HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - Mail Packet - 10/13/2020 - City Council Futures Committee Agenda - October 12, 2020
City Manager’s Office
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Fort Collins, CO 80522
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Futures Committee Agenda
Monday, October 12, 4:00-6:00pm
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Chair Comments and Approval of September 14 Minutes:
4:00-4:15
Think Tank Item 6-2020
4:15- 4:45 The Impact of COVID-19 and the New Normal of Work
Jeanne Meister, Founding Partner at Future Workplace
4:45-5:15 Q & A with Jeanne
5:15-5:30 Bloomberg updates from the Mayor
Unscheduled Items
Changes in Service Delivery **
How to co-create in the midst of COVID-19**
Slow Cities **
Design Thinking **
Livable Cities **
Future of Housing**
City as a Platform **
Regionalism (Larimer/Weld county)
University of the Future
Futurists
Cultural Heritage
Learning
Curiosity
Mental Health
Learning (knowledge and
wisdom)
Digital Equity
Committee Members
Mayor Wade Troxell (Chairperson)
Councilmember Emily Gorgol
Councilmember Julie Pignataro
Staff Liaison: Jacqueline Kozak-Thiel, Chief Sustainability Officer
Staff Support: Megan DeMasters, Specialist, Environmental Services
**Committee Priority topic
Think Tank Items 2020
1-2020 Becoming Fort Collins:
Regenerative
Approaches for Our
Future
2-2020 The Future of Health
Equity
3-2020 Voices of Youth
4-2020 The Future of
Community
Engagement
5-2020 Pragmatic and
Visionary Approaches
to Digital Inclusion
6-2020 The Impact of COVID-
19 and the New
Normal of Work
Think Tank Items 2019
1-2019 Future of Philanthropic
Partnerships
2-2019 Polarities in data and
smart cities:
connectivity and
privacy, big data and
security
3-2019 The Future of
Community
Architecture
4-2019 The Future of Regional
Transportation
5-2019 Future of a Mindful,
Compassionate Fort
Collins: Learnings from
the Mindful Cities
Initiative
6-2019 The Future of Libraries
1
MINUTES
CITY OF FORT COLLINS
FUTURES COMMITTEE MEETING
Date: September 14, 2020
Location: Zoom Webinar
Time: 4:00-6:00pm
Committee Members Present:
Mayor Wade Troxell
Julie Pignataro
Emily Gorgol
Kristin Stephens (alternate)
City Staff:
Jackie Kozak-Thiel, (Staff Liaison)
Presenter:
Francella Ochillo, Executive Director, Next Century Cities
Additional Staff present:
Tyler Marr, City Manager’s Office
Keli DiMartino, City Manager’s Office
Teresa Roche, Human Resources
Colman Keane, Connexion,
Theresa Connor, Utilities
Caryn Champine, PDT
Carrie Daggett, City Attorney’s Office
Sarah Meline, Environmental Services
Beth Sowder, Social Sustainability
Lucinda Smith, Environmental Services
Honore Depew, City Manager’s Office
Sierra Anderson, City Manager’s Office
Terri Runyon, City Manager’s Office
Greg Yeager, Police Services
Kevin Wilkins, IT
Nina Bodenhamer, City Give
Chief Swoboda, Police Services
Community members:
Kevin Jones, FC Chamber
Dustin
Christine
Meeting called to order at 4:05 pm
Approval of Minutes:
Julie moved to approve July 13 minutes. Emily seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 3-0-0.
2
Chairman Comments: None
Summary
• Fort Collins has a deep-rooted history in advocacy for broadband access
• Consider the difference between access and adoption to broadband
o Access is about infrastructure
o Adoption is about what are the barriers to people signing up for and using
broadband
• Digital inclusion strategies need to include digital equity
o Recognize who most under-resourced are in our community
• Steps to achieve digital equity include
o Identify a goal
o Collect data on barriers to adoption
o Assess availability of community resources
o Engage a number of stakeholders
o Identify metrics
• Imagine and envision what digital equity means in Fort Collins
o Are we able to connect households so that all residents are reached?
o Consider what affordability really means
o What does digital equity mean for businesses?
• Importance of sharing our stories
Think Tank Item 5-2020: Pragmatic and Visionary Approaches to Digital Inclusion
• Introduction to Next Century Cities
o 501c3 nonprofit supported by foundations with the goal of supporting local efforts
to expand connectivity
o Support mayors, digital equity offices, residents and others who demand change
in their communities so that they have a voice not just at federal level but at state
level
o Next Century Cities seeks to amplify work in communities and have all members
recognize the far-reaching impacts of broadband in community
• Fort Collins has deep rooted history of advocacy in broadband
o Community members appreciate the importance of broadband
o Support of local officials for broadband—this is especially important in COVID
times. Important for local officials be educated, and have the language to make
the ask to other levels of government and translate for residents so they have
community support for
• Francella reviews milestones in Fort Collins timeline for Broadband highlighting that
timeline matters for structural changes to take place for broadband access
o Need long-term planning and long-term community partnerships
o Need to be learners of the issues and ongoing funding and support
o Long-term commitment makes it easier to gauge success of broadband efforts
o It is important to recognize where we are now, and that there is always work to be
done to ensure that every single resident can get online in a meaningful way and
contribute to the digital ecosystem after they have obtained access.
3
• There is a difference between ACCESS and ADOPTION
o Focus tends on resources for access and not for adoption
▪ In COVID-19 times it is not enough to get the infrastructure in a
neighborhood, rather, we need to find a way to get it in the front door—
aggressive about broadband access strategies
o Access refers to proximity to broadband infrastructure
o Adoption is whether or not a person opts in
▪ Need to look at barriers to adoption
o Often funding is put into access and little in adoption strategies—this is
problematic because infrastructure alone is not enough to ensure that people will
adopt
• Increasing adoption means looking at digital inclusion and including strategies to address
digital equity.
o Need to recognize who the most under-resourced in our community are: across
the Nation, it tends to be communities of color, indigenous groups, Households
where English is a second language, the elderly and disabled. There may be
reasons they do not adopt.
o Digital equity requires recognizing that some of these communities may need
more support than others.
▪ i.e. considering how we divide up resources—spend more money on
households that are struggling and be creative in strategies utilized
▪ Requires recognition that distribution does not have to be equal to be
effective.
• Digital equity is at the core of successful digital inclusion strategies and follows the
following steps:
o Identify a goal
▪ Consider what successful strategies to meet the goal will look like
▪ Recognize that the goal will not be solved or reached with a single
investment or action, it will be an ongoing endeavor
▪ When looking at residents there needs to be a shared understanding of who
is the most disadvantaged in our community
• This will help further down the road on the “why” resources are
being invested in certain places
o Collect data on connectivity and barriers to adoption
▪ Important to understand what the state of connectivity is right now
▪ Across the Country, it is very difficult to for residents who have limited
opportunities
▪ Continue to see how cycles of poverty affect issues with digital access in
addition many other issues such as when residents have students or when
they are first responders and front-line workers, it becomes a hub for
problems
▪ Cycles of poverty are often cloaked in shame—it is difficult to reach out
to someone who is disconnected and cannot afford it
▪ It is difficult to identify what the magic number is that people can afford—
there needs to be data and analysis
4
▪ It is necessary to go into analysis with compassion, because the people
who are typically asking questions are not the people who find themselves
in situations where they cannot afford connectivity
o Assess which community resources are available
▪ Resources can include non-monetary sources such as relationships
churches, nonprofits and other community partners
▪ Community partnerships help build social capital and serve as a resource
to close connectivity gaps
o Engage a number of stakeholders
▪ The digital divide cannot be solved without including the most
disconnected people at the table
▪ Need to bring voices to the table—be creative and consider what it means
to have a variety of stakeholders
o Identify specific metrics for success
• What does digital equity mean for Fort Collins?
o It is important to recognize that while digital equity is on the minds of our
Council members and some of our departments, it may be coming up for the first
time for some community members
▪ Consider how to frame digital equity as an opportunity and not a threat
o Defining what is affordable is difficult because for some people affordability
means zero, especially in unconventional times
o Consider community level partnerships already in place that can help with
evolving benchmarks in digital literacy
o Recognize that during COVID, we are constantly reacting, it can be difficult to
think about the future and what we want out of our digital ecosystem.
o Work to intentionally take breaks to dream together and consider what is possible
• Important questions:
o Question 1: How will widespread broadband access and adoption change
outcomes for residents in Fort Collins?
▪ How does this help with economic mobility?
▪ How does it help with arts and culture?
▪ How does access support our other goals
o Question 2: What are the long-term structural changes needed to achieve shared
goals?
▪ Obstacles? Resources? How do we tap corporate residents to be partners
in endeavors?
o Question 3: Have you made room at your table for new voices?
▪ Look around your table who is there and who is deputized as an expert?
We need to think about our comfort zones on who would be a good deputy
in our army?
Comments/Q&A:
• Mayor and others highlight the need to think about moving beyond buildout of broadband
which has been the focus and consider the outcomes we are trying to achieve
o Fort Collins is doing many good things and still has challenges that need to be
addressed
5
• Councilmember Pignataro asks about the affordability option, what are the options if the
affordability is zero? Julie—for the affordability option—we know there is one but if
someone can afford zero, do we have that option?
o Francella shares that at the federal level there has been a movement to have a
broadband subsidy and there is the lifeline program where rates are only $9.95 a
month for individuals who qualify for other government subsidies.
▪ Only 33% of the eligible population took advantage of the program so it
became a question of if mor should be invested in this program and what
are the barriers?
▪ When COVID hit, questions raised about if 9.95 is affordable or is zero
affordable? Continue to be evolving questions in this space
• Coleman shares digital equity moved up in general fund for broader city initiative—
general fund level allows for engagement of more programs
• Darin thanks Francella and that he is thankful for the partnership with Next Century
Cities
o Futures committee has played a role in the evolution of getting a municipal
broadband and Darin shares the story of the journey of getting to this place
o Hope that Fort Collins story can help others get there.
• Importance of storytelling especially at the federal and state levels to leverage this work
o Share both successes and challenges
o Ask what communities need and support the model that works for various
communities
o Consider what story we want people to tell about Fort Collins
• Discussion about what the barriers are to adoption
o What are the adoptions that need to be considered at a more granular level?
▪ i.e. while the school district was able to give some students hotspots and
laptops, this doesn’t help all people
• Discussion around how much of an access point the libraries were and how COVID
impacted this
o Prior to COVID 25% of population at or below the poverty line across the U.S.
relied on libraries for Broadband
• Consider who we are trying to connect. If we only focus on students and those who are
enrolled, cannot reach everyone.
• Shifts focus to Households, so that everyone can be reached including students
• Aspect of family so important—even if a child receives a computer, parents may not
know how to turn on the computer, access a hotspot, etc.
o Importance of being able to teach digital literacy
• All the issues we see with technology are exacerbated by COVID—learning and other
economic opportunities
o Are we connecting people to the lifeline through broadband?
o When we think about who is disconnected—the number is much higher when
parents are non-English speakers there is a barrier to adoption at the front door.
▪ Come from somewhere where they don’t trust government
▪ Need to engage and disarm people—rely on word of mouth.
▪ When thinking about overall strategies? Maybe include privacy training as
part of digital literacy
6
• When we think about student and household poverty in this community look at impacts to
connectivity
o Nina can share some work and studies on demographics including household
poverty levels when student populations are taken out.
▪ In general, need less dependency on AMI to base eligibility on other
factors that impact ability to connect
• Consider outcomes that are different than deployment
o After 2022 when network is established, how do we leverage it?
o Consider how to use network for commerce, digital medicine, etc.
o Envision the next step is to establish a Smart City network
▪ Connect with organizations such as IGNITE, a nonprofit agency that
leverages work.
• Need to consider what conversations we should be having about Utilities and other
transportation infrastructure and consider what barriers are in place for infrastructure
adoption
o Think about how we have an integrated system
• Recognize that digital equity goes beyond individuals
o Consider what digital equity means for businesses and their connectivity
o Is there a way for digital equity to subsidize connectivity for nonprofits and
nonprofit partners?
o Consider changing building codes to include requirements for Broadband
• Francella ends by sharing a quote from a Boston City official about the importance of
digital equity
o “The work is not done. Everybody discovered over the last six months that
connectivity is a must have, and people who may not have been that interested, or
didn’t see the immediate need are now pressed into understanding that we have a
need for connectivity. We’re scrambling to fill in those gaps of failed federal
policies that have not made digital connectivity universally available or affordable
to all”
Additional Discussion: None
Meeting adjourned by Mayor Troxell at 5:50pm
1
Sarah Kane
From:Megan DeMasters
Sent:Monday, October 5, 2020 1:48 PM
To:Bob Gannon; Caroline Mitchell; Carrie Daggett; Darin Atteberry; Delynn Coldiron; ELT
Members; Emily Gorgol; Georgia Fruh; Greg Yeager; Jacqueline Kozak-Thiel; Jeff
Swoboda; Judy Schmidt; Julie Pignataro; Karen Burke; Ken Summers; Kristin Stephens;
Megan DeMasters; Mike Beckstead; Monita Spradlin; Nina; Ross Cunniff; Sarah Kane;
Susan Gutowsky; Teresa Roche; Theresa Connor; Tom Pritchett; Wade Troxell; Wendy
Bricher
Subject:October 12 Futures agenda and September minutes
Attachments:Futures minutes 091420 draft.pdf; Futures Committee 2020.10.12 Agenda.pdf
Categories:Council Packet Item
Good afternoon Futures!
Please find attached:
09/14/2020 Meeting Minutes for your review
10/12/2020 Agenda
We are thrilled that Jeanne Meister, founding partner at Future Workplace will be joining us to speak on the impact of
COVID-19 and the new normal of work. Here is more about Jeanne:
Jeanne Meister, an internationally recognized leader, a founding partner of Future Workplace, and best-selling author of
four books, The Future Workplace Experience: 10 Rules For Mastering Disruption in Recruiting and Engaging Employees
published in 2016 and 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop, and Keep Tomorrow's Employees
Today. Jeanne is a sought after expert on the future of work, having appeared in CIO, CNBC Power Lunch, CNN, Fast
Company, Fox Business, Harvard Business Review, NPR, SHRM Magazine, MarketWatch, Time Magazine, The Globe and
Mail, and WPIX, New York. She has written more than 100 articles on the future of learning, the future of work, and the
impact of artificial intelligence in the workplace, and Jeanne is also a contributor to Forbes. She was previously Vice
President of Market Development at Accenture. Jeanne lives in New York City and Columbia County, New York. Jeanne
wrote a recent Forbes article on The Impact of The Coronavirus on HR And the New Normal of Work describes how the
coronavirus is becoming the accelerator for one of the greatest workplace transformations of our lifetime--how we
work, who we work with, where we work, how we communicate with each other, and the ways we learn will be changed
forever. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2020/03/31/the-impact-of-the-coronavirus-on-hr-and-the-new-
normal-of-work/ It has been viewed over 100,000 times.
Best,
Megan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Megan DeMasters
Specialist, Air Quality
Environmental Services
City of Fort Collins
222 Laporte Avenue
970-416-2832 office
mdemasters@fcgov.com