The City’s annual Community Survey results are in: More than 87% of respondents in Fort Collins rated their quality of life as very good or good, reversing a decline in recent years. Ratings also improved in several key areas including street maintenance, public transportation, recycling programs, emergency preparedness and communications effectiveness. The City received notably-improved scores in relation to traffic enforcement, crime prevention and feeling safe in the community. Once again, residents ranked housing affordability among the top priorities for future City efforts.

Check out the full survey results

In November, Fort Collins voters will select a new mayor and Councilmembers in Districts 1, 3 and 5 — and for the first time, they'll do it using Ranked Voting. In any race with three or more candidates, voters will be able to rank all candidates in their order of preference, with those ranked choices counted over multiple rounds to determine who wins the election. City staff are spending the summer sharing information and answering questions at farmers markets, outdoor concerts and many more events to help voters prepare for what they'll see on their ballots. Election Day is Nov. 4, and Larimer County will mail out ballots in mid-October.

Watch an explainer video to take a deeper dive into Ranked Voting

The City's first Civic Assembly met for several days in April and May to deliberate options for the Hughes site. Twenty Fort Collins residents chosen by a democratic lottery acted as Assembly Delegates, presenting recommendations to City Council for a multi-use approach to the site. This inclusive, data-driven process reflects the City's commitment to shared decision-making rooted in public trust.

Learn more about the City’s first Civic Assembly process

Fort Collins Connexion revenue has retained significant growth at more than 20% year over year due to consistently high rates of customer adoption and additional service delivery to multi-dwelling units. Connexion also continues to be recognized as an industry standout, most recently with the Customer Experience Award from Broadband Communities. This award recognizes broadband providers whose exemplary dedication and service fosters positive relationships with their customers. As a community-owned utility, this honor directly reflects Connexion’s purpose and mission. Connexion has also been nominated for a Colorado Biz Top Company Award, with final selection set for this fall.

Get an in-depth look at Connexion’s growth and financials

The City's teen volunteer program, NextGenServe, continued to grow and engage the next generation of community leaders, even adding two former participants as paid Crew Leaders. Now in its fifth year, the program expanded to two summer cohorts, with 43 teens serving the community through service projects with City departments and local nonprofits.

Learn more about NextGenServe

After years of work, the Fort Collins Urban Renewal Authority finalized the purchase of a vacant former grocery store on North College Avenue this summer. Since the grocery store's closure in 2014, the property has prompted complaints about blighted conditions and criminal activity. Now officials plan to reimagine the property as a vibrant focal point for North College and intend to accelerate community engagement about the property's possible future — including focused discussions on housing and a long-anticipated community center as important elements in any redevelopment program.

The City finished Phase 2 of Harmony Road improvements in early May, weeks ahead of schedule. Travelers can now enjoy resurfaced roads and repaired concrete infrastructure between College and McMurry Avenues, in addition to previous improvements between Timberline and Strauss Cabin Roads. Later this year, the final section of Phase 2 work — from McMurry Avenue to Timberline Road — will be completed, along with upgraded connections on the Power Trail. These enhancements help extend the life of the road, improve traffic flow and make traveling safer for everyone.

View construction impacts across Fort Collins

Fort Collins Light & Power marked 90 years as a community-owned electric utility, delivering safe and innovative service to residents and businesses with remarkable reliability: Customers experience uninterrupted service delivery 99.9% of the time. This reliability is due to the 4,570-mile network of underground power cables, buried over the past 50 years and maintained daily.

In Q2, the City’s annual Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) event offered community members a convenient way to safely dispose of hazardous materials — an important step in protecting our environment and public health. This year, we collected more than 100,000 pounds of HHW from nearly 2,000 event attendees. There’s no need to wait for next year’s event — residents can dispose of various materials year-round at the Timberline Recycling Center.

In April, City Park was officially recognized as an accredited arboretum, gaining international registry for nearly 1,000 trees consisting of more than 200 species that make up the park’s urban canopy. This recognition honors more than a century of care, vision and planting, and was celebrated with a community gathering that included planting nearly a dozen more trees in the park.

Over the last year, staff worked alongside community members to identify gaps in our trail system and create a road map for maintaining and expanding trails in Fort Collins. Newly adopted by Council, the Strategic Trails Plan sets an ambitious framework for ensuring neighborhood connectivity and increasing trail use among those who have historically had limited access.

In Q2, Natural Areas continued to prioritize opportunities for our diverse community to experience the beauty of public lands — including campfire stories and guided hikes for our LGBTQ+ community; water activities and outdoor scavenger hunts for nearly 100 local youths thanks to partnerships with local nonprofits; and learning events for more than 1,200 K-12 students, including the use of sensory-friendly spaces, mobility devices and interpretation services for those in need.

From record-breaking revenue and event attendance to new and improved ways of engaging visitors, The Gardens on Spring Creek is growing its impact across the community. The Spring Plant Sale welcomed an event-high 3,879 visitors and brought in a record $185,948 in just two days. In early May, The Gardens debuted its second traveling installation, “Peace Walking,” an art exhibition featuring six sculptures by Diné (Navajo) artist Melanie Yazzie. The Gardens also completed upgrades to the Great Lawn in late April, removing flagstone and turf to add a new ~2,400 square-foot concrete pad along the back of the amphitheater, creating an improved ADA-compliant seating area for marquee events like the Live at The Gardens Summer Concert Series.

April marked 30 years of the City’s Art in Public Places (APP) program, which has transformed the streetscapes of Fort Collins with more than 1,000 murals, sculptures and unique pieces of art. Since 1995, APP has invested 1% of eligible capital project budgets into public art, funding beloved programs like the Transformer Cabinet Mural Project and youth Pedestrian Pavers and establishing programs like Pianos About Town through community partnerships. Recognized for enhancing public spaces, reducing vandalism and supporting local artists, APP continues to make art a dynamic part of Fort Collins' identity — where creativity meets community, one installation at a time.