2021 Fruita State of the City Video

Thank you for watching the City of Fruita's 2021 State of the City Video! For this year, we wanted to highlight some of the accomplishments of our organization, the community, and our partners, during a difficult year. We would like to thank the community for all of your efforts during the past year, and all of your participation in your local government.  The video can be found here.  

At the links below, you can find where to receive more information on your local government, as well as additional information on the stories highlighted in the video. 

2021 State of the City Stories 

• COVID-19 Response and Economic Recovery
  • Outdoor Dining Spaces
    • It became evident during the pandemic that health and safety restrictions created a lack of dining seating and outside was a safe area to social distance and enjoy Fruita's amazing local establishments. With this in mind, and after speaking  to many of the downtown Fruita businesses, the City created two outdoor dining spaces to help people spread out in a safe manner.  This was one of the initiatives of the Be Well, Be Fruita campaign,  aimed at focusing on economic recovery our local businesses. 
  • Partnership with Food Bank of the Rockies  
    • ​Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Fruita actively partnered with the Food Bank of the Rockies to help our residents affected by the pandemic.  Food Bank of the Rockies supplies the four food banks in Fruita. Early on, the Fruita Community Center staff set up sharing shelves (where residents could leave and take basic necessities), delivered meals to our vulnerable residents, and hosted food banks at their facility.  The City of Fruita also provided Food Bank of the Rockies with a $10,000 grant to help support local area food banks. Through purchasing power and leveraging other resources, this $10,000 translated to 40,000 meals for Fruita residents.  
  • School District #51 Outdoor Classrooms 
    • ​To allow for outdoor learning opportunities, and to give students the ability to spread out in a safe way, the City of Fruita designed, purchased, and paid for the construction of outdoor classrooms at all Fruita schools who chose to receive them.  This included tents and shade structures, tables and chairs, and more.  

• ​Responsible Recreation and Public Lands​
  • ​Each and every year, the City of Fruita works with the Bureau of Land Management, the Colorado National Monument, Colorado Parks & wildlife and other public lands agencies to promote responsible recreation and tourism.  A core value of th community is "Community First, Tourism Second." This includes educational information on leave no trace policies and best practices at each area.  In addition to this, in late 2019, the Fruita Trails Initiative (which includes the City, COBMOBA, Mesa County, the BLM, and several local businesses) helped pay for a trails maintenance crew to restore some of the trails at Kokopelli and the North Fruita Desert. In 2020, the project was fully funded through a grant with Great Outdoors Colorado, and now this trail maintenance crew, can work on our public lands for the next two years. While the City only expends $5,000 - $10,000 per year on trails outside the City, the partnerships and grants have enabled much more work to be accomplished. Maintaining natural amenities and expanding options helps locals enjoy them as more people discover and visit our community to recreate. 

• Roundabout Art 
  • ​Construction is well underway on the improvements to the Highway 340 Roundabouts project.  This project has been several years in the making, and the Fruita Arts and Culture Board has been instrumental in moving this project forward and obtaining donations for all six pieces of art to be installed. The Arts and Culture Board commissioned local artist Jeff Bates to create the sculptures, and those sculptures are in the process of being placed in the roundabouts (4 additional sculptures will be placed by the end of the summer).  

Where To Find Additional Information & How To Get Involved

Interested in learning more and getting more involved? Below are several links to find more information about these stories and also current news throughout the City that enables residents to be in the know on a regular basis. If you can't find what you are looking for, please feel free to email communications@fruita.org. 

• Weekly Information Updates
  • ​Each week, the City Manager and Department Directors write a summary to the City Council and the public highlighting a few of the activities or projects that were worked on.  The most recent Weekly Information Update can be found here, while past updates can be found at this page.  

• City's 10-Year + Comprehensive Plan, "Fruita in Motion"
  • ​During the year 2019, the City provided nearly 40 ways for residents to actively engage and participate in defining the community's values and vision, and establishing goals and priorities, which resulted in City Council adopting Fruita in Motion in February of 2020. Over 4,000 residents participated in surveys, open houses at City facilities, schools, churches and local organizations, stakeholder group meetings, online and in-person engagement activities, with much media coverage, community organization's support, social media and web-based notifications, multiple newsletters to each residence and public meetings. A working committee of residents worked with a hired consulting firm (funded partially with a grant) to make head community feedback and make recommendations to staff and City Council To view the story map and plan, click here. Since the adoption of the plan, City staff, consultants, working committees, Boards and Commissions have been working on updates to master plans: Fruita Land Use Code; Parks, Health, Recreation, Open Space and Trails; and  Multi-Modal Transportation Circulation plans.   

•  City of Fruita Annual Budget
  • ​The annual budget is the financial plan each year for the City of Fruita.  It provides for core services such as public safety, public works, parks and recreation, community development and planning, capital improvements, and more.  It also identifies the goals for the year while highlighting previous accomplishments.  The 2021 Fruita Budget, as well as previous budgets, can be found here. Summaries, detail and a transmittal letter from the City Manager highlighting accomplishments of the previous year and upcoming year efforts and projects is also included. 

• Monthly Financial Reports
  • ​Each month, a Monthly Financial Report is approved which includes information on sales and use tax revenues, budget vs. actual revenue, expense information, and more.  Monthly Financial Reports are available here. We receive updated figures two months after they are incurred. A highlight is viewing the Fruita City sales tax revenue collected, which represents the health of the local economy and is the largest form of revenue the City uses for core service delivery to residents. Since 2017, each year has been the new record highest grossing year by double digit percentage increases. Yes, this means that 2020 is the record year by over 23%; however, 2021 is already trending higher. 

• Find the City of Fruita on Facebook
  • ​City of Fruita Facebook Page (General)
  • City of Fruita Parks and Recreation Department 
  • City of Fruita Police Department

• City Manager Event Series 
  • ​Also each month, the City Manager hosts open, casual events around the City to hear from residents and discuss the issues on their minds. These include bike rides, hikes, walks and sit downs at Fruita businesses. The City Manager is often joined by a guest, and upcoming events can be found here.  

• Be Well, Be Fruita Campaign 
  • ​The "Be Well, Be Fruita" campaign is an effort to continue the incredible progress made as a community against COVID-19, to support and keep our businesses open, to assist our schools, and to keep our families, friends, and neighbors safe.  All of the Be Well Be Fruita efforts for funded through Coronavirus Relief Funds, and more information on the campaign and how those funds were spent, are available at this page.  

• Fruita City Council 
  • ​The City Council makes policy decisions and enacts legislation to carry out the council polices and administers the city government.  The Fruita City Council conducts regular meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month, and often holds a workshop on the 4th Tuesday of each month. More information on the Fruita City Council, including agendas, meeting packets (with details on each agenda item, minutes of past meetings and access to videos of meetings beginning with May of this year, can be found here.   

• Boards and Commissions 
  • ​Boards and Commissions play an important role in the City of Fruita, as they recommend policies to the City Council and staff.  To learn more about the City's Boards and Commissions, as well as to see current vacancies and how to apply to serve on a board or commission, you can visit this link.