translates to having fewer working-age people available to offer
essential care, other specialized services, and to maintain a good quality of life
for community members. (page 13)
3. Is Economic Health still focused on incubation and “growing our own”?
a. Yes, EHO is still focused on business formation and incubation. EHO will highlight
incubation as an existing strategy and make it explicit in the plan in relation to how we
prioritize our work: retention, expansion, incubate, and then attraction.
b. Incubation currently occurs through the Multicultural Business and Entrepreneur Center,
Larimer Small Business Development Center, Colorado State University Institute for
Entrepreneurship, and Innosphere Ventures.
4. How is Economic Health supporting businesses through City licensing and processes?
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a. The Business Connectors at the Multicultural Business and Entrepreneur Center are
acting as navigators to walk businesses through Sales Tax and business licensing, as
well as Planning, building inspection, and development review.
b. The Economic Health Office will continue to add tactics and strategies to its work plan
while working alongside City Manager’s Office, and our colleagues in Planning around
process improvement.
Next Steps:
Economic Health staff will carefully review the draft plan and offer additional clarifications throughout the
document, in accordance with the discussions held with Council at the Work Session. Subsequently, staff
will formally propose the adoption of the revised plan during the Council meeting scheduled for December
5, 2023.
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