HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 06/10/2025 - Memorandum from Ginny Sawyer re Work Session Summary, May 27, 2025 – Capital Tax Renewal
Cc: Joe Wimmer, Senior Analyst, Finance
City Manager’s Office
City Hall
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6505
970.224.6107 - fax
fcgov.com
WORK SESSION MEMORANDUM
Date: June 5, 2025
To: Mayor and City Councilmembers
Through: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
Tyler Marr, Deputy City Manager
From: Ginny Sawyer, Project & Policy Manager
Subject: Work Session Summary, May 27, 2025 – Capital Tax Renewal
BOTTOM LINE
The purpose of this memo is to document the summary of the discussion during the May 27, 2025 work
session. All Councilmembers were present with Councilmember Canonico participating remotely.
Staff provided an update on work that has occurred since the last work session in November 2024,
which included project and budget refinement, feedback from outreach and from Council Finance, and
the scaling of programs and projects to hit anticipated revenue. The package presented reflects the
combining of some previous programs (arterials and streetscapes, etc.), the removal of funding for dog
parks, less funding for Timberline recycling improvements due to a grant award, and considerations to
use the Affordable Housing fund as a cash fund (vs bonding) which increases the available amount
from $7.5M to the full $10M.
DISCUSSION SUMMARY
• Overall, Councilmembers feel like package development is on track.
• There was an overall desire to see more money in the Affordable Housing fund but no
consensus on where additional funding should come from.
• Councilmembers expressed a need to clearly message the difference between the 2050 Tax
and the Capital Tax, especially in the areas of transit and parks and recreation.
• Additional questions focused on:
o Pickleball indoor/outdoor, rightsizing, and maintenance
o To what degree are the Farm/Gardens etc. contributing to these projects
o Can we address annexed streets level of service in this package
NEXT STEPS
• Council work session July 8, 2025. Staff will use this to address questions mentioned above
• Ballot referral July 15 or August 19, 2025
ADDITIONAL FOLLOW-UP
Docusign Envelope ID: 422165D5-10AA-49C6-B1C7-B4E044D4E458
Roads:
Attached to this memo is a previous memo that addresses annexed roads. It was included in the
March, 20, 2024 Council Finance packet.
Sidewalks:
The sidewalk program is a long-standing effort to improve sidewalks citywide and it utilizes an
established Sidewalk Prioritization Model (attached.) The current and projected funding for the program
enables City staff to construct approximately 2 miles of new sidewalk each year.
The prioritization model gives scoring for Demand (35%), Health and Equity (20%), and Safety (45%).
For example, priority would be given to missing gaps near schools (Demand), in proximity to arterial
roadways (Safety), and in a higher Health Equity Index need (Health and Equity). In addition to areas
where there is no current sidewalk, we consider the 2.5 foot “Hollywood style” sidewalks to be the same
as a missing gap because they do not meet ADA minimum width standards.
Notable improvements in the last 10 years include arterial corridors such as Prospect Road, Drake
Road, Harmony Road, and Kechter Road, among others. The next ten years will provide sidewalk
connections along our arterial network in areas where we are meeting final buildout, such as Kechter
Road, Trilby Road, Mountain Vista Drive, Vine Drive, and continuing to fill gaps (or replace Hollywood
style sidewalks) along corridors such as Prospect Road and Drake Road.
Streetscapes:
When considering and prioritizing streetscapes considerations include a nexus between improving
multimodal safety, especially for bicyclists and pedestrians, partnership funding opportunities, and
alignment with the 15-minute city concept and existing plans.
The tie to safety and vision zero is always a priority, and it increases the likelihood of federal and state
grant funding opportunities. The three streetscape projects that we had previously identified for the
CCIP were identified in the Downtown Plan and River District Plan (Jefferson Ave from College to
Mountain, and Willow Street from Linden to Lincoln), as well as the Midtown in Motion Plan which
generated the Midtown improvements project (College Ave from Drake to Boardwalk). Projects
advanced due to willing partnerships to help fund and guide the work (the DDA and the Midtown BID).
In addition, all intersection improvement projects typically have some degree of streetscape
improvement associated with them, so by blending the arterial intersection and streetscape funding we
maximize our execution flexibility with the overall program. It’s also worth noting that previous Council
feedback has been to not focus the streetscape funding only in the downtown area, so it is the intent of
City staff to focus the streetscape funding on both the Midtown improvements and the Willow projects.
Docusign Envelope ID: 422165D5-10AA-49C6-B1C7-B4E044D4E458