Dear Citizens,

We are pleased to share with you the City of Fort Collins 2004 Report to the Community. After two years of lower than expected sales tax revenues, the City made substantial cuts to its 2004 budget. As a result, we were forced to reduce services last year, though we were still able to accomplish some of our goals vital to our community.

The local economy improved slightly in 2004 over the previous two years. The increase was modest, but extremely important, since most of the services provided by the City are supported by the sales tax.

The City continually strives to deliver services more cost-effectively to the citizens of Fort Collins. You will find in this report that technology has helped to improve service and at the same time made us more efficient. Partnerships have also created efficiencies, and in 2004 the City worked together with other entities to make our tax dollars go further. Finally, the daily commitment of our employees help maintain and enhance the high quality of life we enjoy in Fort Collins.

In the Report to the Community, we introduce you to some of these employees, as we share with you the City's accomplishments for 2004.

Complete copies of the Report are available at the public libraries. In addition, audio clips of the Report are available on this site.

Sincerely,
Ray Martinez, Mayor	Darin Atteberry, City Manager