NoCoPolitics.com

The Morning Papers, 3/31/08

Required Reading

Education and economic development...

"No, I do not recommend our middle managers live in Greeley/Evans if they have children in school. The surrounding cities have competitive schools, and we encourage settlement in those communities." So said a local executive some time ago to one of the community leaders who came calling to enlist community support.

Read the whole thing.

Price Controls Come to Health Care

This is the solution they came up with in Denver?  Government price controls?

Voc-Ed Making a Comeback

Some of the traditional trades provide some of the best post-graduation job opportunities.   There's a fascinating story in the Greeley Tribune today about the return of vocational education.

But as schools are realizing, not every student goes on to college. Greeley-Evans School District 6 knows it needs to better prepare students for today's workforce with desirable skills, which includes bringing back vocational and technical classes.
...

Vocational classes started to disappear in the mid-1980s as the public school system revamped what middle and high school students were taught in an effort to make them better prepared for college. But the change left out the students who choose not to take the path to college.

"It was when so many believed that only successful people went to college," Harr said. "Every student was told to have a good living, have a nice house, go to a four-year college. College or bust. Now we understand, a lot of kids don't go to college."
...

It's critical to know what kind of skills local employers are seeking. The district, along with Aims Community College, have met with businesses about career and technical courses and has created partnerships. For example, local car dealerships sponsor Aims' automotive services course.

Read the whole thing.

Erie Creates Economic Development Position

From the NCBR:

March 28, 2008 -- ERIE -- The town of Erie's board of trustees has approved funding a part-time director for the Erie Economic Development Council.

The not-so-funny irony is that Fort Collins, a city of 130,000, only hired an economic advisor in 2006.  (Erie's population is around 17,000).

Berthoud, Wellington and Pierce Elections

Berthoud's election is tomorrow.

Wellington's election for town board is tomorrow.

So is Pierce's.

Education Partnership

David May's column in the business section of the Coloradoan covers the ongoing partnership between the business community and our public school system.

The Morning Papers, 3/28/08

Transportation and Jobs

More over at the Northern Colorado Job Watch.

How About Some Friday Scare Tactics?

In Greg Speer's op-ed in the Coloradoan today about the Glade Reservoir project: "The ultimate cost will be the demise of the Cache la Poudre River as we know it as it flows through Fort Collins."

Monfort Grads Scoring High

In the Tribune:

Graduating seniors at the University of Northern Colorado's Monfort College of Business have again scored in the Top 5 percent collectively on a nationally-administered exit examination.

Johnstown Elections

The Reporter-Herald has a round-up of the Mayoral candidates' forum.

The Budget

Here's a pretty good overview of the budget battle in the legislature.

Democrats said House passage of a $17.6 billion state budget bill Thursday means a brighter future for Colorado’s children but Republicans warned that inadequate reserves cloud that promise.

After fiery debate, the House voted 40-24 for the bill that now goes to the Senate where Republicans said they will press their case that more money needs to be set aside in these tough economic times.

McCain and Romney in Denver

From the Post:

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain, who lost overwhelmingly here last month to Mitt Romney, is now being embraced by Colorado Republicans as "conservative enough" to win the White House in November.

McCain appeared in Denver on Thursday, flanked by prominent Colorado Republicans and his former rival Romney, who beat the Arizona senator at the Colorado caucuses last month 59 percent to 19 percent.

Education Plan, Still Vague, Advances

Governor Ritter's bipartisan overhaul of education is moving forward.  We don't know much about it, other than that it "calls for revision of the public school curriculum to help students meet a new definition of readiness for college or the workplace."

Exactly how the new system will look is unclear because SB 212 leaves key details of the reforms to the state Board of Eduction and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education.

I-70 Toll Plan to the Full Senate

The Senate Transportation Committee decided to back Andy McElhany's simple $5 toll plan.

McElhany's bill would charge I-70 drivers a toll of up to $5 each way at booths near the Eisenhower Tunnel to fund $3.5 billion in highway improvements between there and Floyd Hill.

The Morning Papers, 3/27/08

Transportation Summit Roundup

Last year the Fort Collins City Council took their ball and went home, backing out of the Regional Transportation Authority and not even allowing the citizens to vote on the package of road improvements and public transportation upgrades.

Yesterday, they received the message of "grow up" (my paraphrase) from their own side of the aisle.

Governor Ritter:

Gov. Bill Ritter, Colorado's two senators, county commissioners and others who spoke during a transportation summit Wednesday in Loveland said local leaders must put aside their personal goals and start working together to plan for the future.

"All I can do is restate the case that they have to do it," Ritter said after the summit.

Ritter said leaders in Fort Collins, Loveland and throughout Larimer and Weld counties can no longer be solely self-interested.

The state will do its part marketing Northern Colorado to new businesses and seeking federal dollars for transportation, Ritter said during his speech.

Senator Salazar:

"You need to do your part, and that means being serious about transportation planning," he said.

Another clear message: There is no federal or state money on the way, so pull it together.  Even if the feds were to get involved, it would require an RTA:

Colorado has received billions of dollars from the federal government to fund the FastTracks rail and T-Rex road projects in the Denver-metro area because of the Regional Transportation District organized to handle the money, Salazar said.

"That's why they are willing to keep writing those checks," he said.

Also from Senator Salazar:

“Unless you organize yourselves in some regional way, there are going to be huge opportunities lost.”

More from the Northern Colorado Business Report here.

One Entrepreneur with a Vision

Cimarron Plaza (SW corner of Drake and Shields) is getting a face lift.

Fort Collins Sales Tax News: Pretty Much All Bad

Everything is down:

Fort Collins' retail sales slipped, permits dipped and taxes paid on business equipment dropped in February, an indication that Fort Collins may be falling in line with the national economic slowdown.

Net taxable retail sales in February - reflecting January sales - were down 1.6 percent from January 2007 as three major retail categories dropped for the second month.

That means tighter wallets and tighter city budgets, folks.  So what's bringing all of this about?  How about the anti-growth policies that are driving major retailers out of the city?

The declines were an expected reaction to increased competition in Loveland, particularly at the Interstate 25/U.S. 34 interchange, coupled with the loss of the Mason Street Wal-Mart, which closed in September, said Jeremy Reese of the city's tax office.

The decline, exacerbated by the opening of a new Wal-Mart SuperCenter between Fort Collins and Loveland, is expected to continue until Front Range Village and the new SuperTarget open in July on Harmony Road, Reese said.

So how about that silver lining of increased food sales?  Apparently it's being driving by a spike in food costs.

"We've all noticed our grocery bills going up even though we're buying the same things," he said.

While it might be putting more money in city coffers, it's crunching consumers already stung by rising gas prices.

The cost of milk, eggs, meat, fruits and vegetables rose in February, continuing a yearlong surge, according to the Labor Department.

Municipal Employee Unions at Work

Vincent Carroll: "Where Unions Rule"

Is that building at Colfax Avenue and Bannock Street still Denver City Hall, or have council members formally renamed it Denver Union Hall?

If not, the rechristening may not be far off. After all, kowtowing to union interests has gotten so pronounced that one council member objected last week to a proposed contract with a company to manage airport parking for fear that its modest management fee signified a covert plan to cut union staffing.

Read the whole thing.

The Morning Papers, 3/26/08

... tend to arrive late when you stay up (due to a sick kid) to watch the first few innings of the Red Sox game... and the game is being played in Japan.

The Growth of Colorado Government

The debate continues on the proposal to add 1,334 new jobs to state government.

Meanwhile, Greeley State Senator Scott Renfroe has an op-ed in the Tribune about the proposed budget:

The proposed FY 2008-09 budget provides for the following general fund increases: $157 million for K-12 education; $69.1 million for the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing; $64.6 million for higher education; $52 million for the Department of Corrections; $44.6 million for the Department of Human Services; and $29.5 million for the judicial branch. There are 49,488 full-time equivalent positions in Colorado's state government. This proposal also requests 1,334 additional full-time equivalent positions.

Here's the one point that needs be made, repeatedly: The Transportation Commission has determined that CDOT needs an additional $500 million per year just to maintain the roads we have (and $1.5 billion to actually improve our roadways and address future needs).   

The Democratic legislature is adding jobs without addressing this pressing need, and yet if you were to add up all of the budget increases that Senator Renfroe points out and shift all of that revenue towards transportation, together they wouldn't cover CDOT's needs.

Solutions anyone?

Evans Election

Mail ballots are due on April 8.  Here's an overview from the Tribune on the contested races.

Fort Collins Sales Tax Troubles

Uh oh.

FORT COLLINS -- Net taxable retail sales in Fort Collins were down 1.6 percent in January over the same month in 2007, with $175.1 million in net taxable retail sales compared to $177.9 million a year earlier.

Remember, the city budget borrows against sales tax revenues growing significantly over the next two years.

(But don't worry, folks, Linda Stanley assures us that Fort Collins has a business-friendly city government.)

The Morning Papers, 3/25/08

Loveland v. Fort Collins

Tonight the Fort Collins City Council will discuss a rezoning of some land along the Harmony Corridor to allow for some development near I-25.  Pay attention to the tone of the debate. 

Then compare it to this: "Olson Farm, McWhinney plans move forward"

The Loveland Planning Commission unanimously recommended Monday that city council approve the annexation and zoning of Olson Farm additions, totaling 247 acres, and the Grange addition, totaling 294 acres.

The Olson Farm:

This zoning designation is intended to be located along major corridors and include a variety of retail, commercial and office use, as well as an integration of residential components.

The Grange addition:

The 294-acre Grange addition includes the former Cloverleaf Kennel Club greyhound racetrack and kennels, covering about 46 acres in two pieces north of U.S. 34 and west of Interstate 25... McWhinney officials want to turn the Cloverleaf East parcel, which is the former Cloverleaf Dog Track, over to Poudre Valley Health System to expand the medical campus...

This is why "private entities" are able to offer relocating companies "offers they can't refuse": Their local governments work with them to create a favorable environment for business.

Woodward to Add 100 Jobs to NoCo

They haven't specified whether the jobs will be located in Fort Collins or Loveland.  This will be interesting to watch.

The Post on Higher Ed Funding

Editorial today:

It's a shame that as Colorado moves toward a high-tech economy in alternative energy, the state isn't doing more to keep this project on track. This is the sort of building that will produce the scientists who could fill the jobs being created.

At some point, state leaders and voters are going to realize that cutting off funding for higher education is starving the intellectual capital that drives our economy. We certainly hope that happens soon.

Budget Priorities?

Is this the right way to be spending state resources?

Colorado lawmakers on Monday rolled out a $17.6 billion budget — a 6.7 percent increase over last year — that would add 1,334 employees to the state payroll.

...

The governor's office, treasurer's office and education department would grow the fastest if the budget passes unamended. 

Areas such as higher education, corrections and the courts would receive the most new hires: 1,013.

The Jail.  Again.

Voters rejected a tax to expand the Larimer County Detention Center in 2006.  The problem did not go away.

Aims Follow-Up

The Tribune gives credit where credit is due for the increase of the budget for Aims Community College:

At any rate, Aims and many people in the community should give themselves a pat on the back for showing how to influence the legislative process in a positive way.

...

Aims board members, including former legislator Dick Bond, were busy writing letters and working the phones. Residents did the same. Elected officials from Weld -- including Scott Renfroe, Jim Riesberg, Glenn Vaad and Steve Johnson -- played important roles in convincing the JBC of the funding inequity.

PVHS Bond Rating Upgraded

From the Tribune:

The bond rating for Poudre Valley Health System has been upgraded to reflect the system’s favorable momentum.

Moody’s Investment Service said the upgrade from Baa2 to Baa1 rating is for $377 million of outstanding debt issued through the Colorado Health Facilities Authority.

The Morning Papers, 3/24/08

Nothing to See Here...

According to Linda Stanley, the problems with Fort Collins' support for business, its onerous development review process and its "business unfriendly" environment are "myths".

Here Comes Johnstown

From the Tribune:

JOHNSTOWN -- Johnstown took the first step last week in the process of annexing close to 100 acres of land critical to the town's long-range growth plans.

Here Comes Loveland

From the Reporter-Herald:

The Loveland Planning Commission will consider the annexation and zoning of 541 acres at its meeting tonight.

The acreage includes two Olson Farm additions and the Grange addition, which includes five parcels of land.

It's That Time of Year

For the "Long Bill".  Debate begins on the state budget today.

In the District

Rebecca Boyle's Inside Politics column in the Tribune this week includes an interview with Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave.  Boyle notes that:

In the past, Musgrave would often lay low on Congressional breaks. But in the past two years, she has made herself far more visible at small-scale events as she has helped out at the food banks in Larimer and Weld counties, ringing the bell for the Salvation Army at northern Colorado Wal-Mart locations and serving up food for the homeless at Open Door Mission.

Read the whole thing.

According to Linda Stanley, Everything's Fine in Fort Collins

Wow.

Really, what can you say about this?  I wonder why Linda Stanley is such an apologist for the City Council's "pro-business" policies?

Let's break this one down, point-by-point.

Myth: The city does nothing for Fort Collins' businesses.

Hello, Mr. Straw Man.  Who claims that the city does nothing for business?  No one, of course.  But by setting up this straw man argument, Stanley has something easy to knock down.  After all, if you assert an absolute ("does nothing"), it's pretty easy to disprove it (here are a few examples of the City doing something...)

So Stanley throws out some anecdotes about how the city invests in business.  Better roads?  Sensible regulatory policy?  No, but look at some of the money we pour into the "Innovation Center".

Here's the next point, and it's pretty slick.

Myth: The city's development process is more onerous than surrounding communities', and its development fees are higher.

Not true. The development process has been made much more efficient and streamlined, without lessening standards, based on recommendations of the Zucker report. Data collected during 2007 shows that the days required for the average review process have been cut roughly in half. Planning staff often hears from developers and consultants who work in neighboring communities that the system is the fastest, most "friendly" and predictable.

Did you catch that? 

She laid out a "myth" and then "disproved" something completely different.   It's a complete bait-and-switch.

The "myth" is that the "development process is more onerous than surrounding communities'".  So you would expect her to then "disprove" that by comparing Fort Collins to, you know, the "surrounding communities". 

Instead, she touts how it is "much more efficient and streamlined." Than what? Than other communities?  No.  She's not comparing Fort Collins to other communities.  She's comparing Fort Collins today to Fort Collins of a few years ago. 

Of course she throws in some anecdotal reports ("Planning staff often hears...").  When you don't have any facts to cite, throw out some anecdotes and hope people don't notice the logical weakness of your argument.

Here's the next "myth":

Myth: Businesses are moving from Fort Collins to Loveland and other surrounding communities because the city is business unfriendly.

This myth seems to have originated from media stories a few years ago when Heska moved its operations to Loveland, (Promenade Shops at) Centerra was built, and a new hospital was located at Interstate 25 and U.S. Highway 34. But in actuality, these had nothing to do with Fort Collins being business unfriendly.

First, the straw man once again: "This myth seems to have originated from media stories [about Heska and the Medical Center of the Rockies]..." 

Really?  Only two companies have moved from Fort Collins to Loveland?  Only two?  (Of course, by framing the argument as only Heska and MCR, Stanley has far less to "disprove."  Set up a false straw man by putting words in the mouths of your opponents and knock that straw man down.)

But let's put aside for a moment the weakness of citing just two examples to "disprove" a "myth."  The two examples she does cite, Heska and the Medical Center of the Rockies, don't "disprove" the "myth" - if anything, they reinforce the argument that Fort Collins' neighbors are more business friendly.   

According to Stanley, Heska moved because "a private entity" made it "an offer they couldn't refuse."  Now why would a private entity (i.e. a business) be able to submit the most competitive offer to Heska?  Perhaps it's because they're in a more business-friendly community and have a competitive advantage over Fort Collins suitors?      

For the other example, the Medical Center of the Rockies, "it was a location decision."  Left out of Stanley's column: the factors that contribute to a "location decision."  That wouldn't be easy access to I-25, a strong transportation infrastructure, the ability to develop property without onerous government regulation, now would it?

When someone's argument relies on knocking down straw men and using anecdotal "evidence", something is lacking... like the facts.

Glossing Over the Problems

My new Fort Collins Now column is up.  Much of the outrage over the logo fiasco in Fort Collins is misplaced.  Note, I didn't say "unjustified," but "misplaced."  There's plenty of opportunity for outrage.

The logo isn't the problem. The “Community Branding Project” is.

That "Community Branding Project" study revealed some very serious problems with Fort Collins' ability to create and retain jobs. 

The researchers asked local business owners about the biggest challenges facing economic development. The answer was “no-growth policies” and “red tape.” They asked businesses that “got away” about the primary disadvantages of doing business in Fort Collins. Their answer was that “… red tape and 'add-ons' were said to 'add up' in the end. Property approvals are much easier in Windsor and Loveland.” State economic development officials noted the perception that the city was becoming “land-locked due to open space policies.” Meeting planners cited the “lack of quality hotels/transportation around town.”

Under the section entitled “Other Major Themes and Observations”—the “other” apparently referring to the fact that these were not themes and observations that were used in the final marketing campaign—the study listed such “challenges” as the “anti-growth city council members” and community groups that are “negative about economic development.” The study also noted that the “Community is tired of no-growth policies” and that the “'minority' council needs to rethink their approach—Fort Collins needs business.”

The problem - and the potential for outrage - stems from the fact that this was a "branding" study for an ad campaign.  By definition, this project was designed to accentuate the positives.

In other words, the serious underlying problems identified in the study go unfixed.

So what was included in the consultant's “Conclusions Based on Research”-the foundation for the “branding”? All positives. After all, they weren't hired to fix the underlying problems with economic development in Fort Collins. They were hired to accentuate the positives, essentially gloss over the negatives and sell what we've got.

Hence the problem.

Read the whole thing.

The Morning Papers, 3/21/08

Sorry Front Range...

"Black Thursday" cuts to the proposed budgets. 

Colorado State University's $42 million diagnostic medicine center at the veterinarian teaching hospital and the $6 million Clark Building renovation were spared and will be completed as planned, but the new science wing proposed on the Front Range Community College campus in Fort Collins will not.

Oil and Gas Protest?

This is fascinating.  The media tend to portray the people in the oil and gas industry as faceless fat cats.  The reality is much different.  There are actual real-world employees in the oil and gas industry.  Those employees have families.  Over-regulation of their industry threatens their jobs.

So they held a protest in Greeley yesterday:

Shulz was one of more than 100 people who gathered on the steps of the Weld County Courthouse on Wednesday to protest what they call an over-regulation of the oil and gas industry by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

Imagine that.  Protesting against over-regulation of oil and gas.

CSU Clean Energy Supercluster News

From the NCBR:

DENVER -- Colorado State University on Thursday morning unveiled Cenergy, which it described as "an innovative model to rapidly move the university's clean-energy research into the global marketplace."

The new enterprise, the business arm of CSU's Clean Energy Supercluster, is expected to help create new companies and jobs that will enhance the state's economy while improving lives throughout the world.

Berthoud Candidate Forum Monday

Details in the Reporter-Herald.

The Morning Papers, 3/20/08

The Key Word Here is "Area"

After the first couple of paragraphs, the Coloradoan slides into referring to just "Fort Collins" in this encomium.  (And then they give the Fort Collins City Council an opportunity to pat themselves on the back in the article - where's the interview of a Larimer Count Commissioner or the Loveland City Council?)

It's the Fort Collins Area that was ranked third for business by Forbes. 

Yes, Forbes cites the CSU-driven highly-educated workforce in Fort Collins.  But they also list off key economic drivers like the cost of doing business - not exactly Fort Collins' strong suit.  Rather, the cost of doing business numbers are likely bolstered by the business-friendly environment in Larimer County, Loveland, Windsor and Timnath.

The number of people who commute away from Fort Collins to jobs outside of city limits is staggering.  I guess we'd better start building some better roads so all of those highly-educated Fort Collins residents can have a painless commute...

More on the Big Bipartisan Education Reform Bill

(referenced yesterday)

The goal is to redefine the outcomes we're looking for from our students:

The bill would ask the board to come up with criteria for school readiness that would be applied to preschool and kindergarten children. Kids who were not ready would receive extra help.

The board and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education jointly would adopt a definition of readiness for college or the workplace. The public school curriculum would be revised to prepare students to meet the new criteria.

Statewide achievement tests would be overhauled to reflect the new curriculum.

Obviously, the devil's in the details, but the goal is a good one: Let's figure out what we need to do to get our kids ready for the real world.

Can We Get A Legal Ruling Here?

"So, go ahead enjoy your office pool."

Thank you.

Speculation on the Harmony Corridor?

Eric Nichols has an interesting op-ed on the business page of the Coloradoan today about whether the Harmony corridor is overbuilt.  He lists off all of the new tenants and some of the plans for the future.

His conclusion: "So, over built, or not over built?  Thus far, the market seems to be absorbing the product, and speculation is wisely limited."

Census Points to Continued Weld County Growth

There are a lot of explanations for the apparent contradiction between these numbers and the slowdown in the housing market (and I'm not including Commissioner Jerke's skepticism of the census numbers as one of my explanations).  It could be that new home construction just got a bit ahead of the growth in population in recent years.  Or perhaps renters are just more hesitant to get into buying market right now.  We might also be seeing some people transition back from home ownership to renting. 

Either way, this is good news for the Greeley housing market in the long term. 

Ritter at Monfort College of Business Tomorrow

In the Tribune:

Gov. Bill Ritter will visit the Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado on Friday. He will be in Kepner Hall from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

He wil be given a briefing on the college's activities, tour the facility and meet with students.

Staples Update

They're now going to appeal to the County.