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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-089-06/17/1997-1997-99 POLICY AGENDA CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 97-89 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS ADOPTING CITY COUNCIL'S 1997-99 POLICY AGENDA WHEREAS, under Article II of the City Charter, the City Council is responsible for the determination of all matters of City policy and for the provision of all public services; and WHEREAS,the Council has met with staff to discuss the Council's vision for the Council's policy work over the next two years; and WHEREAS, the Council has identified six major theme areas in which it wishes to concentrate its efforts during the Council session; and WHEREAS, the Council has defined a number of work outcomes which it wishes to see accomplished during the two year period; and WHEREAS, City staff will prepare a work plan which describes the steps which will be taken to accomplish these outcomes; and WHEREAS, the Council wishes to formally establish a Policy Agenda which will provide a guideline for the Council and the citizens of the City for tracking the goals established by the Council and evaluating the accomplishments of the organization. NOW, THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that the 1997-99 Policy Agenda, attached hereto as Exhibit "A" and incorporated herein by this reference,is hereby adopted to serve as the basis for such future legislative and administrative actions as may subsequently be deemed necessary and appropriate to address and resolve the various issues identified therein. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Fort Collins held this 17th day of June, A.D. 1997. Mayor Pro Tern ATTEST: City Clerk EXHIBIT A Council Policy Agenda Themes and Outcomes 1997-99 Theme 1: Planning for Land Use, the Environment and Transportation The quality of our community is, in part, related to numerous policies and plans that impact the physical form of the community, the public facilities that are available, and the public services and programs that address a broad range of needs. Over the next two-year period, a major thrust will be to implement City Plan. City Plan sets the framework and direction for managing the expected growth of the community and providing the infrastructure to sustain the quality of life in the community. Elements that will still require our diligent efforts include: maintaining and renewing the vitality of our core areas; ensuring the availability of affordable housing for community citizens; minimizing urban sprawl; annexing areas that are or will be developed to urban levels. Additional policy work will need to be done in the area of transportation as well as determining how to implement adopted plans. A significant amount of work will need to be done related to regional transportation planning, transit programs (including ways to finance expanded Transfort service), facilities to support pedestrian and bicycle travel, and street maintenance, e.g., constructing streets that last longer and shifting the dependency from special 1/4-cent financing to the General Fund for street maintenance. Environmental policies and programs will continue to be a focus of public policies and services in Fort Collins. In particular, we want to continue to improve our air quality and to incorporate into the fabric of our community significant natural areas and other types of open lands. Finally, we want to ensure that the public's investment in the City's facilities is sound, of good quality, and is utilized in a way that is effective, efficient and addresses a wide variety of needs. OUTCOMES: CITY PLAN IMPLEMENTATION: In the next two years, City Council will make significant progress in implementing the values stated in City Plan. Specific outcomes will include the following areas: • The land use code will be implemented. Revisions will be made to improve its effectiveness. • The City will actively promote design excellence through its planning and regulatory programs. • The City will look for opportunities to showcase its efforts and partnerships in City Plan implementation. • The City will explore opportunities to implement aspects of the Civic Center Plan. • The City will examine options for funding transit as recommended in City Plan. 1997-99 Council Policy Agenda—Revised June 17, 1997 Page 1 Theme 1: Plan' ing for Land Use, the Environment and Transportation— continued ENVIRONMENT: The City will continue to focus on the community's value of being a good steward of our environmental resources. The City will establish ties with the environmental community. In the next two years, the City will focus on the following environmental issues: • The City will ensure that its environmental plans are implemented in a coordinated way, including: ✓ Air Quality Action Plan ✓ Natural Areas Policy Plan ✓ Parks and Recreation Policy Plan ✓ Water Quality Plan for drinking water and stormwater ✓ Poudre River Land Use Plan ✓ City Gateways, including Gateway Park • The City will pursue ways to deal with the impact of solid waste on our community. • The City will be proactive in acquiring natural areas and open lands and will work in partnerships to make purchases. TRANSPORTATION: In the next two years, the City's transportation system will be improved as a balanced, multi-modal system. Specific outcomes will include: • The City will develop a long-term financing plan for the transportation system which relies less on short-term funding, and more on a variety of long-term sources. • A balanced transportation system will be further developed, including improvements to the pedestrian system, bicycle facilities, transit services and the Mason Street Multi-Modal Corridor. • The City will examine new initiatives for addressing street maintenance needs, including reducing street wear, districted trash hauling, and street construction warranties. • A secondary transportation network will be encouraged by bringing trail spurs from new developments into the City trail system. 1997-99 Council Policy Agenda—Revised June 17, 1997 Page 2 Theme 2: Sense of Community Fort Collins is characterized by people who care about and are very active in their community. As the municipal government, we want to continue to look for ways to improve how citizens can participate in meaningful ways in shaping public policies and programs--ways to move toward a more deliberative approach of democratic governance. Issues that are likely to be addressed include the voting process (mail-in balloting v. polling process) and campaign finance reform. Neighborhoods are an essential building block in our community and we want to continue to search for ways to enhance neighborhoods solving their own problems, improving relationships among those who live and work in neighborhoods, and ensuring a sense of safety within the neighborhoods. It is also important for people of all backgrounds to feel welcome and respected in our community. Work will continue to update the City's human rights and diversity policies and practices. The City has a role in supporting the children and young people of our community -- through our recreational programs, employment opportunities, programs that address special needs (e.g., youth at risk), and the Youth Advisory Board. Finally, we want to work with other local organizations and interested citizens to cultivate and underscore the importance of Fort Collins as a learning community. OUTCOMES: NEIGHBORHOODS: The City will develop its neighborhood support programs with the following goals in mind: • Neighborhoods should be empowered to address their problems. • Neighborhoods should have the resources available to them to help "turn themselves around," and revitalize themselves. • Strong ties should exist between the Neighborhood Resources Office and Police to enhance neighborhood policing. • School buildings should be increasingly available as community centers. RENTAL PROPERTIES: The City will develop ways to reduce the negative impacts of rental properties on neighborhoods by focusing on the symptoms of rental property problems, and developing effective methods for both neighbors and the City to address the problems. Property owners will be held responsible for problems which arise in their rental units, and the City will develop ways to address rental units which are not approved by the building code. 1997-99 Council Policy Agenda—Revised June 17, 1997 Page 3 Theme 2: Sense of Community-- continued DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY: The City will incorporate and continuously improve a systematic method for gathering community input on issues, values and direction, without the outreach being tied to current issues. Important parts of this outcome will be a better public information program, examination of campaign finance issues and the mail-in ballot. DIVERSITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS: The City will develop ways to make Fort Collins a more inclusive and welcoming community for all people, especially through the development of a new Human Rights Ordinance. YOUTH: The City will continue to work to ensure that youth in the community have positive choices and activities in which to be involved. POLICE SERVICES: The City will enhance the role of the police department in ensuring a safe, inclusive community. Areas of focus during the coming two years will include examining the civilian review process, "calming" our streets, emphasizing community policing, and using new enforcement techniques for speeding. 1997-99 Council Policy Agenda—Revised June 17, 1997 Page 4 Theme I Economic Vitality and Sustainability The future of Fort Collins' local economy is of key concern to the community. The financial stability of our employers and the businesses that make up our economy has a significant influence on the well-being of our residents. Other aspects of the economy which are of concern are the cost of housing, and the community's place in the global economy. Several major employers and a wide variety of small and medium-sized businesses make up our business community. The effect that government has on each of these groups is of interest to the City. The City can undertake a variety of economic policies to positively influence the local economy. These include financial incentives evaluated in light of the Fiscal and Environmental Impact Model; the new microloan program; the new business virtual incubator; and additional opportunities that will build local capacity for creating jobs and generating economic activity. Affordable housing is an important issue in our community. Housing which is available to residents at all income levels is important because it ensures that people can both live and work in the community. By ensuring this breadth of housing opportunities, we can reduce vehicle miles traveled to and from housing in other communities, and its related impact on traffic congestion and air quality. Housing at all income levels also contributes to the rich diversity that we enjoy in our population. OUTCOMES: ECONOMIC POLICIES: The City will re-focus its attentions on its economic policies. Specific outcomes of emphasis will include: • The City will improve its working relationship with the business community. • The City will cooperate with other groups in defining ways in which to measure local economic and environmental health, community well-being, and sustainability. • The Fiscal and Environmental Impact Model will be developed and used in decision making on issues such as financial incentives and local tax structure. The community will have been involved in its development. • City Council will consider creating an Economic Policy Advisory Board/Council of Economic Advisors. Roles may include assessing the state of the local economy and developing proposals for economic health and community sustainability. • The virtual incubator and micro-loan programs will be developed, implemented and evaluated annually. • The City will take a leadership role in the community to support small businesses by coordinating and sharing information about private sector activities and programs. AFFORDABLE HOUSING: The city will continue to support the development of affordable housing in the community. A major focus will be to set specific, quantitative goals for affordable housing, and techniques to achieve these goals, especially using tools learned though the Provincetowne project. 1997-99 Council Policy Agenda—Revised June 17, 1997 Page 5 Theme 4: Intergovernmental Cooperation: Many problems faced by our community are not the City's alone to solve. They involve other entities, including Larimer County, other cities and counties, Colorado State University, Front Range Community College, Poudre and Thompson School Districts, Poudre Valley Hospital, and the state and federal governments. Key issues which must be addressed cooperatively include land use planning, regional transportation, the impact of growth on the region, solid waste management and the role of our educational institutions on the future of the community. Working together and building effective cooperative relationships will be key to the success of the City in accomplishing its goals with these entities. OUTCOMES: The City will continue to develop and reinforce its relationships with Larimer County, our neighboring cities, public schools and CSU. Specific areas of progress will include: LARIMER COUNTY: • City Plan and its concepts will be supported through cooperation with Larimer County. • The City and County will work together to examine the comparability of impact fees and infrastructure needs. • The City, County and City of Loveland will continue to work together toward a regional solid waste management plan to address future landfill siting, recycling, composting, and other waste reduction measures. • The City will support the Mountain Back Drop program initiated by Larimer County. REGIONAL PLANNING: • The Northern Colorado regional partners will continue to work together on issues of common concern, including transportation, land use, employment and utilities. • Partners throughout Larimer and Weld counties will work together to implement the vision defined in the Cache La Poudre-Big Thompson Rivers Legacy Project and to develop the regional heritage plans called for in the federal Poudre River Corridor Act. • The City will continue to support the North Front Range Transportation and Air Quality Planning Council. EDUCATION: Regional cooperation will be developed and enhanced with schools and universities. Specific areas of focus will include: • Completing cooperative projects with Poudre School District, using shared funding. • Developing a business incubator with CSU and FRCC. (CSURF) • Looking for opportunities to develop volunteerism with CSU. 1997-99 Council Policy Agenda—Revised June 17, 1997 Page 6 Theme 5: Financial Policies Long-term financial planning is a key policy concern for the City Council. Fiscal responsibility for the organization requires that the City review several key financial policies. The City's revenue sources are an area of key concern as we review our dependence on sales and use taxes and user fees. Balancing these sources and ensuring that they are appropriate to meeting the community's long term financial goals will be important. The City must also continue to evaluate whether development fees adequately compensate for the impact of new development on the City's capital resources. With the adoption of Capital Expansion Fees in 1996, significant progress was made toward this goal, and a review of these fee levels may be appropriate. Adequate revenue to fund basic and necessary services such as transportation services will continue to be a key concern to the community. Street maintenance, traffic management, parking, pedestrian and bike facilities and the transit system are all key components of this system. OUTCOMES: The City will develop strategies for addressing its future fiscal health by creating long- term financial plans in the following areas: • Permanent sources of funding for Transportation Services. • Review the level of Development Impact Fees and make annual automatic adjustments. • Examine the City's overall revenue policies. • Look for ways to measure healthy community financial metrics. 1997-99 Council Policy Agenda—Revised June 17, 1997 Page 7 Theme 6: Utilities and Telecommunications The coming years will bring significant challenges to our community as we deal with utility deregulation and changes in the telecommunications industry. It will be important for the City to anticipate these challenges and position itself to act in the best interests of the community. Electric, water, wastewater and natural gas utilities are all faced with changing regulations and a new legislative environment. There are possible opportunities in the areas of electric, telecommunications and natural gas to lower customer costs and provide better local service. Along with these issues will come threats and opportunities in utility support of the General Fund. The Water Utilities look to the future by updating its master plans and regional planning studies. Financing of future capital needs will be an issue of continuing concern, especially regarding plant investment fees and the funding of the Water Treatment Master Plan and the Dry Creek stormwater diversion project. By defining in advance the City's roles and responsibilities in promoting technology infrastructure, and by acting on those responsibilities, Fort Collins will keep itself in the forefront of ensuring quality services to our customers. Business alliances between electric utilities and telecommunications companies will be an exciting avenue to explore as these changes come about. OUTCOMES: ELECTRIC UTILITY: The City will position itself for the coming deregulation of the Electric Utility Industry. Alternatives to the recently defeated charter amendments will be examined and the City will work with Platte River Power Authority to develop cooperative actions. WATER UTILITIES: The Water Utilities will adopt its updated master plans and focus on water conservation efforts and water supply strategies for Northern Colorado. TELECOMMUNICATIONS: The City will consider a more active role in the telecommunications industry. Areas of particular focus will include telecommunications infrastructure, business alliances to lower community costs, and cellular antennae siting. 1997-99 Council Policy Agenda—Revised June 17, 1997 Page 8 Other Areas of Council Interest 1997-99 • Enhance the City's legislative tracking and activism program • Support the creation of a national Steady State Conference • Work with local arts agencies in creating a Congress of Arts • Explore developing a Sister Cities program 1997-99 Council Policy Agenda—Revised June 17, 1997 Page 9