If you go
What: The Longmont City Council will hold its annual retreat
When: 8:30 a.m. Friday
Where: Longmont Museum and Cultural Center, 400 Quail Road, Longmont
More information: The retreat agenda, along with a number of attachments, is available at bit.ly/2l3saJ4
Longmont's City Council is to consider the human services needs during its annual retreat on Friday.
Another topic on the retreat agenda: job growth and economic vitality.
This year's daylong council retreat is being held at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center. It is open to the general public, and the agenda includes an opportunity for public comment at the end of the retreat.
A morning session's review of "critical human services needs" is to include presentations of a recently completed consultant's study of the current systems of delivering services to the community's homeless, as well as a separate consultant's assessment of the community's overall needs for such human services as food, housing and health care.
Longmont Community Services Director Karen Roney said the consultants' reports detail both the needs and the gaps in such services. She said they confirm that when it comes to the services available and unmet needs, "there are challenging and complex opportunities in our community."
Council members also have been given copies of the Boulder County Regional Housing Partnership's Feb. 1 report suggesting ways that cities, towns and county governments might work together on a collaborative approach toward addressing affordable-housing shortages.
The council retreat's afternoon session on Longmont's economic vitality will include presentations by the Longmont Economic Development Partnership and the Longmont Downtown Development Authority, said Assistant City Manager Shawn Lewis.
"I feel like Longmont has a lot of momentum right now" in its economic development efforts, Lewis said.
He said: "I think we're really seeing the outcomes" of a coordinated approach to economic development over the past two years and efforts to market the community, to recruit companies to locate here, to encourage startups and entrepreneurs and to help existing businesses grow.
Lewis said that at the retreat's discussion of those efforts, "we want to make sure that we are aligned with our partners in economic development directions, goals and priorities."
Also on the retreat agenda are a review of what city departments say was accomplished in 2016 and what their proposed work plans are for this year.
John Fryar: 303-684-5211, jfryar@times-call.com or twitter.com/jfryartc
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