Fort Collins officials have decided that July is the best time to talk about Christmas and other winter holidays.
The city council this week formed a 20-member task force to review the community’s holiday-display policy. They said that they hope this move will avoid the annual controversy – and potential legal fallout – over whether a menorah or other religious symbols belong in city-owned holiday displays. The group is supposed to make recommendations on what should be allowed by Oct. 31.
Mayor Doug Hutchinson said forming the task force means the city is trying to make Fort Collins more welcoming of other faiths during the traditional Christian holiday season.
“This is a relatively small thing as far as the business of the city,” Hutchinson said, “but it certainly sends a signal that Fort Collins is attempting to be an inclusive and great city.”
The city drew fire the past two years over only putting Christmas trees in the city’s holiday displays, saying it is a secular symbol of the season. Specifically, the city denied the placement of a Jewish menorah in its city display.
Instead, the nine-branched candelabrum was lit in a separate ceremony a few days before Christmas and then moved to a local pub.
Jewish leaders said the Christmas-tree only policy ignored other cultures and faiths living in Fort Collins. Hutchinson agreed, and he lobbied for allowing more cultural and religious symbols on city property.
Last year, councilman Diggs Brown sided with a majority of the council, which worried that allowing religious symbols could put the city in a position of favoring one religion over another.
But Brown changed his mind after viewing last year’s menorah lighting, saying the city should become more sensitive to the cultural needs of all its residents.
“It opened my eyes that Fort Collins is a diverse city and we need to recognize that diversity,” Brown said.
The city wants representatives from a variety of business, faith and community groups on the task force, which will start meeting in mid-August, said facilitator Tess Heffernan. “Our goal is to bring together a diverse cross-section of representatives,” Heffernan said.
The city council is not bound by the group’s recommendations. But at least, Hutchinson said, a discussion of the issue and a resolution will be offered before the first lights are strung.
“This means we are headed in the right direction,” he said. “We are serious about looking at a solution.”
Proponents of putting the menorah in the city displays could not be reached for comment.
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or at mwhaley@denverpost.com.
