City Manager's Quarterly Report

Fort Collins residents have weighed in, and the 2026 Community Survey paints a positive picture: 87% rate quality of life as very good or good. Residents continue to feel safe and rate City services highly, particularly utilities, parks, trails and emergency services. Ratings for several safety services improved, including emergency preparedness, disaster response and crime prevention. Looking ahead, residents identified the environment, neighborhood and community vitality, transportation, and the economy as areas for City focus, with transportation improvements and housing affordability among the top priorities.

As technology related to surveillance has changed in recent years, community member questions and concerns have arisen over how the City uses this technology. After hearing community feedback earlier this year, City Council voted to end the City’s contract with Flock and move forward with a new policy for how the City uses and manages surveillance technology. Public input opportunities will be available through the fall as the City works to develop a policy that prioritizes accountability, transparency, data privacy and oversight of any surveillance data the City collects.

To ensure the City can provide the services and infrastructure the community relies on, both now and in the future, work is underway to address the organization’s long-term financial sustainability. This includes modernizing systems and processes to support increased financial transparency, and realigning service levels to ensure long-term financial capacity. The City is evaluating potential new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software and pursuing a Citywide Capital Improvement Plan.

Through the spring and summer, staff developed the City Manager’s Recommended Budget, which Council will then consider and revise prior to adoption later this year. This budget took a new priority-based approach to more accurately anticipate both revenue and expenses in the face of external financial pressures, identify efficiencies and cost savings, and align service levels with available funding — ultimately creating a more reliable foundation for ongoing service to the community.

In early April, an ad hoc committee began meeting monthly to advance Council’s priority for Affordability and Sustainable Growth, specifically relating to code alignment, development costs, customer service and process improvements. In May, the Council committee held an engagement workshop that helped identify key areas of focus based on community and stakeholder feedback. In September, Council will consider Code changes to simplify the review process for single-, two-, multi- and mixed-unit homes in certain zones. Additionally, staff continue to make progress on replacing legacy systems for modern technologies, while pursuing numerous initiatives and pilot programs to increase transparency, simplify processes, expand resources and improve customer service across the building and development process.

Learn more and join the conversation at Our City! 

In Q2, City staff continued advancing Council’s priority to Bolster a Thriving Economy through direct engagement with more than 400 local businesses. Additionally, following Council’s approval of an updated Business Assistance Policy in April, staff are putting a new framework into action to help Fort Collins compete for significant business investment and quality job creation, while continuing efforts to reduce barriers to business licensing and prepare key sites for future investment. Economic conditions remained resilient, with unemployment declining to 3.4% and retail vacancy falling below 4% — meaning more residents are finding work and more commercial spaces are occupied by businesses serving the community.

The Southeast Community Center broke ground in June, marking a major milestone in the City’s commitment to equitable access to recreation, wellness and library services. Promised to Fort Collins voters in 2015 as part of the Community Capital Improvement Program, the facility is developed in partnership with Poudre Libraries and Poudre School District and will feature multi-use recreation spaces, fitness amenities, indoor and outdoor aquatic facilities, and a state-of-the-art public library. Construction is anticipated to be completed by 2028, fulfilling decades of community investment and intergovernmental collaboration.

After more than 50 years of vision, collaboration and investment, Larimer County completed the final connection of the Poudre River Trail in Q2, solidifying 45 miles of continuous, paved, multi-use trail connecting communities from Bellvue to Greeley. The City of Fort Collins played a critical role in this regional milestone, closing the final gaps within city limits and partnering with Larimer County, Timnath, Windsor and CDOT to complete the project. A community celebration was held in June at Timnath Community Park, which honored the trail as a landmark achievement in regional connectivity, outdoor access and quality of life for Northern Colorado residents.

Fort Collins Connexion ended Q2 with nearly 26,500 total customers, including more than 1,200 Digital Inclusion customers and nearly 1,100 commercial customers. Connexion's 2Gig Enhanced internet plan continues to gain popularity, reaching more than 1,500 subscribers by the end of the quarter. The federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program recently awarded Connexion approximately $1.5 million in funding to build fiber infrastructure in low-connectivity areas within the Fort Collins growth management area — bringing lightning-fast internet to those who need it most.

For a more in-depth look at Connexion's growth and financials, visit fcconnexion.com/reports. 

Thanks to good weather, the City made significant progress on capital improvement projects in recent months. The City completed safety improvements to Shields between Mountain Avenue and Mulberry. Work continued on the College and Trilby Intersection Improvements Project; on a failing culvert replacement along Trilby between Lemay and Timberline; and on the Power Trail Underpass, which will fill the existing gap between Golden Meadows Park and Keenland Drive. Projects still in progress are scheduled to be completed in 2026 and will improve ease of travel and safety in Fort Collins. Looking ahead, early planning began on the City's Vine and Timberline Overpass Project, which will eventually bring an overpass to the busy intersection.

View the latest construction projects and traffic impacts across Fort Collins at FortCollins.gov/construction.

With Council's focus on Vision Zero, the City prioritized planning for four Vision Zero projects in Q2 — one already completed and the following three scheduled to kick off later this year: William Neal and Ziegler Intersection Improvements, installing a traffic signal for safer crossings of Ziegler; Prospect Road and Prospect Lane Crossing Improvements, installing a crossing signal for pedestrians on Prospect between Whitcomb and Shields; and Vine Drive and Jerome Street Safety Improvements, improving overall pedestrian safety at that intersection.

 

Following years of planning and public engagement and in alignment with the City’s Transit Master Plan, Transfort launched its optimized bus network in August. The new network increases service frequency on key routes, simplifies geographic coverage based on how people travel today and updates Dial-A-Ride paratransit service. The changes, developed through the Transfort Optimization Plan, strengthen connections across Fort Collins while keeping all routes fare-free.

Q2 saw record numbers in sales and first-day attendance for The Gardens on Spring Creek's annual two-day Spring Plant Sale. With more than 40,000 Gardens-grown plants offered for sale, this literal homegrown event showcases City horticultural excellence, connects gardeners of all experience levels and promotes sustainable gardening practices. The event also provides critical support for The Gardens' programs and operations.

Fort Collins Museum of Discovery’s annual Autism Resource Fair drew more than 700 attendees, helping connect members of the neurodiverse community and their caregivers with local organizations and expert panelists - plus a free day of imaginative play and discovery at the museum. Neurodiverse teens even had the chance to interview acclaimed author, animal scientist and CSU professor, Temple Grandin, who delivered this year’s keynote speech.

Community voices continue to shape projects across Fort Collins, from natural areas and neighborhood streets to Downtown and preparations for possible future Front Range Passenger Rail service!

The City launched a Front Range Passenger Rail Station Area Readiness Study, focused on planning for a proposed site near the existing Drake MAX station. While the broader passenger rail project is led by state and regional partners, this local effort will explore the station area and connections to the surrounding community.

Work continues on Sound in the City, with the City’s approach evolving to align with state legislation and legal developments around local sound ordinances. Staff continue to evaluate options and will share updates as the path forward becomes clearer.

Community feedback is also helping shape the future of Downtown Parking. After hearing concerns from residents, businesses and Downtown employees about proposed changes, City leadership is taking additional time to listen, evaluate options and consider adjustments before moving ahead with longer-term decisions.

Since 2017, Our City has hosted more than 120 projects, welcomed almost 500,000 visitors and generated more than 33,000 contributions from residents. Join the conversation at ourcity.fcgov.com. 

Access Fort Collins is an easy way to send your questions, comments and service requests directly to the City staff person who can best help you – now on an upgraded, modernized platform! Submit your service request online, and you can review the status of your request 24/7.

How quickly do staff get you the answers you’re looking for? In Q2, staff managed 1,470 requests, averaging 4.35 days to resolve and close requests.

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