What's on the Ballot? || Elections

2A City Referred Ballot Issue - Community Capital Improvement Program#

Ballot Issue 2A

CITY-INITIATED BALLOT ISSUE NO. 1

(Community Capital Improvement Program (CCIP) Tax Extension – Resolution 2025-077)

WITHOUT RAISING ADDITIONAL TAXES, SHALL THE CITY’S EXISTING 0.25% SALES AND USE TAX ( 25 CENTS ON A $ 100 PURCHASE) APPROVED BY THE VOTERS IN 2015 FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS BE EXTENDED FROM ITS CURRENT EXPIRATION AT THE END OF 2025, THROUGH THE END OF 2035;

PROVIDED THAT REVENUE FROM THE EXTENSION OF SUCH TAX SHALL BE USED FOR PLANNING, DESIGN, REAL PROPERTY ACQUISITION, AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE FOLLOWING CAPITAL PROJECTS, AND FIVE ( 5) YEARS OF OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE (“ O&M”) FOR CERTAIN OF THESE CAPITAL PROJECTS, ALL SUBJECT TO PROPOSED VOTER-APPROVED ORDINANCE NO.
003, 2025:

PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALK PROGRAM
ARTERIAL INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS AND STREETSCAPES
BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE & OVERPASSES/ UNDERPASSES
AFFORDABLE HOUSING CAPITAL FUND
MULBERRY POOL RECREATIONAL REPLACEMENT SUPPORT
POUDRE RIVER — RIVER HEALTH, ACCESS, PARKS, AND TRAILS ( WITH
O&M)
COMPOSTING INFRASTRUCTURE ( WITH O&M)
DOWNTOWN PARKS SHOP
COMMUNITY BIKE PARK ( WITH O&M)
OUTDOOR PICKLEBALL FACILITIES ( WITH O&M)
NATURE IN THE CITY
TRANSFORT BUSES & STOPS
RECREATIONAL PAVED TRAILS ( WITH O&M)
CONSTRUCTION WASTE DIVERSION EQUIPMENT
HISTORIC TROLLEY BUILDING RENOVATION ( WITH O&M)
GARDENS ON SPRING CREEK - CHILDREN’ S GARDEN &
INFRASTRUCTURE
LEE MARTINEZ FARM IMPROVEMENTS
TIMBERLINE RECYCLING CENTER IMPROVEMENTS;

AND PROVIDED THAT ALL REVENUES FROM THE TAX MAY BE RETAINED AND EXPENDED BY THE CITY FOR SUCH PURPOSES, NOTWITHSTANDING ANY STATE REVENUE OR EXPENDITURE LIMITATION INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION?

_____YES/FOR

_____ NO/AGAINST

Summary:

The current City sales tax includes a twenty-five hundredths percent (0.25%) tax dedicated to capital projects designed to serve the community as a whole. The tax does not apply to food for home consumption and equates to .25-cents on a $100 purchase to generate revenue for the construction of certain capital projects. The projects funded were identified in Ordinance No. 013, 2015, which was approved by City voters on April 7, 2015. The current tax expires at midnight on December 31, 2025.

For four decades, the revenue generated by such 0.25% tax has supported expanded City facilities and infrastructure to serve the needs of the community.

City Council believes it is in the best interests of the City’s residents to extend the existing tax for an additional ten-year period to generate additional revenues for purposes similar to those for which the existing tax was originally imposed. The list of capital projects included in the ballot language were decided on by City Council after public outreach and are believed to meet the needs and desires of the community.

What a “Yes” vote means for this measure:

A “yes” vote on this measure indicates a voter agrees with continuing the existing 0.25% tax for another ten-year period to cover the proposed capital projects.

What a “No” vote means for this measure:

A “no” vote indicates a voter does not agree with continuing the existing 0.25% tax for another ten-year period to cover the proposed capital projects.

TABOR:

Pro/Con statements received for this measure will also be used in the TABOR Notice summaries.

Linked Ordinances/Resolutions:

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2B City Referred Ballot Question - Charter Amendment No. 1#

Ballot Question 2B

City-Initiated Proposed Charter Amendment No. 1

(Correct Errors and Eliminate Outdated or Unnecessary Language - Ordinance 63, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language))

Shall Articles II, IX, and X of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins, be amended to correct errors and eliminate outdated or unnecessary language in light of the Charter amendments adopted in November 2024, by:

Clarifying in Section 2(d) of Article II that a registered elector must notify the City Clerk before seeking a court determination to challenge the qualifications of any member of the Council; and
Updating language in Section 2(e)(1) of Article IX about determining the number of votes cast in a specific race to work with the new ranked voting rules that were approved in November 2024; and
Changing language in Section 2(e)(1) of Article X to restore the number of days for a signature gatherer to circulate an initiative petition by increasing it from 63 days to 77 days?

______ Yes/For

______ No/Against

Summary:

This Charter Amendment has three parts, each correcting language related to local elections within the City to be in conformance with amendments adopted by the voters in November 2024 and to correct errors in the language presented to the voters at that time.

First, this Charter Amendment requires a registered elector to notify the City Clerk before seeking a court determination challenging the qualifications of a Council Member, in part for consistency with language adopted in November 2024.

Second, this Charter Amendment updates the language regarding recall petitions to align with the new ranked choice voting process that was approved in November 2021.

Third, the current version of the Charter gives signature gatherers sixty-three (63) days to circulate an initiative petition. This timeframe was not updated in November 2024 to reflect an increase to seventy-seven (77) days intended by City Council. The proposed amendment incorporates the intended timeframe for circulation of an initiative petition by updating the Charter language to give signature gatherers seventy-seven (77) days instead of sixty-three (63) days.

What a “Yes” vote means:

A “yes” vote indicates the voter agrees with updating the Charter language regarding local elections.

What a “No” vote means:

A “no” vote indicates the voter does not agree with the updates and would rather leave the Charter language as is.

Linked Ordinances:

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2C City Referred Ballot Question - Charter Amendment No. 2#

Ballot Question 2C

City-Initiated Proposed Charter Amendment No. 2

(Modernizing and Updating – Ordinance 067,2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language))

Shall the Charter of the City of Fort Collins be amended to modernize and update it by reformatting and updating language usage for ease of reading and clarity, and eliminating inapplicable and invalid provisions, without undoing any substantive Charter amendments approved by the voters at the Tuesday, November 4, 2025, municipal election, by:

Changing the words "shall" to "will," "must" or “may,” or other words to improve clarity; and
Making the language more inclusive by taking out words "he” and “she” and related word forms; and
Dividing sections into subsections and adding titles to subsections to make them easier to read and understand; and
Eliminating transitional provisions that
- Address residency requirements for City department heads appointed prior to March 6, 1985 (Section 3 of Article IV); and
- Set a mill levy cap on Council’s adoption of taxes (Section 6 of Article IV), which Council must now adopt only with voter approval; and
- Provide for transition from the prior Charter when the Charter was adopted (Article XIV); and
Renumbering and updating section cross-references throughout the Charter?

______ Yes/For

______ No/Against

Summary

This proposed Charter Amendment updates and removes provisions of the City Charter that, through the passage of time and other outside circumstances, have become outdated, unnecessary, or redundant. Such deletions include references to department heads appointed before 1985, tax provisions now provided in State law, and language guiding the transition from a Commission to a Council form of government that was completed in 1955.

This Charter Amendment will also modernize the language and syntax of the entire Charter in general. Examples of updated language include changing “shall” to “must”, “will”, or “may” where appropriate, and “he or she” to “they”.

This Charter Amendment updates formatting by separating sections into subsections.

What a “Yes” vote means

A “Yes” vote indicates the voter agrees with updates and removes language in the Charter that no longer serves any purpose and modernizes the language of the entire Charter.

What a “No” vote means

A “No” vote indicates the voter does not agree with the updates and keeps the Charter language as is.

Linked Ordinances:

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2D City Referred Ballot Question - Charter Amendment No. 3#

Ballot Question 2D

City-Initiated Proposed Charter Amendment No. 3

(Modernizing publication requirements and requirements for adopting ordinances, resolutions and motions – Ordinance 065, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language))

Shall Articles II and IV of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins, be amended to modernize publication requirements and requirements for adopting ordinances, by:

Revising Section 6 of Article II about adopting ordinances, resolutions, and motions to:
- Make the provision easier to read and understand by adding subsections, subsection titles and better organizing them;
- Remove language entitling any Councilmember to request that an entire ordinance be read aloud at a Council meeting; and
Revising Section 7 of Article II about publication and effective date of ordinances to:
- Allow an ordinance to proceed to adoption if publication of the ordinance before adoption was not timely, so long as all other notice requirements have been met; and
- Cure late publication of ordinance after final passage if publication completed within a reasonable period of time; and
- Delay the effective date of the ordinance until publication requirements are met; and
- Toll the deadline to file a notice of referendum protest; and
Revising Section 7 of Article IV to require notice be published on the City’s website and posted at City Hall, instead of publishing formal legal notices in a local newspaper; and
Adding a new Section 17 to Article IV of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins about how to apply deadlines throughout the Charter in the manner already enacted for Articles VIII, IX and X?

______Yes/For

______No/Against

Summary:

This Charter Amendment modernizes requirements for adopting ordinances, including publication requirements. For example, the amendment would add sections detailing the effects of late publication and the methods for computing time for the purpose of publication. The amendment also removes the option for a City Councilmember to request that an ordinance be read aloud in its entirety at a City Council meeting.

What a “Yes” vote means:

A “yes” vote indicates the voter agrees with updating the Charter language regarding publication and adoption requirements of ordinances and adds language detailing how time is computed for these processes.

What a “No” vote means:

A “no” vote indicates the voter does not agree with updating the Charter language and would rather leave the language as is.

Linked Ordinances:

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2E City Referred Ballot Question - Charter Amendment No. 4#

Ballot Question 2E

City-Initiated Proposed Charter Amendment No. 4

(Alignment with amended or further developed laws and removing inconsistencies – Ordinance 064, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language))

Shall Articles II, IV, XIII of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins be amended to improve consistency with amended or further developed laws and removing inconsistencies, in order to minimize conflicts between the Charter legal developments, by:

Changing Section 8 of Article II about contributions to City Council elections to:
- Specify which city employees are prohibited from contributing to Council elections for consistency with state law;
- Continue to prohibit a political party, public service corporations, and persons or entities with city contracts from contributing to any City Council election, while recognizing that some speech is protected by the U.S. or Colorado constitution;
Adding definitions to Article XIII to correspond to the changes to Article II; and
Adding language to Section 11 of Article II incorporating state law provisions regarding City Council executive sessions; and
Clarifying language in Section 5 of Article IV that City records are available for public inspection and disclosure consistent with state open records laws?

______Yes/For

______No/Against

Summary:

This Charter Amendment has three parts, each aiming to better align the City’s charter with state and federal laws.

First, the current Charter language prohibits all City employees from contributing to City Council elections. Colorado statutes provide that local governments must allow employees to participate fully in political activity. The law allows limits on political activities of public employees with policy-making responsibilities. Other provisions address how the City may restrict political activity of those interested in City Council elections. This Charter amendment aligns the Charter language about supporting and opposing City Council candidates with state and federal constitutions and statutes.

Second, the current Charter language allows the City Council to go into executive session to discuss specific topics confidentially, including personnel matters, legal matters, water and real property acquisitions and sales by the city, or matters of competition for electric utility (including broadband) matters. This Charter amendment updates the language to allow executive sessions for any other matter authorized by the Colorado Open Meetings Law.

Third, the current Charter language requires that City records be available for public inspection subject only to reasonable restrictions. This charter amendment updates the City’s records requirements to coordinate with the Colorado Open Records Act.

What a “Yes” vote means:

A “yes” vote indicates the voter agrees with the updates to the Charter language to reflect legal developments in state and federal law, including regarding employee election contributions, permissions for City Council to go into executive session, and City records requirements.

What a “No” vote means:

A “no” vote indicates the voter does not agree with the updates would rather leave the Charter language as is, without regard to conflicting state and federal laws.

Linked Ordinances:

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2F City Referred Ballot Question - Charter Amendment No. 5#

Ballot Question 2F

City-Initiated Proposed Charter Amendment No. 5

(Conflicts of Interest – Ordinance 066, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language))

Shall Section 9 of Article IV of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins, regarding conflicts of interest, be amended to:

Allow City Councilmembers or the Mayor to sell real property to the city if the property is needed for a city project or public use, while retaining all requirements for disclosure and refraining from involvement that otherwise apply in the case of a conflict of interest; and
Allow City employees to rent property from the city with City Manager approval, if it is for the city’s benefit and related to the employee’s performance of their job?

______ Yes/For

______ No/Against

Summary

The current Charter of the City does not allow the City ever to buy real or personal property from a Councilmember under any circumstances. Proposed Charter Amendment 5 will allow the City to purchase real or personal property from a Councilmember when the City needs the property for City projects or purposes, provided the property is purchased at fair market value. This amendment does not change the existing requirement that Councilmembers must recuse themselves from participating in decisions when they have a financial or personal interest.

Charter Amendment 5 will also specifically authorize the City to rent City property to City employees when such an arrangement is related to the employee’s position and beneficial to the City. For example, a park ranger may live in a housing unit in a park or natural area so they may be closer to and monitor the site.

What a “Yes” vote means

A “Yes” vote indicates the voter agrees with updating the Charter to allow the City to buy needed real or personal property from Councilmembers at fair market value, and to allow the City to rent property to City employees when related to their job.

What a “No” vote means

A “No” vote indicates a voter does not agree with the updating the Charter and would rather leave the Charter as-is, forbidding the City from ever buying property from Councilmembers or renting property to City employees.

Linked Ordinances:

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2G City Referred Ballot Question - Charter Amendment No. 6#

Ballot Question 2G

City-Initiated Proposed Charter Amendment No. 6

(Council Vacancies – Ordinance 108, 2025 and Ordinance 109, 2025 (final ballot language))

Shall the Charter of the City of Fort Collins be amended to revise Section 1 and Section 18 of Article II to update the process for filling a vacant district Councilmember or Mayoral office and to clarify how existing term limits apply to partial terms to fill a vacancy, by:

Adding a new subsection (e) to Section 1 of Article II providing that if a person serves a total of more than one-half a term in office, this will count as a term when determining term limits; and

Revising Section 18 of Article II to:
- Add procedural steps including public announcement of a vacancy and acceptance of applications to the process for filling vacancies;
- Require Council to appoint a replacement to fill a District Councilmember vacancy within 35 business days;
- Retain the provision that if the Mayor office is vacated, the Mayor Pro Tem becomes the Acting Mayor and Council selects a new Mayor Pro Tem during the time there is an Acting Mayor;
- Require the Council to fill the district Councilmember seat that is vacant for the time the Mayor Pro Tem serves as Acting Mayor using the vacancy filling process;
- Provide that any vacated office will appear on the next regular municipal election ballot for which process requirements can be met; and
- State that if there is no qualified candidate for an elected office on a municipal election ballot, the Council organized after the election will then appoint a qualified person to fill the resulting vacancy?

______ Yes/For

______ No/Against

Summary

The current Charter does not address term limits. Instead, Councilmember term limits are only governed by the Colorado Constitution provisions about local government term limits. The Constitution allows local governments to set their own term limits or eliminate them altogether. This proposal addresses a term limits question that arises when a person serves a partial Council term.

Proposed Charter Amendment 6 will establish how the term limits apply to a partial Councilmember term. It provides that in the event of a person filling a vacancy, the time they serve on Council in that seat counts as a “term” for term limit purposes if they serve at least half of the length of a full term.

Proposed Charter Amendment 6 also updates the process of filling vacancies on City Council. The Amendment will require City Council to post notice of such vacancy and appoint a new Councilmember within thirty-five business days. The Amendment will also require Council to appoint a qualified person for a full term if no qualified candidate is on the ballot to fill an opening. The Amendment also clarifies language describing the process for making appointments.

What a “Yes” vote means

A “Yes” vote indicates the voter agrees with a Charter Amendment that will clarify how a “partial” term is calculated in regard to term limits and clarifies the process Council must follow when filling a vacant Council seat.

What a “No” vote means

A “No” vote indicates the voter does not agree with the Charter Amendment and would rather keep the Charter as is.

Linked Ordinances:

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2H City Referred Ballot Question - Civic Assembly Recommendation#

Ballot Question 2H

City-Referred Ordinance – Expressing Support for the Civic Assembly Recommendations for the Hughes Site and Adopting a Conceptual Framework for the Use and Management of the Hughes Site

Ordinance No. 141, 2025, Expressing Support for the Recommendations of the Civic Assembly and Adopting a Conceptual Framework for the Use and Management of the Hughes Stadium Site (the “Council-Adopted Ordinance”), was adopted by the City Council on September 2, 2025, and provides for the following City actions:

requiring multi-use development and management for the approximately 165-acre Hughes Site;
requiring the City to consult with Native American tribes and the Indigenous community throughout the process;
requiring site plans to feature native and xeric vegetation and a naturalistic architectural palette, and include the following new amenities for the Hughes Site:
- a City natural area, up to 60 acres;
- dedicated space and facilities for environmental education and wildlife conservation, to include wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, up to 30 acres;
- a trail system throughout the site connected to nearby City natural areas and parks;
- a City park with a community bike park up to 35 acres, a community gathering area and appropriate related facilities;
may include existing uses, such as disc golf and winter sledding; and
requiring the City to manage these uses over time as planning, design and funding allow, in accordance with regular City planning and review processes, and consistent with the Public Open Lands zoning.

Shall the Council-Adopted Ordinance for multi-use of the Hughes Site be approved?

_____Yes/For

_____No/Against

Summary

An initiative relating to the purchase by the City, zoning, and use of the former Hughes Stadium property was approved by 68.61% of the registered electors of Fort Collins at the regular City election on April 6, 2021. The ballot initiative required the City of Fort Collins ("the City") to rezone the former Hughes Stadium property as a Public Open Land, acquire the property, and use it for "parks, recreation and open lands, natural areas, and wildlife rescue and education."

The City rezoned the Hughes Site as Public Open Lands and then on June 30, 2023, the City acquired the Hughes Site for a total cost of $12,700,000.

The City Council adopted as one of its 2024-2026 Council priorities moving forward with an inclusive process to develop and adopt a general use plan of the Hughes Site. In 2025, the City used a facilitated “Civic Assembly” process to engage the public on the future of the Hughes Site. After extensive preparations, 20 Fort Collins residents were selected by lottery to form the Civic Assembly, with the goal of representing a balanced cross-section of the community.

In April and May 2025, the Civic Assembly met to receive information and then discuss and develop recommendations for the site's development and management. During a series of public meetings, they heard from various presenters and reviewed information from past outreach efforts, all of which focused on potential uses for the Hughes Site that align with its voter-mandated zoning as Public Open Lands.

Members of the Civic Assembly and City staff presented the Assembly’s recommendations for the development and management of the Hughes Site to City Council on May 27, 2025. On September 2, 2025, City Council adopted Ordinance No. 141, 2025. Ordinance No. 141, 2025, sets out Council’s intent to establish use and management plans for the Hughes Stadium Site based on the recommendations of the City’s Civic Assembly, as outlined in the ballot measure above.

What a “Yes” vote means

A “Yes” vote indicates the voter approves of the use and managements plans for the Hughes Stadium Site described in the measure.

What a “No” vote means

A “No” vote indicates the voter does not approve of the use and management plans for the Hughes Stadium described in the measure.

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302 Proposed Citizen-Initiated Ordinance - Natural Areas Tax Extension#

Ballot Issue 302

Citizen-Initiated Ballot Issue No. 2

(Natural Areas Tax Extension – Resolution 2025-077)

WITHOUT RAISING ADDITIONAL TAXES, SHALL THE CITY’S EXISTING 0.25% SALES AND USE TAX ( 25 CENTS ON A $100 PURCHASE), AUTHORIZED BY CITIZEN- INITIATED ORDINANCE NO. 1, 2002, FOR THE ACQUISITION, MAINTENANCE, AND OPERATIONS OF NATURAL AREAS, BE EXTENDED, WITHOUT EXPIRATION, FROM ITS CURRENT EXPIRATION AT THE END OF 2030;

PROVIDED THAT REVENUES DERIVED FROM SUCH TAX EXTENSION SHALL BE USED TO ACQUIRE, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN NATURAL AREAS, OPEN SPACES, COMMUNITY SEPARATORS, WILDLIFE HABITAT, RIVER, STREAMS,
RIPARIAN AREAS, WETLANDS, AND BIODIVERSE LANDSCAPES, AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE APPROPRIATE USE AND ENJOYMENT OF THEM BY THE CITIZENRY CONSISTENT WITH CITIZEN- INITIATED ORDINANCE NO. 2, 2025, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING CHANGES FROM THE 2002 ORDINANCE:

BEGINNING IN 2061, REDUCE THE MINIMUM PERCENTAGE OF ANNUAL REVENUE THAT MUST BE SPENT ON LAND CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES, AS DEFINED IN THE ORDINANCE, TO 70%( INSTEAD OF 80%).
BEGINNING IN 2061, INCREASE THE MAXIMUM PERCENTAGE OF ANNUAL REVENUE THAT MAY BE SPENT ON OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES, AS DEFINED IN THE ORDINANCE, TO 30%( INSTEAD OF 20%);
TREAT IMPROVING ACQUIRED LANDS BY RESTORING, ENHANCING, AND MAINTAINING NATIVE PLANT AND ANIMAL COMMUNITIES FOR THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF IMPROVING THE ECOLOGICAL HEALTH OF PROTECTED LANDS AS “ LAND CONSERVATION ACTIVITY”; AND
CLARIFY OTHER LANGUAGE OF THE ORDINANCE FOR CONSISTENCY WITH THE CITY’S NATURAL AREAS PROGRAM.

AND PROVIDED THAT ALL REVENUES FROM THE TAX EXTENSION MAY BE RETAINED AND EXPENDED BY THE CITY NOTWITHSTANDING ANY STATE REVENUE OR EXPENDITURE LIMITATION, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION?

______ YES/FOR

______ NO/AGAINST

Summary

A citizen-initiated measure to continue the City’s Open Space Sales and Use Tax for a period of 25 years (the “2002 Initiative”) was approved by the registered electors of Fort Collins at a special City election on November 5, 2002.

An initiative petition amending the terms of the 2002 Initiative and extending the Open Space Sales and Use Tax without expiration (the “Initiated Measure”) was submitted to the City, certified as sufficient and approved to move forward to a vote of the people at the next regular City election on November 4, 2025.

In addition to removing the expiration of the Tax, the Initiated Measure amends the terms of the 2002 Initiative by:

a. Starting in 2061:

i. reducing the percentage of revenues from the tax that must be used for “land conservation activities” to 70 percent (from 80 percent); and

ii. increasing the percentage of revenues from the tax that may be used for maintenance and operations to 30 percent (from 20 percent);

b. Changing the definition of “land conservation activity”, for which a specified amount of the tax revenues must be used, to include expenditures to support the ecological health of protected lands; and

c. Clarifying other language to eliminate confusion and more accurately reflect the policies and practices of the Natural Areas program.

What a “Yes” vote means

A “Yes” vote indicates the voter approves of extending the Natural Area tax without expiration and amending how the revenues will be allocated.

What a “No” vote means

A “No” vote indicates the voter does not approve of extending the Natural Area tax without expiration or amending how the revenues will be allocated.

TABOR:

Pro/Con statements received for this measure will also be used in the TABOR Notice summaries.

Linked Ordinances/Resolutions:

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303 Proposed Citizen-Initiated Ordinance - Hughes Stadium Property#

Ballot Question 303

Citizen-Initiated Proposed Ordinance No. 1

(Making the Hughes Site a 100% Natural Area – Resolution 2025-073)

An ordinance modifying the citizen-initiated ordinance approved by the registered electors in April 2021, which required the City of Fort Collins to rezone, acquire, and use for specified purposes the approximately 165-acre parcel of real property formerly home to the Hughes Stadium, so as to require that the property be designated and used 100% as a City natural area.

______ Yes/For

______ No/Against

Summary

An initiative relating to the purchase by the City, zoning, and use of the former Hughes Stadium property was approved by 68.61% of the registered electors of Fort Collins at the regular City election on April 6, 2021. The ballot initiative required the City of Fort Collins ("the City") to rezone the former Hughes Stadium property as a Public Open Lands, acquire the property, and use it for "parks, recreation and open lands, natural areas, and wildlife rescue and education."

The City rezoned the Hughes Site as Public Open Lands and then on June 30, 2023, the City acquired the Hughes Site for a total cost of $12,700,000. The City Council adopted as one of its 2024-2026 Council priorities moving forward with an inclusive process to develop and adopt a general use plan of the Hughes Site.

An initiative petition for a citizen-initiated ordinance amending the terms of the 2021 initiative so as to require that the former Hughes Stadium property be designated and used 100% as City natural area was submitted to the City, certified as sufficient, and approved to move forward to the next regular City election on November 4, 2025.

As stated in the citizen-initiated ordinance: “Since the passage of the ballot initiative and subsequent purchase of the former Hughes Stadium property, public discussions and stakeholder processes have occurred regarding the specific allowable future uses of the former Hughes Stadium property. Some residents and elected officials have expressed confusion about the ballot initiative's intent related to the future uses of the former Hughes Stadium property during those discussions and stakeholder processes.” The purpose of the initiated ordinance is to require that the Hughes property be designated and used entirely as a City Natural Area, considered by the initiative proponents to best reflect the intent of the 2021 ballot initiative.

What a “Yes” vote means

A “Yes” vote indicates the voter approves of the citizen-initiated ordinance requiring that 100% of the Hughes Stadium property be designated and used as a City natural area.

What a “No” vote means

A “No” vote indicates the voter does not approve of the citizen-initiated ordinance requiring that 100% of the Hughes Stadium property be designated and used as a City natural area.

Linked Ordinances/Resolutions:

Resolution 2025-073

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