TL;DR

* The Airport Advisory Board is dissolved. Ordinance 2026-16 passed 5-2. Councilmembers Crist and Prieto in opposition. Council now holds direct oversight while a new governance structure is determined.

* Two cannabis dispensaries were officially annexed into the city. Three ordinances passed 6-1. Councilmember Crist in opposition on all three. Second reading and public hearing: May 26.

* School district funding agreement renewed unanimously. The 10-year IGA between the city and St. Vrain Valley School District was renewed ahead of its May 24 deadline.

* Water waste ordinance crossed the finish line. Ordinance 2026-15 passed unanimously. Final vote.

* State budget cuts are coming that could affect Longmont. Marijuana tax shareback headed to zero. Prop 123 housing program cut $130 million statewide. The multimodal transportation grant program was eliminated entirely.

* Consent agenda passed unanimously. Included two first readings returning April 28, and an RTD agreement for the First and Main transit facilities.

The Big Ones

Airport Advisory Board: Dissolved

This one has been building for months. The ordinance to dissolve the Longmont Airport Advisory Board passed its final vote 5-2. Councilmembers Crist and Prieto voted against it.

The argument in favor: the board hasn’t been functioning effectively, and council needs to take direct ownership of airport governance before building a better structure. The argument against: advisory boards exist to bring in expertise council doesn’t have. Crist compared dissolving the board without a plan to the US leaving NATO. She had wanted to table the vote until council had a clearer path forward. Prieto said the problems reflect council’s own leadership failures, not the board’s.

The process was not linear. Before the vote, Crist moved to table the ordinance. Mayor Hidalgo-Fahring ruled that motion out of order. Crist said it felt like a sneak attack that Mayor Pro Tem McCoy had made the original motion before she had the chance. Marsing then moved to call the question — a procedure that ends debate and forces an immediate vote — but it didn’t get the two-thirds majority it needed, so debate continued. Eventually they voted, and the ordinance passed.

During the public hearing, every speaker who came supported dissolving the board. Residents cited airport noise, leaded fuel concerns, a steep increase in air traffic over the past two years, and feeling dismissed when they brought concerns to the board. One resident described the noise as “a bit like Chinese water torture.”

Mayor Hidalgo-Fahring also mentioned she is traveling to Washington D.C. to meet with the FAA as part of the Northwest Mayors and Commissioners Coalition, with noise abatement as one of the topics.

Council now holds direct oversight of the airport. What comes next is still to be determined.

Two Dispensaries, Now City Residents

Two marijuana dispensaries operating in county enclaves within Longmont’s city boundaries were annexed into the city. They’ve been surrounded by Longmont but technically in unincorporated Boulder County, which meant they weren’t paying city sales taxes, despite benefiting from city roads, the greenway, and other infrastructure.

Three ordinances passed 6-1. Councilmember Crist opposed all three, citing her professional background and personal opposition to voting for something still federally illegal. Second reading and public hearing: May 26.

The Rest, Quickly

Water waste ordinance passed its final vote unanimously. This is the ordinance from March 24 that gives the city clearer enforcement tools for irrigation systems leaking in public rights-of-way. Done.

School district IGA renewed unanimously ahead of its May 24 deadline. This is the 10-year agreement that determines how developers contribute to school capacity through a “cash in lieu” fund when building new housing. Key changes: those funds can now be used for safe pedestrian access improvements near schools even if they’re not on school property, and the requirement that funds stay within specific high school feeder boundaries has been removed so they can go anywhere they’re needed within Longmont.

State budget update was informational, no vote. Three hits to flag. The marijuana tax shareback that currently puts $40,000 into Longmont’s general fund is proposed to go to zero. Prop 123, a voter-approved statewide housing program, is facing a $130 million cut. Longmont has no current projects in the pipeline for those funds, but it eliminates a future tool. And the multimodal transportation grant program has been completely eliminated, not just reduced. Future transportation capital projects could be affected.

Consent agenda passed unanimously minus the three marijuana items Crist pulled. Two first readings on consent: additional city appropriations and a drive-thru uses clarification in the municipal code, both returning April 28. Also an amendment to the city’s IGA with RTD for the First and Main transit facilities, connected to the Front Range Community College transit hub project covered in the March 24 episode.

Public comment brought airport noise concerns from an Oldtown resident who has lived three miles from Vance Brand for over 40 years and said the noise has never been worse. D-Flock Longmont returned to thank council for moving forward with a tech advisory board and asked that community experts be allowed to review the Axon contract before it is finalized.

Links

This is an independent recap. We do our best but we are not an official record. Links to official documents, meeting minutes, and other resources are below.

Sundance Lodging Hub

Renting Your Home for Sundance

Festival Lodging Rental License BOULDER

Another site: Apply for rental License BOULDER

Leaded Aviation Fuel and the Environment

Blood Lead Levels In Colorado Airport Communities Fact Sheet

CSU research contributes to federal policy changes surrounding lead emissions from small aircraft

Colorado Pilots Association Airport Advocacy

About Diane Crist

Longmont 2026 Budget Documents

City of Longmont 2026 Proposed Budget

2026 City of Longmont Pay Plan

City Employee Salary Increases

Longmont City Council Meeting Agenda Portal

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