On July 25, following an 18-month process, City Staff presented a range of options for City Council's consideration pertaining to funding needs in the areas of parks and recreation, climate resiliency, affordable housing and transit. Council resolved to refer two measures to voters at the August 15, 2023 meeting. Complete meeting agenda, notes and video recordings are provided here.

The Ballot Questions are titled City-Initiated Ballot Issue No.1 and No.2 Full text can be found here: https://www.fcgov.com/elections/on-the-ballot

This page provides information regarding current City revenue models and details about identified funding needs associated with these measures.

2023 marks the sesquicentennial anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Fort Collins. We celebrated 150 years of municipal service and the coming together of our community at this year's State of the City. Pretty cool, right? The community also has big dreams for the next 150 years and we want to maintain the assets we already have going forward.

From 2019-2022, the City conducted long-range planning efforts to guide future investments in parks/recreation, transit/transportation, housing, and climate change resiliency. These plans help outline and prioritize solutions to address things like aging infrastructure, population growth and mitigating the impacts of climate change. All of these plans and recommended actions were developed in close consultation with residents and involved considerable public engagement to ensure the vision, priorities and goals of our community at large are represented.

Replacements & Master Plan Projects [$8-12M Annual Gap/Needs]		The Parks and Recreation system is made up of over 50 parks, 45 miles of paved trails, and 10 recreation facilities. Recent analysis has shown that major infrastructure replacement is underfunded, and the dedicated funding has not increased in decades.  The Parks & Recreation Master Plan also showed that residents indicated investment in pools was top priority (trails were second.) Additional funding would support infrastructure replacement at existing and new recreation facilities and parks, plus partial Operation and Maintenance (O&M) costs. With adequate funding, maintaining current assets and completing an equitable and accessible system for all could be achieved. Additional information can be found here:  Parks & Recreation Master Plan Parks Infrastructure Replacement Program (IRP)
		Our Climate Future (OCF) is a comprehensive plan to simultaneously address climate, energy and waste goals while improving our community’s equity and resilience. Big Moves is the Our Climate Future way of describing the transformational outcomes which connect specific goals for climate, energy and waste with the community’s definition of a sustainable Fort Collins. Transit, Active Modes, and Housing are all included within the Climate Big Moves.
Masterplan to Build Out Projects [$14.7M Annual Need]		To Achieve 10% Affordable Housing Stock [$8-9.5+ Annual Need]		Accelerate Community Transition from Fossil Fuels [$9.5M Annual Need]
The Transit Master Plan(External link) key goal is to provide exceptional, equitable, customer-focused service that meets the community’s present and future transit needs. Grant funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act(External link) could fund 60-80% of large transit projects. To take advantage, the City must match up to $30M over the next 6 years. The Transit Plan calls for improved route frequencies and coverage. Transfort would remain fare-free to ensure accessibility for all.		Over 93% of 2022 Community Survey (External link) respondents identified housing cost as a major issue that needs to be addressed. The 2021 Housing Strategic Plan (External link)sets out an ambitious vision that everyone in Fort Collins has healthy, stable housing they can afford. The City provides both federal and local dollars to affordable housing providers. Being able to put more local dollars into this process is one way to add affordable housing. Efforts could include Land Bank acquisitions, fee offsets and incentive programs for affordable housing projects.		Our Climate Future identifies Big Moves and opportunities for investment that reduce our carbon footprint while also reducing costs. Community-wide total electricity use would be over 20% higher without current Utilities energy efficiency programs. Additional investments identified in the Our Climate Future plan are needed to meet community goals. Additional dollars can help residents and businesses receive direct support and incentives for things like e-bikes, electrification of heating systems, electric panel upgrades, electric charging stations, and more!

Alternative and Additional Funding Options 

Possible revenue mechanisms to support these needs include Property and Sales taxes. 

Property Tax

Property Tax, also known as mill levies, can include levies from a variety of taxing districts, such as schools, counties, cities, and metro and special districts. One mill is equal to $1 of property tax for every $1,000 of assessed value (the current residential assessment rate in Colorado is 6.765% of a home's actual value -- learn more from the Larimer County Assessor's Office). 

Poudre Fire Authority receives 67% of the City’s current portion of property tax via an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA). The City mill levy of 9.797 has not increased since 1992.

Sales Tax

Groceries are taxed at 2.25% and that rate is not included in or affected by the proposed 2023 ballot measures. 

Tax Rates: Regional Benchmarks

The chart below compares total tax rates across twelve cities in Northern Colorado. Fort Collins is on the lower end of the rankings. All counties except Douglas and Larimer have other taxes linked to transportation, culture and public safety.