June 2025 Citizen Observer Corps Highlights
By
Jorie Kramer
Posted: 2025-07-03T14:14:46Z
- Head Start Program Reviewed
- No significant changes are suggested for the program for the 2026-2030 grant period. The next board meeting agenda will include approval of a grant to help fund the program.
- Online Platform “edmentum” Recommended
- A district task force is recommending adoption of the platform edmentum for three years. This platform is also used by the St. Vrain, Poudre, and Windsor school districts.
- Proceeds of Monroe Elementary Sale Suggested For ADA Compliance
- Staff presented a plan for allocating nearly $5 million from the sale of the Monroe Elementary building to help with ADA compliance across the district. Other projects were also suggested.
- Legislative Update
- A legislative update from the Colorado Association of School Boards includes dress codes, chosen names, phone use, school finance formula and more. These include laws passed by the Colorado legislature and signed by Governor Jared Polis that will need to be addressed by the district.
- The Landing Reviewed
- In the first 90 days of its operation, The Landing, a program aimed at students experiencing homelessness or other crisis situations, supported 27 youth and young adults, and had over 360 overnight stays.
- Equity Update
- Staff discussed implementation strategies and progress for the 2024-2025 school year for each of the five focus areas:
- Inclusive Family/Guardian and Community Input
- Inclusive Multilingual Communication and Digital Accessibility
- Culturally Competent and Diverse Staff
- Professional Learning for Equity
- Equitable Resource Allocation
- Recommended Graduation Requirements
- Staff discussed upcoming actions for the requirements, including developing a plan to integrate Personal Financial Literacy as a graduation requirement.
Observer: Lisa Love Blankenship
- Affordable Housing Units
- Windsor adopted an expedited review process for affordable housing units, aligning with Colorado’s Proposition 123 and making the Town eligible for $50,000 in grant funding from the state’s Affordable Housing Fund.
- Downtown Parking
- The Board approved the Downtown Parking Management Plan, incorporating drone-collected data and community feedback for phased implementation.
- Natural Medicine Moratorium
- The Board extended a moratorium on natural medicine businesses as staff continues to prepare the draft regulations that they anticipate bringing to the Board in August.
- Highway 392 Improvements in Dispute
- North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is building a 10-year prioritization list, with Highway 392 ranking 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 11th on the list. Mayor Julie Cline expressed disappointment that some members of the MPO were surprised by how highly Highway 392 ranked on the list. Cline said these members want to revisit the data to reassess the highway’s priority.
Observer: Shannon McMurphy
- First Quarter 2025 Financials
- Property taxes for 2022, $2,348,421 have been received from the state. Sales tax revenue from the first quarter 2025 increased in comparison with Q1 of 2023 and 2024.
- Public Access to Water Rate Advisory Group Denied
- The board voted against opening the Rate Advisory Group meetings to the public. This group of private citizens uses data to study water and sewer rates to then advise the board. The vote was 5-2 against opening the group meetings to the public. The Trustees promised transparency regarding the decisions made by the Rate Advisory Group.
Observer: Nanci Wendland
- Ideas for Measuring Air Quality Sought
- The city’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Jacob Castillo, sought the board's input and recommendations for air quality measures that will demonstrate progress while implementing the city’s “Our Climate Future Plan.” Castillo is doubtful there are sufficient performance measures if the city council asks what his staff is doing to improve air quality. Castillo sought ideas on how the city’s sustainability department can map results for the city’s air quality programs.
- Radon Initiative Questioned
- The Healthy Homes Initiative for radon testing raised several questions about what the Fort Collins Environmental Board does to protect its citizens and whether measurable results can be provided. Castillo said he believes the data so far leaves many questions unanswered.
- Air Quality Literacy
- The board agreed that Castillo’s group could be more involved in providing air quality literacy. Some members suggested adding more measurements to the city’s website, along with a disclaimer about accuracy. However, other board members said too much information could be misinterpreted by residents and cause confusion or alarm. One board member said the public only needs to know air quality by use of colors (red, green, etc.) and suggested adding a color wheel to the website.
Observer: Nanci Wendland
- Budget Approved
- The board approved the 2025-2026 budget. The board also approved expenditures from the proceeds of the sale of the Monroe Elementary building.
- Bond Issue Slated for November Ballot
- Staff members are making plans to place a $10M bond issue on the November ballot. The plan calls for raising $100 million while not raising taxes for residents, and instead, extending existing tax rates beyond their original expiration point.
Observer: Lisa Love Blankenship
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