Fort Collins council questions delayed composting funding in capital tax plan

Fort Collins City Council pressed staff Tuesday on why composting infrastructure is slated for the later years of the city’s quarter-cent capital tax schedule, with several members signaling they want at least some of that money available sooner if partnership opportunities emerge.

Councilmember Melanie Potyondy said composting was deliberately written into the ballot language as a priority and asked why it was recommended for a latter phase of funding. Jenny Sawyer said the idea came from council "late in the game," and staff had not yet had enough time to determine how it would be implemented, achieved or partnered. She said staff has been making progress on composting and waste partnerships and wanted more runway to ensure any investment is lasting and collaborative.

Assistant City Manager Jacob Castillo later said the proposed timeline reflects both cash-flow limits and the need to build a broader regional approach. The program is "a cash-constrained exercise," Caleb Weitz said, and early years of the package were prioritized for other needs, including housing. Castillo said the city is working on a pilot with Compost Queen, is in active conversations with Larimer County and has studied what a city-only or regional composting system could cost.

Those estimates far exceed the $7 million currently earmarked. Castillo said a facility sized only for Fort Collins’ own composting needs would cost about $15 million even without land, while a regional-scale facility would cost more than $20 million, also excluding land acquisition. That means, he said, the city cannot "go it alone" with the current allocation and needs a coalition to make any real-estate, equipment and operations investment effective.

Mayor Emily Francis said she remembers the $7 million was never expected to fully fund a facility, but rather to start one, and said she would favor moving part of the composting money earlier in the schedule. She said momentum from the pilot program and county discussions could create an opening before the later funding years arrive, and she would like the city to have access to some of the money "in case something comes up."

Councilmember Chris Conway said the most immediate decisions are for the 2027-28 budget and that later cycles can still be rearranged. Councilmember Josh Fudge then asked whether, if a composting partnership comes together in 2028 or 2029 after other funding has already been committed, the city could borrow from other funds to keep the effort moving and repay those funds as sales-tax revenue comes in.