Aurora City Council Regular Meeting – July 27, 2026

The Aurora City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, July 27, 2026. Present were Mayor Kaufman, Mayor Pro Tem Coombs, and Councilmembers Andrews, Hancock, Horton, Jackson, Lawson, Medina, and Wiles; Councilmembers Bergen and Gardner were excused. The meeting opened with the pledge, a prayer, and a land acknowledgement, and the council received an executive session update on labor and contract negotiations. The council approved consent items, referred a charter amendment to the November ballot, and heard a lengthy public hearing on a proposed gas station, convenience store, liquor store, and restaurant project known as All-in-One Harmony Commercial. The conditional use failed on a 3–4 vote, and the related site plan was remanded to the Planning Commission.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of July 13, 2026, and adopted the meeting agenda.
• Approved the consent calendar for motions (items 10A1–10C2) unanimously.
• Approved the consent calendar for resolutions and ordinances (items 11A1–11B1) unanimously.
• Approved the annexation items 15A–15J as a group after unanimously suspending council rules; no public speakers were signed up for those items.

Public Comments & Testimony

• First public invited-to-be-heard period: Jerry Drinsky opposed the city's settlement with activists, calling them “race hustlers.” Medina Schaffner said “we will be coming back,” described an alleged detective lie that led to a young man's arrest, and demanded that Police Chief Todd Chamberlain be fired. Aonte Anderson criticized decorum rules and recalled people she said were killed by Aurora police (Kylene Lewis, Ray John Belt Stubblefield, Elijah McLean), arguing the council could fire the city manager who hired the police chief. Della Jordan detailed shelter complaints, including suspensions, lost medication, and requests for compensation, and called for removal of the company Advanced Pathways. Jeffrey McFarland (Ward 1) raised a tuberculosis outbreak in a detention center, the $5–6 million consent-decree monitor that he said had never been audited, and contracts with GEO, an AI data center, and a water bottling company. Nate Weaver urged raising water restrictions to Level 2 and pursuing long-term water solutions. Ali DeWills Marcano supported $2 million accessibility upgrades to the council chamber, noting Aurora's more than $2 billion in capital needs. Cassandra Hill (Denver Aurora Community Action Committee) advocated community control over police, including an elected civilian board with authority over police chief hiring/firing, budget, and discipline. Shadina Lewis spoke about her grandson killed by an Aurora police officer. Robert Lewis, father of Kylene Lewis, demanded an end to killings of unarmed Black men. Tristan Houston criticized police shootings, called for firing the police chief, and said the city manager should not lead the new oversight board. Francisco Soto complained about slow, costly records requests, body-camera footage fees, and a records clerk removing documents about Ridge Hill Apartments.
• Item 13B speakers: Hashim Coates supported the even-year election referral, calling opposition voter suppression and saying it would end the era of certain council members. Juan Marcano (Ward 4) also supported it, citing higher turnout and examples from Parker, Castle Rock, and Boulder.
• Item 16A/16B public hearing: Opponents included Mark Saxolby, Aditi Desai, Erika Sanders, Shelby Moore, Cameron Moore, Arvin Martinez, Rihanna Athey, and a former gas station owner and Harmony resident. They cited concerns about neighborhood character and quiet hours, crime, property values, light and air pollution, traffic, hours of operation, the applicant's financial history and pattern of building and selling stations, and a petition with nearly 800 signatures. Several said they were not anti-development and preferred coffee shops, restaurants, childcare, or other uses. Supporters included Jason Handal, Envir Purewall (the applicant's wife), Varon Sai, Aura Carr, Suki Dillon, Harkeron, Sam Chahal, and Navia Nagra. They cited convenience, local family ownership, tax revenue, jobs, the applicant's concessions (reduced hours, good-neighbor agreement), and safety features such as 24/7 cameras and license plate readers.
• Second public invited-to-be-heard period: Aonte Anderson again criticized council members and called for accountability. Ellen Wu discussed the 2012 Niagara bottling contract, drought, and the need for city decisions driven by community voices rather than political or personal gain.

Discussion Items

• Ordinance 202632 (Item 13A): Staff member Jeffrey Moore presented a clarification to Oil and Gas Advisory Committee membership: five citizen members must be Aurora residents, while the three industry representatives and three surface/property owners may be from outside the city. Mayor Kaufman noted a 5–6 resident/non-resident balance concern; Councilmember Hancock supported the stakeholder structure. The council approved the ordinance unanimously.
• Ordinance 202641 (Item 13B): Councilmember Jackson sponsored a referral to the November 3, 2026 coordinated election to move municipal elections from odd to even-numbered years. Under the proposal, terms of officials elected in 2027 and 2029 would be shortened by one year to transition to even-year elections beginning in 2030/2032. The city attorney clarified term-limit impacts. Councilmember Horton said she wanted voters to decide the issue; Mayor Kaufman cited coalition-building opportunities. Councilmembers Lawson and Hancock opposed, predicting lower ballot drop-off and higher campaign costs for local nonpartisan races. The ordinance passed 6–2, with Lawson and Hancock voting no.
• Ordinance 202642 (Item 13C): Sergeant Stevenson Carey presented automated vehicle identification system (AVIS) amendments required by Senate Bill 26-152, effective August 12, 2026. The system switches to registered-owner civil liability, removes driver-photo requirements, and updates penalties; city programming triggers only at 11 mph or more over the limit, and 25+ mph carries a maximum $120 penalty. Dismissal requires proof of sale, theft, or death of the registered owner. The ordinance was approved unanimously.
• Annexations (Items 15A–15J): Council unanimously suspended rules to hear the annexation items as a group; no public speakers were signed up, and the items were approved unanimously.
• All-in-One Harmony Commercial (Items 16A/16B): The council held a public hearing on a call-up of the Planning Commission's 6–0 approvals. Staff planner Ani Karabashian summarized the 1.45-acre site on the southeast corner of Alameda Avenue and South Powhatan Road, proposing a 9,767-square-foot multi-tenant building with three tenant spaces, one fuel canopy, and a patio. Hours of operation were proposed as 4 a.m.–11 p.m. for fuel and convenience, 8 a.m.–11 p.m. for liquor, and 6 a.m.–10 p.m. for the restaurant. Applicant Manraj Singh described his Aurora background, the store design, projected tax revenue, and safety features. He said he had built five stations and currently owns three. Mayor Kaufman and Councilmember Wiles recused from the item; the city attorney also recused from advising, and Chief Deputy Holly Burkholz provided legal counsel. Council discussion was limited to the approval criteria. A motion to approve the conditional use (16A) failed 3–4, with yes votes from Hancock, Horton, and Lawson and no votes from Andrews, Coombs, Jackson, and Medina. The conditional use therefore was not granted. A motion to remand the site plan (16B) to the Planning and Zoning Commission passed unanimously.

Council Reports

• Councilmembers reported on the 720 Memorial events and 5K, the midnight vigil, Camp Spark, Aurora Youth and Families Night at Moorhead Recreation Center, Ward town halls, the Korean War Memorial ceremony, and the upcoming Boards and Commissions Convention on August 6. Reports also included information about tree-canopy reimbursement, watering trees during drought, and upcoming Ward 2 and Ward 5 meetings.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the minutes and the agenda.
• Approved consent calendars for motions and for resolutions/ordinances.
• Approved Ordinance 202632 (Oil and Gas Advisory Committee membership clarification) unanimously.
• Approved Ordinance 202641 (referred even-year municipal election charter amendment to the November 3, 2026 ballot) 6–2.
• Approved Ordinance 202642 (AVIS speed enforcement amendments) unanimously.
• Approved annexation items 15A–15J unanimously.
• Failed to approve the conditional use for All-in-One Harmony Commercial (Item 16A) by a 3–4 vote.
• Remanded the related site plan (Item 16B) to the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously.