Aurora City Council Regular Meeting – July 13, 2026
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Aurora City Council Regular Meeting – July 13, 2026
The Aurora City Council met on Monday, July 13, 2026, for a regular meeting that included public comment, consent calendar approvals, multiple annexation and zoning items, a deferred ordinance on the oil and gas advisory committee, and councilmember reports. The meeting was called to order at approximately 6:00 p.m. with a quorum present.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approval (June 22, 2026): Adopted unanimously.
- Consent Calendar for Motions (Item 10C1): Adopted unanimously.
- Consent Calendar for Resolutions and Ordinances (Items 11A1–11A3): Adopted unanimously.
Public Invited to Be Heard
Approximately 15 community members spoke during the public comment period. Key themes included:
- Police accountability and oversight: Multiple speakers called for the removal of Police Chief Todd Chamberlain and criticized the new Office of Public Safety Accountability. One speaker referenced Denver’s oversight board as ineffective.
- Water and environmental concerns: Speakers voiced opposition to fracking near the Aurora Reservoir and raised concerns about water usage by data centers and bottling plants. A speaker noted that the two largest water users are Niagara Bottling (300 gallons per day) and data centers (500,000 gallons per quarter each, with nine centers in Aurora).
- Housing and homelessness: Several speakers reported unsafe conditions at the Aurora Navigation Center and called for better services. One speaker described a veteran panhandling at an intersection without improvement.
- Community engagement: Speakers urged council to listen to residents and criticized councilmembers for inattentiveness (e.g., using phones during public comments).
- Apprenticeship programs: A speaker from a union advocated for supporting apprenticeships and skilled trades.
Agenda Items
- Item 12A – Sand Creek Metro District Service Plan Amendment: Public hearing on Resolution 2026-81 to increase the district’s debt limit from $105 million to $200 million for infrastructure on remaining 100 acres. Approved unanimously.
- Item 13A – Oil and Gas Advisory Committee Membership (Ordinance 2026-32): Staff proposed clarifying that industry and property-owner representatives need not be Aurora residents. Councilmember Horton moved to continue the item to July 27, 2026, citing need for further due diligence. The motion passed 7-3 (Councilmembers Bergen, Hancock, and Lawson opposed).
- Item 13B – IT Property Acquisition Authority (Ordinance 2026-33): Fifth annual renewal allowing the CIO to enter lease-purchase agreements. Approved unanimously.
- Items 15A–15E – Annexation and Zoning for Gun Club Road and East Biode Avenue: Series of annexation and initial zoning for two parcels totaling 20.49 acres (MUR zoning) and two parcels totaling 46.6 acres. All actions (resolutions, ordinances, zoning) passed unanimously.
- Items 15F–15G – Annexation and Zoning for South Gun Club Road and East Alameda Avenue: Initial zoning for a 10-acre parcel (MUR) and a 35.7-acre parcel (R3 medium-density multifamily). Thunderbird Estates residents raised concerns about well water and drainage; staff stated those issues would be addressed at the development plan stage. Both passed unanimously.
- Items 15H–15J – Annexation for 165-Acre Parcel at 56th Avenue and Valley Head Street: Initial zoning to Airport District (AD) for industrial/commercial use. No public comment. Passed unanimously.
Councilmember Reports
Councilmembers provided updates on city activities:
- Horton: Reported on a sister cities meeting, 4th of July celebrations, a conference on local government, and an upcoming Youth and Families Night (July 22).
- Wiles: Summarized a data center town hall, the Baltimore conference, softball tournament awards, and the Day of Resilience 5K (July 25).
- Hancock: Noted a well-attended town hall, the 4th of July fireworks, and a Freedom Summer Camp visit.
- Lawson: Announced re-election to the Colorado Municipal League executive board, legislative updates (the 21st Century Road to Housing Act signed into law July 11), and an upcoming committee meeting on county health department presentations.
- Bergen: Discussed the CML conference (AI, data centers, housing), E470 board meetings, Skywatch Park art selection, and a waste management facility ribbon cutting.
- Kaufman: Reminded of an upcoming town hall on July 23.
Additional Public Comment
After reports, several community members spoke again, reiterating concerns about water, fracking, data centers, and the treatment of residents. One speaker criticized councilmembers for phone use during public comments. The meeting was then adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
The regular meeting of the Ora City Council for Monday, July 13, 2026 is called to order with the clerk. Please call the roll. Mayor Kaufman. Here. Councilmember Andrews. Here. Councilmember Bergen. Thank you. Mayor Pro Tim Coombs. Councilmember Gardner. Here. Councilmember Hancock. Councilmember Horton. Here. Councilmember Jackson. Councilmember Lawson. Here. Councilmember Medina. Councilmember Wiles. Here. There's a quorum. Please join me in an invocation. Oh Lord, our God and our Father, we come to you and we ask that you look upon this particular gathering tonight to keep us safe and guide us in our decisions. Bless our city with honorable citizens, industries, sound education, and good government. Unite our community together, even though we come from different backgrounds. We pray that there will be justice and peace in our city. Give the city council and citizens the wisdom, direction, and sensitivity to the business and proceedings before us tonight. Hear us therefore as we commit this meeting to the help of our entire community. Amen. During uh executive session, uh, we talked about uh real property conveyance uh and um contractual issues. Um motion is in order for the adoption of the minutes from June 22nd, 2026. Moved by Councilmember Hancock, seconded by uh second by Councilmember Andrews. Uh discussion. Uh seeing no discussion, call for the question on the adoption of the approval of the minutes for June 22nd, 2026. Mayor Kaufman. Mayor Boy Chess. Councilmember Horton. Yes. Councilmember Gardner. Yes. The motion passes unanimously to adopt the June 22nd meeting minutes. And Mayor, I believe we skipped the Pledge of Allegiance. Oh, well. Please join me in the Pledge of Leads. One nation, under God, indivisible liberty and justice for all. And also the land acknowledgement. City of Roy acknowledges that we gather on the territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne, Ute, Arapo, and Dakota Peoples, past and present. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado. Indigenous peoples have remained committed to the stewardship of this land over many centuries. As these words of acknowledgment are spoken and heard, the ties of these nations have the ties that these nations have to their traditional homelands and to their vital place in the ecosystem are renewed and reaffirmed, and we are called upon to be better stewards of the land we inhabit as we continue to work to meet the needs of our entire community.
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