Fort Collins council members push to speed up Vision Zero and trail spending in 2027-28 budget

Several Fort Collins City Council members urged staff Tuesday to move transportation and Vision Zero spending earlier in the city’s upcoming tax package so safety and trail projects could begin sooner instead of being spread evenly over 10 years.

Mayor Emily Francis said she wants more transportation funding frontloaded into the 2027-28 budget, particularly for arterial and Vision Zero work. She said the city could make an impact now while traffic safety remains a council priority, and she would prefer accelerating those improvements over some other items planned for that budget cycle. Francis also suggested delaying the pickleball project by a year if that would free up money for Vision Zero upgrades.

Councilmember Josh Fudge also backed accelerating transportation-related projects, including recreational paved trails. Fudge said residents in newer northeast Fort Collins neighborhoods frequently raised bike access while he was campaigning, and he argued that expanding trails fits the city’s identity as a bike-friendly community. He also questioned whether some arterial projects had been fully updated to reflect the city’s Vision Zero priorities, saying some still appeared geared toward making it easier for drivers to move faster.

Staff said faster spending was possible, though with limits. Jenny Sawyer said staff had discussed whether projects could be moved up and felt confident some could be advanced, especially pedestrian- and bicycle-focused work, while also cautioning that departments could only deliver so much at once. Jacob Castillo added that the city is looking at quick-build safety projects that could move ahead as soon as possible.

Castillo said some transportation projects are already underway with grant funding and outside requirements, but future work will be shaped by changing methods and standards. He said that could include updating street standards and rethinking how streets are designed and rehabilitated. Chris Conway said the key decisions now are for the 2027-28 budget and that later years could still be adjusted in future budget cycles.

The discussion came as council reviewed competing priorities within the broader tax package. While members also raised questions about parks, composting infrastructure and other projects, the clearest theme in the transportation discussion was whether the city should spend earlier on safety-focused street changes rather than waiting to distribute that money evenly over the full life of the tax.