The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce presents the Advocacy Newsletter. This monthly email showcases issues impacting business and provides insight on key issues the Chamber is tracking at the local, state and federal level.

The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce is a business advocate, attending every City Council meeting, standing up on key issues and sharing a pragmatic view point.
Chamber Committed to Addressing Housing Affordability

It has been the rare conversation over the past few years in which the subject of housing has not come up. Small retailers, large manufacturers and virtually every business in between has been impacted by the cost and availability of housing within our region. Some may wonder why housing is an issue for the Chamber of Commerce when only a portion of our membership are in the business of building, selling and renting residential real estate.

The answer, of course, is relatively straight forward. Human capital is a key element of any successful business plan.

Business thrives according to its ability to attract, retain and grow the capacity of its workforce. To that end, employees are better engaged and productive when safe, appropriate housing options are readily available and fit comfortably within their budget. The Chamber has long been an advocate for housing choice and affordability, but the sense of urgency has grown considerably since the Great Recession.
Kendall Minor Hired as Fort Collins Utilities Executive Director

The Chamber believes a vibrant economy thrives in an environment in which utility services (water, wastewater, electricity) are reliable, affordable and resilient. We further believe strong, knowledgeable leadership is a key element to delivering on these expectations. We are therefore very pleased to introduce you to our newly appointed Executive Director of the Fort Collins Utility department, Kendall Minor. 

Congratulations Kendall!
City Council Pauses City Manager Recruitment Process

The Fort Collins City Council announced on March 29 that they will pause the city manager recruitment process for three months and will not select a final candidate at this time.

The full transcript of City Council’s discussion is here.

Kelly DiMartino will continue as interim city manager.
CIVIC Conversations
Topic: “U plus 2” Occupancy
4:30 – 6:00 p.m. 
Monday, April 25, 2022
Horse & Dragon Brewing Company, 124 Racquette Dr.
 
Fort Collins currently sets limits on occupancy in residential dwelling units. This occupancy law is often referred to as U + 2. Join us on April 25 from 4:30 to 6:00pm at Horse & Dragon Brewing Company for our next CIVIC Conversation on this interesting city code.
November Elections

The Fort Collins City Council, at the encouragement of their Election Code Committee, continues to explore the referral of two items to the November ballot: introduction of Ranked Choice Voting for all municipal elections and moving the municipal election date to coincide with the Coordinated Election in odd-numbered years starting in either November 2023 or November 2025.

Why Chamber Involved (at start) and Observations
The overriding objective for referring these changes to the voters is to improve turnout. Whereas roughly 70% of active voters participate in a typical general election, a typical April election draws half that number. Of secondary consideration, the alignment of municipal elections allows the City to leverage the greater resources of the Larimer County – a fulltime elections official, support staff and technology – to better manage the process.
2022-2023 State Budget – Long Bill

The Colorado House and Senate have both reviewed and voted on the 2022-2023 budget, which will now go back to the Joint Budget Committee who will act as the conference committee to finalize the budget. It is expected to arrive on the Governor’s desk next week for final approval well in advance of the new fiscal year starting July 1.

At $36.4B, planned appropriations represent a 12.3% increase over the current year ($4B) and the largest inflation-adjusted budget in state history. The budget does not include the approximately $4B in federal stimulus funds the legislature is in process of allocating among a long list of favored projects and programs.
Under the Dome:
State Economic Forecasts Shows Future Risks
NCLA Takes Positions on Newly Introduced Bills

Last week Kate Watkins, Chief State Economist for Legislative Council, provided a presentation to the NCLA Board of Directors following the release of the State’s March Revenue Forecast.
 
Amid soaring inflation, elevated fuel prices, fresh worries about supply-chain disruptions, and the uncertainty around the Ukraine invasion, the March forecast reveals that while jobs have recovered from pre-pandemic levels, economic forecasts risks are highly elevated. As inflationary pressure continues, prospects of a recession were factored in the forecast this quarter, a first in many quarters. Meanwhile, economic activity has reached and exceeded pre-pandemic levels but employment has yet to fully recover in several service industries hit hardest by the pandemic.
 
Notably, growth of the past year gave the General Assembly a projected $3.2 billion, or 20.7 percent, more to spend or save in the General Fund than what is budgeted to be spent and saved in FY 2021-22. The legislators opted to spend nearly all of the projected revenue (we’ll have a breakdown of the budget next week). Excess TABOR Revenue that exceeds the allowable “Referendum C Cap” amounts to $1.56 billion. Majority Democrats are considering how to refund those dollars to taxpayers.
What drives you to vote in a City Election?
It's in my DNA. I always vote.
I'm driven by the issues on the ballot.
I'm driven by the people on the ballot.
I don't vote.

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