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LWV-Larimer County

Affordable Housing

Metro Districts: What they are, Why they exist, What it means for you as a homebuyer, November 16, 2023
Colorado is home to more than 2,000 metropolitan districts. These independent quasi-governmental entities have become an important tool for new housing development in Colorado. Metro districts are formed to finance, design, acquire, install, construct, operate and/or maintain public improvements that are not otherwise being provided. Since the 1980s, local governments no longer construct or own all major infrastructure, such as roads and utilities, instead requiring that new development “pay its way.”

Advocates of metro districts argue that if these costs were included in the price of each home, more residents would be priced out of the market. Instead, metro districts spread these costs over time, and residents of the metro district pay them through long-term property tax repayments. Metropolitan districts have come under increased scrutiny in recent years. Residents claim that they lack an adequate voice with respect to how metro districts’ property taxes are calculated and that these taxes are not adequately disclosed to potential homebuyers. Often, the developers who formed the districts decide how much debt future residents will pay to cover the infrastructure costs. Interest rates can be high.

Learn the facts about metro districts from some of the State’s leading experts. This session covers both the benefits and downsides of metro districts, preparing you to be an informed homebuyer!
Watch Here View Presentation Slides Here

Loveland and the Updated City Land Use Code, November 15, 2023

Kerri Burchett, a Principal Planner at the City of Loveland, presented information regarding the 6 major amendments to the Loveland Land Use Code and the impact they will have on future affordable and attainable level housing developments in Loveland. These amendments were approved 9-0 by City Council in August 2023 and went into effect September 19. Ms. Burchett responded to a wide range of questions posed by League members and members of the general public relating to the implementation of the new Land Use Code.Watch Here Chat Notes

Community Conversation: Collaborative Projects that Support Development of Affordable Housing, April 20, 2023

The LWV-Larimer County Affordable Housing Team chose to emphasize the importance of collaboration among public agencies, government and private industry in meeting the needs for affordable housing in northern Colorado with its public forum this year. The team selected three developments now underway to illustrate this: Heartside Hill in Fort Collins, Grace Gardens in Loveland, and Rendezvous Trail Apartments in Fort Collins. Former Fort Collins City Manager Darin Atterberry moderated the presentation. WATCH HERE

Affordable Housing Team hosts Dr. Bill Emmon's presentation of current housing finance, November 17, 2022
Dr. Bill Emmons', Assistant Vice President and Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, presentation covers a number of housing and mortgage-related topics. Affordable Housing team member Julie Stackhouse arranged this program on the background to the mortgage interest deduction taken on income tax as well as Federal housing enterprises such as FannieMae and FreddieMac. Watch here.

Housing Choices for Older Adults: Aging in Place or Choosing to Move, September 22, 2022

A range of adults need affordable housing, including middle-income adults. This program, hosted by the LWVLC Affordable Housing Team will describe the problem and offer suggestions for solving them. The speakers include representatives from the Larimer County Office on Aging, Columbine Poudre Home Care, and Sugar Valley Estates Senior Living. Watch Here.

Handout: Resources-Housing Choices for Older Adults
Zoom Chat: From AH Panel Presentation 9-22-22
Larimer County Office of the Aging: Power Point Presentation

Affordable Housing: Recent Purchase of Parkland Mobile Home and more, September 8, 2022

September’s Affordable Housing Team agenda covered several important topics, including the recent purchase of Parkland Mobile Home Park (MHP) by its residents. Nicole Armstrong, Executive Director of Matthews House in Fort Collins, who helped organize the new non-profit United Neighbors/Vecinas Unidosa to accomplish this, will be our speaker. We learned how this was accomplished and the financing that made it possible. Watch here.

Grace Gardens at Derby Hill: Affordable Housing Model in Loveland, April 20, 2022 - see South Larimer Discussion Group section below to view the presentation

LWV-Larimer County General Meeting, Co-sponsored by Affordable Housing and Health Care Teams, April 11, 2022
A panel of speakers share their insights around the needs of families to maintain housing stability and access to behavioral health care. Jacob Bornstein, Principal and Master Facilitator, Wellstone Collaborative Strategies Panel Members: Rep. Dylan Roberts, CO Dist. 26 - Affordable Housing Task Force; Rep. Judy Amabile, CO Dist. 13 - Behavioral Health Task Force; Gia Heflin, Lead Housing Counselor with Neighbor to Neighbor; Stephanie Madsen-Pixler, Dir. Community Based Services, Summitstone; and Kayleigh Harris, Peer Specialist at Summitstone. Watch Here

Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force, December 9, 2021

Rob Woodward, Colorado State Senator representing District 15 which encompasses most of Larimer County outside of Fort Collins, provides an update on the work of the Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force. The Task Force must issue a report with recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor on policies to create transformative change in the area of housing using federal coronavirus recovery money.” Watch Here

Colorado's Safe Parking Initiative, November 11, 2021
Chelsey Baker-Hauk and Linda Barringer, Program Director of the Colorado Safe Parking Initiative, speak about how the Colorado Safe Parking Initiative provides a safe place for families and individuals living in their cars to park at night. Watch here.

A Presentation by Laurie Stolen, Director of Larimer County's Behavioral Health Services, October 21, 2021
Laurie Stolen addressed the Affordable Housing Team of the League of Women Voters of Larimer County on the status of the new Behavioral Health Center and how the Center might be involved with area efforts to deal with housing insecurity and behavioral health. Watch Here

Affordable Housing and Disabled Resources Specialist Denise Meyers, September 29, 2021
The League of women Voters of Larimer County's Affordable Housing Team hosted Denise Meyers a Disabled Resources Specialist as their speaker. Watch here.

LWVLC Affordable Housing Panel, April 12, 2021
This League of Women Voters of Larimer County sponsored panel discusses Larimer County's current options for Affordable Housing in manufactured homes and mobile home parks. Watch Here

Civil Liberties

Civil Liberties: RE-Imagining Public Safety June 7, 2021
"Courtenay Daum, Professor of Political Science at Colorado State University, presents a public forum on re-imaging public safety. Daum reviews and discusses some of the recent debates surrounding the role of law enforcement in communities across the United States and examines the types of changes that have been proposed as alternatives to our current response-based models. She focuses attention on the need to re-frame our debates about public safety and the role of the police to center the needs and experiences of diverse populations and communities, including BIPOC, QPOC, immigrants, youth, the disabled and other internationally-marginalized individuals.”Watch here.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Services in Fort Collins, March 14, 2022

Description: Claudia Menendez, the Fort Collins Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, will discuss her work in this area.
Watch Here

DEI - Dialogue on Inclusion, February 16, 2022

Mackenzie Lowe, the ADA coordinator for Larimer County joins us for a discussion that includes the latest ADA updates that have happened this past year in Colorado and how "inclusion" will be addressed.

Watch Here

Beyond Polarization: Creating Capacity for the Conversations Our Democracy Needs, Part 1, February 25, 2021
As we grow more divided as a country, local communities must work to rebuild trust and develop their capacity to address difficult shared problems more productively. Dr. Martin Carcasson from Colorado State University’s Center for Public Deliberation joins in a two-part session to explore why we have become so polarized and how we can work together to transform our conversations, and the role organizations like the League of Women Voters can play in that transformation. Part one will focus on key concepts, and part two will dig into more specific tools and provide an opportunity to practice talking more deliberatively about our shared values. Watch here

A Book Talk and Q & A with John Paul Brammer, September 29, 2021

The League of Women Voters of Larimer County's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team hosts a book talk and Q & A with John Paul Brammer (JP) the author of the wildly popular Hola Papi! How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons.

JP writes an advice column for Grindr that he calls Hola Papi! (Hello, Buddy). This book is a spin on the advice column for the LGBTQ+ community. The book is published by Simon and Schuster and is available in book or audio recording. Watch here.

Watch other DEI webinars on the LWV-US website here

Education

Education Team Meeting - Behavioral Health Funding for Larimer County Schools, June 14, 2021
The LWVLC Education Team hosts Laurie Stolen, Larimer County Director of Behavioral Health Services as our invited speaker. Laurie discusses Behavioral Health Funding in relation to the Larimer County Schools.Watch Here

How has COVID19 Improved Our Learning Systems? October 11, 2021

The October 2021 LWVLC General Meeting featured a panel discussion with members from the Poudre and Thompson School Districts regarding the instructional changes that are being implemented in both districts after evaluating the teaching and learning impacts of the pandemic last year.

The panel members included: Dr. Traci Gile, Poudre School District Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools; Hollie Johnson, a 4th grade teacher at Lopez Elementary School; Dr. Jennifer E.Y. Guthals, Thompson School District Director of Student Success; Lindsay Nelson, 7th and 8th grade Science teacher at Conrad Ball Middle School; and Rob Porzycki, Social Studies Depart. Chair at Thompson Valley High School. Watch here

Election Reform

Proportional Representation: Election reform to revitalize democracy, July 10, 2023

The LWVLC Election Reform Team hosted a presentation by Brian Woodruff describing proportional representation (PR). This approach to election reform is named after the democratic principle that specifies groups of like-minded people should be represented in proportion to their share of the vote. This means, for example, the percentage of seats a party has in a legislature should reflect the percentage of people who voted for that party - an outcome that is not possible with our current election system. Unlike the election system used to elect legislatures in four-fifths of the world’s democracies, US voters elect members of the US House of Representatives in single-member districts with plurality winners, known as winner-take-all elections. Scholars of election systems find that winner-take-all elections are the root cause of several problems we face in the US today. For example, some elected officials partake in gerrymandering, where they create safe seats for themselves to be re-elected. Additionally, some voters observe the spoiler effect being played out where two candidates with similar views split the vote, handing the election to a third, least-favored candidate. Learn more about the downsides of our current election system and how a proportional representation configuration would remedy problems at this presentation. Watch Here Chat from Representational Voting 7-10-23

Ranked Choice Voting is a better way to vote!, April 27, 2022

Instead of being limited to voting for only one candidate, Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) allows a voter to rank candidates in order of their preference. RCV would be a simple upgrade to elections for Fort Collins City Council and Mayor. RCV would make our elections fairer and more democratic because candidates will win with the support of the majority of voters.

What are the benefits of Ranked Choice Voting?

RCV can make Fort Collins’ campaigns and elections better by:

Giving voters more choice. Candidates can run without concern of causing a spoiler effect.
Giving voters more voice. No longer limited to voting for only one candidate, voters know they still have a voice even if their top choice won’t win.
Incentivizes positive collaborations and reduces negative campaigning. Candidates must focus on issues and broaden their appeal beyond their base to gain a majority of support to win.
A more democratic and fairer voting process encourages voting and increases voter turnout.

Watch the presentation here

Environmental Action

General Meeting: What You Can Do to Support Birds in Your Yard, April 10, 2023
Sherry Nickolaus, Education Director for Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, was our guest speaker. Bird Conservancy of the Rockies connects people, birds and land. They work to conserve birds and their habitats through science, education and stewardship. Learn what you can do in your own yard to help our birds. Watch here

Earth Week Appreciation Day: A family affair in Fossil Creek Community Park, April 19, 2022
Watch the festivities and speakers here

Expanding equitable access to recycling in Colorado through producer responsibility, February 10, 2022

Recycling access in Colorado is underdeveloped and inequitable, leading Colorado to be one of the worst states at recycling in the country. A bi-partisan bill in 2022 has the potential to create sustainable funding for expanded, equitable recycling access to all Coloradans statewide. The producer responsibility bill for containers, packaging and paper products will require producers to pay for the recycling of their products and provide access to recycling throughout the state for rural and urban areas and residents of multi-family and single family housing. This policy will generate a consistent supply of recycled materials for manufacturing and incentivize producers to reduce the packaging of their products.

Join Eco-Cycle’s Rachel Setzke to learn all about how producer responsibility for containers, packaging, and paper will create a more equitable recycling system, generate valuable recycled materials for manufacturing and reduce packaging – and how you can help.Watch Here

People and Pollinator Action Network February 8, 2021
Pollinators are vital to our food production, and their survival is in trouble. Habitat loss, climate change, pesticides and disease are some factors leading to their decline. Your home and garden are big opportunities for you to be part of a state-wide solution for pollinator protection. This video features the People and Pollinator Action Network who advocating for pollinators through public policy. Watch Here

Health Care

Northern Larimer County Health District, Candidate Forum April 2023
Watch Here

LWV-Larimer County General Meeting, Co-sponsored by Affordable Housing and Health Care Teams, April 11, 2022
A panel of speakers share their insights around the needs of families to maintain housing stability and access to behavioral health care. Jacob Bornstein, Principal and Master Facilitator, Wellstone Collaborative Strategies Panel Members: Rep. Dylan Roberts, CO Dist. 26 - Affordable Housing Task Force; Rep. Judy Amabile, CO Dist. 13 - Behavioral Health Task Force; Gia Heflin, Lead Housing Counselor with Neighbor to Neighbor; Stephanie Madsen-Pixler, Dir. Community Based Services, Summitstone; and Kayleigh Harris, Peer Specialist at Summitstone. Watch Here

LWVLC General Meeting - Health Care March 8, 2021
This video shows a panel discussion to learn about the mental health and substance use issues resulting from COVID-19 and other 2020 stressors. The panelists discuss how families have been impacted, the role of disparities, and how providers have transformed their ways of working. Watch Here

Strengthening the Public Health System October 27, 2021

The public health system in Colorado and around the country has been challenged and, in many cases, threatened during the COVID pandemic. The need to de-politicize public health has been shown in the many attempts to override public health expertise and evidence in favor of political expediency. Public health leaders presented their ideas on the value of evidence-based decision-making and other strategies to maintain a solid public health system to protect our communities. Representative Cathy Kipp addressed political strategies and plans to support public health. Watch Here

Leadership

October Leadership Meeting, October 27, 2022
This video features the LWVLC October Leadership Meeting. The guest speakers included Karen Sheek, Past President of LWVCO and current state Board member, who heads Local League support. Karen described the functioning of the state level Legislative Action Committee and Task Forces. The second half of the meeting featured Sonia Koetting, Jane Hamburger, and Lee Thielen's update on the LWVLC's pilot project for the Colorado Observer Corps. Watch Here

PR-News Literacy

Don't Ghost the News: How to Win the Battle for Democracy, February 7, 2022
The News Literacy Group of our Public Relations team hosts this interactive presentation touching on the history of journalism, the importance of local news to League interests, and how to defend good journalism. Watch here.

South Larimer Discussion Group

Loveland and the Updated City Land Use Code, November 15, 2023

SLDG Meeting on Homelessness, September 20, 20223
800 youths in the Thompson School District that are unhoused. A youth shelter will be housed at the Monroe Early Childhood Center vacated earlier this year. The Homeless Youth Shelter project is a collaboration between the state, Larimer County, the Thompson School District, Poudre School District, City of Loveland, CSU, and The Matthews House, which will operate the new facility. Watch Here Passcode: gDJ7+Vvp

Metro Districts, Special Districts, and You, May 17, 2023

The South Larimer Discussion Group of the League of Women Voters of Larimer County hosted a panel of Local Government experts to discuss the ins-and-outs of residential and commercial special and metro districts and how they can impact developers/builders, government entities, and local residents differently. Our panelists include Attorney John Henderson from Coloradans for Metro Reform, Christina Manthey - retired field auditor/supervisor from the CO Department of Revenue, and Fayre Ruszczyk - researcher from Coloradans for Metro Reform. The panel are volunteer lobbyists for LWVCO's Local Government Issues Group in the Legislative Action Committee.Watch Here
Chat Link Passcode: VX5C3f@A

Note: "Kristi" in the chat is the executive director of Metro District Education Coalition and represents the industry.

Update on the Thompson School District, April 12, 2023
The Southern Larimer group of the League of Women Voters of Larimer County hosted Thompson School Board Vice-President Dawn Kirk. Ms. Kirk provided an update and overview of the current work of the Thompson Board of Education. Topics included a discussion of the district’s parent and community engagement programs, special projects, multifaceted school safety efforts, and the revenue sharing agreement related to a potential Urban Renewal project at Centerra South. Watch here.

Larimer League's Observation Corps, January 18, 2023

The meeting includes an introduction of the LWV's Observation Corps with particular attention on the Larimer League's pilot study details. Watch here.

Loveland Redistricting Town Hall and Community Conversation, December 7, 2022

Loveland is in the midst of Redistricting at the city level! Redistricting will change the borders of Loveland's four Wards and may impact in which Ward you live and who will represent you in the City Council after the next city election.

The South Larimer Discussion Group of the League of Women Voters of Larimer County hosted a citywide Town Hall and Community Conversation to foster governmental transparency, learn about Loveland's Redistricting process, and to offer an opportunity for attendees to share their comments and suggestions focused on redistricting with Mayor Marsh and the City Council members. Our invited guest presenter was Delynn Coldiron, Loveland City Clerk, who is well versed in the statutory requirements and City Council Charter which provide the guideposts that the redistricting process must follow. Watch here.

Heart and Sol of Loveland & EDI of Thompson School District, September 21, 2022

The South Larimer Discussion Group hosted a program for their September 2022 meeting that addresses the League of Women Voters’ dedication to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Heart and Sol is a non-profit made up of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) and allies working to promote ethnic and cultural diversity in the Loveland area. They aim to inspire conversations and influence local change. Their goal is to support, celebrate, and embrace cultural richness in our community. Thompson School District is also addressing students with EDI needs in a variety of meaningful ways. Learn about both resources in our community through this presentation. Guest Speakers: Caitlin Wyrick, Exec. director of Heart and Sol and Veronica White, Teacher on Special Assignment Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Dept in Thompson School District. Watch Here

Grace Gardens at Derby Hill: Affordable Housing Model in Loveland, April 20, 2022

Grace Gardens at Derby Hill is an affordable housing land development partnership to create 167 affordable housing units in southwest Loveland. Grace Gardens began with the donation of a parcel of land from Loveland’s Grace Community Church to Habitat for Humanity. 47 Habitat-built homes, serving 35-69% AMI, and 120 affordable apartment units, serving 30-60% AMI, are planned for the space. This presentation shares the background, current state of the project, and future plans for completion. Watch Here

Fracking and Its Effects on Our Loveland Community, March 23, 2022

The South Larimer Discussion Group of the League of Women Voters of Larimer County conducted an educational and fact-based panel presentation titled: Fracking and Its Effects on Our Loveland Community: Facts, Rules & Regulations; Economic Factors; Health Impacts & Environmental Impacts.

Speakers included: Dr. Thomas Sale, CSU Professor and Director of the Center for Contaminant Hydrology in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Dr. Jeffrey Collett, CSU Professor and Head of the Department of Atmospheric Science; Dr. Cory Carroll, MD, Fort Collins Family Practice Physician and member of the Colorado Physicians for Social Responsibility; Delia Malone, CSU Colorado Natural Heritage Program Ecologist and Wildlife Chair, Sierra Club Colorado Chapter; Commissioner John Messner, Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC); William Karspeck, Mayor of Berthoud; Troy Bliss. Senior Planner from City of Loveland Development Services Department. Watch Here

Commissioner John Messner, Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) Slide Presentation

Water Issues Panel Discussion July 21, 2021
Water issues in Colorado are complex and impact systems of water within and outside of our state. Watch this educational panel discussion here as they present a variety of perspectives regarding water issues related to Northern Colorado and Lake Loveland located in Loveland, Colorado. The panel discussion was hosted by the South Larimer Discussion Group of the League of Women Voters of Larimer County. We thank all of the panelists and attendees for their civil discourse of a thorny, but very important, issue - an example of democracy in action.

Ranked Choice Voting May 19, 2021
Linda Templin, Executive Director and Political Director Emma Donahue of Ranked Choice Voting of Colorado were guest speakers of the South Larimer Discussion Group. Loveland and Fort Collins have recently had plurality wins, which do not necessarily reflect the will of a majority of the voters. RCV resolves this problem for some small municipalities in Colorado. HB21-1071 Ranked Choice Voting in Nonpartisan Municipal Races allows the cities who opt to use RCV to contract with their counties to administer the elections. This will free larger municipalities to adopt RCV starting in 2023 as Boulder has already done. Watch their discussion here

Voting

Candidate Forums

Loveland Mayor and City Council Candidate Forum, September 28, 2023
Watch Here

Thompson School District Candidate Forum, October 2, 2023
Watch Here

Poudre School District Candidate Forum, October 2, 2023
Watch Here

Fort Collins City Council Candidate Forum, October 4, 2023
Note: As of October 11, Sean McCoy has withdrawn from the District 2 race, leaving only two candidates running for that City Council seat.
Watch Here

Ballot Issues

Ballot Issues Presentation, October 9, 2023
This is the video recording of the 2023 LWVLC Ballot Issues Presentation in its entirety.
This video is copyrighted by the League of Women Voters of Larimer County and any use of the video or, or any pictures, descriptions, or accounts of the presentation without the League of Women Voters of Larimer County's permission is prohibited, unless it is for nonpartisan, educational purposes.

Please note that ballots need to be received by the Larimer County Elections Office no later than 7:00 pm on November 7, 2023.

Watch the Ballot Issues Presentation Here

What does a YES or No vote on Proposition HH and Proposition II mean?

More Info on Prop HH & Prop II

Proposition HH: Implications for Home Rule Cities

Addendum to Ballot Issues Presentation:
A resident of Loveland who attended the October 9 LWVLC presentation on Ballot Issues contacted the Colorado General Assembly's Legislative Council to get more information about how Proposition HH would be applied in home rule cities and towns. LWVLC thanks this resident for sharing the response. You can read the clarifying questions and the responses received from a Legislative Council School Finance Analyst here:

Read Q&A on Prop HH

Home rule counties: Pitkin, Weld

Do you live in a home rule city or town?

Check the List Here

LWV-Colorado YouTube Video Channel

If you would like to watch LWVCO presentations click here