It’s been an interesting couple of weeks here at the Chamber. I’ve been invited to join several conversations related to moratoriums and mandates and wanted to share a few perspectives with our membership.
What is a mandate and how do we feel about that here at the Chamber? Our good friend Merriam-Webster (the dictionary folks) defines mandate as “to officially require (something): make (something) mandatory.” Separately, a moratorium is defined as “a waiting period set by an au...
The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce has long been a business advocate, attending every City Council meeting, standing up on key issues and sharing a pragmatic view point. We make sure you have a seat at the table and a well-versed voice in the conversations that matter most is important.
We are excited that our first Advocacy Newsletter landed in members email boxes yesterday with the intention to keep you updated on issues impacting business, ways to contact your elected officials and ...
With the financial model for the news media, particularly newspapers, under duress, good local journalism is hard to maintain. Credit the Coloradoan for a recent story about the performance of the City Council elected in April. The article by Jacy Marmaduke is titled “Progressive Pivot” and can be found in the Sunday, December 1 edition.
It’s worth reading. There’s a lot to unpack in the article. One obvious takeaway is the disinterest in business and the local economy by the Council....
The origin of the saying ‘You’re either at the table or you’re on the menu’ is unknown to me, but it is frequently used when talking about business and its relationship with government.
In a way it’s equal parts sad, cynical, and realistic. It’s sad that sometimes government and non-business community activists see businesspeople as an easy mark to pay for their agendas or assume responsibility for non-business oriented social issues. It’s cynical for people to think that way. B...
A key role of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce is to communicate the values and positions of the business community to government officials.
This matters because policymakers are being pushed and pulled by a multitude of interest groups and agendas. And, to a large degree, they are captives to their own backgrounds and many of them have no business experience. Though it’s difficult to agree on a common set of values and positions, it’s worth doing to offer some guidance in the de...
As I write this on Tuesday afternoon, a bill is being discussed in a state legislative committee that would add a major new mandate on employers and employees.
Senate Bill 188, known as the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program or FAMLI. SB 188, would create a government-run employee leave program funded with a payroll tax on Colorado employers and employees. While paid leave is a desirable benefit, we do not support mandating an inflexible one-size-fits-all on Colorado employers.
There have been several news stories recently about a group pushing the Fort Collins City Council to adopt a resolution supporting 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. Though interesting, maybe even desirable to many people, it is not a good idea in the short-term.
The following is a message I sent to the Fort Collins City Council on the issue, which they are discussing at tonight’s City Council Work Session.
Mayor Troxell, Mayor Pro Tem Horak, and Council M...
Tomorrow morning (Wednesday, December 13) is the Regional Issues Summit at the Embassy Suites in Loveland. One of key topics will be North I-25 and funding for transportation.
The Colorado Department of Transportation’s new Director, Mike Lewis, will be a speaker followed by a panel of others working on North I-25 funding.
So far, $550.5M is pledged for North I-25. For a refresher, here’s what has been committed:
$350.5M for Segments 7 & 8 (Hwy 14 in Fort Collins to Hwy 402 ju...
Today is Election Day and on the local ballot is City Issue 2B. The measure was placed on the ballot by the City Council. It asks voters for the option of establishing city telecom services and issuing up to $150 million in bonds to build the system.
The Chamber opposes 2B. I’ve written about it here and here.
The ensuing media coverage and commentary have created some misperceptions, which I want to address.
First, the Chamber strongly believes having a well-connected community is im...
We continue to make important progress in funding expansion of north Interstate 25.
Last week the Colorado Transportation Commission announced an additional $200 million for north I-25. The money is contingent upon the award of a $95 million federal freight corridor grant being applied for by the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization.
If it comes through, it would be applied to widen a segm...
