Aurora City Council Regular Meeting - October 21, 2025

The Aurora City Council met on October 21, 2025, at 4:54 PM. The meeting included roll call (with a quorum present), invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, and land acknowledgement. The council approved minutes, the agenda, and consent calendars, then discussed and voted on several ordinances and resolutions, including the adoption of the 2026 city budget, utility rate increases, and a controversial facial recognition technology report. The most debated item was the future format of council meetings, with public comment and lengthy discussion leading to a vote to return to in-person meetings starting November 17, 2025.

Consent Calendar

• Approved minutes from October 4 and October 6, 2025 (8-0-3 absent each).
• Adopted the agenda (8-0).
• Adopted the consent calendar on motions (items 9C1 to 9C4) (8-0).
• Adopted the consent calendar on resolutions and ordinances (items 10A1 to 10A10) as amended by removing item 10A5 (8-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Portia (self-identified as a Douglas County resident) spoke against virtual meetings, accusing council members of avoiding constituents and alleging illegal removal of campaign signs by Councilmember Sunberg and Councilmember Cassal. She urged a return to in-person meetings.
• Madane (self-identified as a Denver County resident) criticized the council's decision to hold virtual meetings indefinitely, calling it unconstitutional and accusing council members of dodging accountability. She threatened electoral consequences for those who voted for virtual meetings.

Discussion Items

• Facial Recognition Technology (Resolution 2025-118, Item 10A5): Commander Chris Poppy presented the police department's proposed facial recognition program, emphasizing unauthorized uses such as constitutional violations, harassment, and immigration enforcement. He stated the technology would only generate leads, not probable cause. Councilmember Coombs raised concerns about ClearView AI's history of lawsuits over unauthorized data collection. City Attorney Schulte noted that ClearView amended its practices. The resolution passed 5-2 (Coombs and Medina opposed; three council members absent).
• General Improvement District (GID) Budgets (Items 12A-12F): Staff presented six ordinances adopting 2026 operating budgets and tax levies for various GIDs (Cherry Creek Racket Club, Cobblewood, Aurora Conference Center, Pierpo 7, GID 1-2008, GID 3-2008). Each passed with 7-8 yes votes.
• 2026 City Budget (Items 12G-12I): Budget Program Manager Tyler Phillips presented three ordinances: adopting the budget, appropriating funds, and setting the tax levy. The ordinances were approved unanimously (8-0).
• E911 Surcharge Increase (Item 12J): Chief Information Officer Scottin proposed raising the monthly E911 surcharge to $2.17 per line and authorizing the city manager to adjust fees annually. The ordinance passed unanimously (8-0).
• Water, Sewer, and Stormwater Rate Increases (Item 12K): Deputy Director Kat Ulokatun presented a 5% increase for water, 8% for sewer, and 5% for stormwater, plus a 20% increase in sewer connection fees (final year of a three-year plan). The ordinance passed unanimously (8-0).
• Gray Water Prohibition (Item 12L): General Manager Marshall Brown proposed tightening the prohibition on gray water systems to align with state legislation and avoid redundancy with the Prairie Waters system. The ordinance passed unanimously (8-0).
• Historic Preservation Text Change (Item 12M): Historic Preservation Specialist Chris Geddes proposed separating the National Register designation from the local landmark designation process. The ordinance passed unanimously (8-0).
• Future Meeting Format (Item 16A): Mayor Kaufman moved to return to in-person meetings on November 3, 2025. Councilmember Bergen substituted a motion to return on November 17, 2025. After debate, the substitute motion passed 7-2 (Coombs and Jerinsky opposed). The council then approved the final motion to return to in-person meetings on November 17, 2025, per existing council rules (7-2, with Coombs and Jerinsky opposed).

Key Outcomes

• Approved minutes, agenda, consent calendars, and resolutions for facial recognition, GID budgets, 2026 city budget, E911 surcharge, utility rates, gray water prohibition, and historic preservation changes.
• Voted 7-2 to return to in-person council meetings (including public comment listening sessions) starting November 17, 2025.
• Councilmember Medina appointed Megan Sifri to the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee.
• Councilmember reports included personal statements, event announcements, and responses to public comments.