HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 12/24/2024 - Memorandum from Rupa Venkatesh re Follow up from December 11, 2024, Council Planning SessionCity Manager’s Office
300 Laporte Avenue
PO Box 580, Fort Collins, CO 80522
970-221-6684
rvenkatesh@fcgov.com
MEMORANDUM
Date: December 19, 2024
To: Mayor and City Councilmembers
Through: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
From: Rupa Venkatesh, Assistant City Manager
Subject: Follow up from December 11, 2024 Council Planning Session
BACKGROUND
On December 11, 2024, City Council held a 2025 Planning Session to discuss the professional
development fund and conference opportunities, the 2025 Council Calendar and the 2025
election.
TRAVEL & TRAINING BUDGET
During the Planning Session, Council discussed various options to budget for Council
professional development opportunities to equip them to better serve the City. It was discussed
that Leadership Planning Team (LPT) should recommend an option based on the discussion.
This proposal is included as Attachment 1 to this memo.
2025 COUNCIL CALENDAR
Council discussed July 22 to August 5 as their summer recess, moving the 1st Tuesday meeting
in November to Monday, November 3 due to Election Day and cancelling the December 23
Work Session. Council will consider rescheduling the November 11 Work Session which will be
cancelled due to the Veteran’s Day holiday. An updated 2025 Council Calendar is attached
(Attachment 2).
CITY ORGANIZATION ELECTION PROTOCOLS
Council considered shifting the start of the City election protocols to 90 days before ballots are
mailed, rather than the current deadline for filing an affidavit of intent. It was also clarified that
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during this period, nothing is changing as it relates to complying with open meetings law and
public notice of such meetings should not be construed as advertising for any incumbents.
Attachment 3 is an updated version.
NEXT STEPS
Should any Councilmember have any feedback regarding the travel & training budget, please
contact the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, City Manager or Assistant City Manager to share your
concerns. The City Manager’s Office will reach out to individual Councilmembers to set up a
time to start curating a 2025 professional development plan. Starting in Jan 2026, the
development plan will be a two-year plan to coincide with the new Council term.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Travel & Training budget
2. 2025 Council Calendar
3. City Organization Election Protocols
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City Manager’s Office
City Hall
300 LaPorte Ave.
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6505
970.224.6107 - fax
fcgov.com
Training and Travel Budget
As Council continues to prioritize High-Performing Boards, the Leadership Planning Team (LPT) has
proposed a new approach to professional development. Each Councilmember will collaborate with staff
to create a personalized two-year development plan. One fund (rather than separate regular/core travel
and development funds) will support a variety of development opportunities, including conferences,
classes, coaching, and other resources, to enhance their service to the City of Fort Collins.
Starting in January 2026, staff will meet with each Councilmember to understand their specific
professional development goals and curate a two-year development plan. 2026 will coincide with a new
Council term, onboarding and priority setting.
An annual $60,000 budget will be allocated. This equates generally to $8,570 for each Councilmember
per year for a total of $17,140 over the two-year period. The actual spending plan for each
Councilmember will be determined through the development planning process. This process will allow
for adjustments based on the specific needs and priorities of each individual Councilmember.
While funds will not be distributed evenly, the City Manager's Office will track spending by
Councilmember and inform the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem of any disparities. To ensure transparency,
a semi-annual report will detail each Councilmember's budget utilization.
For 2025, the training and travel/development budget is $60,000. The City Manager’s Office will meet
with each Councilmember to help curate a one-year professional development plan.
The City encourages Council participation in the National League of Cities (NLC) and Colorado
Municipal League (CML) annual conferences as these organizations are geared specifically for elected
officials and their development.
In addition, the annual spring lobbying trip to Washington D.C. is beneficial for the members of the
Legislative Review Committee and Mayor to attend.
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Election Day Conference Work Week
Nov. 4 - General Election Weeks marked here indicate typical Jan. 1 - New Year's Day
Special Council Mtg non-meeting or conference weeks.Jan. 20 - MLK Jr. Day
Feb. 17 - Presidents Day
May 26 - Memorial Day
City Council Meetings occur typically June 19 - Juneteenth
on the first and third Tuesday of the month
at 6 p.m. except as otherwise noted.Sept. 1 - Labor Day
Work Sessions - subject to change. Nov. 11 - Veterans Day
Nov. 27-28 Thanksgiving
www.fcgov.com
No Council Mtgs
1st Day Ballots Out
Election Season
(90 days prior to
ballot mailing)
2025City of Fort Collins City Council Calendar
Meeting Break
Working Period
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City Manager’s Office
PO Box 580
300 LaPorte Ave.
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6505
970.224.6107 - fax
fcgov.com
City Organization Election Protocols
Purpose
It is critically important for the City to remain neutral during elections and to not use City
resources to support any candidate. Though the current elected body and individual
Councilmembers still need to be able to perform functions of their office, there needs to be a
clear distinction between participation as an elected official vs a candidate seeking re-election.
When do City election protocols go into effect?
The start of these protocols is 90 days prior to ballot mailing. Per state statute, the earliest the
ballots can be mailed out is 22 days before the election and no later than 18 days before.
For the 2025 election, the earliest ballots can be mailed out is October 13; therefore, the start
of these protocols is July 15.
These protocols conclude on the first Tuesday in November of each odd-numbered year of a
regular election. This is election day.
For the 2025 election, the end of these protocols is November 4.
City resources during election protocols
The City organization will not use staff resources or provide any campaign platform for
candidates. This includes but not limited to:
Distribution or display of campaign materials at official City events is not allowed.
Staff employees should not be at council or mayoral campaign events. Per the City
Charter, this applies at all times not just during the City election protocol time period
identified in this document.
Councilmembers should not leverage speaking opportunities for re-election at City
events or events that they are invited to speak at in their role as a Councilmember.
Staff will not advise on platform issues.
The City will not promote or advertise any individual active candidate Councilmember’s
events or activities, such as a listening session, on any City channel.
The City will not purchase any event tickets for events.
The below protocols will not change during this period:
For any official events that a Councilmember is asked to speak at on behalf of the City,
staff will continue to write speaking points.
Participation in relevant conferences will still be allowed dependent on travel and
training budget availability.
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Public notice will be given if there are 3 or more Councilmembers at an event or
meeting that should be considered an open meeting. This is due to state statute and
should not be construed as advertising for any incumbent.
Frequently Asked Questions
I am running for re-election and have been asked to speak at an event in my official elected
role. Is this allowed?
Yes, this is allowed as long as you are not actively campaigning during your speech.
For example, you should not say “If I get re-elected as Mayor…..” vs “The things that
are important to me….”
The City is hosting the Open Streets event during the protocol period. Can I still attend as a
Councilmember?
Yes, there will be a City booth with the “Chat with Council” banner so you may visit the
booth and stay to chat with event participants. However, the City will not advertise
specific time slots that Councilmembers will be there. You should not use this event as
a candidate platform.
City will advertise with the event that Council will be hosting listening sessions
throughout the day.
Councilmembers should not promote the event in advance on their campaign page.
If I have any questions about allowed activity during the period when City election protocols
are activated, who should I contact?
You can always contact your fellow Councilmembers, City Attorney’s Office, City
Manager’s Office or the City Clerk’s Office.
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