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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Read Before Packet - 3/2/2021 - Memorandum From Delynn Coldiron Re: Leadership Planning Team Minutes - March 1, 2021 City Clerk 300 LaPorte Avenue PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6515 970.221-6295 - fax fcgov.com/cityclerk MEMORANDUM DATE: March 1, 2021 TO: Mayor and Councilmembers FROM: Delynn Coldiron, City Clerk RE: Leadership Planning Team (LPT) Meeting Mayor Wade Troxell, Mayor Pro Tem Ross Cunniff, City Manager Darin Atteberry, Deputy City Manager Kelly DiMartino, Deputy City Manager Kyle Stannert, City Attorney Carrie Daggett, and City Clerk Delynn Coldiron (all by video-conference call) met on Monday, March 1, and the following summarizes the discussions that began at 7:05 a.m. March 2, 2021 Regular Meeting: Agenda items for the meeting were reviewed. • This Council meeting will be remote. Public participation for the meeting will be available in three ways: by phone, online through Zoom and by email. • Utilities’ Raw Water Interests (Item 9) – Mayor Pro Tem Cunniff noted that he may have some questions related to this item. He will provide them in advance of the meeting so staff can be ready to respond. 6-Month Calendar: • March 9, 2021: o Time of Day Rate Structure – Possible adjustments to the all-electric rate will be included as part of this item. • March 16, 2021: o Adoption of Our Climate Future – This item will be placed on the consent agenda. o Mulberry Metropolitan District Public Benefits Agreement – This is related to an existing metro district that has been in place for some time. This item will also be placed on the consent agenda. o Wildfire Recovery Appropriation – This item will be placed on the consent calendar. o Need to add a motion to adjourn to March 23, 2021 in case all items cannot be completed. Leadership Planning Team Meeting March 1, 2021 Page 2 of 5 • March 23, 2021: o May start with an adjourned meeting. o Immigration Legal Defense Fund – This item was added to the calendar. • March 30, 2021: o There is the potential that a meeting will be scheduled on this date to cover any work session items from March 23, 2021 that Council was unable to get to. Moving the Wastewater Utility Overview and Broadband Work Session to this date is possible. • April 13, 2021: o A debrief about remote meetings will be added to the Council end of term update. The item should cover the background of what has been done, the reasons why, and changes that are envisioned moving forward. There is some interest by Councilmembers in continuing remote and/or hybrid work sessions into the future. On a related note, City Manager Atteberry noted a memo will be provided in an upcoming Thursday packet about remote meetings and what is occurring in surrounding communities. Most communities are continuing to conduct their meetings remotely. Criteria to consider when a change would be contemplated was encouraged to help inform future decisions. o An update on the City’s financial wellbeing was also requested for this night. Information on how the various measures and cost cutting efforts have contributed to the City’s finances should be included. Staff is asked to follow up. • April 20, 2021: o There was discussion about why this date is not an option for the Council organization meeting since final certification of election results is expected by April 16, 2021. It was noted that April 21, 2021 is the deadline for a requested recount and the Charter provides for the swearing in and organizational meeting only after the date for requesting a recount (or completion of any recount). To accommodate for this, the date for the organization meeting has been set for April 27, 2021. If there is a recount, the organizational meeting would take place at a later date. On a related note, there was discussion about the proposed dates for a retreat with the new Council (May 7/8 or May 14/15) and if earlier dates could be considered. It was noted that the May dates were chosen to ensure time for a recount, if requested, and to ensure that the new Council is seated and a new Mayor Pro Tem selected prior to meeting. Related to the upcoming election, it was reported that many campaign signs in the City right-of- way have been observed along the Harmony corridor, along College Avenue and along Mason Avenue. Staff is proactively watching for this and removing signs found to be in the right-of- way. Violations can be reported through Access Fort Collins and/or by calling the Engineering Department at 970-416-2779. Leadership Planning Team Meeting March 1, 2021 Page 3 of 5 City Clerk Coldiron: • No paperwork was received from any individuals desiring to be a write-in candidate and the deadline to do so has now passed. The deadline has also passed for withdrawal of candidates. Official Candidates as of March 1, 2021 that will be included on the April 6, 2021 ballot include: Mayor: o Jeni James Arndt o Gerry Horak o Molly Skold Councilmember District 1 o Nick Armstrong o Susan Gutowsky Councilmember District 3 o Tricia Canonico o Gavin Kaszynski Councilmember District 4 (two-year term to fill vacancy) o Jessica Dyrdahl o Erin Hottenstein o Shirley Peel o Melanie Potyondy o Sidna Rachid Councilmember District 5 o Jeff Hansen o Kelly Ohlson Deputy City Manager Stannert: • Reported that a memo will be included in an upcoming Thursday packet related to historic preservation and affordable housing. He noted that the Landmark Preservation Commission talked about this and the need to have balance between these items. Additional permitted units (APUs), removing barriers and increasing incentives related to affordable housing were discussed. Deputy City Manager DiMartino: • Noted that daily media summaries from the City’s Communications and Public Involvement Office (CPIO) is one of the things that was reduced as part of budget cuts. The subscription for this ended yesterday. CPIO staff can assist Councilmembers who are interested in setting up Google alerts as a way to continue to get similar information. Leadership Planning Team Meeting March 1, 2021 Page 4 of 5 • Noted that she has received input from community partners about having a city song. Everyone likes the idea but state that funding is needed to make this happen. So, there is no active effort being pursued at this time. Reaching out to the Poudre School District to see if a competition amongst high school students to create lyrics with a scholarship awarded to the winner was suggested. Reaching out to the staff of the Music District was also suggested to see if there is any interest. Funding through community partners might be possible for this. City Manager Atteberry: • Reported that the strat ops meeting with the Northern Colorado Airport Commission went well. There was a lot of great conversation about vision and goals for the next 18 months through the next 25 years. The role of the airport and leveraging other northern Colorado objectives was a basis for much of the conversation. The new remote tower, design work for the new terminal, finding private/public partnerships for funding, the wingless service being provided by United Airlines and connected/gig cities were additional topics of discussion. • Noted an article in the Colordoan about the East Mulberry Annexation. The article is attached. • Noted Republic, the company who bought Gallegos Sanitation, has requested a delay in the community recycling ordinance from June 30 to November 30 for business customers. They have not requested a delay related to multi-family customers. The letter from Republic is attached. Making this change would require Council action. If any Councilmembers are interested in pursuing this, it should be brought up under Other Business during a regular Council meeting. • Noted he and Tyler Marr met with representatives from ASCSU. They continue to be interested in U+2, but also about renter protections. They also wanted to discuss being intentional about making Fort Collins a student-friendly city and about having a Council liaison. City Manager Atteberry added that he was impressed with this group; they are thinking strategically about things and talking about systemic changes. • Noted a memo that was provided in Thursday’s packet related to the Homelessness Advisory Committee. He added that the Committee is beginning to have substantive conversations about possible locations for a homelessness campus. The sites are spread out across the city. City Manager Atteberry will provide additional information to Councilmembers during 1x1 meetings. • Noted he received an email from a resident who raised his hand during a recent Council meeting and wasn’t given opportunity to comment. Staff followed up with the resident and found that technical issues may have contributed to the situation. Staff believes this complaint has been resolved. Mayor Pro Tem Cunniff: • Noted the County is asking for feedback on the County’s proposed oil and gas regulations and asked if we are participating in this. Staff is asked to follow up. Leadership Planning Team Meeting March 1, 2021 Page 5 of 5 • Thanked staff for the memo provided related to mobile home zoning. He stated some Councilmembers still have questions related to maintenance and utility questions that have been raised for all mobile home parks. He noted the person added in the last budget that was going to work on these issues and asked for an update on efforts, as well as the role of this new person. Staff is asked to follow up. • Thanked staff for the memo provided related to delinquent utility accounts and related financial assistance. Staff will be developing options for Council consideration. • Noted appreciation for a memo sent by the City Manager to the County related to aligning billboard requirements. He asked if a response had been received; not yet. Meeting adjourned at 8:50 a.m. RE: Community Recycling Ordinance MFU & Commercial Business Recycling 2/12/2021 Dear City of Fort Collins Waste Reduction and Recycling Department: We want to thank you for your pledge to waste diversion and continued efforts toward the Road to Zero Waste. As one of the nation’s top haulers of refuse and recycling materials, Republic Services is committed to keeping communities clean and providing a Healthy Blue Planet. We recognize the City of Fort Collins and Gallegos Sanitation, Inc. (GSI) had previously been in discussions, over the years, regarding the Community Recycling Ordinance. Most recently, it was determined GSI was at approximately 72% to goal of onboarding businesses and MFUs with recycling, and it was noted GSI requested a second extension to complete the process, which was not granted by the City in mid-January of 2021. As Republic Services, we understand pursuant to Section 15-413 of the Fort Collins Municipal Code, any commercial or multi-family customer receiving solid waste (trash) collection services shall subscribe to a collection service for recyclables that is not less than one-third of the total collection volume by a collector licensed to provide such services within the City. Collection volume (including both solid waste and recyclables) is based on the size of the containers and the service frequency. Any person who owns or operates a business or multi-family complex may apply for a variance with the following provisions: • Space constraints • Self-hauling of recyclables to a recycling drop-off center • Utilization of a separate licensed recycling collection provider • Failure to generate recyclables • Only available location for recycling bin is not safely serviceable by hauler Republic Services is excited to partner with the City of Fort Collins and continue the collaborative dialogue. At this juncture, however, we are requesting the CRO date of final customer onboarding be moved to November 30, 2021 for the following reasons: 1. Republic Services acquired Gallegos Sanitation, Inc. on January 1, 2021. Being new to the Northern Colorado market, we recognize the City conducted extensive outreach at the onset of the CRO discussion in 2016 and years prior with GSI. • We are concerned of the optics and as the “new national company” customers will perceive the former family-owned trash hauler is out and Republic Services is the one responsible for mandating recycling at complexes and business during an extremely challenging economical time. 1941 Heath Parkway Unit 2 Fort Collins, CO 80524 970-484-5556 / republicservices.com 2. Our drivers have experienced long wait times at the Larimer County Recycling Center and adding 480-500 customers will only compound the issues at hand. We are currently in discussions with officials at Larimer County to determine a timeline for possible solutions Please see below for a complete breakdown of wait times our trucks experienced since the first of this year through the first week of February: • 60-90 minutes in 28 cases • 30-60 minutes in 103 cases • 29-20 minutes 55 cases • :16-19 minutes 89 cases 3. Local businesses have been hit hard by COVID-19. With staff reductions, revenue losses, closures, increased expenses, and the many other debilitating factors this pandemic brought to our community, we feel the timing is not optimal for businesses that are suffering; with the general public slated for vaccinations in Colorado, we believe the end of November 2021 would be reasonable to onboard all customers. 4. Enforcement of the CRO: We understand the city has identified a staff member to ensure the CRO is implemented. We are requesting a written plan for how the CRO will be enforced for all haulers. 5. Public Communication: We would further like to propose the City to put forth a “2021 PSA/outreach” effort to the community/businesses/MFUs regarding this mandated program. 6. Granting of Variances: Last week, it was determined only a handful of variance forms had been submitted to the City (and not yet approved). We understand there are many customers who meet one or more of the variance qualifications listed on page 1 of this letter, and they have yet to apply. We thank you for the opportunity to resume the CRO extension conversation, and the City’s consideration of our request. As the front-runner of commercial recycling in Fort Collins, Republic Services strives to continue providing the very best sustainable services and do it in a way that is equitable and well-timed. To arrange a meeting, please contact Laine Connolly, Division Administrative Assistant- Northern Colorado/Southern Wyoming, at mconnolly@republicservices.com or by phone at (970) 775-3975. Sincerely, Thomas Maxwell General Manager Northern Colorado/Southern Wyoming 3/1/2021 Fort Collins eyes annexing East Mulberry corridor despite crime issues https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2021/02/25/fort-collins-annex-east-mulberry-corridor-despite-crime-issues/4540945001/?utm_source=colorad…1/5 NEWS Crime stains Fort Collins' East Mulberry corridor as annexation decisions loom Miles Blumhardt Fort Collins Coloradoan Published 5:43 a.m. MT Feb. 25, 2021 It was a good day for Christine, a mother of three living in an RV in a parking lot behind Denny's on East Mulberry Street. After spending several weeks in the lot alongside other people living in dilapidated RVs, she was happy to no longer subject herself and kids to the drug use and drug dealings that are a steady way of life in this strip of hotels and motels that offer inexpensive weekly rates just off Interstate 25. On Feb. 19, she was relieved to rev up her Bounder RV with its leaky radiator, finicky rear differential and suspect serpentine belt and head to a safer place where she could plug in her generator so her children and pipes wouldn't freeze. "It is a little unsettling for me as a mom because there are a lot of drug people that come through here,'' said Christine, who did not want provide her last name. "I see the people, you can tell they are on drugs and I don't like that.'' Others are reading:Wastewater testing shows increases in COVID-19 virus, variants in Larimer County The East Mulberry corridor has for years been home to one of the highest crime rates in Larimer County, plagued by drug use and distribution, overdose deaths, suicides, human trafficking and petty theft. Earlier this month, a Northern Colorado Drug Task Force sting at the Baymont by Wyndham Hotel, 3808 E. Mulberry St., resulted in five arrests and the seizure a cache of black- market narcotics and illegal drugs. And if the city of Fort Collins has its way, one day those issues will be its own. 3/1/2021 Fort Collins eyes annexing East Mulberry corridor despite crime issues https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2021/02/25/fort-collins-annex-east-mulberry-corridor-despite-crime-issues/4540945001/?utm_source=colorad…2/5 The city has annexed pockets of the East Mulberry corridor over the years and in March will start the process of discussing the many intricacies of annexing more land in the 3-mile corridor stretching between Timberline Road and I-25. The Mulberry Road interchange is primarily made up of 10 hotels and motels and several restaurants and convenience stores. The corridor is a mix of commercial businesses, residential neighborhoods and vacant lots. "It will be interesting to see what happens out there when they (the city) finally pull the trigger on annexing the area,'' said Joe Shellhammer, captain with the Larimer County Sheriff's Office that patrols the corridor and former head of the regional drug task force. Crime a constant along East Mulberry Like other areas where a major interstate connects with a heavily traveled thoroughfare (westbound Mulberry routes toward U.S. Highway 287 to Wyoming), the East Mulberry corridor has had a long struggle with its criminal element. In 2012, the sheriff's office launched Operation New Dawn, a special enforcement operation with a goal to reduce crime in the corridor. While undercover investigations have taken place that resulted in periodic busts, there continue to be ebbs and flows of criminal activity in the area depending on the pressure law enforcement applies. Chronic crime: A look back at East Mulberry Corridor issues Data provided by the sheriff's office shows calls to the corridor have varied little over the years. In fiscal year 2019-20, there were 7,148 calls to the area. In 2016-17, there were 6,963. Shellhammer said a difficult situation was unintentionally made worse in late April. That's when the city closed its downtown Heritage Park to camping. The city had opened the park to camping for a couple months to help people experiencing homelessness easily access the adjacent Northside Aztlan Community Center, which the city set up as an emergency homeless shelter during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The homeless camp had grown to about 120 tents. But once the park was closed to camping, some of those displaced from the park moved to the corridor, where about 20 RVs could be found along the streets and in parking lots on Feb. 3/1/2021 Fort Collins eyes annexing East Mulberry corridor despite crime issues https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2021/02/25/fort-collins-annex-east-mulberry-corridor-despite-crime-issues/4540945001/?utm_source=colorad…3/5 19. "We continue to try and keep things under control out there, but it became a bigger issue when people moved on when the Northside Aztlan Community Center no longer was used as a shelter,'' Shellhammer said. "That made things pretty difficult because our call loads then increased as we saw a pretty big influx of those people moving to the corridor.'' Shellhammer said problems that plague the corridor are exacerbated by hotel and motel owners and management. He said owners are located outside the region or state and offer little help in addressing the crime problem. When law enforcement puts pressure on a franchise owner to take responsibility in cleaning up their business to deter crime, Shellhammer said often they change their franchise affiliation in a few months and the process starts all over again. "There are some good business owners out there who are willing to work with us,'' Shellhammer said. "I have nothing that says that hotel/motel owners are partaking in illegal activities. I just don't understand why they wouldn't want to spruce their places up because you would think that would attract more business. But maybe they are making enough as is.'' Bruce Rahmani has a long history of owning hotels and motels in the corridor, owning the Plaza Hotel, which became a combination Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn in 2015 and most recently became a combination Quality Inn and Clarion Inn. He acknowledged his properties have had the same criminal issues as others. However, he said he upgraded his property when it became its latest iteration, adding security cameras, additional door locks and no longer allowing weekly rentals. "Weekly rentals draw people who cause the trouble,'' he said. "The issues have been corrected on our property, but we know there still are issues next to us because people are living there. We still have a homeless issue in the area. We are open to working with the sheriff's office to find solutions because we have the same goal, and that is eliminating criminal activity.'' Change of scenery Greg Yeager, Fort Collins Police Services deputy chief, said the city is well aware of criminal activity in the corridor it is looking to annex. He said he has been working with the sheriff's office and Colorado State Patrol, which handles crashes on Mulberry Road/Colorado Highway 14, to get an idea of what resources 3/1/2021 Fort Collins eyes annexing East Mulberry corridor despite crime issues https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2021/02/25/fort-collins-annex-east-mulberry-corridor-despite-crime-issues/4540945001/?utm_source=colorad…4/5 the city would need to patrol the area. He said the latest five-year crime and crash trend for the corridor from the agencies show call loads are similar to some of the heavier call loads of Fort Collins' existing police districts. East Mulberry corridor calls averaged about 8,600 per year, while some Fort Collins police districts average roughly 8,400 calls per year. "If the city chooses to annex the whole area, which it likely will, what we are most likely looking at is establishing a new police district out there,'' Yeager said. "Once we look further at the call loads, we will look at adding personnel in dispatchers and officers, (and) then put in our budget requests.'' Yeager said because the East Mulberry corridor is now a mosaic of city police and county deputy jurisdiction, the city has some experience with the area and has worked closely with the sheriff's office on issues in the corridor. He said police also have experience with policing hotel strips with east Harmony Road home to various extended-stay businesses. He said annexation will bring city codes that will help create safer environments and reduce criminal activity. Those include elements such as improved lighting, landscaping and sidewalks. "The city recognizes there will be some trepidation by businesses with its expectations,'' Yeager said. "But the changes will be collaborative and studies have shown that environmental design does help deter crime.'' For Christine, a change of scenery couldn't come fast enough as she sought to escape one of the county's — and one day the city's — criminal hot spots. "I see a lot of cops out here, but I also see a lot of people on drugs.'' she said, adding she has been clean for nine years. "When I stayed out there, I left on weekends because I think that is probably when the drug stuff was heavier. It just wasn't safe and that's why I'm happy to be leaving here today.'' Camping ban: Judge rules against Fort Collins East Mulberry Corridor enforcement Dispatched calls and patrols 3/1/2021 Fort Collins eyes annexing East Mulberry corridor despite crime issues https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2021/02/25/fort-collins-annex-east-mulberry-corridor-despite-crime-issues/4540945001/?utm_source=colorad…5/5 Here are the addresses with the most dispatched calls for police service and where patrols most occurred between Sept. 1, 2016, and Aug. 31, 2020. Note: Some businesses have changed locations from what is listed in this data. Addresses and business names were provided by Larimer County Sheriff's Office. Motel 6, 3825 E. Mulberry St.: 2,763 (857 dispatched calls, 1,906 patrols) *Motel 6's address has changed from what's listed in the data from this time period. Quality Inn/Clarion Inn, 3800/3836 E. Mulberry St. 2,162 (562 dispatched calls, 1,600 patrols) *Data lists both 3800/3836 as the site of the calls/patrols America's Best Value, 4333 E. Mulberry St.: 1,281 (388 dispatched calls, 893 patrols) Super 8, 409 Centro Way: 894 (315 dispatched calls, 579 patrols) Baymont Inn, 3808 E. Mulberry St.: 713 (376 dispatched calls, 337 patrols) Motel 9: 3634 E. Mulberry St.: 652 (164 dispatched calls, 488 patrols) LaQuinta Inn, 3709 E. Mulberry St.: 603 (236 dispatched calls, 367 patrols) Days Inn, 3625 E. Mulberry St.: 452 (173 dispatched calls, 279 patrols) Calls per year Data is from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31 for each year: 2019-20: 7,148 2018-19: 6,789 2017-18: 6,693 2016-17: 6,963 Source: Larimer County Sheriff's Office Reporter Miles Blumhardt looks for stories that impact your life. Be it news, outdoors, sports — you name it, he wants to report it. Have a story idea? Contact him at milesblumhardt@coloradoan.com or on Twitter @MilesBlumhardt.