Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
This was a work session of the Greeley City Council, focused on preliminary 2027 budget reductions, an update on the MERGE highway interchange project, and a proposal to restart the Poudre River Restoration Initiative (PRRI) master planning process. No formal votes were taken, but council reached consensus on the PRRI restart and received detailed presentations on budget cuts across multiple departments.
City Manager Brian McBroom introduced the budget process at 6:07 p.m., noting that these are preliminary staff recommendations to inform council and gather early feedback. He emphasized that final reductions are subject to council approval in the fall.
Fire Department (Chief Brian Kuznik): Assigned a 4% reduction target (~$1 million), met the target. Reductions focused on support functions and training, not firefighting personnel. Training funding cut by $323K, limiting new hire training to 1–2 FTEs in 2027 despite annual attrition. Chief Kuznik noted that increased call volume or response times would signal a need for immediate action.
Police Department (Chief Adam Turk): Assigned 4% reduction ($1.57 million), exceeded target by $15,000. No sworn personnel cuts, but reductions in non-sworn support: records processing, evidence technicians, administrative support, analytical/investigative support, and community outreach. Example: evidence release now by appointment only. Chief Turk noted 73% of the budget is salary/benefits and 12% contractual obligations, leaving limited flexibility. Councilmember DeBoutez raised concerns about costly responses to EMS calls (80% of fire calls) and homeless encounters (30–40 per week for police). Chief Turk acknowledged co-responder programs but noted scene safety uncertainties.
Office of Emergency Management (OEM): Assigned 25% reduction, unable to meet target. Both full-time positions retained; non-personnel expenses reduced, leaving an $83,000 gap still needing funding.
Councilmember Olson requested monthly reporting on call volumes and response times from both departments to track operational readiness. Councilmember Huddleston questioned sustainability of support function cuts. Councilmember DeBoutez asked about equipment replacement schedules (e.g., ladder trucks every 6 vs. 8 years) and suggested re-examining less costly response models.
City Manager's Office, Budget and Policy (CFO Allena Portis): City Manager's Office met 25% reduction by eliminating assistant city manager and chief public safety officer positions, reducing leadership capacity. Finance department exceeded 17% reduction by $20,811, achieved through elimination of an accounting manager role and increased cost recovery (e.g., sales tax audits, grant administration fees, P-card rebates). Budget department met 17% reduction by cutting two FTE positions, reducing internal support. Councilmember Olson emphasized the need for project managers to own their own budgets rather than relying on budget analysts. Councilmember DeBoutez questioned if current staffing levels were manageable compared to three years ago; Portis noted increases since 2023 but said workload redistribution was intended.
Presented at 7:05 p.m. by Civil Engineer Roch Labossiere, Public Works Director Seth Sorensen, and CDOT consultant Benjamin Rowles. The project is moving forward with federal grant agreement nearing signature. Design and environmental assessment are ongoing: preliminary interchange evaluations, noise walls, access concepts for local businesses. RFQ for Construction Manager/General Contractor (CMGC) is being finalized with CDOT and expected release in Q2 2026. Construction is anticipated to begin in Q2 or Q3 2028. Funding combines state/federal grants, local funds, and a TIFIA loan, expected to cover full cost. Councilmember Olson noted the project scope has already been reduced from earlier presentations to define a clear area of disturbance for NEPA. Sorensen confirmed cost estimates are comparative to date; a more solid figure will emerge at 30% design (targeted Oct–Nov 2026). If costs exceed funding, value engineering will adjust scope within grant requirements.
Presented at 7:25 p.m. by Deputy Director Leah Hubbard and Senior Project Manager Kelen Dowdy. Phases 1 and 2 (2024–2025) suffered from insufficient interdepartmental coordination and stakeholder exclusion. Staff proposed a new structure with an interdepartmental steering committee (ISC), a three-horizon planning approach: long-term visionary (100-year), short-term CIP (1–10 year), and adaptive planning framework with annual council updates. Staff recommended reappropriating the $500,000 budgeted for PRRI into 2027 to fund the master plan (estimated ~$300K) and initial CIP projects (~$200K). Councilmember Olson expressed reservations about spending $500K during budget constraints, but Portis clarified it is funded from the Quality-of-Life Fund, not the General Fund. Councilmember Huddleston asked for breakdown of flood-focused vs. amenity-based spending and milestones. Councilmember DeBoutez noted community surveys consistently prioritize river access and recreation. Mayor Hall supported expanding partnerships. Council reached consensus to support restarting the PRRI master planning process under the presented model.
We are now live. I call to order the work session of the Greeley City Council this twenty sixth day of May 2026. Please stand a fable and join me in setting the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States, the mayor. Roll call, please. Councilmember Huddleston. Here. Councilmember DeBiti. Present. Mayor Protect McDonald. Present. Councilmember Olsen. Present. Councilmember Rudy. Excuse. Councilmember Roth. Present. And Mayor Hall. Present. Thank you. Reports from Mayor and Council members. Any of those. Anyone have any? Council Member Olson. I'm not going to spend much time, but thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh merge. We'll have a presentation tonight on merge. Uh so I won't spend much time, but uh you'll hear tonight that's going finally going in the right direction. Really starting to go in the right direction. Um the West Greeley committee. Tell you there there's a lot of great questions. Um everybody was pretty engaged. I don't know if there was anybody on that count on that board that's not asked questions or been engaged. So I think it's been a really strong group of people with a lot of intelligent questions. Um moving through some process. There's process things, right? What are we trying to solve? How are we trying to solve it? They gave them some ideas this last week. Um what could be possibilities. Um couple comments on those, just trying to really figure out where do we go from here. I just wanted to let you guys know I did make a statement that night that right now the city's only option on the table. We're we have a group of people looking at things to bring to them, but our only really option right now is the idea $90 million debt until we can come to formulate some ideas through that committee and through our task force of bringing having that conversation.