TL;DR

* Two rail projects got a big presentation and one got a vote.

* Joint Service: A starter passenger rail service from Denver to Fort Collins targeting January 1st 2029. No new tax required. Informational only, no council vote needed since it moves forward regardless.

* Colorado Connector: The bigger intercity vision running from Fort Collins to Pueblo, eventually Wyoming to New Mexico. Requires voter approval of a new tax and a 2026 ballot measure. Council voted 6-1 to formally express support for the project and the proposed Longmont station. Crist in opposition due to lack of clarity around need, expected use by the community, cost and other key details.

* Fire sprinklers will not be required in new single-family homes. Council voted 4-3 to remove the sprinkler requirement from the updated International Residential Code. Marsing, McCoy, and Popkin wanted to keep it. The ordinance passed unanimously as amended. Second reading June 9th.

* Shed permit threshold changed. You now need a permit for sheds over 120 square feet, down from 200. This passed as part of the same ordinance.

* Building codes updated. Eleven ordinances adopting the 2024 International Code Council standards passed unanimously on consent. These cover everything a building touches: residential construction, commercial buildings, mechanical systems, plumbing, fuel gas, fire safety, energy efficiency, swimming pools, and existing building renovations. Second readings and public hearings June 9th.

* CDBG housing grant approved unanimously. Every year Longmont receives a federal housing grant from HUD, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, based on the city’s population. This year’s allocation is $546,102. Council voted unanimously to direct most of it to Longmont’s Housing Rehabilitation Program, which provides free home repairs to low-income homeowners, things like roofs, furnaces, wheelchair ramps, and lead paint mitigation, administered by a Colorado nonprofit called Brothers Redevelopment. (Links to the program and Brothers Redevelopment at bottom)

* Connection Church annexation referral passed 6-1. A church in unincorporated Boulder County that has already moved to a new location wants to sell its old property, but the current agricultural zoning limits the buyer pool. Council voted to let them start the annexation and rezoning process, which if approved would bring the property into Longmont city limits. This is not a final annexation vote, just permission to apply. Marsing opposed, citing the purely financial motivation for the request.

* Mild drought response adopted unanimously. The 2026/2027 Water Supply Plan steps up to a mild drought response based on low snowpack and reservoir levels. City-owned facilities like golf courses and parks are asked to reduce water use by about 10%. No mandatory restrictions for residents yet.

* Two items didn’t make it. The council retreat follow-up on community outreach and the prairie dog code amendment both got bumped due to time. Motion to extend the meeting past 11 failed 5-2, so these will be covered in future meetings.

More info below… what is coming up in future meetings at the bottom.

Timestamps

00:00 Preview

00:31 Welcome and Housekeeping

01:17 Joint Service Rail Plan

02:36 Colorado Connector Vote

03:44 Train Debate Highlights

12:13 Public Comment Round One

15:31 Consent Agenda Speedrun

17:15 Fire Sprinklers and Sheds

22:12 HUD Block Grant Hearing

24:43 Connection Church Annexation

25:53 Mild Drought Declaration

28:25 Items Bumped for Time

29:19 Final Comments and Wrap

More info below…

The Big Ones

The Train Situation

There are two separate but related rail projects moving forward at the same time.

Project one: Joint Service. This is a collaboration between six state agencies to launch a starter passenger rail service from Denver to Fort Collins using existing freight tracks owned by BNSF, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. Three daily round trips, eight stations including Longmont at First and Main, target start January 1st, 2029. No new tax required, funded with existing state dollars and RTD FastTracks money. Just two weeks before this meeting, the state and BNSF signed a term sheet, a preliminary agreement outlining the conditions for running passenger trains on those freight tracks. This presentation was informational and no vote was required.

Project two: The Colorado Connector. This is the bigger vision, an intercity rail from Fort Collins to Pueblo, eventually extending to Wyoming and New Mexico, with up to 10 round trips a day. It’s run by the Front Range Passenger Rail District, a separate entity from RTD created specifically for this purpose. The Colorado Connector, or “Coco”, would absorb and expand Joint Service if voters approve it. That requires a new tax, and the district is considering a 2026 ballot measure. Ballot language isn’t finalized yet; the deadline is August. Joint Service moves forward regardless of the ballot. The Colorado Connector needs voter approval to fully build out.

Council voted on a resolution formally expressing support for the Colorado Connector project and the proposed Longmont station. It passed 6-1. Councilmember Crist was the lone vote against.

Crist’s argument was essentially: we have buses that do this route, they’re comfortable, they have Wi-Fi, and nobody has shown me the data that people will actually use this or that the finances are solid. She wasn’t against trains in principle; she wanted proof the project is well thought out before going on record supporting it. The train’s maximum speed is 79 mph, which means it’s not faster than driving in good traffic. It’s also not a commuter service, three round trips a day is not something you can build a daily routine around, at least not yet.

The last mile problem also came up, which is the challenge of getting from the train station to your actual destination. Sal Pace, the General Manager of the Front Range Passenger Rail District, acknowledged they’re studying this. He pointed out that Longmont is actually ahead of most cities on this because DOLA, the Department of Local Affairs, has already funded Bus Rapid Transit at the First and Main station site, and RTD is also contributing to the station area. If the ballot measure passes, those funds can go toward local connections, bike access, sidewalks, and trails around each station.

One public commenter argued that the Flex Bus from Boulder to Fort Collins is free and barely used, suggesting demand for this kind of service is unproven.

Fire Sprinklers: Not Happening

The International Residential Code (the building code that governs new single-family home construction) was pulled from the consent agenda because of one specific provision: a requirement for residential fire sprinklers in new homes. Longmont has been opting out of this requirement every code cycle since 2012.

The case for removing it: sprinklers add roughly $5,000-6,000 to the cost of a new home, which is a real burden in an already expensive housing market. Homeowners can still choose to install them voluntarily.

The case for keeping it: Longmont is increasingly drought and fire prone, and the code exists for a reason. Councilmember Popkin’s argument was essentially: we know fire risk is a growing and expensive problem, so why wouldn’t we do everything we can?

Council voted 4-3 to remove the sprinkler requirement. Marsing, McCoy, and Popkin voted to keep it. The ordinance then passed unanimously as amended. Second reading and public hearing June 9th.

A side note on shed permits: the same ordinance also changed the threshold for when a shed requires a building permit, from 200 square feet down to 120 square feet. That change stayed in. Structures with electrical still require a permit regardless of size.

The Rest, Quickly

CDBG housing grant — Every year Longmont receives a federal housing grant from HUD, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, based on the city’s population. This year’s allocation is $546,102. Council voted unanimously to direct most of it to Longmont’s Housing Rehabilitation Program, which provides free home repairs to low-income homeowners. This helps with things like roofs, furnaces, wheelchair ramps, and lead paint mitigation. It’s administered by a Colorado nonprofit called Brothers Redevelopment. Councilmember Prieto suggested creating a public-facing resource page so residents can find out how to access these programs without having to call city staff. Staff acknowledged the gap. Connection Church annexation referral — A church in unincorporated Boulder County asked council for permission to start the annexation process to join the city of Longmont. This is not a vote to annex, it’s just the first step where council says “go ahead and apply.” The church has moved to a new location and wants to sell the old property, but the current agricultural zoning limits the buyer pool, so annexation and a rezoning are needed first. Passed 6-1. Councilmember Marsing opposed, noting the motivation was purely financial (to maximize the sale price) and wasn’t willing to kick off a lengthy city process for that reason alone.

Water supply plan — Council adopted the 2026/2027 Water Supply and Water Shortage Implementation Plan unanimously right at the 11pm buzzer. Staff recommended stepping up to a mild drought response. Snowpack peaked nearly five weeks earlier than normal this year. The South Platte Basin is at 16% of average snow water equivalent. Storage is at about 59% of capacity versus a typical 75%. The good news is Longmont’s projected supply is still about 133% of projected demand for 2026, so there’s enough water, just less buffer than usual. A mild drought response means city facilities like golf courses and parks reduce water use by about 10%. No mandatory restrictions for residents at this stage.

What didn’t make it — Two items got bumped because the motion to extend the meeting past 11pm failed 5-2 (Marsing and Popkin wanted to stay; everyone else was done). First was the council retreat follow-up, which included draft plans for community outreach, board and commission alignment, and council operating agreements. Second was the prairie dog code amendment, a citizen-initiated proposal being introduced to council for the first time (called a zero reading), which is when something is formally introduced before any staff analysis or vote. Both will be on a future agenda.

Final public comment brought one notable item: a resident announced the formation of a new organization called the Visible Government League, which opposes mass surveillance and will hold public meetings on the second and fourth Monday at St. Vrain Cidery from 7-9pm.

Links

Joint Passenger Rail Project: https://www.codot.gov/programs/transitandrail/jointpassengerrail

Colorado Connector project: https://coloradoconnector.com/ Free FLEX bus from Boulder to Fort Collins: https://ridetransfort.com/transfort-faqs/

Longmont’s partnership with Brothers Redevelopment on the free home repair program for income-qualified Longmont homeowners: https://longmontcolorado.gov/housing-and-community-investment/city-of-longmont-housing-rehabilitation/

Visible Government League: https://www.visiblegovernmentleague.org/

Longmont City Council Meetings: https://longmontcolorado.gov/government/city-council-meetings/

Coffee with Council: https://longmontcolorado.gov/government/coffee-with-council/

Mayor and City Council Members: https://longmontcolorado.gov/government/mayor-city-council-members

Finding Your Council Representative: https://longmontcolorado.gov/government/mayor-city-council-members/mayor-or-city-council-representative/

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

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.

May 26, 2026

* Cannabis dispensary annexations — Two marijuana dispensaries that were annexed into Longmont in April are back for their second and final vote, including a public hearing where residents can comment. The dispensaries are located at 250 South Main and 19 South Sunset.

* Additional city budget appropriations — A housekeeping ordinance adjusting the city’s 2026 budget is back for its final vote.

June 9, 2026

* Building codes — Eleven updated building codes are back for their second and final vote, including a public hearing. These cover everything from residential construction to fire safety to swimming pools. Worth noting: the residential code includes the controversial fire sprinkler decision — this is the public’s last chance to weigh in before it’s final.

Coming up — dates not yet confirmed

* Hyperscale data center ban — Council directed staff to draft an ordinance banning large-scale data centers in Longmont. Watch future agendas for the first reading.

* Smaller data center standards — Council also directed staff to develop use standards for smaller data centers covering energy efficiency, water use, noise, and lighting. This goes through study sessions first before becoming an ordinance.

* Short-term rental rules for major events — Council gave direction on a new license type for homeowners to rent their properties during major regional events like Sundance. Staff is drafting the ordinance. Watch future agendas.

* Prairie dog code amendment — A citizen-initiated proposal to change Longmont’s prairie dog code ran out of time at the May 12 meeting. It will be introduced at a future meeting.

* Council retreat follow-up — Draft plans for community outreach, board and commission reorganization, and council operating agreements also ran out of time May 12. Coming back soon.

* Connection Church annexation — Council approved letting the process begin in May. The church now goes through a full application, neighborhood meeting, and Planning and Zoning Commission hearing before council votes on the actual annexation. Timeline unknown.

Thanks for listening! Please share with others in the community!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit longmontcitycouncilrecap.substack.com