Fort Collins Now
February 2009
It’s time to get Fort Collins back to work.
We need to jump start the Fort Collins economy. We need to create real economic opportunity for the unemployed, the under-employed, graduating students and seniors who are trying to rebuild and reinforce their retirement plans.
Of course, being just six weeks away from an election, all of the candidates are talking about jobs and the economy. They’re using phrases like “strengthen the economic health”.
There are a lot of sound bites and vague generalities. How about some specifics, for once?
Here’s what I’d do to get Fort Collins back to work.
Declare, absolutely, that there will be no new taxes, no tax increases, no new fees and no fee increases for the next four years. It’s time to put money back into the pockets of the citizens of Fort Collins. Let them spend it, save it, invest it and budget for the future.
Create a program whereby if you break ground on a construction project in the next twelve months, we’ll cut your development fees in half. That’s a $10,000 savings on the average $200,000 house. Let’s put contractors, architects, laborers, landscapers, roofers, electricians, plumbers and Realtors back to work.
Freeze electric utility rates. Low electric rates help ratepayers and are an incentive for businesses to relocate to Fort Collins.
Create a one-month “sales tax holiday” for Fort Collins retailers. Many retailers are hanging on by a thread. Let’s lower prices and help them attract new customers. Consumers will benefit, retailers will benefit, and our struggling restaurant industry will benefit as people come to Fort Collins to shop.
Call a special meeting of the Fort Collins City Council to fast-track the economic development of the I-25/Harmony interchange. After a year of political and bureaucratic delay, there still haven’t been any jobs created. End the stalemate.
Create a “High-Tech Connection” bus route between CSU and the high-tech employers along Harmony Road. We need to connect students, interns and recent graduates with primary employers.
Say “no” to trash districting. Districting trash haulers will put people out of work, eliminate consumer choice and raise rates on this vital service.
Repeal the $1,000 fine for a missing fence slats. It’s a draconian measure in a time when people are trying their best to budget for home repairs.
Allow for moderate development along the Poudre River through Old Town. Imagine what Fort Collins could be if we allowed for a few shops, coffee houses and restaurants along the Poudre River. We can preserve the natural ecosystem while still making the river a showpiece for our city.
Bring a Fortune 500 corporate headquarters to Fort Collins in the next two years. That means aggressively marketing the city and working with corporate site selectors.
Cultivate and support our own entrepreneurs and small businesses. We need to increase our investment with the business incubator.
Work with our regional partners to improve our roads. Let’s connect Northern Colorado. If we are going to be competitive in the global marketplace, we’re going to need to work together.
Streamline our development review process. Progress has been made, but we need to be more agile as we move job-creating projects from the drawing board to reality.
Ask voters to allow a portion of the open space tax to be used for park maintenance. This will help us balance the budget without raising job-killing taxes or fees. We can do this while preserving every acre we already own and continuing our high-level of programming and maintenance on our open space.
Adopt a zero-based budgeting process for 2010-2011. Everything is on the table. Every single person in Fort Collins is trying to find ways to cut their household budget. Their city government should do the same.
You want specifics? There you go. Let’s get Fort Collins back to work.
February 2009
It’s time to get Fort Collins back to work.
We need to jump start the Fort Collins economy. We need to create real economic opportunity for the unemployed, the under-employed, graduating students and seniors who are trying to rebuild and reinforce their retirement plans.
Of course, being just six weeks away from an election, all of the candidates are talking about jobs and the economy. They’re using phrases like “strengthen the economic health”.
There are a lot of sound bites and vague generalities. How about some specifics, for once?
Here’s what I’d do to get Fort Collins back to work.
Declare, absolutely, that there will be no new taxes, no tax increases, no new fees and no fee increases for the next four years. It’s time to put money back into the pockets of the citizens of Fort Collins. Let them spend it, save it, invest it and budget for the future.
Create a program whereby if you break ground on a construction project in the next twelve months, we’ll cut your development fees in half. That’s a $10,000 savings on the average $200,000 house. Let’s put contractors, architects, laborers, landscapers, roofers, electricians, plumbers and Realtors back to work.
Freeze electric utility rates. Low electric rates help ratepayers and are an incentive for businesses to relocate to Fort Collins.
Create a one-month “sales tax holiday” for Fort Collins retailers. Many retailers are hanging on by a thread. Let’s lower prices and help them attract new customers. Consumers will benefit, retailers will benefit, and our struggling restaurant industry will benefit as people come to Fort Collins to shop.
Call a special meeting of the Fort Collins City Council to fast-track the economic development of the I-25/Harmony interchange. After a year of political and bureaucratic delay, there still haven’t been any jobs created. End the stalemate.
Create a “High-Tech Connection” bus route between CSU and the high-tech employers along Harmony Road. We need to connect students, interns and recent graduates with primary employers.
Say “no” to trash districting. Districting trash haulers will put people out of work, eliminate consumer choice and raise rates on this vital service.
Repeal the $1,000 fine for a missing fence slats. It’s a draconian measure in a time when people are trying their best to budget for home repairs.
Allow for moderate development along the Poudre River through Old Town. Imagine what Fort Collins could be if we allowed for a few shops, coffee houses and restaurants along the Poudre River. We can preserve the natural ecosystem while still making the river a showpiece for our city.
Bring a Fortune 500 corporate headquarters to Fort Collins in the next two years. That means aggressively marketing the city and working with corporate site selectors.
Cultivate and support our own entrepreneurs and small businesses. We need to increase our investment with the business incubator.
Work with our regional partners to improve our roads. Let’s connect Northern Colorado. If we are going to be competitive in the global marketplace, we’re going to need to work together.
Streamline our development review process. Progress has been made, but we need to be more agile as we move job-creating projects from the drawing board to reality.
Ask voters to allow a portion of the open space tax to be used for park maintenance. This will help us balance the budget without raising job-killing taxes or fees. We can do this while preserving every acre we already own and continuing our high-level of programming and maintenance on our open space.
Adopt a zero-based budgeting process for 2010-2011. Everything is on the table. Every single person in Fort Collins is trying to find ways to cut their household budget. Their city government should do the same.
You want specifics? There you go. Let’s get Fort Collins back to work.
