HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 10/27/2020 - Memorandum From Lawrence Pollack Re: Councilmember Questions And Requests From The October 13 Work Session On The 2021 Budget
1
Financial Services
215 N Mason Street
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6795
fcgov.com/finance
M E M O R A N D U M
Date: October 22, 2020
To: Mayor Troxell and City Council
Through: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Travis Storin, Interim Chief Financial Officer
From: Lawrence Pollack, Budget Director
Re: Councilmember questions and requests from the October 13 work session on the
2021 Budget
City Council held its third scheduled work session on the 2021 Budget. Questions were
asked about specific Offers, as well as some more general inquiries about the budget.
Below are the responses to the questions and requests noted that were not addressed
during the work session.
Outcome: Neighborhood Livability and Social Health
1) Request from Mayor Troxell: Please provide more information on the inquiry into the
City creating a Legal Defense Fund
Response from Darin Atteberry
Staff will continue to research different models and methods other cities, counties and
non-profit organizations are using to address this community need. It will take a few
weeks to gather and assimilate this information. Staff will then frame the issue and
possible approaches in a memo. Council can then determine if this should be discussed
at a future work session.
2) Question from Emily Gorgol: What are the root causes of graffiti in our community
and how are we deploying resources for prevention and abatement?
Response from Caryn Champine (Planning, Development and Transportation)
Graffiti prevention and abatement meets multiple community needs, creates better
aesthetics, and increases economic vitality. Currently, the ease of reporting graffiti
results in resident empowerment and faster turnaround for quick and efficient clean -up.
Our Graffiti Abatement Coordinator and Officer collaborate with other internal
departments: Code Compliance, Police Services, Utilities, Parks, Art in Public Places,
DocuSign Envelope ID: C2D08506-BA8A-4ED2-882C-CF5EA2ADD05E
2
and Restorative Justice, as well as business owners, Larimer County Code Compliance
and Court System, Colorado State University, Poudre School District, local trash hauling
companies, Comcast, and the United States Postal Service.
Through years of experience, our staff experts have found most of the tagging is done
by teenagers during a youth’s transformative years as a form of self -expression and
most markings are individual monikers (or identity marks). There is a great amount of
influence from our current society, through movies, shows, and internet streaming that
contain backgrounds with graffiti as part of the urban experience. Also, there are times
when an event occurs, such as the recent “Black Lives Matter” movement, where people
look for ways to express themselves and the number of graffiti cases increases.
Quick removal is a proven deterrent, as it demonstrates we monitor what occurs in our
community and graffiti is unacceptable. Our goal is to remove graffiti within 36 hours.
The City has enacted an Ordinance prohibiting possession of graffiti supplies which
include spray paint. A new trend has emerged with the use of permanent markers.
These are usually smaller tags, which are harder to see but tend to be easier to remove.
Other strategies to reduce graffiti are increased lighting and the use of cameras.
Public Engagement includes presentations to 5th graders throughout the Poudre School
District and an annual participation event with Crime Stoppers. The City’s graffiti team
works directly with School Resource Officers (SRO’s), businesses, and homeowner
associations when needed. There are substantial requests for volunteer opportunities
from high school and college Students for community service to build on their student
resume and there are also some court ordered service. The team always participates in
United Way’s “Make a Difference Day” and CSU’s Student Leadership Involvement and
Community Engagement (SLICE) initiative. Many requests are for Saturday, every effort
is made to accommodate these, but with a staff of only 1 full time and one half time
employee the resources are limited.
Staff is making changes to improve collecting data for the size, type, and Council District.
Outcome: Transportation and Mobility
3) Request from Kristin Stephens: Please look into accommodations the new temporary
taxi service could provide for residents with wheelchairs.
Response from Drew Brooks (Transfort)
The contract with the service provider for the bus stop -to-bus stop service requires that
all wheelchair accessible trips be accommodated. If requested, an accessible vehicle will
be dispatched. Wheelchair accessible trips must have an equivalent response time to
ambulatory trips. If a vehicle arrives and finds that an accessible vehicle is needed, an
DocuSign Envelope ID: C2D08506-BA8A-4ED2-882C-CF5EA2ADD05E
3
accessible vehicle will be promptly dispatched. The driver will provide the passenger with
an estimated time of arrival for the accessible vehicle."
DocuSign Envelope ID: C2D08506-BA8A-4ED2-882C-CF5EA2ADD05E