Too Long Didn’t Listen * The city’s YMCA purchase was approved unanimously. It passed on the consent agenda along with a lease letting YMCA childcare keep operating in the building through June 4, 2027. * The Growing Gardens lease passed first reading. The nonprofit farm at the YMCA would get free rent and utilities in exchange for food donations and education programs. The final vote is October 6. * Longmont’s Technology Policy Advisory Board is official. Its second and final reading passed unanimously. * Police and firefighter contracts for 2027-2028 were approved unanimously. * New homes near Clover Basin Drive and Airport Road passed first reading unanimously. This is the Dry Creek annexation, which brings about 8 acres into the city, zoned for housing. It now has new traffic and bike share conditions attached. The final vote is October 6. * On-bill financing passed first reading 5-2, with Crist and Prieto opposed. It could eventually let residents pay off energy and water upgrades through their utility bill. The final vote is October 6. * Cannabis lounges are back on the table, 4-3. Council directed staff to bring back the marijuana hospitality ordinance that failed in 2025. Crist, Popkin, and Prieto were opposed. This was not a vote on the ordinance itself. Timestamps 01:19 Cannabis Lounge Debate 04:33 YMCA Purchase Approved 05:26 Consent Agenda Explained 08:47 Growing Gardens Lease 10:14 Tech Advisory Board Launch 13:24 2027 Budget Utilities 16:47 Public Comments Roundup 18:43 On Bill Financing Update 19:10 Dry Creek Annexation 22:12 More Votes And Agreements 24:09 Council Wrap Up The Big Ones Council Approves Buying the YMCA for a Rec Center The city is buying the YMCA building for about $4.5 million from Recreation Impact Fees (fees paid by developers, not taxes) and plans to turn it into a recreation center, with closing expected by September 30. The Y will lease part of the building back for $5,000 a month to keep its preschool and before- and after-school care running through June 4, 2027. Growing Gardens would keep its farm on the property rent-free through 2027 in exchange for food donations and education programs. While the purchase and the childcare lease are resolutions and are confirmed, the Growing Gardens lease is an ordinance, so its second reading vote is October 6. Longmont’s New Technology Advisory Board Is Official The Technology Policy Advisory Board passed its second and final reading unanimously. It will have seven voting members appointed by council, plus a nonvoting youth member appointed by the Longmont Youth Council. The board will advise Council on things like AI, data privacy, and surveillance technology. Earlier in the meeting, a member of the Visible Government League said seven or eight of its members have already applied. Council Member Popkin noted Longmont is one of a small handful of cities nationally with a standing advisory board like this. New Homes Near Clover Basin and Airport Road Move Forward, With Traffic Conditions The Dry Creek annexation would bring about 7.95 acres near Clover Basin Drive and Airport Road into the city. It passed first reading unanimously after Council Member Popkin, whose ward covers the surrounding area, added conditions responding to neighbors’ traffic concerns. The zoning is Residential Mixed Neighborhood. It allows up to 7 homes per acre for single-family detached and up to 15 per acre for attached or multifamily housing. Planning and Zoning recommended approval 6-1 in December 2025. The second reading and public hearing are October 6. Code Change to Let Homeowners Pay Off Upgrades on Their Utility Bill Passes First Reading, 5-2 This ordinance would let the city eventually offer a program where residents pay for things like insulation, heat pumps, solar, or water-saving upgrades over time through their utility bill. No program is being created yet. This only updates city code so one could exist later. It was pulled from the consent agenda for discussion. The final vote is October 6. Cannabis Lounges Are Back on the Table, 4-3 Council Member Marsing moved to direct staff to bring back the marijuana hospitality ordinance from the last council. It passed 4-3, with Crist, Popkin, and Prieto opposed. Marsing’s motion adds one change: the licenses would only be for lounges that also sell on site. His reasoning was revenue. He said this isn’t personally his thing, and that it’s “not going to be a budget fixer,” but it’s a legal tool the state already allows. For context, staff estimates the licenses themselves would bring in up to $8,000 a year in fees, and sales tax revenue is unknown. The city has pointed to lower state marijuana revenue this year. Longmont’s own local marijuana tax is actually up about 4% year to date through July. The city clerk said the ordinance is basically drafted, but licensing forms and processes still need to be built, and asked for time until after the election. Marsing said he expects it back in the first quarter of 2027. The Rest, Quickly Airport hangar lease assignment passed its second and final reading 5-2. McCoy and Marsing were opposed. It transfers a private hangar lease at Vance Brand Airport to a new owner. Routine items passed unanimously on second reading. These were budget appropriations and two water service requests for the Hygiene Fire Protection District: a bigger tap for its firehouse and a separate connection for its fire suppression system. Utilities and public works got their turn in the 2027 budget presentations. No votes were taken. What Passed on the Consent Agenda Everything below passed unanimously. The Dry Creek annexation and on-bill financing were pulled for discussion. * R-2026-64: YMCA purchase and sale agreement. * R-2026-65: YMCA childcare lease through June 4, 2027. * O-2026-64: Growing Gardens lease, first reading. The final vote is October 6. * R-2026-66: The annual agreement with RTD funding Ride Free Longmont, which has kept local 300-series buses free since 2014. It costs $183,137 plus $5 per Access-a-Ride trip. Before the program, low ridership was leading RTD to cut Longmont service. Free fares broke that cycle. * R-2026-67: Police contract for 2027-2028. Officers and sergeants get 4% in 2027 and 3% in 2028. It also adds a city match on voluntary retirement contributions and a bigger clothing allowance. * R-2026-68: Firefighter contract for 2027-2028. It sets 2027 wages with a 3.75% increase in 2028, reinstates longevity pay, and covers paramedic prerequisite coursework. It also guarantees a fourth vacation slot starting July 2027 if the new firefighter positions are filled by then. These contracts are already built into the proposed 2027 budget, which does not assume the public safety tax passes. What’s Coming Up at Longmont City Council (a not-perfect but hopefully still helpful list) All dates are subject to change. Check longmontcolorado.gov/agendas for the most current meeting agendas. September 26, 2026 Airport visioning session September 29, 2026 Study session, if needed for the budget September 30, 2026 YMCA purchase closing deadline October 6, 2026 * Dry Creek annexation, second reading and public hearing * On-bill financing, second reading and public hearing * Growing Gardens lease, second reading and public hearing Late October or early November 2026 Composting subsidy back to council November 3, 2026: Ballot * Public safety tax * Open space charter amendment * Ranked choice voting * Election cycle realignment * Early childhood care and preschool (Boulder County measure) November 17 and December 1, 2026 2027 budget ordinances, first and second reading Coming up, dates not yet confirmed * Marijuana hospitality ordinance, expected after the election, likely early 2027 * Community engagement overview and council action plan, pushed from this meeting * Tech board appointments * Public forum on surveillance technology, which the mayor said is in the works * Historic Preservation Commission review of the Dry Creek silo * Water master plan in December, and sanitary sewer master plan in December or January Links City of Longmont Marijuana Licenses: https://longmontcolorado.gov/city-clerk/licenses-and-permits/marijuana-licenses/ Longmont cannabis lounges in limbo (Boulder Weekly, 2025): https://boulderweekly.com/features/on-drugs/longmont-cannabis-lounges-in-limbo/ Future Recreation Center (YMCA): https://longmontcolorado.gov/recreation-services/locations/future-recreation-center/ City to buy Longmont YMCA property, turn it into a rec center (KUNC): https://www.kunc.org/news/2026-07-20/city-to-buy-longmont-ymca-property-turn-it-into-a-rec-center September 22 Agenda and Packet (Agenda Management Portal): https://www.longmontcolorado.gov/online-services/agendas-and-minutes/agenda-management-portal Longmont City Council Voting Record A well-organized voting record for all of Longmont’s city council members. Designed and organized by a Longmonster. Potential Marijuana Bar in Longmonthttps://thelandingpadlongmont.com/ Denver Marijuana Barhttps://cirrussocialclub.com/ Hydrorailhttps://www.accelerazero.com/demos/fuel-cells/hydrogen-passenger-train Service Outage Reports https://downdetector.com/status/verizon/longmont_1316/ https://downdetector.com/status/t-mobile/longmont_1316/ District Energy https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021/03/f83/District_Energy_Fact_Sheet.pdf https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-what-is-district-energy https://www.districtenergy.com/services/how-it-works/ City Line Longmont’s City Newsletterhttps://longmontcolorado.gov/information/city-line-newsletter/ Ranked Choice Voting Longmont:https://www.rcvforlongmont.org/ Longmont Public Media:https://longmontpublicmedia.org/ The Longmont Brief:https://www.longmontbrief.com/ Longmont City Council Meetings: https://longmontcolorado.gov/government/city-council-meetings/ Coffee with Council: https://longmontcolorado.gov/government/coffee-with-council/ Mayor and Cit
