Denver Mayor Michael Hancock wants his once-thriving city back. As such, the refreshingly pragmatic Democrat this week implored downtown employees to return to their offices.
It is easy to understand his motive. Professionals downtown generate sales tax dollars with every coffee shop, restaurant and parking meter transaction. They support retail businesses and jobs, each one crucial to maintaining the physical, mental, and environmental well-being of Colorado.
A group of downtown business owners and the Downtown Business Partnership joined Hancock in his plea on Wednesday. Business and government leaders throughout the state should follow their lead and advocate the restoration of normalcy in business districts throughout the state.
In just a few hours, Fort Collins City Council gained a mayor and three other new council members, got a new mayor pro-tem and freed up Tuesday nights for four council members who’d amassed a cumulative 26 years at the dais.
Mayor Jeni Arndt and new council members Tricia Canonico, Kelly Ohlson and Shirley Peel were sworn in Tuesday night at City Council’s first in-person meeting in months. Council member Susan Gutowsky was also sworn in for her second term. Shortly after, the new council unanimously named Emily Gorgol as mayor pro-tem. The mayor pro-tem attends weekly leadership meetings with the mayor and staff leaders and runs council meetings in the mayor’s absence.
This is reporter Jacy Marmaduke.
Fort Collins’ municipal election season is over, and now comes the (other) fun part: a new City Council.
Elections bring new faces to council pretty much every two years, but this one was especially important because several council members were term-limited or decided not to run again. As a result, we’re getting four new faces on a seven-member council on Tuesday. Mayor-elect Jeni Arndt is our first new mayor in six years; District 3-elect Tricia Canonico is taking Ken Summers’ old seat, District 4-elect Shirley Peel will take the seat currently held by interim appointee Melanie Potyondy and District 5-elect (and former council member) Kelly Ohlson will take Mayor pro-tem Ross Cunniff’s seat.
Fort Collins City Council approved a new policy for metro districts, potentially bringing some clarity to a development discussion that has been a source of disagreement for the last two years.
Metro districts allow developers to increase property taxes of a development’s eventual residents to help fund infrastructure costs. The approach is controversial because, left unchecked, poorly managed metro districts can lead to significant tax burdens on residents.
Proponents of metro districts say the funding lowers the barrier to entry for development, which has grown increasingly expensive, and presents the city with an opportunity to incentivize things like affordable housing, energy and water efficiency, and neighborhood livability.