Fort Collins City Council OKs moving meetings if they are disrupted, talks about PSD plans
Fort Collins City Council on Tuesday night gave itself the authority to move its meetings to an alternative location or a remote setting in order to deal with things like weather, emergencies or public disruptions.
The vote, which changes the city code, was unanimous.
Any meeting that was moved would still have public participation options and couldn't resume sooner than 45 minutes after an announcement about the change.
The council's move was prompted by a March 5 demonstration in council chambers that resulted in the mayor shutting down the meeting before it even got off the ground.
During their discussions on Tuesday and on March 19, council members cited examples like the pandemic, bad weather and public disruptions during a meeting. However, the change does not limit council to any specific reasons for moving a meeting.
Council member Kelly Ohlson, who initially voted against the change but approved it Tuesday, said it was council's intent to "use it rarely and hopefully never at all."
He said he had originally voted no because he wanted to make sure he approved of the final language.
Mayor Jeni Arndt said the policy is the same as what council did during the pandemic, when their meetings were remote.
In response to council member Susan Gutowsky's concern that some people might be "locked out" of a moved meeting because they don't have internet or a computer, Assistant City Manager Rupa Venkatesh said staff plans to explore solutions.
City Attorney Carrie Daggett noted that participation by phone is already an option.
Only one member of the public spoke against the change Tuesday after dozens spoke against several proposed changes at the March 19 meeting. However, at that time council was also considering changes to public comment that it ultimately dismissed or tabled.
Those changes would have allowed council to limit topics to items on the agenda and to move part of the public comment period to the end of the meeting.
But council members said they did not support disallowing topics. They instructed city staff to bring different alternatives for the format of public comment.
Parents ask city to get involved in PSD consolidation plans
Council members said they wanted to be part of conversations with Poudre School District about changes it is proposing that would result in school closures.
Parents of PSD students, including several from Beattie Elementary School, told council that school closures will lead to consequences that run counter to the city's goals for neighborhood livability, social health and climate.
They said closing schools will lead to school deserts in west Fort Collins; increased traffic and emissions; decreased walkability; and roadblocks for the city's goal to pursue a 15-minute city where everyone can get to work, school and daily activities via a 15-minute walk, bike or transit ride.
Parents also said some of the proposed changes have a disproportionate effect on at-risk students. They said Beattie, one of the schools that could be closed in one scenario, has a higher rate of students living in low-income housing and eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch.
More: Emotions, crowds increase at Poudre School District consolidation plan listening sessions
All council members voiced support for pursuing additional conversations with the district about the proposed changes.
Mayor pro-tem Emily Francis said she believed the city should have more involvement besides its role on the PSD liaison committee because "it does have a huge impact on our neighborhoods and the livability."
Responding to some of the specific arguments that closures will affect city priorities, council member Tricia Canonico noted that the committee formed to explore changes include a former city planner and a former city climate project manager.
"So, I do think they are taking these concerns into their thought process while they're making these decisions, but I would like the city to get involved as well," she said.
"These are going to be tough decisions that are made," Canonico said.
Cease-fire conversation returns to public comment
About a dozen people asked council to work on a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, saying because council has more power and clout, it should use its influence to seek policy change on the federal level.
Others said passing a resolution would be a record that the people of Fort Collins don't agree with what the federal government is doing.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins City Council votes to allow remote meetings
