The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce presents the Advocacy Newsletter. This regular 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.
|
|
Local Minimum Wage Update
$19 per hour. Is your business ready to absorb this new cost driver?
At their most recent Work Session on September 6, 2022, the Fort Collins City Council once again considered a proposed ordinance to establish a local minimum wage. A vote on the ordinance is scheduled for first reading on November 15 followed by a second reading on December 6. If passed, local employers will be required to implement the new wage standard effective January 1, 2023.
Four of the six councilmembers present indicated support for annual increase schedule that would accelerate the recently announced statewide minimum rate of $13.70/hour to at least $15.45 as of January 1. With annual increases limited by state statute, the target rate of $19/hour would be achieved as of January 1, 2026 with annual adjustments thereafter tied to the Consumer Price Index.
In recognition of the extraordinarily tight window in which employers would need to respond – without noting the time of year in which such major adjustments will take place – Council did voice support for delaying enforcement until 2024.
The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce strongly objects to any intrusions upon private employer-employee relationships. Not only is this proposal being considered without benefit of an economic analysis that tests the impacts of the proposed scale and schedule, the impact to a City organization that employees approximately 2,500 workers has not yet been evaluated.
|
|
How to Share Your Voice
A very effective way to share your voice on issues as a community member is to contact city council members. It is actually very easy to do in Fort Collins. There are at-least four ways to directly contact a city council member:
- Phone
- Email
- In-person public comment at every other city council meeting
- In-person conversation at city council member listening sessions
|
|
Guest Column
History of the Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority
By: Matt Robenalt, Executive Director, Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority
In 2021, the Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority, also known as the DDA, quietly ushered in its 40th anniversary in service to a mission to build public-private investment partnerships that foster the economic, cultural, and social growth of the Fort Collins central business district. The DDA, a quasi-public agency enabled by state statute, applies its partnership focus to a 750-acre area consisting of the town’s oldest historic commercial and industrial zoned lands.
Downtown Fort Collins is known for its vibrancy and offering of diverse experiences created by a concentration of over 600 businesses. Today’s businesses consist of an eclectic mix of local-owned and franchise retail shopping, delectable restaurants and taverns, nationally recognized craft breweries, and professional and government services.
|
|
Municipal Ballot Items
Fort Collins City Council has placed three items on the November 8, 2022 ballot: Moving the municipal election cycle to November of odd-numbered years; Increasing Council compensation; and Ranked Choice Voting. All three issues would change our City Charter.
After in-depth review by staff, the Local Legislative Affairs Committee (LLAC) and the Board, the Fort Collins Area Chamber has elected to take NO POSITION on changing the election cycle and compensation as the impact to business is considered minimal.
However, the Chamber is OPPOSING Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), providing the following rationale:
- The Chamber believes our current system is simple, transparent and clear. It works.
- Compared to our current plurality system (“first passed the wire”) RCV introduces a great deal more complexity, cost and political gamesmanship without providing clear benefits to the community.
- The system has not proven to increase voter participation, which is one of the primary objectives of the proposal.
Check out our Election Hub for more in-depth understanding of the ballot issues.
Please note: The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to provide education, information and analysis of local issues and candidates specifically for its members. The opinions expressed are meant to give Chamber members a perspective that advocates for the business community and the city’s overall quality of life, and to give members insight into the potential impacts of local issues and candidates. No Chamber Dues or Funds are being contributed to any of the issue campaigns.
|
|
NoCo Housing NOW All Partnership Hybrid Meeting
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Friday, September 23, 2022
Blue Bar & Grill at the Budweiser Event Center
5290 Arena Cir, Loveland, CO 80538
or
Hybrid Option – Conference call instructions provided upon registration
Topic: Moving the Needle – Transcending Talk to Action
Housing routinely elevates to a high priority across our region. Employers, civic leaders, community activists, service providers and governmental agencies have all proffered strategies, resources and political impetus to address this growing issue. What has been accomplished and what are we prepared to pursue going forward?
Please join us as we hear from local elected leaders who will recount the victories, share priorities, and highlight challenges of balancing competing interests within the electorate. Speakers will share their respective path for building durable strategies while harnessing a shared commitment to preserving the economic vitality of our region.
|
|
CIVIC Conversation
Topic: Fort Collins City Budget
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Monday, September 26, 2022
Horse & Dragon Brewing Company, 124 Racquette Dr. in Fort Collins
The Fort Collins City Manager’s proposed budget for 2023-24 was published on September 2, 2022, kicking-off two months of public engagement and council discussions culminating in an ordinance formalizing the budget that goes into effect January 1, 2023. Join us to share your thoughts on Monday, September 26 from 4:30pm to 6:00pm at Horse & Dragon Brewing Company as we continue the CIVIC Conversation Series. We look forward to thoughtful discourse in an unexpected setting.
|
|
The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce serves as a champion for the full funding and widening of North Interstate 25 to three lanes from Fort Collins to Longmont by 2025. We are thrilled to report that we have achieved this goal!
As reported in the Denver Business Journal on September 16, the Colorado Transportation Commission (CTC) moved Wednesday to expand a bottleneck area of I-25 north of Denver, identified as Segment 5 in the North I-25 expansion plan.
“Northern Front Range leaders have pushed for six years to widen the highway connection between Denver and Fort Collins in order to improve the movement of freight and passenger vehicles between the cities,” Ed Sealover reported.
That advocacy has resulted in $937 million committed during the past five years to fund the widening of North I-25 with construction well underway. Segment 5 remained the final section of the roadway without funding or construction plans, until yesterday.
|
|
Colorado Statewide Ballot Issues Overview
The November ballot will include 11 issues that have been cleared by the Office of the Secretary of State. Of that total, three propose changes to the Colorado Constitution which require a 55% approval rate to become law (denoted as “Amendment”). The balance of items propose changes to state statute which require a simple majority. Six items have been placed on the ballot via citizen-initiative and five have been referred by the Colorado Legislature.
Through the Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance, your Chamber will be reviewing all issues to determine relevancy to the business community and formulate position statements. In advance of completing that process, a summary of the items is presented for your early consideration.
Formal title and ballot language for each item is shown by clicking the button, along with a brief explanation of the effect of a “yes” of “no” vote.
|
|
|
Proposed Local Minimum Wage: $19/hour...Is your business ready to absorb this new cost driver?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
