Fort Collins wants your ideas for its 2023-24 city budget

The city of Fort Collins is looking for resident input as staff work on the 2023-24 budget, the city’s first two-year budget since the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted its usual budgeting process.

The upcoming budget is also important because it will dole out the city’s remaining $15.8 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds to support pandemic recovery. The City Manager’s Recommended Budget will be released Sept. 2, after which Fort Collins City Council will host a series of work sessions and public hearings on the contents of the budget.

There are several ways to get involved in the process sooner than that. If you just have a few minutes, you can share an idea about a focus area where the city has room for improvement at ourcity.fcgov.com/23-24budget (click on the “ideas” tab). If you have more time, you can fill out a survey on the same page about funding priorities. Staff have also posted all the funding requests for the next two years, known as “budget offers,” at fcgov.com/citymanager/budget. A map of capital projects included in the budget requests will be posted in June.

Read about this year’s budget: Fort Collins City Council approves 2022 budget after police funding discussion

Staff are also making themselves available for budget presentations or listening sessions with community groups. You can email senior communications specialist Amy Resseguie at [email protected] to set up a meeting.

You can also make your voice heard by taking Fort Collins’ annual Community Survey, which influences the budget. It’s posted at fcgov.com/communitysurvey and will be available until Friday.

Here’s the full timeline for the 2023-24 budget.

• Sept. 2: City Manager’s Recommended Budget will be published

• Sept. 13: Council budget work session No. 1 (There’s no public participation opportunities at council work sessions)

• Sept. 20: Public hearing No. 1

• Sept. 27: Council budget work session No. 2

• Oct. 4: Public hearing No. 2

• Oct. 11: Council budget work session No. 3

• Nov. 1: Council expected to vote on approving the budget (First reading)

• Nov. 15: Council expected to vote on approving the budget (Second and final reading)

Jacy Marmaduke covers government accountability for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter @jacymarmaduke. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins wants your ideas for its 2023-24 city budget