Aurora City Council Study Session – December 17, 2025
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Aurora City Council Study Session – December 17, 2025
This study session, held on December 17, 2025, covered updates on public engagement for AI facial recognition technology, the 2025-2026 snow and ice control plan, the city's retail strategy, the 2026 council meeting calendar, appointments to the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the formation of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) board. Council members discussed each item and gave staff direction on next steps.
Consent Calendar
- Items 2A through 2J were approved unanimously. Councilmember Bergen raised questions about the financial records of Three Birds Alliance (formerly Gateway), but after staff clarification, the consent calendar moved forward without pulling the item.
Discussion Items
- AI Facial Recognition Technology Update: City Manager Bachelor reported that three hybrid public meetings (virtual and in-person) have been scheduled to gather feedback. The information will be posted on Engage Aurora for asynchronous comments. Contracts with vendors have been signed but not yet implemented.
- Snow and Ice Control Plan (2025-2026): Public Works Director Kurt Waymeyer presented the plan, which categorizes storms from Category 1 (trace–2 inches, deicing only) to Category 4 (major event). Approximately 80% of storms fall into Categories 1 or 2. The city has 90 pieces of equipment to service nearly 1,600 lane miles. Residential snow removal is not provided, but HOAs and special districts can enter into IGAs with the city (three currently participate). Councilmember Lawson raised concerns about sidewalk snow on Smoky Hill Road; staff agreed to investigate.
- Retail Strategy: Planning and Business Development Director Janine Rusted outlined the framework, identifying four types of retail centers (primary, shadow, micro, secondary) and proposing incentives for revitalization. Council approved the resolution supporting the retail strategy and the development of an implementation plan through stakeholder engagement.
- 2026 City Council Meeting Calendar: The proposed calendar (second and fourth Mondays, with adjustments in April, May, and December) was approved unanimously.
- Planning and Zoning Commission Appointments: Two vacancies exist. Council directed staff to reappoint incumbent Melvin Bush for a third term and to conduct interviews for the other open position. The candidate who did not meet the one-year residency requirement was removed.
- Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Board Formation: Deputy City Manager Laura Perry presented the proposed inaugural board appointment process. After discussion, Council gave direction to initially appoint seven of the eleven board seats (one being a councilmember via normal appointment, six from the community), reserve two seats for future CDC board members, and leave two seats open. The application process will include three references, and public interview and nomination letters will be accepted. The councilmember seat will be filled through the standard council appointment process, not via public interviews.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar approved (items 2A–2J).
- Snow plan presentation received; direction given to staff to follow up on Smoky Hill sidewalk issues.
- Retail strategy resolution approved; staff to proceed with stakeholder engagement.
- 2026 calendar approved.
- Planning and Zoning: Melvin Bush reappointed; interviews to be conducted for the other vacancy.
- DDA board process: Direction given to proceed with an initial seven-member board, including three references for applicants and a separate appointment process for the councilmember seat. Staff to open applications in early January 2026.
Meeting Transcript
The study session of the Royal City Council for Monday, December 15, 2025 is called the order. Will the clerk please call the roll? Mayor Kaufman. Mrs. Heckle. Councilmember Andrews. Here. Councilmember Bergen. Here? Council or Mayor Pro Tim Coombs? Present. Yeah. Everybody make sure to mute your laptop in here. If anybody's joined the meeting digitally, make sure your microphone is on. That's why the speaker's councilmember Gardner. Councilmember Hancock. Councilmember Hancock. Councilmember Hancock. No, it's good. Councilmember Horton? Here. Councilmember Jackson? Here. Councilmember Lawson? Here. Councilmember Medina? Here. Councilmember Wiles. Here. Okay. There's no mayor updates. Are there any issue updates? Mayor. Mayor Pratem. Yes, can I just request from uh City Manager Bachelor an update on the public engagement regarding the AI facial recognition technology? Yes. So we'd uh council member our Mayor Pro Tem Coombs had reached out and so we uh relayed that she would like to see some you know more outreach from the department. So the department uh has scheduled uh three different um hybrid meetings, so both virtual and uh in person if folks want to to provide uh feedback uh and concerns if they have them on that we will consolidate uh all of that feedback and then provide um written feedback to that. We'll make that all available on the website. Uh and so that's how we're gonna do that. We'll uh once we get that all uh documented up, we'll provide it to council as well. Um follow-up question is there still a plan to have information on Engage Aurora, including the slide, any slides from the presentations and opportunities for people to provide feedback there. Yes, we will make that available on the web and then also provide a folks for folks to provide feedback uh asynchronously. So if they're not at a meeting, they can give us um feedback somehow as well. I think city manager uh I think people uh individual members uh can have presentations at their town meeting as well. They absolutely can, sir. I and I plan to. And Mayor, just one other thing. And so I know there was already kind of a procurement process, but I just wanted to clarify whether we've actually signed contracts with those vendors at this point, or we're waiting until I think we have, but I can I can confirm that I think I think the contracts are signed, but we can I don't think we've gone live with it, yes, but I can check those dates. Okay, thank you.
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