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Record of Proceedings

Lafayette Downtown Development Authority Approves 2027 Budget and Microgrant Program on October 12, 2026

Meeting Portal — Monday, October 12, 2026
BodyLafayette, Colorado
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, October 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:37:39

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

29:22

Remembering Dr.

Speaker 2

29:23

We don't have to do that.

Speaker 1

29:24

Oh,

Speaker 2

29:26

um I want to talk about in the new year, just our tendons.

29:32

So

Speaker 1

29:33

we'd have to put it in the charter.

Speaker 2

29:36

Yeah.

Speaker 1

29:37

Okay.

Unassigned speaker

29:37

Cool.

Unassigned speaker

29:38

Uh

Speaker 3

29:39

next.

29:44

Next on the agenda is public input.

29:46

Any member of the public.

29:48

Um, seeing that there's no one who wishes to speak, we'll now move on to approval of the minutes from September 14th.

29:57

June first, then September.

30:00

Yes.

Speaker 1

30:00

I move to approve the minutes from June 8th.

Unassigned speaker

30:05

And

Speaker 1

30:05

then is there a second

Speaker 3

30:06

second?

30:07

All in favor.

30:09

Aye.

Unassigned speaker

30:10

All

Speaker 3

30:10

opposed.

30:12

So the minutes from June 8th are accepted.

Unassigned speaker

30:16

Can

Speaker 3

30:16

we have an approval of the September 14th 2026 meeting minutes?

Speaker 1

30:20

I move to approve the September 14th meetings.

Speaker 3

30:24

Is there a second?

Speaker 4

30:25

I second.

Speaker 3

30:26

All in favor.

30:27

Aye.

30:28

No opposed.

30:30

Those minutes are accepted.

Speaker 2

30:33

Okay, that passes.

30:34

Moving on to regular business.

30:35

First

Speaker 3

30:36

item on the agenda is approval of the recommended 2027 Lafayette Downtown Development Authority budget to city council.

30:42

Turn it over to the

Speaker 2

30:43

Great.

30:44

This is a follow-up from our last meeting.

30:49

And so last uh time in September, I introduced the meeting or the budget, and um now we are I'm bringing forward the recommended budget for approval.

30:59

Um so if you all remember, we've been working for a couple months to get to this point.

31:04

Um we had our annual retreat in August and put together a priority framework, and that put forward the DDA budget to match

Unassigned speaker

31:12

that.

Speaker 2

31:13

Um our priority framework is in uh your packet.

31:17

I'm not gonna go into it because we kind of talked about it last

Speaker 4

31:20

time,

Speaker 2

31:20

but there's some key items in there for initiatives under all of these different buckets for our work plan for next year.

31:27

Um that's meant to be uh a living document, so we can take things off, we can put things on.

31:33

Um, so take a look at that and feel free to always just bring up during any meeting, like um under just new business or uh what have you if you want a check-in on something.

31:47

Um but these are our priority framework.

31:50

Um the since our last meeting, um, I have met with our finance team in the county to look at our TIP projections for the property tax, which is uh which was a really great meeting.

32:02

So I'll go through that and kind of just walk through some other minor things that have changed since our last time meeting.

32:09

Um so as you know, we're funded through tax increment financing, both property tax and sales tax.

32:15

Um, and we also have startup funding from the Urban Renewal Authority, um, which was meant to help us get up and running for the first five years.

32:24

And so we did a look back of five years about what um different costs were for the core services of the urban renewal authority that the DDA was taking over.

32:33

And so um with that, there's an administrative administrative fee, there's a parking lot program, small business support, and district support, such as marketing, farmers market, holiday lights all kind of goes and um taps into this bucket of funding.

32:48

Um when I introduced this budget last time, um, one of the big things was the property tax tip that we were not seeing any um tip in the property tax, um, and that was with the preliminary assessment that we received from the county.

33:06

Um I had a really good meeting with the county assessors team.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Creativity and Culture Microgrant Program████████████████████████████████████36%
Downtown Development Authority█████████████████17%
Sundance Film Festival█████████████13%
Community Engagement████████████12%
Arts And Culture█████████9%
Marketing Strategy█████5%
Procedural████4%
Tax Increment Financing███3%
Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Lafayette Downtown Development Authority Meeting – October 12, 2026

The Lafayette Downtown Development Authority (DDA) held its regular meeting on Monday, October 12, 2026, at 5:45 PM. The board unanimously approved the recommended 2027 DDA budget for forwarding to City Council and approved the 2027 Creativity and Culture Microgrant Program with a timeline aligned to the 2026 cycle. The meeting also included staff updates on downtown improvements, the Second Friday promotion, and Sundance Film Festival preparations, as well as commissioner reports on community engagement and wayfinding.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of June 8, 2026 Meeting Minutes – Approved unanimously.
  • Approval of September 14, 2026 Meeting Minutes – Approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public offered testimony.

Discussion Items

  • 2027 DDA Budget Approval to City Council (Unanimously Approved)
    Bridget (Executive Director) presented the recommended 2027 DDA budget. Key points included:

    • The DDA is funded through tax increment financing (TIF) from property tax and sales tax, plus startup funding from the Urban Renewal Authority (LURA).
    • Property tax increment for the upcoming year is projected at zero dollars, due to state-mandated assessment rate reductions and the city’s purchase of two properties (Chase building and parking lot becoming tax-exempt).
    • A one-time transfer of $187,000 from LURA (unused economic development funds) is expected, pending LURA approval on October 13, 2026.
    • Sales tax projections are conservative at 2.5% (year-to-date increase closer to 3.5%).
    • Expenses remain similar to the current year, with major categories: downtown development (marketing, streetscape, cultural arts), administrative fees, parking lot program, holiday lights, downtown improvement grants ($150,000), and a special district consulting contingency.
    • The board commended the budget’s alignment with strategic priorities.
    • Motion to approve the 2027 DDA budget to City Council passed unanimously. The City Council will adopt the final budget via resolution on October 20, 2026.
      Note: The board discussed that wayfinding project scoping is postponed until property tax increment returns; community outreach will begin via a spring 2026 survey.

  • 2027 Creativity and Culture Microgrant Program (Unanimously Approved with Modified Timeline
    Bridget reviewed the first-year program (2026), which funded 11 applications totaling $24,000 against a $15,000 budget. Projects included murals, performances, festivals, and workshops. Highlights included the Little Herbal Apothecary mural, Jeremy Dion’s performance, Wild Children’s Museum’s free Indigenous People’s Day (300 attendees), Stitch Sitch mending workshops, The Yard summer patio series, Lafayette Lights electronic arts festival, and a community mural project.
    For 2027, staff proposed adjustments: requiring marketing assets a month in advance, adding audience engagement questions, refining selection criteria (free events, underrepresented creatives, underutilized spaces, off-season timing, partnerships), and shifting the grant cycle to open in October for a full calendar year.
    Commissioner (retail store owner) expressed concern that the proposed October–December application window would burden small businesses during the busy holiday season, potentially reducing collaboration with artists. The board preferred aligning with the 2026 timeline (applications closing in February and awards in spring) to allow both creative applicants and business partners to participate.
    After discussion, the board and staff agreed to keep the same cycle as the 2026 program (applications in winter/spring). Executive director was authorized to finalize the program with that timeline. Motion passed unanimously.
    *Note: The spirit of Sundance 2027 activation can be captured by the general microgrant or by using the Executive Director’s spending authority (up to $25,000) if opportunity arises.

  • Staff Updates

    • DDA Downtown Improvement Grant (DIG): Four additional DIG awards were recently approved: Community Closing (new concept) and 503 S Public Road (Taco del Sol Mercado HVAC via partnership with Pace).
    • Second Friday in Lafayette (October 2**:** The first Second Friday on October 9, 2026 – five businesses participated. Staff noted operational challenges (events not all listed on Old Town Lafayette website event listings, events not submitted by businesses). Board suggested improvements: utilize banners, feature events, and emphasize event submission process.
    • Sundance Film Festival (January 2027**:** Staff is developing a standalone Sundance page on Old Town Lafayette website, window clings with QR codes, table tents, and targeted marketing to support foot traffic and business visibility. Drafts shown, with language and imagery refinement needed.
    • Agency Off Record (AOR**:** Commissioner requested that the DDA’s marketing agency attend a future meeting (proposed November) to provide updates on outreach and accomplishments. Board agreed to invite them quarterly and consider a subcommittee for regular check-ins.

  • Commissioner Reports

    • Director Barnes highlighted:
    • Desire for greater engagement with the Asian Pacific Islander community in the DDA area, especially concerning Lunar New Year (2027 is the Year of the Snake).
    • Advocacy for physical/tactile wayfinding (e.g., chalk art, art pieces) in addition to electronic efforts; noted that children interact with tangible elements like chalk art and plushies with QR codes.
    • Idea to interview microgrant recipients to learn how they reached community engagement.
    • Appreciation for participating in second Fridays and feedback from businesses.
    • Suggested that any business hosting an event on a second Friday should intentionally promote it as part of Second Friday.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimously Approved the 2027 DDA budget recommendation to City Council (meeting October 20, 2026**.)
  • Unanimously Approved the 2027 Creativity and Culture Microgrant Program with a timeline matching the 2026 cycle (calendar year with applications in winter/early spring).
  • Directives to staff
    • Finalize microgrant application materials (with language tweaks and translations) and launch with a strong marketing push.
    • Invite Agency Off Record to the November meeting for a quarterly update.
    • Explore subcommittee for marketing oversight.
    • Improve Second Friday event listing submission process and amplify promotion.
    • Continue developing Sundance page and related collateral.
  • **Agenda lookahead: November 2026 meeting may address DIG program adjustments and event policy for Simpson and Harrison; annual celebration in December instead of a regular meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Remembering Dr. We don't have to do that. Oh, um I want to talk about in the new year, just our tendons. So we'd have to put it in the charter. Yeah. Okay. Cool. Uh next. Next on the agenda is public input. Any member of the public. Um, seeing that there's no one who wishes to speak, we'll now move on to approval of the minutes from September 14th. June first, then September. Yes. I move to approve the minutes from June 8th. And then is there a second second? All in favor. Aye. All opposed. So the minutes from June 8th are accepted. Can we have an approval of the September 14th 2026 meeting minutes? I move to approve the September 14th meetings. Is there a second? I second. All in favor. Aye. No opposed. Those minutes are accepted. Okay, that passes. Moving on to regular business. First item on the agenda is approval of the recommended 2027 Lafayette Downtown Development Authority budget to city council. Turn it over to the Great. This is a follow-up from our last meeting. And so last uh time in September, I introduced the meeting or the budget, and um now we are I'm bringing forward the recommended budget for approval. Um so if you all remember, we've been working for a couple months to get to this point. Um we had our annual retreat in August and put together a priority framework, and that put forward the DDA budget to match that. Um our priority framework is in uh your packet. I'm not gonna go into it because we kind of talked about it last time, but there's some key items in there for initiatives under all of these different buckets for our work plan for next year. Um that's meant to be uh a living document, so we can take things off, we can put things on.

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