City Council Regular Meeting — January 6, 2026

will the clerk please call the roll

aren't here francis here olson here padiany here canonico here pinatero here

Katowski here great everybody's here and we appreciate all that who have joined us either in person or virtually everyone was here for the same purpose which is the future of our community and I ask that we be respectful and listen to other people's viewpoints and I'm sure we will be everyone will have a chance to be heard will the city manager please provide a review of tonight's

agenda yes thank you mayor good evening everyone we do not have any changes to our published agenda tonight there is a consent calendar that includes seven items and then we'll have a staff report to preview our new website, the new FortCollins.gov website. And finally, we have one discussion item this evening, which is expressing appreciation to those of you who will be concluding your terms on council.

Thank you very much. Will the staff please play the public participation video? Thank you very much. Will the staff please play the public participation video?

! There are three ways to participate in city council meetings. ! In person in council chambers, online via zoom, or by phone.

! Anyone who wants to speak during general comment

! If you have a particular agenda item, you should sign up in advance at fcgov.com slash council comments.

Thank you. including other agenda items during the public comment period.

Or you can comment on specific items when they are brought for consideration later in the meeting.

However, you may only speak on an agenda item once, either during general public comment or during that item's specific discussion.

The mayor will call by name those who have signed up to speak in the order they signed up.

Connect to the internet on your computer or mobile device and join the Zoom meeting.

The link and instructions are on the meeting agenda and at fcgov.com.

Click the Raise Hand button and leave it raised until called on.

Dial the number shown on the meeting agenda and enter the meeting ID.

Press star 9 to raise your hand. Please note that public comment is not permitted about any items that could be appealed to

City Council, like certain kinds of development projects.

Information and resources about how to participate in the development review process are available on the City's website.

Finally, please remember that public comment is not a question and answer session, and

And all comments should be addressed to City Council, not to individuals.

All speakers and audience members should treat everyone with respect and dignity, maintain

a welcoming environment, and avoid actions that could be distracting.

Please enter and exit Council Chambers quietly if the meeting is still in progress. Thanks.

Great. City Council will now hear public comment. To ensure we have accurate information to follow up,

speakers are required to register prior to 530,

and thank you for people's patience as we switch to a new website.

We had a few adjustments tonight, so everyone will have a chance to be heard.

I have the list of names here who signed up prior to 530, And at this point, we have 27 entries with one duplicate. So let's call it 26. So each person will have three minutes to speak.

Let's see. And I think everyone here is looking at the list knows what to do. But I'll just say come up to the podium, alternate podiums for efficiency. State your name roughly where you live.

And the green light indicates that your time has started. The yellow light indicates you have 30 seconds left. and the red light indicates that it's somebody else's turn.

So let's just start with Ross Gunniff. I wanted to speak with number eight, please.

Oh, you want to do it on the item, not on general public comment. Okay. Oh, I see. Sorry. Usually people want to, oh, these are all items. No general, let me just look in the audience then and make clear. Anybody here for general public comment and not item eight? Okay. Do you want to come on down then?

Mayor, maybe we could run through the public comment list and if people could just raise their hand when we get to them and if they'd prefer to speak to the item, we can do that at that time. Because they all say item. No. The list that's on the screen now were people that signed up for public comment. And then.

Yeah. They still say item. This is the item. This is for public comment. Right. I know it does say item.

It does. There's a third. Yeah. It's okay. It's a little confusing. Let's just go down the list. And if you're here and you'd like to speak now, just as Jenny suggested, let's do it that way. Okay, Catherine.

Good evening, council, members of the Fort Collins community. I'm Catherine Dubiel, 80525. I'd like to talk about public service and leadership. It's not something you're unfamiliar with, but my particular take on it is that leadership is not about titles.

It's about impact. Public service is about respect for others and taking action in large or small ways on behalf of others.

Public service and leadership are deeply connected. One fuels the other.

Leadership without service risks becoming self-serving. And service without leadership can lose direction and efficacy.

But when they work together, the combination drives our civic society.

The leaders who inspire us most are not those remembered solely for their titles, but more so for their actions.

The teacher who stays after class to help the struggling student, the employee who stands

up for fairness in the workplace even when it's unpopular with management or co-workers. The public figure who dares to challenge powerful private interests. These are the people who lead

because of their willingness to serve and they serve because they care. Leadership is not reserved for the few. Every one of us can lead through service whether it's mentoring, volunteering,

or standing up for what's right. Public service calls for empathy, courage, and integrity.

It's about listening to those who want their voice to be heard. That's empathy. It's about making decisions that put the community first, even when it's hard. That's courage. And it's about showing up, not just when it's convenient, but when you're committed to do so. And that's integrity. A great leader is one who adopts public service in equal measure to the exercise of leadership. And I thank you for your service, counsel, and thank you for hearing my comments.

Thank you very much. So let's go to Noah Myers. Are you here in person and would like to speak now no okay adrian clee okay we'll save you for later missy abrams

hi uh missy abrams 80525 um i've written an ode to student gutowski but i'd like to address the whole council on this so oh dear susan we shall certainly miss your fair voice not our choice on the council. Your smart decisions will only be omissions in the future of our city's planning. You always dared to be fair and question each side of what was there to keep the system running smoothly. You cared so much about staying in touch with your constituents and other city members. We could all tell that you would never sell us out and protect our natural areas. As for ADUs, No, said you. Let's keep our beautiful city as it is and build as needed. You espoused low-cost housing and wondered with us if we could ever find a developer clever enough and not too greedy to fulfill our wish for housing, not for the needy. Your heart runneth over, which is always a good start for someone to serve as part of the city government. So with tears, we will let you go and somehow know that your service is not done, and we will see your smiling face in our future. There are other jobs that need to be done, and you may be the one to fill the position. We will yearn for your return. Meanwhile, take the time that you need to succeed in healing your feelings of the last few months. All the best to you, my friend. Thank you very much. Anne Hutchison? Don't see Ann here. Is she remote? No. Okay. Rachel? Remotely? Okay, great. Please go ahead.

Hi there. Can you hear me okay? Yeah.

Okay, great. Thanks so much. Like I put here on the form, I just wanted to bring forth for council to consider for some policy priorities in the coming year. I brought this up to council as well in the spring.

And at that point, I believe all of their workshops were full of consideration. And so I just wanted to reiterate that the Fort Collins Marijuana Code has not been updated in over a decade.

and local governments around us, including Loveland and Longmont, Sterling, Ault, many other local communities around us have taken action to increase revenue potential for the city, for their towns. And so I want to encourage council to take another look and really, truly look at what the opportunities are. because council has not looked at the Fort Collins Marijuana Code in 13 years. There are significant opportunities for raising revenue and also providing access to many people who currently do not have access, even in the city, such as parents with minor children and others. Also, we don't have delivery or hospitality. And again, I think we're just falling behind and losing opportunity for revenue, for access for folks. We know that trends show that liquor and alcohol consumption are down and that marijuana consumption has increased as a safer alternative to alcohol. And so that's something that I really want to implore council to consider this year. And then furthermore, This cuts really against my own needs because I am, as well as being a Ork Collins resident, I live in 80525, and I'm also a local small business owner and an attorney, and I help clients get through the needs and desires process for liquor licensing. The state did away with the requirement for needs and desires hearings. And Denver took a pretty bold step last spring in completely changing the way that they handle needs and desires. They determined and looked at the fact that the wide majority of needs and desires hearings and those liquor applicants are not contested. And so it's a significant burden and waste of time for the city to continue doing the needs and desires hearings as we're doing them because it's just not required. And so I would also like to point to counsel's attention. I did email over as an example and something for the counsel to consider. Denver put out a pretty significant document, a guide, and I emailed that over last night that shows how they have updated their process for processing liquor and marijuana licensing. And so I think that this is an opportunity.

Thank you very much. Appreciate your calling in. Ezra?

Good evening, Mayor and Council. Ezra Shire, District 3.

I'm here today to talk to you about the city's flock cameras. Now, I know you guys have been hearing a lot about that from many residents, mostly from the perspective of privacy and civil liberties, and I do share many of those concerns, but tonight I wanted to talk about it from a different angle.

I was curious exactly how much these cameras have actually been used and how much of a benefit they were providing. So I submitted a Quora request to police services asking for the number of searches that were conducted last year and how many of these searches actually led to the target of the search being tracked down.

They responded that there were 22,656 searches last year. That means about one search for every eight residents in the city.

but they also told me and even more shockingly they told me that they were unable to tell me how many of these searches were actually successful. ALPR cameras are a really new technology. This is to my knowledge the first year that Fort Collins Police Services has used them

and certainly this is the first year under this contract and working with this vendor and apparently nobody thought it was a good idea to track if they're even working or not. We're paying Flock about $50,000 a year for the cameras. We all know with our current budget that we don't have $50,000 to waste and there are a lot of things that money could go to.

So I think the most basic due diligence when we're setting up this contract is to have at the one year mark an answer to the question, is this working or not? And apparently we do not have that.

on the trust our citizens have that their tax dollars will be spent diligently and judiciously. And so I ask all of you to consider, does what I have described meet the standards of governmental excellence and accountability that Fort Collins expects of itself? And if not, then I urge you to reconsider this contract when it comes up for renewal this spring. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Barbara is remote. Great. Please go ahead.

Hi, can you hear me? Yeah. Great. So I'm Barbara Krutnik-Goldman, and I live in Council District 6. My comment today is just a quick one to say thank you to the departing council members for having made time to meet with me over the last couple of years. Thank you for listening to my concerns about climate and air quality and ideas about how Fort Collins should be responding to these crises. I want to give a special thanks and recognition to Councilmember Kelly Olson, who has been the true climate advocate on this council. Councilman Olson has shown an understanding that the crisis is urgent and requires action, not just words. Councilmember Olson, you will be missed. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Patricia Babbitt.

Hi, I'm Patricia Babbitt, District 6. And part of tonight's meeting will focus on thanking our outgoing council members for their service and since this was our first year to use ranked voting I've decided to rank councilmember Gutowski as my first choice for deserving reasons to be thanked she was always open to listening to and considering the different viewpoints she heard from her diverse body of constituents she showed a willingness to share what she had heard from her constituents with the council at the risk of having our mayor mayor pro tem and several other council members visibly roll their eyes, chat with each other, or use other body language to indicate that they felt their opinions were more important than anything she had to say. I felt this was very junior high-ish and disturbing. One recent example of Council Member Gutowski's courage and leadership included her proposal to cut domestic and international travel expenses for so-called Council Member professional development when council members were trying to figure out how to deal with budget cuts. Her suggestion was met with clear disapproval and justification as to why that shouldn't happen. Yet most council members seemed content to make budget cuts that would negatively affect taxpayers who pay their salaries. This includes the December 29th consolidation of all three flex routes on our transport bus system into one route. For anybody who depends on our buses, this is clearly a step in the wrong direction. So much for the promises to improve our transit system, which so many council members and candidates promised last fall. While the makeup of our new council appears to be quite monolithic, I hope new members will exhibit the courage and critical thinking skills and leadership that Council Member Gutowski did rather than caving into the whims of the developers, investors, and special interest groups who have been pulling the strings of our local city, county, state, politicians, government workers for too long. Thank you. Thank you. And then we have Nell Davis remote.

Hi, can you hear me? Yep, please go ahead. okay good evening everyone my name is nell davis i live on south timberline road in district one of fort collins and i am a regular customer of old town businesses i'm calling to express my support of the proposal to charge for on-street parking in old town searching for on-street parking in old town stresses me out circling the block looking for a spot contributes to carbon emissions. Additionally, the meeting parking spots forced me to cross College Avenue outside of marked crossings, where visibility is poorer and cars are moving faster, which makes me feel unsafe. Charging for on-street parking would encourage customers to use the parking garages or to use other modes of travel to reach Old Town, improving safety and comfort throughout the district. Thank you for your time. That's all. Thank you. And next I show Catherine,

but it says item eight. So we'll, okay. And then what does this say? These are all items. Okay. So we'll go back to Ann Hutchison. I saw you walk in.

Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, Ann Hutchison, President and CEO of the Fort Collins area chamber and a resident of district one i am here tonight to share my appreciation with our departing council members i have the great pleasure of spending a lot of time adjacent to city government and have had the great opportunity to work with all of you individually as well as to watch you

as a collaborative body and i simply wanted to say thank you thank you for loving for collins Thank you for making us a better place. Susan, your passion for District 1 and support of North College has been tremendous.

Tricia, your growth as a transportation advocate has just been overwhelming and fantastic. We are so lucky to have had you as a voice in the region and the state.

Kelly, you are a stalwart defender of the environment and our open spaces. we're so fortunate to have had you on council and mayor it's been a great ride i have loved sharing the message of fort collins with our community and others right there with you so thank you all for the work you do your tireless devotion to making sure fort collins is a better place and your willingness to be a servant in a time when being a servant is a really hard job

so thank you all thank you very much okay um these are still a little bit um cattywampus so if i make a mistake just correct me but i'm gonna go with ross kind of first oh no we're gonna go to item eight sorry it's still on public and then there's one item i'm to stop ross i'm going to keep calling on you until you come up here okay that's it all right did i miss anybody in the public who would like to speak during general public comment

did i miss anybody online okay let's move on then thank you very much um we will go to does anyone on council have any follow-up to public comment

councilmember pinoturn yeah um with reference to as raya and i know we've had emails and conversations about flat cameras I saw in LVT notes there may be a staff report

coming there is I actually spoke with chief sovota about this yesterday and we are preparing an item to come forward to a council work session on February 27th so that will be something coming to council okay thank you anyone else okay

does anyone on council wish to pull any consent item for individual discussion If so, just a brief explanation why. Okay. Seeing none, don't have a motion for consent.

Yes, I move to adopt the consent calendar items 1 through 7.

Second.

Second by Canonico. Further discussion? Seeing none, will the clerk please call the roll?

Olsen? Yes. Padiondi? Yes. Canonico? Yes. Pinatero? Yes. Gutowski? Yes. Arendt? Yes.

Francis? Yes. That passes 7-0. So, council members have any other comments on consent calendar?

saying that is there a staff report tonight we do have a staff presentation this evening I'd like to invite Amanda King our chief communications and engagement officer forward revamp of the city website is something that has been in the works for quite some time and has been a tremendous amount of work so we are eager to demo it to the community and share a little more information

thank you Kelly mayor members of council it's my pleasure to give you a little update on some of our new technology. I was here, I don't know, a couple months ago with another new platform, so this is becoming a new theme for me. Before we get started with the live demo, I just wanted to provide a little bit of background information about where we came from in terms of this new website. So we started this project almost two years ago, and it's not letting me advance. Sorry. There we go. Previously, our existing website was several iterations old. Custom built website, so lots of custom technology reliant on a very small team here in the city. It is highly utilized for our community members. So last year we saw over 1.6 million users and had over 443,000 returning users. So lots of activity there. Pages, we had over 6 million views of the website. So we know it's a very important tool for our community. We've also gotten that feedback in our annual community survey. So we hear regularly that not only is it a top source of information for the community, but it's a top place that people go for information in our community. With that, our old site had had a lot of sprawl over time. It had grown to over 5,000 pages of content which is quite hard to keep updated and accurate and current. Additionally we had over 6,000 PDFs which are just documents that are challenging for accessibility on the website as well. We also had a lot of people what cooks in the kitchen so we had over 300 content editors at any given time across the city making up that updates to the website so again just a big sprawling environment. In addition to the the website itself we had created several custom built applications. So it's just a highly unique environment. So why a new website? As I've shared, that was a very complex environment. So trying to make things simpler both for our community but also for our staff to keep things current so that we can make sure that we're giving people timely and accurate information. We also shifted to our new URL fortcollins.gov and the .gov is just a really great opportunity to add legitimacy and consistency with the information that you're going to be getting from your local government. The new site has a much simpler user interface. It's not sprawling or overwhelming amounts of content. We actually went down to about 600 pages of content. All of that was based on kind of user activity and data analysis and we shifted to more of a journey based navigation. So folks don't need to know which department is doing what, they just need to know what they want to do and what's that journey to make it a little bit easier to get them to where they want to go. The other big issue here was the state adopted a new digital accessibility law in 2024 and so we worked really hard to ensure compliance with that law as well as making it really user friendly and easy to use. People are using websites differently and so we also modernized how we're approaching the interactivity that people have with web environments. Then finally, we went to a Cloud-based solution. Through procurement process, we moved to a platform called Granicus. They specialize in local government websites. So they're designed specifically for that type of functionality. So let me share now with you a quick little overview of the website itself. So here's the new site. I'll just give you a quick little test drive and then welcome everybody to take some time to check out for Collins.gov. We'd love to hear your feedback.

At the top, you've got a quick, easy access to contact us, which gets us right to our department directory as well as access Fort Collins, connects you with our social media accounts, and lets you choose the language that you'd like to read the website in. Up top here, this is our menu with our journey-based menu. When we did a lot of data analysis, people in our community are very active.

And so all those fun activities are front and center because that's what people are wanting to do when they come. We also have our key city services as well as opportunities to participate in local government and then a special section just for our business community.

Search is also front and center and we have a lot of opportunity to customize search based on, again, data analysis.

analysis if we're finding that people are searching for things and it's not getting them to where they need to go we can customize things on the back end to help them get there quicker.

Just below the fold here we've got kind of our top activities again these are the top things that people visit so we made it quick and easy one click to get people to where they need to go and then we've got of course key kind of spotlight information our news our events in an easy to use tab. We can also see where people are accessing this information knowing a lot of people are actually accessing it on mobile devices. So it is actually mobile responsive and it looks great on a mobile device. So I would encourage you to also check it out on mobile. And then one last thing I just wanted to, or two last things I want to highlight. One is we also created a lot of hubs for folks. Previously, you would have to go to lots of different parts of the website to find all the different permits or all the different licenses. And now we have a permanent and licensing hub. You used to have to go to a lot of different places for assistance programs, and now we've got a hub for all of that too. So making a one-stop shop for common things, it was also a priority for how we did the content. The last thing I'll share is we do have this give feedback button. We do want to collect feedback. So folks can click that, let us know, were you able to find what you were looking for? If not, tell us what the problem was, and then we're going to continue to review so that we can improve and optimize the site for our users. So with that, I will take any questions if you have them, but thank you for the time.

Great. Thank you very much. Council, any questions, comments?

Yeah, I just have a comment. And you guys did awesome work on this. It looks incredible. The old website. After decades, things get clunky and there's too much information. And I think, you know, even though this was an enormous amount of work, I think it was worth it because our residents are really going to be able to access the website in a way that they have not been able to before. So I know this is probably thousands of hours of work across many staff members. So thank you. And it's a great product.

Thank you. Appreciate that.

Councilmember Kanaka.

And I just wanted to congratulate you on the amazing work. I know that digital equity bill was a huge lift. A lot of communities aren't going to be able to make that by the deadline. And so it's really amazing to be in a city that works so hard to make that happen. And to go out on this upbeat note for the outgoing council. So thank you.

Thank you.

Anyone else? Council Member Gutowski.

Yeah, Amanda, during your celebration out there, I was talking to a number of members of the various teams that were involved in this. I mean, it is monumental. Over a year, so many people putting their heads together and doing this. I know one of the biggest criticisms was communication with the city. How can I communicate? How can I find things out? And this is beautiful. I really want to compliment you and your team. And just to advise people that there will be glitches, right? It's not perfect. But please be patient because it's the best thing I've seen. Thank you. So thank you for your work.

Appreciate it. Thank you.

Great. I echo all those sentiments. And I'm glad this search bar has moved below the most valuable, beautiful asset. That always irritated me. I was like, why do we cover the mountain? So that's just a very cursory glance. But it really serves the people well. And you alluded to the community survey. And the feedback from that I remember distinctly was, where do you get your news? And it used to be word of mouth was always the talk. And now it's our website. So even more important to be the main place we communicate with the public when we lose other trusted sources. So thank you very much.

Thank you. Great.

That's it. Okay. Do council members have any reports?

Council Member Gutowski, you always have a report.

As usual. Just a short one, but I have the final, the annual report for the Museo de las Tres Colonias, and it's more than I want to present in full, but I did want to mention several things in the report. I wanted to draw your attention, though, to the fact that over the last several years, A lot of work has been done by the board and other community members to bring the Museo into its own as an officially curated museum. And our president, Jerry Gabaldon, will willingly offer tours to schools, to individuals, you name it. But I love the fact that Museo is now interpreting the history of the Hispanic folks who were here working the sugar beet industry. And if that interests you, that's the best place that you could possibly go, because within it are the artifacts of not necessarily the personal property of the Romero family, but you can go and actually see what life was like during that period of time from the turn of the century. into actually the 1940s. So it's a beautiful museum partnered with the Poudre Landmark Foundation and very much worth going to see it. Just a quick comment is that for the first time, I think, over the last two years that we have been on the historic homes tour, so that gives also an opportunity for you to visit the museo. But we have participated, and I say we because I'm on the board, but the Neighborhood Night Out has been, we've had an opportunity for people to visit the museo. We have a spring planting event where we celebrate Mother's Day and plant any number of vegetables and fLors and so forth that we can enjoy during the summer that the community can. And Dia de los Muertos is a very, very big event that's celebrated. And along with that, I'm not sure if you are aware of the term ofrenda, but it's the altar that is presented and created to remember our descendants. And through our memory of them and our celebration of them, that's how they live on. just many many things that the museo does we work closely with CSU and maybe just one other thing and then I'll let you go but oh and Thanksgiving Day baskets so there's just so many things that go on I hope that you'll look up the museo and come and visit it's a gem and it's the city's it's the city's gift to the community So I just wanted to make mention of the annual report, and I'll make copies available to Council and to leadership. Thank you for listening.

Thank you very much. Does anyone on Council have any other reports? Okay, seeing none. Next, we'll go on to our items planned for discussion, item 8. Is there a staff presentation?

There is, and I am going to give just a brief presentation tonight to get this item started. So we are very happy to be here tonight with a focused opportunity to just share appreciation to those of you who are concluding your terms on council. So for the four individuals here tonight, they have a combined 33 and a half years of service to this community. You'll hear that half of that, a little more than half, I think is from one individual. But again, collectively, that is an incredible contribution to the community. And we're just very grateful for that. So quickly, I want to highlight a thing about each of you. And I'm going to start with the mayor. So just for people who are watching, I'm not going to go through and read all of the boards and commissions and the committees and everything that people did. But I encourage you to look at the resolutions that are actually being adopted and get a really a good overview of the collective service of these individuals. But what I want to highlight for Mayor Arndt is really the word civility and just the tone that you have set for in terms of good governance. I know that that is such a core value to you and you have led with kindness and civility and set that tone in the community. and I think certainly on behalf of the staff but we all really appreciate that about you I'm next going to go to councilmember Gutowski and I feel I'm trying to be formal and call you by your councilmember names and I also want to just say Susan so you know Susan you have such a heart for service and that has been so evident and when you look at some of the committees and the boards that you have been on that has really shown through and again people who know you have heard you talk about your service to the school board and now your many ways that you have connected and certainly shown up at so many events and things in the community throughout the years and so for the way you have represented the community thank you and we appreciate that next up councilmember Canonico and councilman Canonico as we were putting together resolution for you. You have been so connected in what I would say is legislative work, regional policy work. That's such an important role for local government is how we're connecting to other parts of government, the state, our regional neighbors. And you have been just so committed to engaging in those spaces. And again, really accessible to the community. And so deeply appreciate that and your service over these past four and a half years. So thank you. And last but not least, Council Member Olson. Council Member Olson, you have, I believe this is correct, been the longest serving elected official at the local level in Fort Collins. And that level of commitment and dedication is certainly worthy of note. What I want to highlight about you, though, is, again, your commitment to the institution and looking out for the entirety of the city organization and principled decision making as you are making policy. So you are so committed to really getting the best policy solution that aligns with your values. And we have seen that come through in how you have shown up throughout the years. So thank you for that. And then certainly, as I know we'll hear from some others, your commitment to open space and your role in really starting that program and making our open spaces a reality. would not be here without you and that is a huge benefit to the entire community so thank you for that with that I want to again just offer on behalf of our staff the city organization thank you to each one of you for your contributions we are very grateful and we are sincerely going to miss all of you. And with that, I am going to turn it back to you, Mayor, to open it up to public

comment. Thank you. Well, thank you very much for those kind words. And now I finally get a call on

Ross Cunoff. Good evening, Mayor, City Council, Mayor-elect. Congratulations. I'm here to speak to this item number eight, expressing appreciation to the outgoing, excuse me, council members. And it's a thankless job, and all four of the outgoing council members deserve our thanks collectively.

You make difficult decisions. People agree or don't agree, and that set of people changes from day to day. But your service and dedication to the city are recognized and appreciated. Thank you. I want to specifically though call out Councilmember Gutowski whom I served with for two years on council.

And I read the proclamations, but the resolutions, they're accurate, but they're kind of dry. And as you would expect a government document to be. Susan, you were just a tremendously passionate advocate for neighborhoods. for regular people, for the environment, and for good public process. Really appreciated your input and support and insights when we served together and certainly afterwards as well. So you'll be missed. Thank you very much.

I'm going to dedicate the balance of my time, though, to Council Member Olson. I've known Kelly since 1999. When I was first going to run for city council, I was told that I needed to meet with Kelly Olson. I thought, oh, sure, and he was very welcoming. I thought we'd meet for 45 minutes at a coffee shop. We were there, I think, for something like four hours.

And I learned quite a lot about him and even more about myself than I realized that I knew. But he's been a constant friend and mentor to me and many others, helping to instill the values of good public process, good government, access to the constituency. His environmental achievements are well recognized. What's not as well recognized are his efforts in financial stability of the city with his work on the Finance Committee and defined benefit pensions and many other KFCG. His work on continued good governance in terms of transparency, making sure information is well available, and all of that, he's been a fantastic council member, very accessible, returns a phone call, glad to meet for coffee, may or may not be 45 minutes. and but but most of all just a fantastic friend and ally for all good things in Fort Collins and I just wanted to add I am chair of land conservation board these are my own thoughts speaking with we have thank you thank you very much

Catherine? Okay, she spoke once. Linda Stanley.

Good evening. I'm Linda Stanley and I live in Fort Collins. I want to take this brief time to just publicly express my thanks to my husband,

which may not be something that is always done up here, right?

Kelly Olson, the only guy up there for his years of service. Kelly, you've been on this planet for three quarters of a century. I think everybody knows that, so I'm not telling any secrets. And lucky for the rest of us, especially those of us that live in Fort Collins, you've spent much of that time making our part of the world a better place. When it comes to the environment, land conservation, solving problems for your constituents, or figuring out policy solutions to tough problems, you are tireless. You know how to get things done.

You're not afraid to lead the way. And you're oftentimes willing to make those phone calls that I don't want to make. You've done all this.

what you're saying. A little more personally, though I first met you at a political meeting where I thought your ideas and suggestions were brilliant and that you were quite handsome,

I came to appreciate your big heart more than these other assets. You never met a dog, a cat,

a kid, or most any other creature with whom you didn't instantly bond. And in fact, one of those kids who completely stole your heart is in the audience tonight. Add to that your prowess at

making a toilet sparkle or a floor shine and you are quite the package. So as we march off into our

retirements, let's have some fun, enjoy some good meals, some beautiful walks along the river, and some spy shows and British mysteries with the captions, of course. Thank you. Thank you very much. Gina, Jeanette?

Hi there, I'm Gina Jeanette. I live on West Oak Street. And I'm going to be brief. First and foremost, I'm here to give Kelly Olson a big thank you for your years of service to this city and our local government. Kelly, thank you for the countless hours you have worked to represent your district and the city as a whole. Thank you for reading the massive amounts of policy and complicated budget information that council members receive weekly for decision-making. Thank you for always responding to citizen requests for personal meetings and for responding to their phone calls. Kelly answers the phone. He calls you. It's pretty amazing, and that's a really good thing for a city council representative. You're all busy. We know that. Thank you also for being willing to talk and listen to people whose opinions disagree with yours, which is exactly what we all expect our representatives to do, to listen to all their constituents. That's a hard thing. We all know that, to talk to the people that are going to tell you you're wrong. So thank you for that. You do that really well and you have a lot of respect as a result. Finally, thank you for crafting policy language that results in harm reduction from policies that might be deleterious to residents. You are well respected by citizens all over town, from all walks of life, and across the aisle. You've been a great council member for this city and you'll be greatly missed. I would also like to thank Susan Gutowski for your long and many years of service to the city. I have been particularly happy that you've been out in the community meeting with people, talking to people, talking to groups, keeping your finger on the pulse of what's going on. You've been very supportive on things that matter to me, including historic preservation, environmental issues, and the Poudre River. you will be missed we encourage you to enjoy retirement as well that's all I

got thank you thank you very much Eric Hamrick remote great go ahead Eric yes

can you hear me sure okay first of all I want to thank the all the outgoing council members you may or aren't and council member Canonico it's a tough job and you stepped up to do it and so you know thank you for your service that's that's really great more specifically I wanted to thank council member Gutowski for her dedication to justice and years of public service you know you've always believed that government that doesn't engage with its people cannot properly represent them so I just want to say thank you for caring and taking the time to listen you'll be missed and especially I want to thank councilmember Olson for his I don't know if I'm telling secrets but over 40 years of public service you've been a tireless advocate for natural areas you know open spaces parks and trails and being one of the hardest working council members on record you've taken the time to actually listen to your constituents and you work to support and maintain the character and the livability of our neighborhoods and the city. So, you know, you deserve special recognition for that. You fought to maintain open space, accessible and transparent government. You believe that public participation is based on the principle that those who are affected by the decision have a right to be involved in that decision-making process. So, you fought hard to ensure all members of our community have a voice in a fair and public process. So, hats off to you. And I want to thank you personally for your service and for constantly speaking truth to power and for not throwing baby in a corner.

So good luck and thank you for all you've done for the city.

Thank you. Scott Mason remotely. Go ahead, Scott.

Mayor, can you hear me now?

Yeah, please go ahead.

This is Scott Mason from District 4. Mayor and City Council members, I want to thank all of the Council members right now, but especially focus on those who are leaving City Council at this time. Your time and leadership over the years has helped make our great city what it is today. Now I want to focus on Kelly Olson. Kelly, you've been an outstanding example of a selfless public servant. In the 43 years that I've known you, you fought tirelessly for wildlife, the land, our environment, neighborhoods that were under attack from student rentals, and for better and transparent government. it. Thank you for all that you've done for this community. Be well and Godspeed. Thank you.

Thank you. Travis Storen.

Welcome back. Thank you. This is new. Good evening. My name is Travis Storen. Tonight I'll be the average citizen of Fort Collins. I reside in 80525, which is in District 2. I'm a former member of the city staff who apparently still has not found a better way to occupy my time on Tuesday nights. And I do consider myself somewhat qualified to speak on tonight's topic, not just because of the knowledge I gained of the city's workings, but because as a former member of the city staff, I now feel rather unshackled from the duty towards quiet neutrality that we carry as a staff with respect to our elected representation. So I'll call things like I see it this evening. I'm primarily here to thank all four of our council members who will soon be calling this chapter of their elected careers to a close. This is not about your policy positions or political philosophies or the decisions that were made. It's not about universal agreements. In fact, there are occasions I can name where I have disagreed with the council. But instead, I'm here to speak to the virtues that you possess, all seven of you really, that the community might not have direct experience with. First off, I believe all of you to be fundamentally decent people who sought your offices for all of the right reasons. I think you hold yourselves and others to a high level of ethical standards and transparency. Two, you do the work. Every week, what the community might not see is you get hundreds of pages of preparatory material to review before Tuesday, in addition to your other public-facing responsibilities. And I can vividly recall multiple occasions in which you'd ask a question that you can only formulate if you got to page 492 of 500 pages. These three minutes go by incredibly fast, you should know. And I'm used to getting more like 10 or 20.

You treat the staff with kindness and respect. And yet, in the other hand, you also hold them to the high expectations that your constituents rightfully have for their city staff. You know, with my remaining time, I think I'd be remiss if I didn't highlight a particular appreciation for Councilmember Kelly Olson and the length of his tenure. Kelly has a reputation for being a hard hitter. And indeed, my first experience was an introductory coffee meeting where Kelly's beverage order contained six shots of espresso. And I found it very explanatory as to why Kelly is the way he is. But it's not been my experience. and although many things will be rightfully said and remembered about his contributions I'll instead remember the thoughtfulness and respect that I experienced and the kindness and warmth that my family experienced so I'll turn my attention back to all seven of you and thank you sincerely all for your service

thank you next up is Paul Patterson

yeah Paul Patterson district 2 while we have not always agreed on matters before council I would like to appreciate Mayor Arntz, Council Member Katowski, Council Member Canonico, and Council Member Olsen's service to the community. I'd also like to give a special shout out to Council Member Katowski on meeting with all interested members of the community, talking to them, and listening to them and their concerns. It's a special and much needed skill. Thank you.

Very nice. David Roy.

Good evening, City Manager Jim Martino, Mayor Arndt, Mayor-elect Francis, and all of City Council.

My name is David Roy and I live at 2016 Evergreen Court.

This evening you will pass a resolution that respects and honors the efforts of City Council member Kelly Olson through the years. I am here tonight to thank Kelly for those years he has dedicated to the people of Fort Collins, to the City of Fort Collins organization, and to the principles of democracy. In the over 40 years that I have known Kelly, he has always walked the talk.

His integrity has never been questioned or his honesty. Kelly has believed from

his first day as an elected official that good government is open, accessible,

and transparent. Kelly has always believed that the people of Fort Collins

always deserve the best efforts from their elected officials. Kelly has given

his best every day. One of Kelly's gifts to Fort Collins and the surrounding region is the result of his vision to bring to the voters the chance to fund the purchase of natural areas and open spaces. It's the rare person in this community that hasn't spent time in one of these special areas, protected and preserved because of Kelly's work.

Kelly is a leader who has constantly demonstrated two of the most important traits of any individual who wants to make a difference, courage and tenacity.

Kelly has been successful not because he's beholden to a party or to corporate masters, but because he's always believed in speaking for the voiceless, the disenfranchised, the

marginalized, and the environment. Councilmember Olson, know that your work through the years to make local government better and to help make the lives of the residents of our community better will leave an endowed

mark on the City of Fort Collins.

Council member Olson thank you for everything you've done for Fort Collins and for the people

who live here your work has made a difference and will continue to do so for generations to come

great Katie Mason remotely yep please go ahead yeah my name is Katie Mason and I live in District

four, I want to thank the mayor and all outgoing council members. Your service is greatly

appreciated. But tonight I want to focus on the legacy of Kelly Olson. Kelly has been serving our

community in one capacity or another for over 40 years. His passion and tenacity for improving

Fort Collins is unmatched. His greatest legacy is the natural areas in and around our city.

His vision and leadership, together with his wife Linda, in establishing the Natural Areas Program through many successful tax initiatives is a legacy for the ages. Thank you, Kelly, for your tireless pursuit of a better community and a better world.

Great. Adrian?

Thank you so much. This might be a little different. My name is Adrian Klai, and I spent my entire life growing up in District 5, just two doors down from Kelly. I'm going to try and get through this.

But I've known Kelly practically my entire life longer than I've known how to use indoor plumbing. Famously, the first time I met Kelly, my diaper was dragging on the ground.

And pretty much from that moment forward, Kelly and Linda and I had a great relationship, and I've spent so much time over at their house, again, just two doors down.

And I, as a young child, nicknamed Kelly and Linda the Extra Grandma and Grandpa because I just thought they were so old then. And that was that was 20 years ago.

When I was six, Kelly ran for city council. And I fondly remember walking through the neighborhoods with my big buddy, dropping campaign materials, waving signs. I mean, I thought I was the coolest kid.

impossible to finish a lunch conversation because he's going to see pretty much everyone he knows walking by. Well, I learned so much from Kelly about government, politics, history, and everything else. It was really his actions in the community that taught me the most. The work ethic that I

was fortunate enough to observe will always serve as an inspiration to me. In the 12 years of public service that I've known, Kelly, I don't think he's taken a single day off from thinking about how to improve the lives of the people of Fort Collins. And it was something that I'm so fortunate to have witnessed firsthand. The tenacity that he brought to every issue was a testament to his desire to serve the people who elected him. His insisting on taking meeting after meeting, week after week, phone call after phone call, showed me that listening to everyone's voice matters. watching firsthand his relentless pursuit of making Fort Collins a better place has undoubtedly made me a better person I consider myself so fortunate to know such an incredible human I know all of us here owe you our gratitude Kelly for your service and your remarkable career of public service but I'm even more grateful to you for being the best role model I could have asked for thank you thank you Emily

Emily? All right. Thank you. My name is Emily Gallashot. I live in District 6. I'm speaking on behalf of myself, not the board I'm part of. That is very tough to follow, so I will keep this short. I just want to express my gratitude for all of the members that are outgoing. This has been

a really challenging last almost five years that you've served. It was still pretty intense COVID times when most of you started and then all the various federal challenges and funding challenges

over this last year. It's been tough and I'm just so grateful for all the work you've done and the hard decisions you've made that have benefited our community. I've interacted with all of you.

I've met with you. I've had phone calls with you. I haven't had a four-hour coffee but Kelly and I recently pushed almost three hours so I'm grateful for that. So I just want to express my gratitude

and thank you so much for all the work you've done.

Thank you very much. Oh, no. I don't know if we allow props.

It's not a prop. This is my hat.

All right. Go ahead, Mr. Joe Rowan.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of council. Joe Rowan, just a chubby old white guy. I'm here to express my gratitude to the four of you that are retiring, walking out the door for the last time next week. I'll start with you, Madam Mayor. I've really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know you in a professional and personal manner. I'm not sure that I'll miss the late-night phone calls, but do reserve the right to call you late at night when I need a ride home from the drinking dog.

And, Council Member Gutowski, I do express my deepest sympathies to you and hope that you'll find the serenity that you deserve now that you won't have to hang out with these mulliaks every week. and council member Canonico I'm going to hold my tongue because I have a distinct impression that I'm going to need to curry your favor in the future as you pursue your career council member Olson been my representative to jury and de facto since July of 1998 you've been running the west side of town since longer than the mayor-elect has been alive and I think that there's never been an opportunity that hasn't passed when you have reminded us that at every decision point, you have squarely landed on the right side of history. And that not only requires tremendous

intuition, but a keen wit and fortitude. And I think more importantly, it requires incredible,

incredible vision. And I don't think that that's actually been recognized. And so I would like to, As a small token of my appreciation of your esteem, I want to present to you My prescription I wear that you might don the next time you stand on this side of the playground Fence and want to bark at them at the council that has taken over for you and and I will point out Miss Daggett that I have checked and this does fall within the guidelines of our recently adopted ethics code So perhaps I can share this with you when you have time and you can meet me at the fence. Thanks Okay, thank you very much As rat

Good evening is raya shire district 3 I Just wanted to express my appreciation to Trisha Canonico for all of her service to our community I know I haven't known her as long as many of you have, but in the short time that I have, I've never ceased to be impressed with her dedication to our community or constant willingness to listen to and engage with her constituents. And the time, I would say the time that I have spent around her has been a lesson in what true leadership looks like. I really admired the incredibly positive campaign you ran, and even more so by your kind and gracious response when it didn't go as we had hoped. it's been a great privilege and honor to work with you in some small part and i know that even though you're leaving council your dedication to the city will remain as strong as ever and i'm sure no matter what title ends up before your name you'll consider continue working to make fort collins a better place for all of us i know this will not be the last that fort collins has heard Thank you.

Thank you. Phillip, remotely? Mayor, I'm going to see if we have two folks online that are only showing up under their phone number. If either of those are Phillip or Brian, could you raise your hand?

Star nine to do that.

Okay.

I don't know which one it is, but we're going to. Yeah, just go ahead. Okay.

Please state your name.

0402, can you unmute yourself?

Can you hear me?

Yeah, we can hear you now. Please go ahead.

Thanks. You know, I really dislike public speaking, but what I have to say tonight is incredibly important. I'd like to humbly thank Kelly Olson for his service to our community. I'm a 40-year-old resident of Fort Collins. I've lived here all my life, which means I have benefited from literally a lifetime of his influence in the city. I have always been really impressed the way he answers phone when I call and on the rare occasion

that I don't get a hold of him the first time he returns my call within a few hours he cares about the small communities in Fort Collins that make up the larger communities and has been a huge advocate for neighborhoods and for livability, which has had a huge impact on my life.

And I wish him well. So thank you very much, Kelly.

Could you state your name for the record just before you hang up?

Yes, Phillips Seifkin, District 5.

Thank you so much. And thank you for your comments. Is Brian Werner available? No.

We don't have another hand up, Mayor. Okay, we'll circle back to Catherine. So you spoke on good governance. Now you want to speak on item 8, correct? Yes. Okay, please go ahead. Item 8, yep.

Good evening, City Council and members of the Fort Collins community. Catherine Dubiel, 80525.

Susan Gutowski is one of the best examples of leadership and public service I've seen as a City Councilor.

With her unfailing, respectful, and attentive behavior. She showed her fellow city council members, as well as the citizens and business owners of Fort Collins, that being a leader meant being attentive and respectful of all, that the starting point for reaching shared solutions is listening and acknowledging others' points of view. Arriving with her mind made up was not the way she conducted herself. Instead, she held firm on principles of protection of our environment, government transparency, home rule, and support for small businesses. She could disagree without being disagreeable, as the saying goes. She was able to be the voice of the community because she was out in the community, attending festivities, observances, celebrations of achievements, and also those important public meetings where she listened and collaborated with engaged citizens and business owners. She reported on these activities at council meetings with enthusiasm and genuine caring. Now, don't think that Susan was patting herself on the back. Oh, no. She reported on these activities to celebrate what a vibrant community we have and to give a shout-out to organizations and community members.

Similarly, when citizens showed up to speak at council about their concerns and accomplishments,

Susan listened respectfully and responded to their comments, asking for follow-up by the city manager, if need be.

Susan Gutowski has provided us with an excellent example of leadership.

Let your leadership be defined not by the authority you hold, but by the lives you touch and the selfless good you do.

Thank you, Susan, for your service.

Thank you very much. Did I miss anyone, either in person or virtually? Okay, come on down.

Thank you, Mayor and Council. I'm Amy Hoven. I'm a resident of district 5 I serve on the citizen review board and I'm councilmember elect for district 5 and I want to thank you all for achieving the mission of the city I am a more engaged community member because of you

all and your leadership your guidance and your friendship I'll forever be grateful for and councilmember Olson thank you so much for for all of the

service that you've given our community for the time that you've given me and my family and just continuing to educate me I have big shoes to fill and Philip Seifkin it was great to hear him and he will remind me constantly and I'm grateful for that so thank you very much to all of you I look forward to serving and I promise to be as good of stewards as you have been. You've been perfect role models. Thank you. Well, thank you for coming. Anyone else?

You know we're going to be a little lenient tonight.

I'm Cordelia Stone. I live in La Porte, Colorado, which is really close to Fort Collins. Very, very close. So it's been my honor, actually, yes, But well, first of all, thank you so much to the outgoing mayor and council members, Council Member Gutowski, Council Member Conoco, Council Member Olson, Mayor Arndt. The person whose work I'm most familiar with, like many people before me spoke tonight, is Kelly Olson. It was my honor and privilege and has been to have known and worked with Kelly Olson since 1999. Did you know it was that one? Maybe not. But mostly it's been my honor and privilege to have been the recipient, the beneficiary of the work that you've done. It's remarkable and unbelievable. I'm still crying from Adrian, by the way.

Then I knew him when he was two or three and saw him treating you like reappearance.

When I first moved here in 1999, somebody suggested that I go to an open space meeting.

And so I did.

I was blown away by the professionality, the hard work, the knowledge, the dedication that that group was showing.

Week after week, day after day, and eventually for, what, 1989 to 26, 27 years.

And I got to see that repeated constantly, and I'm honored to have been part of it.

On my way here tonight, I was with my daughter and my granddaughter driving here. And my granddaughter said, Graham, why do you have to go to a city council meeting? And I said, because it's Kelly Olson's last night. And my daughter said to him, you know, it's because of Kelly Olson that we get to go on the hikes that we go on.

And I was remembering in our leaflets and pamphlets that we did for open space,

one of the little things that we said was something along the lines of protecting open space for generations to come. And I'm thinking, here's three generations right now. So thank you, Kelly Olson.

Thank you very much. Okay. I believe that concludes public comment. Thank you for everyone who came tonight and virtually. I'm sure we all very much appreciate him

let's see do council members have any questions or comments on any of the resolutions I'm seeing none I'm seeing yes

Do we make comments now or after each resolution? We're going to take each resolution in kind and all individually and then I'll ask for comments on each individual. Thank you for the clarification. Is that good? Okay. Is there a motion for Resolution 2603? Yes, I move to adopt Resolution 2026-003 expressing gratitude and appreciation to Jenny Art for her service and contributions to the community as mayor. Second. Second by Pina Taro. Is there further discussion?

Council member Patti. Yeah, I I wrote all of you all a note so you got to read what I thought that was a something an idea that was passed along that Julie Pina taro I was reminded did for me when I left council last time so thank you for that just gives you a chance to be a little bit more touchy-feely but yeah Jenny what I wanted to say to you is really my first introduction to

government was when you invited me in to help help you run a bill at the Capitol. And I really knew nothing about politics. I knew nothing about government. I was mid-career as a school psychologist. And you just brought me in in such a personal way, involved me and my colleagues every step of the way, and really like lit the fire under me to understand that government, especially local and state government, is where the important decisions are made. And I really do credit you with a lot of why I am here and I think Anybody who meets you picks up that you think government and politics and our community are for everybody And I just appreciate that I think you've led with that ethic in mind throughout your time as mayor and when you were in the state legislature and I know that Whatever you move on to which I know this is not the end of the road for mayor aren't That you're gonna be doing great things but thank you for inviting me in to your journey and I just appreciate your service.

I believe you called me and you had a great bill idea and that bill was very popular and that was because you had a wonderful idea. That's actually how it started. I was just smart enough to say that's a great idea. Anyway, I have a few words and first I just want to thank the voters for Fort Collins for 14, 16, 18, 20. then we looked it up. There's been three mayors in the 30 years that a mayor has been elected. Well, in 2021, it had been 30 years since mayors have been elected citywide. And the voters had trusted Ray Martinez, Doug Hutchison, and myself to become mayors without having served on council, which is a lot of trust in a person because there's a lot to learn. And so thank you voters for putting your trust in me. I hope I've served you well. I would also like to thank the council for trusting me. It must have been weird to be on council and then have someone never on council stand up here and be your mayor. And I made a lot of mistakes. I still do. But I think that's because I'm human. But you guys must have been like, oh, my God, what is happening to us? And you supported me. You helped me. You taught me. And I actually started liking to work with you. But that's just a joke. I really do. I only say that because I don't like to be sentimental, so I have to make a joke, but I'm going to be sentimental for a minute. You're the most hardworking, committed, getting to page 452 type of people that I've ever met. And the commitment that you have for the hard work and sometimes drudgery of what this means night after night. It's Tuesday night, but it's council finance. And it's URA board, it's PFA board. You know all the things you do. And it's reading, thinking, answering the phone, doing all the things you do. It is quite remarkable. And I didn't just actually like working with you. I was impressed every day. And you have my full respect. And I don't think I'll have this type of work environment again. And I mean that very sincerely. I did want to mention a few things I feel like we got done together with the voters. We moved elections to the voters. I'm going to, it's always about the voters, right? So none of this would have been possible without them. Moved elections in November and drove up the voter turnout from 30% to 48%. We implemented citywide rank choice voting, which was a first. And it went very smoothly thanks to our wonderful teams. We revised our ethics rules. We revised our gift policy. We revised our rules of chamber to make sure that we could get to our business and still have an open forum where other cities were shutting off public comment or doing other things or meeting remotely. We never did that. We kept it open and free and attending to the public and making sure that we got our work done. We got the URA moving and finally, finally got a hold of that Albertsons and we're making great progress on North College and that has been a thing. the voters trusted us with the ccip referral the voters trusted us with the natural area extension for ever and the voters trusted us with the climate tax the transportation tax and recreation tax i don't haven't done the homework to see how many communities over this time span of four point four years and nine months have passed three tax initiatives two extensions but uh that's still very remarkable. So I think that the people feel the hard work. We have a good public process. We have a lot of people running. The community trusted us with council pay so that more people could be able to run. Those are just a few. We did the charter update. I feel so good leaving. I feel good growing up in Fort Collins. I felt good. Then Manville's here tonight. I'm just going to shout him out as one of my early heroes on council when I was younger. And Gina Jeanette, the continuity, Ross Cuniff, of people serving in these roles. I feel so great about what's to come. And that's more than I usually talk. But I just really, tonight is the night when I want to look each one of you in the eye and tell you, honored I have been to serve. That's all. Yeah.

Well, I can't let this opportunity pass. This is one we can comment on you, correct? Yeah. Well, you're one of 12 mayors or future mayors that I served with up here. I did the tally for any interested. And you're certainly a force to be reckoned with. And that's a compliment as far as I'm concerned. You take the role of mayor very seriously. And I appreciate that. And the institution and the importance of good governance. You check all those boxes. and you've got a quick sharp wit that I appreciate and sometimes on the receiving end of it I still appreciated it and still do I don't think that'll change you have good judgment it showed when you went from the legislature to municipal government which is a much higher form of government than the legislature so that so that was showed good judgment and we agreed on style and substance on on governance which is most important to me we didn't often agree on split votes on policy but But the reason I'm mentioning that is that we still continue to have the relationship that we have today. And I think that speaks highly of the way we're supposed to operate. We can have our policy differences, but continue to govern in a good way. And then and I was very fine with playing the loyal opposition sometimes on the policies. And I'm really glad I'm hoping you're not. Oh, no, that's later. But I'm glad you didn't mention the the time I rejected you for the Parks and Rec Board. so I'm really glad that's how I got my start when you wouldn't let me that you didn't bring that up

okay that's enough I hope nobody else wants to talk thank you very much okay uh will the clerk

please call the roll Potty Andy yes Canonico yes Pina Taro yes Gatowski yes aren't yes Francis yes

Olsen yes Motion passes six there seven zero is there a motion for 26. Oh four. Yes

I move to adopt resolution 2026 stash zero four expressing gratitude and appreciation to Susan Kutowski for her service and contributions to the community as city council member

second Second of Ipina Tara further discussion

Who's about first I saw party Andy then Kelly I'm like really excited um no Susan I just uh sorry Council Councilwoman Gutowski uh I just think it's it's pretty incredible being a public educator myself to know that you move from a career as a teacher which is selfless to being on school board which is totally unpaid for those of you guys who are hard on the school board members to going into city council and you take a lot of joy in this job and in service and And I think you have dedicated your adult life to serving our community. And, you know, it was really, even though the situation was very sad, it was heartwarming to see how much your family really, really loves you. And as you move out of this journey, I really hope that you have some really fulfilling opportunities to connect with your family members even more deeply. and it's clear that they're there and ready to welcome you with open arms post-council. So thanks for your service. You're welcome.

Council members. Thanks. And I'll say, Susan, formality, even though I wore a tie tonight, I don't care about the formality tonight. Susan, so no one can question your commitment to your community, to the people of Fort Collins and to neighborhoods. Your experience on the school board and city council leaves no doubt about that. And that's what the record will reflect. No city council member attended more community events representing the council and the city organization than you did. And the community really appreciated that. And then you too possess a quick wit. And you do some really great voice imitations and imitations of people. I haven't seen the one on me yet, but maybe I'll see that soon. And then you're the only one oftentimes in the room that gets any of my references to movies, television, or music. And I've always appreciated that. So I wish you well.

And I'll just say how much I really enjoyed our one-on-ones. We just have great lunches together, and I hope they continue after our service is over next Tuesday. I have appreciated you also being such an enthusiastic supporter of the arts and culture because councils all we all this one thing I loved about our council we played to our strengths and we all kind of divided I'm not like I'm more comfortable in like a utilities area and you're you're more comfortable in arts and culture so it was great to know that you were they're representing council there and we know that the community we can see tonight really appreciated those that support as well so I look forward to more lunches at Young's cafe with you in the future Susan of course you can I'm

gonna ask if you'll just indulge me while I read my message it's not very long, but just something that I wanted to share with you. Thank you so much for the resolution. I mean, I look back on it and I said, I did all that? That's crazy. And new council members, you will too, and it'll be a lot of fun. So I appreciate the recognition and a chance to say a few words in parting. But I do want to start with a tribute to my late husband, Wayne Gutowski. He left us in early December and is greatly missed. Those of you who were able to attend his memorial saw how much he was loved. He was a really great guy. And my best friend. And my greatest supporter. I appreciate all of the community and all of the city for your support during a very, very hard time. and I also want to thank the community of Fort Collins for giving me the privilege the privilege of serving you and for the last 14 years I looked back and went wow 14 years I must have been a baby when I started right but both on city council and on the PSD school board and it has been so much fun and I just wanted to say that I not only love Fort Collins but I am in love with our beautiful city. And I hope that you are too. And I'm looking for other things to do. I already joined Kiwanis this morning, so I'm off and running. It's a service organization. Go figure, right?

But thank you all. Thank you, Council. You know, it was a great run, don't you think? We had fun. Thanks. Great.

We are at further discussion. Will the current please call the walk?

Canonico. Yes, Pina taro. Yes good tasky. Yes aren't yes, Francis. Yes Olson. Yes, how do you Andy? Yes

And that passes seven zero is there a motion for 2605 yes

I'm going to adopt resolution 26 just zero zero five expressing gratitude and appreciation to Tricia Canonico for her service and contributions To the community as City Council member second

Seconded by Pina taro further discussion

Councilman Frenian. Okay. Again, short and sweet, but Trisha, you're a kind human. And I guess the little anecdote I wanted to tell about you, the thing I've noticed is you're the most well-researched council member of anybody up here. You know, if I want to know about a policy that's happening at the state level, at the regional level, nationally, internationally, you have read 15 articles about it, and I can call and ask. and you know you have read 15 articles about it and I can call and ask and you know that just speaks to the fact ! that you were diving deep and you cared about these issues and ! and it's just been a pleasure to work with you and really gonna miss you

! Kelly ! Kelly! Thank you mayor! So it took us just a little bit of time to find our way and when we did I found it very productive and enjoyable and I'll echo some of what was said of you being a policy junkie which I can relate to but you're not most it's important to have that but you want to translate it into action It's important to have that, but you want to translate it into action, which I appreciate. And the list, I just want to get some out. The Colorado, I'll probably get it wrong, Colorado Commission or Committee for Climate Action, emphasis on action. The Metropolitan Planning Organization that I think you might have chaired. Colorado Municipal League of you going down to the legislature and lobbying those kinds of things. So you do your homework, but it's not an academic exercise. It's that you wanting to put it into action, and that really matters to me a whole lot. You not only do the work, then you show up, and then you contribute, and all those things that were very important to Fort Collins, but on a regional level. So I appreciate that. and you're only council member that I'm aware of that fact checks me in real time during the meetings. So I always was on my toes knowing that you're on the keyboard there. So it's been a pleasure mostly.

I'm going to ditto a lot of that was said. I mean, oftentimes I get the news from Tricia in a text before I know what's happening. Did you see this? No, I don't know what's happening with Tricia. Tricia, how do you know that? she's like well if you just read whoa I'm like oh my goodness so um yes it is the dedication to service and the the the kind and the care and like many of us juggling family and um spouses and all the other commitments that we have in our lives but I'm not I'm not being as close here I'm being everyone but I watched how you also did that um and your kids growing up right before our eyes and all the things that go with being parent and then your graciousness through your bicycle accident and that must have been a very painful time we're reminiscing a year ago she was walking on the crutch or the cast so that was a big deal and I don't believe you ever missed a meeting you missed one okay okay but that that was a big deal so your commitment to service and And then your kindness, your intelligence, and you applied it to serving the people for a cause. I don't think it gets better than that. You're welcome. Susan?

Yeah, I want to echo a lot of that. Ditto, ditto, ditto. But yeah, especially the kindness and the compassion. You have been outstanding and so supportive during my really difficult time. And I have to tell you how much I appreciate that. But you're just generally kind. So it wasn't just that particular thing.

However, going on to the articles and all of that, great stuff that you would send us to read. And I actually read it and I thought, my God, you know, this is heavy duty stuff. So what I'm saying is that you've done so much to enhance your knowledge, to create a foundation, especially with environment and environment. I'm looking for great things. I think that you have just begun.

And so anyway, I'm going to keep my eye on you because I think you're going to be doing a lot more in this community and the state So you go girl

Do you want to say a few words?

And like the mayor I usually don't spend a lot of time talking up here

But I wanted to give some written words tonight. So I made sure that I didn't forget anything that I wanted to say So I want to begin by thanking District 3 and all of Fort Collins for placing your trust in me to serve on City Council. Thank you for engaging, whether you agreed with me or not.

Thank you for the emails, the conversations, the hard questions, and the moments of encouragement,

although there were fewer of those than there were of the hard questions. You pushed me to think bigger, to do better, and to stay grounded in what mattered most, doing my best for this incredible city that we all get to call home.

Serving you, learning from you, and working on behalf of Fort Collins has been one of the greatest honors and joys of my life. To the mayor and to my fellow council members, thank you for being my Tuesday night family and family for so many other parts of my world. Thank you for the friendship, for the debates, the collaboration, the laughter, the Price is Right rules, and the shared commitment to keeping Fort Collins innovative, future focused, and ahead of the curve. You have made me a better representative and a better human. I'm deeply proud of what we've accomplished here together.

We continued the work of past leaders by keeping our eyes firmly on future generations.

We advanced the goals of our climate future through the 2050 tax, adopting a single trash dollar contract, launching a composting pilot, expanding our trail network, and moving forward on fleet electrification, to name a few things. we work towards housing abundance and affordability by creating affordable housing revolving loan fund removing you plus to allowing 80 use addressing

impact fees and utility rates and adopting an update to the land use code and adopting an update to the land use code and another one and then finally

moving on to commercial corridors all in recognition that how and where we build shapes affordability, sustainability, and equity. We embraced the idea of a 15-minute community, working to make Fort Collins more connected, accessible, and livable for everyone at every stage of their lives. We modernized our democracy by implementing the city's first civic assembly, moving elections to the fall, adopting ranked choice voting, and affirming the work that the work of council is worthy of fair pay and benefits. And as we celebrated tonight, we revamped the website and made government more fun. What I recognize most deeply is that our work always recognized the shares values of our community and our longstanding commitment to future generations. It's been a privilege to serve alongside you. We faced complicated challenges, made difficult decisions, and we didn't always agree, Kelly. But we did so with respect and a shared commitment. And that kind of public service really matters. So thank you, each one of you. For District 3, I'm especially proud of the progress in the southeast part of our city, from trails connections like the Siphon Overpass and the Harmony Underpass, to safer streets like the Trilby and College Intersection, to affordable housing projects like Hearthside Hill and Bird Whistle Townhomes. I'm also proud of the partnership with PSD and the Library District that reimagined what the Southeast Community Center could be. It'll be a more innovative community center vision for the entire city now. But none of this work would have been possible without the heroes in the background, city staff. And I cannot say strongly enough how extraordinary you all are. The depth of expertise, professionalism, and care across the organization is truly remarkable. You carry immense responsibility, often under intense pressure, and you do it with thoughtfulness, creativity, and deep commitment to this community. Fort Collins works because of you, and I am profoundly grateful for your partnership and service. And finally, to my family who can't be here tonight, thank you. Public service is never a solo endeavor, and I couldn't have done this without your love, patience, and unwavering support. You've been there with me on the good days and the hard ones. And as I step away from this seat, I do it with deep gratitude and optimism. Fort Collins is a special place because of the people who care so deeply about this community. And that gives me great confidence in our shared future. So thank you to one and all. It has been such an honor to be here to serve you. Good night.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Are we done now?

No. We haven't voted.

Pino Terrell. Yes. Getasky? Yes. Arndt? Yes. Francis? Yes. Olsen? Yes. Padayandi? Yes.

Canonico? Yes. That motion passes 7-0. And we have one more resolution, 2606.

I move to adopt resolution 2026-06, expressing gratitude and appreciation to Kelly Olsen for her service and contributions to the community as city council member.

Second. Seconded by Pinotero. Further discussion? Council Member Pagyandi.

This is my last one. So as I was writing cards for the outgoing council members tonight, my nine-year-old asked what the cards were for. And I told him, oh, some of my friends from the council are moving on. And he said, oh, like Kelly Olson? And I said, yeah, he's one of them. And he said, oh, he's so nice. It's sad he's leaving. and it struck me because when I first came on a council Kelly was the one I was the most nervous to work with your reputation preceded you and it's been so lovely to just get to know what a kind human you are you've honestly been my biggest cheerleader as the new council member here and you have been so great about cheering me on and it's just been wonderful to see that not only can you be a hard-nosed policy maker but you are just a really really really kind human being and the fact that my nine-year-old knows that and i've only been here for two years i think speaks volumes so yeah you're

welcome um i'll go um we already alluded to this but um i have known kelly since i was 22. I was a grad student at CU Boulder and I was commuting but I was a waitress at Cuisine Cuisine and he'd come over for lunch and I was like who's that guy and I was waiting on him and Jerry Horak a lot and then I thought you know I'm going to try to be on Parks and Rec board because I've done every single Parks and Rec thing that can be done at Fort Collins I would probably be good on that board and he and Jerry interviewed me and I didn't make it so that was my start in not getting involved in Fort Collins. I'll never forget that story. Kelly likes that story. So my joke is if you don't get on a board or commission when you first try, then eventually you're going to have to be mayor someday. So that's what happens. But that's how I met Kelly and became aware that he was a very young council member serving our community. And then of course, I got on with my family life and did all these other things, left for 23 years and came back and then started,

well, that's another story, but then I started intersecting with Kelly again in terms of community service and politics, not knowing that eventually we would serve together on city council, and it has been a joy and a pleasure, Kelly Olson. One of my favorite things Kelly Olson said to me was in my office, now how in the world do you imagine that you and I are going to get along? I said, just like we always do, Kelly. We're going to focus on Fort Collins and think about the policy. And I love the way Kelly always emphasizes our differences. But if I went back and counted over four years and nine months, I bet we have voted differently between five and ten times, with the other probably 700 votes being the same. So our differences were honest and were thoughtful and were not personal. We made choices that we thought were best for the community. and that is why we have always seen eye to eye on good governance, open governance, transparency, listening to people, and all the other things that we collaborated with on all the boards and the finance and everything else we've done together. It has truly been an honor serving with you, sir, and tonight proves it, and you deserve every single accolade that you're getting,

and you can feel the love the community has for your longstanding role in helping us all be better people in a better community. Thank you.

Susan. Yes. Kelly, I have thoroughly enjoyed serving with you.

It's been a lot of fun. Because we do share a similar sense of humor and things of that sort.

And you're right, I do get your innuendos and a lot of the jokes that you crack that nobody else laughs at.

I do. I think you're hilarious. So I just wanted to let you know it's been a trip.

I've enjoyed it a lot, and I'm so glad that we served together.

Councilmember Kanaka.

Kelly, I enjoyed serving with you. As you said, we had a little bit of a rough start, but we got there and I'm so glad the Council of Six Women and one man named Kelly,

that we can unleash the cuddly Kelly onto the community. We're retired. Thank you. Would you like to say a few words, Council Member? In honor of Julie, they'll be brief. Hey, what can I say?

So many thanks for all your kind and generous words. I really appreciate it. I have some notes, too, so that I get this right. I want to make sure I thank all the people. Mine's pretty much a message of gratitude.

This goodbye is difficult for me because public service and the city of Fort Collins are a very big part of my life story. These chambers, the people's chambers, are one of the places I'm most comfortable in life. So I'll do my best to get through this.

For regular city council viewers, yes, I'm actually wearing a necktie. I thought I should wear one at least one time.

And I appreciate the staff members that helped me actually tie the tie to get it on for this evening. It was quite a scene. and I just want to point out as part of the natural areas thing it's called wetlands and it was designed by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead so it's a

I thank the employees of the City of Fort Collins, the Pooter Fire Authority, and all city-related entities, past and current, for your dedication, integrity, hard work, and support. You translate community and city council values directly into action, and without you, what we do is just words. Your work makes a city of 175,000 people function, and very well at that. To the 27 city council members, some spoke earlier tonight and some are in the audience, and seven mayors, 12 mayors if you count the city council members that later became mayor, I served with. It was always interesting, sometimes frustrating, and occasionally fun. The work we did together is very meaningful and directly impacts tens of thousands of people every single day. and for the most part we did it well. You all brought different values, history and insight to the role. You also brought focus, dedication and commitment to improving our community and the lives of the people and critters, wild and domestic, who live here. All of you will always be a special part of my life and I hope to see you around. I'll have plenty of time for coffee and I'll try to keep it short. Finally, I'd like to thank Linda Stanley, my partner and spouse, for the last 32 years of this journey. She was my number one supporter, critic, reluctant tech support, and campaign manager extraordinaire. This work I did wouldn't have been possible without her. And now soon you get to hear those words you've long dreaded. Hi, Linda. I'm home forever.

I got through all this.

So to all of you, the people of Fort Collins, city management staff, past and current, mayors

and city council members, past and current, I am indeed forever grateful.

Signing off.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Gutowski.

Yes.

Arndt? Yes. Francis? Yes. Olsen?

Yes.

Paddyandi? Yes. Canonico? Yes. Pina Terro?

Yes.

You know what? That vote passed is 7-0. Congratulations.

I was just whispering we should have played a prank and all voted no.

And then rescinded. I didn't think of it quick enough. Do any council members have any items of business to come before the council? Seeing none, then I believe this meeting is adjourned at 7.48 p.m.

Good night, Fort Collins.