Aurora City Council Study Session on ADU Policy and Rules Amendments – July 13, 2026

The Aurora City Council held a study session on July 13, 2026, addressing two major items: a re-evaluation of Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) regulations and proposed amendments to the council's Rules of Order and Procedure. The council provided direction to staff on ADU expansion and debated significant changes to public comment procedures, council reports, budget carryovers, and censure processes, with several amendments adopted.

Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Re-evaluation

Planner Jeremy Fedig presented findings from community inquiries and discussions with PED committees. Since 2023, staff documented 262 ADU inquiries citywide (44 in 2026 as of June 1), with Ward I showing the most interest. Currently, ADUs are only permitted in original Aurora on alley-served lots via conditional use permit (CUP); only 9 have been approved since 2018, with 5 constructed. Staff proposed allowing internal, attached, and detached ADUs citywide with administrative approval and architectural standards, while tying detached ADU size to primary dwelling size. Council directed staff to proceed with drafting a text amendment ordinance incorporating feedback from PED and study session, expected to take 6–8 months. Specific questions:

• Question 1: Do council members support administrative approval for detached ADUs (instead of CUP)? Consensus: yes, with robust standards.
• Question 2: Should detached ADU size maximums be tied to home size? Consensus: yes, staff to research and formalize.
• Question 3: Should staff advance a text amendment ordinance? Consensus: yes.

Councilmember Bergen lightheartedly asked if a shed would count; Mayor clarified no.

Rules of Order and Procedure Amendments

Mayor Pro Tem Coombs presented a comprehensive set of amendments developed by the rules committee, covering multiple sections. The council debated each section, sometimes splitting items or amending them. Key discussions and outcomes:

• Section 1 (Study sessions, workshops): Eliminated requirement for prior study session to set workshop agenda; allows Mayor Pro Tem to set agenda. Adopted without objection after discussion about timely agenda distribution.
• Section 2 (Virtual attendance): Allows remote appearance including off-camera. Adopted.
• Section 3 (Dais seating): Removed voluntary seat-swapping provision. Adopted.
• Section 4 (Agenda items): Removed court administrator from list of those who can place items; now only council appointees (mayor, city manager, presiding judge, chief public defender). Adopted.
• Section 5 (Agenda packet): Requires publication at least 5 days before meeting. Adopted.
• Section 6 (Parliamentarian): City Attorney serves as parliamentarian. Adopted.
• Section 7 (Order of business): Major debate on two sub-items:
  • Council reports: Councilmember Bergen proposed keeping reports at the end (current practice). An amendment to move reports after public invited to be heard failed; Council voted 5–? to keep reports at end.
  • Youth public comment: Councilmember Bergen proposed integrating youth (18 and younger) into the regular one-hour first public comment period, prioritizing them, rather than a separate 30-minute segment. Adopted. Mayor Pro Tem Coombs then successfully amended to add the removed 30 minutes to the end of the meeting (second public comment), creating up to one hour at both ends. Final: first public comment up to one hour (youth prioritized), second up to one hour for those who haven't spoken.
• Section 8 (Public participation): Clarified speaker sign-up, three-minute limit, sanctions for exceeding time (striken from next meeting's public comment). Councilmember Gardner added requirement that speakers state their name, residency, and association with Aurora; staff to include in decorum statement. Adopted.
• Section 9 (Travel/training budget carryover): Proposed limiting carryover to $3,000 annually, with unused excess returned to general fund. Councilmember Bergen objected; Councilmember Gardner argued against forced return, suggesting it encourages wasteful spending. Mayor Pro Tem Coombs proposed an amendment allowing council members to voluntarily return unspent funds rather than mandatory reversion. Adopted.
• Section 10 (Ballot initiatives): Clarified no city funds for support/opposition; council members may use personal funds. Adopted.
• Section 11 (Professional conduct): Statement of expectation. Adopted.
• Section 12 (Censure process): Introduced a three-step process – finding of violation (majority), sanction phase (two-thirds for any sanction beyond public admonishment), default to public admonishment if no sanction gets two-thirds after three motions. Discussion revealed concerns about political weaponization and subjectivity. Councilmember Bergen asked for guardrails; Councilmember Lawson asked about ability to hire personal attorney. City Attorney suggested possible changes to vote thresholds. Item deferred to next meeting for further refinement.

Key Outcomes

• ADU expansion: Council directed staff to draft a text amendment allowing internal, attached, and detached ADUs citywide with administrative approval and size tied to primary dwelling. Timeline: 6–8 months.
• Rules changes: Most sections adopted with amendments as described, except Section 12 (censure) held for further work. Specific decisions:
  • Council reports remain at end of agenda.
  • Youth prioritized in first hour of public comment; second hour added.
  • Travel budget carryover capped at $3,000, with voluntary return option.
  • Speakers must state residency/association; sanctions for overtime.
• Next steps: Staff to bring back revised rules ordinance reflecting study session direction, and to return with a refined censure process in two weeks.