police officer

intern

technician

senior technician

assembler

City of Fort Collins

I started my time at the City of Fort Collins with an optimistic attitude. It didn't take long to squash that. The hours were long, 6 day work weeks, and never ending evaluations. There were questionable practices on a monthly basis by my immediate supervisors. Although I visited with the Human resources department, they were not much help and appeared to only protect the City's interest. I even requested a formal investigation that  went nowhere. Overall the City is more concerned with spending millions on awards such as the Balldrige visits than investing in the wages and training of it's own employees. I enjoyed working with the public and received numerous kudos from those in the community. Although this was never mentioned by supervisors and my team went through very stressful periods due to inexperienced techniques from middle management. Overall I would suggest using caution when accepting a position at the City of Fort Collins. Your mental and Physical health will thank you!

A typical day at work was energetic and productive. Most of our time was either spent helping a customer over the phone or in person, or taking care of to-do's such as wait list enrollment, class registration and a number of other responsibilities. The time we had once work was done was spent getting to know team members and forming a team bond. I learned about P.O.S. system processing, monetary handling, how to problem solve, remain calm during heated discussions, and overall great customer service. The management there was very organized and they are great people to be working under, they genuinely care about the well being of their employees. The hardest part of the job, for myself was sometimes having to say no to certain people. We provide showers for those who need a place to shower for a fee, and having to turn people who didn't have the money away was very hard for me. The most enjoyable part was being able to form relationships with both the people I worked for and the Regular customers that came in throughout the week.

It's a mixed bag. There is some really good aspects to working for utilities (meaningful work decent pay, good paid time off), but management is lacking (currently all the upper level management are interim), and generally they don't actually recognize their employees for efforts/growth/improvement towards the stated values. Raises are also horrible; they have a defined pool that is typically 2-3% that gets distributed- first off this does not keep up with inflation so you are in effect being paid less year over year, and in smaller groups, if one person is going to get an above average raise, it means others in your group must get below that- doesn't allow for meaningful salary adjustments based on performance, let alone keeping up with inflation, or the quickly growing cost of living.

Working for the City of Fort Collins was a great stepping stone in my career. Positions usually start at a higher pay when compared to private organizations and the training programs/opportunities are second to none. Also, the safety and wellness culture is top notch and this is promoted from the top down. 

Since ~2019, the amount of turnover continues to overwork the remaining employees in many departments. Poorly planned/budgeted projects cause departments to request employees/resources from others to meet the project needs creating a snowball effect. Compensation hasn't kept up with the national average as someone progresses in the org and raises can be hard to obtain.

Typical day at work consists of answering the phones and creating social media posts to alert the public of work that is being done in their area. There are many tasks that are completed once a week, once a month or once a year that I work to complete (and remember!). The job description of my position is "Front Desk Duties", however the job that I perform is HR partner, communications coordinator and lots of scheduling. The hardest part of the job is dealing with angry citizens and also other departments who are not willing to work together. However, I do love the comradery throughout the department and enjoy working to provide great customer service.

You work that you may keep pace with
the earth and the soul of the earth.
For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons,
and to step out of life's procession, that marches in majesty
and proud submission towards the infinite.

When you work you are a flute through
whose heart the whispering of the hours
turns to music.
Which of you would be a reed, dumb and silent,
When all else sings together in unison?

Always you have been told that work is
a curse and labor a misfortune.
But I say to you that when you work you fulfil
a part of earth's furthest dream, assigned to you
when the dream was born,
And in keeping yourself with labor you
are in truth loving life,
And to love life's labor is to be intimate
with life's innermost secret.

Typical day is 8 hours. No real urgency because the work isn't going anywhere. The management is outdated, outmoded and views any change as heretical. The culture is odd mix of apathy and frustration with a toxic slice of retaliation. The hardest part of the job is the lack of capacity to do more than the status quo. Constantly repairing 40+ year old infrastructure that is beyond its life cycle is frustrating at best and maddening at worse. Watching the unhoused or delinquents damage and destroy your work with their biohazards and trash daily with no recourse, enforcement or advocacy from leadership is morale killing. The most enjoyable part is leaving everyday.

This job is very easy and the people you work with are great. This being said though I would not recommend working for the recreation department. Management is very sexiest. They promise you hours that they don’t give to you. They have hardly any room for advancement. Management does not know what they are doing. They have rules for certain employees and not others. 



The City itself is a great place to work.  The pay is better in the private sector, but in my opinion, a good work-life balance can have a dollar amount associated with it.  The City’s structure has a strong emphasis on employees’ health and well-being.  My role at work can be boring and unfulfilling, but that isn’t a failure on the City’s part.  Overall, they do a great job of making you feel welcome and appreciated.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The City of Fort Collins really cares about their employees. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
To be available any time I was needed  I had lots of responsibilities 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Excellent   Good benefits and work environment. Safely was a priority. Service to the community was a priority. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
All days were different. I was in charge of the maintenance and repair of 2500 vehicles.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Police officer 5 salaries reported	$96,508 per year
Intern 4 salaries reported	$19.00 per hour
Technician 3 salaries reported	$47,600 per year
Senior technician 3 salaries reported	$64,667 per year
Assembler 1 salary reported	$48.69 per hour

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