HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 12/17/2024 - Memorandum from Rupa Venkatesh and Ginny Sawyer re Update on Civic Assembly ProcessCity Manager’s Office
300 Laporte Avenue
PO Box 580, Fort Collins, CO 80522
970-221-6684
rvenkatesh@fcgov.com
CC: William Bevil, Sylvia Tatman-Burruss
MEMORANDUM
Date: December 12, 2024
To: Mayor and City Councilmembers
Through: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
From: Rupa Venkatesh, Assistant City Manager
Ginny Sawyer, Senior Policy Manager
Subject: Update on Civic Assembly Process
BOTTOM LINE
One of the identified 2024-2026 Council priorities is to develop a Hughes Site Master Plan by
engaging in an inclusive process to determine desired future uses on the site. In addition,
another priority is to make government more accessible, approachable and fun by providing
opportunities to connect with local government and community in meaningful ways. Therefore,
staff recommended the utilization of a civic assembly process as one engagement tool in
developing the site plan.
On August 20, 2024, Ordinance No. 106 was passed by Council on second reading to
appropriate $150,000 to Healthy Democracy (HD), a nonprofit organization specialized in
implementing civic assemblies across the country.
The purpose of this memo is to provide Council with a brief update of the work underway and
touch points with Council.
GENERAL PROJECT TIMELINE
HD will be subcontracting with both American Public Trust (APT) who will provide internal
project management and fundraising and the Colorado State University Center for Public
Deliberation (CPD) whose role will be discussed further below.
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APT is hoping to match Council’s allocation of $150,000 in order to expand the time the
Assembly has to deliberate, increase stipends, expand the Community Guide work and other
equity considerations. The below timeline assumes a baseline of $150,000 and will be updated
should APT be successful in its fundraising goals.
•
• Fundraising
• Process design
•
• Process design
• Communities of interest engagement planning
• OurCity website project page created
•
process design
• Training of Community Guides
• HD to host informational sessions with engaged parties and
the public
• Drafting of invitation letters
•
• Community Guide-led engagement and deliberation
• Information Committee recruitment
•
• Assembly onboarding
• Community Guide-led engagement and deliberation
• Information Committee convenes (one 3-hour meeting)
•
• First weekend of the Assembly
•
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•
Community Guides with CPD
Since 2017, CPD has worked with the City and community partners to develop and implement
Community Guides. The program was designed to create meaningful and inclusive
opportunities for local residents to co-create public policy and develop their shared civic
capacity. Community members first apply to be a Community Guide, either as a representative
of a local non-profit, cultural, business, or community organization or as an emerging leader
representing historically excluded communities. Next, they take part in a workshop led by the
CPD where they develop their skills for hosting and facilitating community conversations. After
that training, Guides conduct conversations in their affinity communities, during which they
collect data about the distinct needs and desires of their trusted communities.
Currently, CPD has the budget for 10 community guides for this project. An application will be
open from December 16- January 22, available on the CPD and City websites. City staff will
also send the information to already engaged parties as the first of many outreach efforts. The
information that the Community Guides gather will be shared with the Assembly. Their work will
also be an opportunity to engage with underrepresented communities, such as the Native
American community. Although they may have very small representation on the Assembly itself,
this allows them a voice in the process and connection to the Assembly.
Information Committee
The Information Committee (IC) is another project element unique to this engagement process.
It ensures that the Assembly members have access to accurate, balanced, and comprehensive
information on the issues they are deliberating upon. The IC’s role is to decide on what
information the Assembly receives and select the initial presenters to the Assembly. The time
commitment for this Committee is a one three-hour meeting in March. The recommendation for
the makeup of the IC is as follow:
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• 4 members in total with one member each from the Natural Resources Advisory Board,
Land Conservation and Stewardship Board, Youth Advisory Board and the Parks and
Recreation Board. Each of these boards would decide amongst themselves who would
represent them.
• 4 Community Guides selected by CPD
• 4 at-large community members selected by the Community Guides
Process Design Alignment
One of the key elements that makes a civic assembly unique is the lottery selection process that
ensures that the makeup of the Assembly is representative of the community. Below is staff’s
recommendation and we would welcome feedback if Council would like to do something
differently.
• Assembly member population pool
o Exclusively Fort Collins residents (it could also encompass a wider geographic
scope)
o Qualified residents are at least 16 years old, regardless of citizenship status
o Cannot be a current elected official or City staff member or board or commissions
member
• Proposed demographic categories include:
o Age
o Location of Residence (based on Council Districts)
o Educational Attainment
o Housing Status
o Income (or we can stratify this based on median home price in zip code)
Finally, the question for the Assembly to deliberate is as follows:
Informed by the diverse needs of our community, what uses of the Hughes site will contribute
most effectively to Fort Collins’ long-term vitality and meet the requirements outlined in the
2021 ballot measure?
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In conjunction with the civic assembly, the broader public will be engaged through the traditional
avenues with specific opportunities yet to be planned.
NEXT STEPS
Throughout this process, staff will keep Council updated on key touchpoints with the community
as well as opportunities for Council engagement. Staff will provide another update and
opportunity to engage on the design elements during the January 28, 2025 Work Session and
Healthy Democracy will also be available to answer questions.
If Council has any feedback, in particular regarding the Information Committee makeup and the
demographic categories, please let Rupa or I know by January 10 so that any outstanding
questions can be addressed during the January 28 Work Session prior to invitations being
drafted and mailed.
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