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Greeley council replaces incentive ordinance with policy; council lowers manager approval threshold to $50,000
Summary
Council repealed the old business development incentive ordinance, adopted a new incentive policy by resolution and voted to reduce the city manager's administrative approval threshold from $100,000 to $50,000. The ordinance passed unanimously; the resolution and amendment passed 4-3.
The Greeley City Council on June 10 repealed the city's long-standing business development incentive ordinance and approved a new economic development incentive policy that moves incentive rules from city code into a policy document. Council also amended the policy process to reduce the city manager's administrative approval threshold from $100,000 to $50,000.
Michelle Claymore (staff) told council the city's existing incentive plan dated to 1986 and that adopting a policy rather than code language makes updates easier and gives staff clearer tools for tailoring packages to projects. "The old policy was very dated, and it was very hard to understand at times," she said during the presentation.
Council voted 7-0 to adopt the ordinance repealing and reenacting Chapter 12 of Title 6 of the Greeley Municipal Code to reference the new policy. The ordinance was introduced for first reading on May 20 and returned for second reading and final adoption on June 10.
Separately, council considered a resolution formally adopting the new economic development incentive policy and debated the level of administrative authority for implementation. Councilor Butler moved to lower the city-manager approval cap from $100,000 to $50,000; that amendment passed 4-3. The amended resolution approving the new policy then passed on a 4-3 vote.
Proponents said the policy modernizes the city's approach and provides flexibility to assemble incentives that fit project needs, while opponents cautioned the policy should reflect priorities that the forthcoming economic development strategic plan may identify. A councilor noted that projects already waiting for a policy decision prompted the earlier adoption.
The roll call on the ordinance read: unanimous approval (7-0). The amendment and the resolution passed 4-3; recorded yes votes on the amendment and final resolution were Councilor Butler, Councilor Payton, Councilor McDonald and Mayor Gates; recorded no votes were Councilor Debuti, Mayor Pro Tem Hall and Councilor Olson.
Staff said any incentive agreements above the manager-approval threshold will come before council for public review and vote. The city tied the initial $100,000 threshold to its procurement policy; the council's amendment lowers that administrative threshold to $50,000.
The ordinance change and the new policy shift the mechanics of future incentives from code to a policy that can be updated more readily by resolution, with council retaining final say on larger agreements.
