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Citizen-led prairie-dog code amendments advance after council asks staff to get business input
Summary
After applicants and staff outlined proposed amendments to Longmont’s prairie-dog code, council directed staff to seek feedback from LEDP, the chamber and developers on proposed fee changes and to return with clarified language; council also asked staff to remove an automatic annual fee escalator and to tighten measurement rules.
Longmont’s council heard a citizen-initiated, 0-reading proposal May 19 to revise the city’s prairie-dog code with the goal of closing perceived loopholes and funding habitat-restoration work.
Staff described the background and red-line changes submitted by applicants, and Planning & Zoning reviewed the proposals in April but deferred two items to council — urban-level development treatment of habitat and the fee schedule. Applicants argued current language has allowed large areas of active prairie-dog habitat to be processed through a 'minor' permit route (which carries fewer requirements and no fee) when the applicant can claim existing "urban level development." They urged the council to set a consistent 1.5‑acre habitat threshold, require measurement rules that include all burrows (to prevent artificially small polygons), require evidence that relocation options were sought before extermination permits are issued, and create a habitat-restoration fee to fund preservation and containment efforts.
Applicants showed two examples they said illustrate the problem: a neighborhood outlot where 1.75 acres of active habitat was allowed under a minor permit (later converted to relocation after activist intervention), and a large industrial parcel with dozens of acres of habitat that also used urban-level-development language. Applicants proposed per-acre fees and fee reductions tied to humane methods and to successful relocations (they suggested relocation-accuracy thresholds and a partial fee reduction only where relocations are demonstrably effective).
Council discussion focused on clarifying language, the fiscal impact on developers, and how to incentivize preservation or humane methods. Several members urged that staff consult the Longmont Economic Development Partnership (LEDP), the chamber of commerce and the development community before finalizing any fee increases so the city can evaluate economic and process impacts. Planning & Zoning recommended against an automatic 2.7% annual escalation tied to inflation; several council members supported removing that escalation. Council asked staff to return with revised ordinance language, clarified measurement rules and fee options based on input from business stakeholders.
What happens next: Staff will consult the impact committee (LEDP, chamber, DDA) and other stakeholders, refine the redlines to clarify measurement, thresholds and fee mechanics, and bring the draft back for council consideration.
