The Fort Collins City Council spent October wrapping up housing and budget discussions, introducing new water storage plans and debating a moratorium on data centers in the Fort Collins area.
All regular council meetings begin with a public comment period, which gives citizens an opportunity to share their concerns and call on the council to take action on community issues.
The topic most prominently commented on last month was the plan proposed by Platte River Power Authority’s to remove its goal of going 100% noncarbon by 2030. Citizens urged the council to pass a resolution requiring PRPA to adopt a new noncarbon goal to ensure work continues to achieve clean energy goals.
During the Oct. 6 meeting, representatives from OpenStage Theatre & Company asked the council to recognize the arts and its economic value when considering the budget, saying reductions to the industry impact the entire community. Additionally, members from the Fort Collins Creative Coalition spoke during the Oct. 20 meeting to emphasize the importance of raising the visibility of arts and culture in the community.
Others asked the council to fast-track traffic safety improvements, expressed concerns over youth tobacco use and spoke out against measures on the 2026 Colorado ballot.
Biennial budget follow-up
The council held its final work session on the proposed 2027-28 budget on Oct. 13. The work session allowed the council to address final questions and concerns before accepting the budget.
District 5 Councilmember Amy Hoeven said the new budget process was easier to follow and understand.
“I am glad we are starting to finalize everything and get it going,” Hoeven said. “With all the financial headwinds people are experiencing, I think we are positioned to recover really well.”
Additionally, Hoeven stated while the budget has been approved by the council, there may be some additional revenue coming in next year and there is room for changes. The final reading of the biennial budget will be on Nov. 17.
Housing Action Plan
The City of Fort Collins is developing a Housing Action Plan to comply with state requirements under Colorado SB24-174, which direct jurisdictions to complete housing action plans by Jan. 1, 2028 and every subsequent six years.
The new plan attempts to carry forward the goals of the Housing Strategic Plan created in 2021. These goals include ensuring every individual has healthy, stable and affordable housing, maintaining needs across the entire housing and affordability spectrum and preserving the spirit of the previous goal of having 10% of housing in the city be affordable.
Hoeven emphasized the importance of incorporating the council’s top priority of affordable and sustainable growth into the new Housing Action Plan.
The plan involves updating the homelessness response system and expanding housing access and affordability for all individuals living in the city.
Changes to Fort Collins water storage
On Oct. 20, the council adopted Resolution 2026-119 and Resolution 2026-120, which authorized the city manager to withdraw application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a permit for the Halligan Water Supply Project and allows the city to seek to join the Northern Integrated Supply Project through a one-year interim agreement.
The city had been working toward expanding the Halligan Reservoir since the ’80s to meet the city’s needs for water supply and storage, but recent developments, including regulatory and financial constraints, have guided staff to believe NISP is a more certain option.
“NISP is going to cost us $200 million less to join than to redo a dam at Halligan,” Mayor Pro Tem and District 2 Councilmember Julie Pignataro said. “NISP is going to happen no matter what. It is the worst best decision we can make.”
Additionally, Pignataro said the city has rejected NISP since the ’90s because of its potential detriments to the Cache la Poudre River but said staff has now decided it is the most efficient water storage option for the city.
During public comment, multiple citizens spoke out against the transition away from Halligan and toward NISP, expressing concerns over the lack of citizen engagement in the decision.
Temporary moratorium on certain data centers
On Oct. 6, the council began discussing Ordinance No. 147, a temporary moratorium on data centers exceeding 10 megawatts in the City of Fort Collins.
The moratorium is specifically focused on the construction of these large data centers since they require large amounts of land, electricity and water. The goal of the moratorium is to give city staff time to draft proposed Land Use Code changes and other necessary documentation.
“I agree with the majority of my colleagues that the large data centers that use a ton of power, a ton of water and create a ton of noise and traffic are probably not something that fits in our community very well,” District 3 Councilmember Josh Fudge said during the Oct. 6 regular meeting.
Many council members said they support the moratorium and see it as a way to figure out where the future of data center construction lies.
“The moratorium is six months so that we can see what the county’s doing to try and mirror it because if the county does something and ours is different, someone could just go across the border either way if they wanted a data center,” Pignataro said.
The ordinance was adopted after the first reading Oct. 20 with a unanimous vote and on a second reading Nov. 3. The moratorium will be in effect until April 6.
Reach Sam Whitted at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
