Aurora City Council Regular Meeting – August 24, 2026

The Aurora City Council met in regular session on Monday, August 24, 2026, with all 11 members present and a quorum established. The agenda and minutes were not provided; this summary is based on the raw transcript. The meeting included approval of prior minutes and an amended agenda, two public comment periods, removal of two collective bargaining agreements from the consent calendar for separate votes, and votes on land-use and financing items.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes of the August 10, 2026 City Council meeting were adopted unanimously.
• The agenda was adopted as amended, removing items 11A4 and 13A and continuing them to the September 14, 2026 council meeting. (The transcript once lists the removed item as 11A1, but later references confirm 11A4.)
• Consent calendar on motions: items 10A1 and 10A2 were removed for separate votes; the remaining item 10C1 was adopted unanimously.
• Consent calendar on resolutions and ordinances: items 11A1 through 11A3 were adopted unanimously; item 11A4 had been removed from the agenda.

Public Comments & Testimony

First public comment period

• The council unanimously suspended the three-minute timer beep for three members of Joseph Jones's family and later unanimously extended the one-hour public comment limit to hear four additional speakers.
• Chloe Des Mullins urged the council to request an independent administrative review of the RTD death investigation and a study session on Aurora Police Department policies on victim treatment, investigative equity, and release of information about deceased victims.
• Bridget Jones, Joseph Jones's mother, said her son was hit by a vehicle, then run over and dragged 1,000 feet by RTD bus No. 937 in November 2024. She said the bus driver did not stop, there was no media coverage, and the district attorney's case was closed in two months. Family members Lashonda Pope and Shekwana Jones asked for accountability, with Shekwana Jones saying they were forced to bury Joseph Jones in pieces.
• Several speakers criticized police accountability. Anna Harris said Corey Dillard, a military medal recipient, was killed 7.5 seconds after Aurora police arrived at his home. Hashim Coates, Jeffrey McFarland, Paul Nelson, and Tristan Hoost called for the firing of Police Chief Todd Chamberlain and criticized City Manager Jason Bachelor. Paul Nelson, with the Denver Aurora Community Action Committee, demanded a democratically chosen police chief. Tristan Hoost referenced Elijah McClain (called Elijah McLean in the transcript) and Kylan Lewis, and said the consent decree has not been audited. Ayante Anderson, using an ADA accommodation for an extra minute, accused the council of hiding behind procedure. Megan Siffring said the community was watching council votes and expected transparency from the new Office of Public Safety Accountability.
• Chad Johnson of Ward 5 opposed Flock/ALPR cameras, stating there are more than 116,000 across the United States, about 100 in Aurora, about 2 million photos per camera per month, and 200 million photos per month in Aurora. He cited abuse by officers in Georgia and security flaws, and asked that the contract be allowed to expire.
• Andrew Pinkowitz opposed the council's failure to pass an AI data center moratorium, citing noise, health effects, hyperscale data centers using 10 times the reported water, 56% of AI data centers still powered by fossil fuels, and AI workloads using 3 to 8 times the energy of traditional workloads.
• Aaron Fuchell, a member of the RTD Citizens Advisory Commission, criticized the concentration of gas stations along Havana Street and urged the city to pursue creative revenue sources; he also voiced support for the Jones family.
• Jason Bailey opposed government debt and urged a no vote on city debt on the November ballot, mentioning the group Citizens for No New Debt.
• Della Jordan described an incident at the ADRC/Navigation Center in which a young Black man named Ashley was body-slammed and kneeled on by Advanced Pathways and Dominion Security employees; she said Ashley was suspended and asked for help locating him.
• Ken Hampshire said 56th Avenue has been closed for three years after flooding, and he estimated 17,520,000 forced detour miles, over $12.6 million in detour costs, and 36,800 unpaid hours; he asked the city to prioritize reopening the road.
• Laura McLaughlin and Veronica Sebron said the Joseph Jones case was part of a pattern and must not be ignored.

Comments on consent calendar items

• Before the firefighters' and police contracts were voted on, Hashim Coates spoke on both items. He said he supports collective bargaining but opposed using union contracts to shield accountability; he opposed any raise for the Aurora Police Department and called the police union corrupt.
• Ayante Anderson spoke against the police contract, listing APD incidents since 2019 and stating a top-step patrol officer salary would rise from $89,000 in 2019 to $126,000 under the new contract, a 41% increase.
• During the resolutions consent calendar, Ayante Anderson used her time to sit in silence as a protest over the anniversary of Elijah McClain's death, and Hashim Coates spoke on item 11A3 about Proposition 308 and water policy.

Second public comment period

• Ayante Anderson responded to the mayor's closing report, saying the city should have honored Elijah McClain and Joseph Jones instead of focusing on her; she said she would make the mayor's remaining time on council difficult.
• Bridget Jones continued her family's remarks, asking why the district attorney was not assigned to the RTD case, why there was no media coverage, and why the bus driver kept his license.
• Alan Wu raised concerns about subsidies to Gaylord, data centers, Amazon, and a reservoir, as well as water conservation by Gaylord and Niaga bottling. Hashim Coates closed by criticizing the mayor's treatment of grieving families and renewing calls for removal of the police chief and city manager.

Discussion Items

• Item 10A1 – Firefighters' collective bargaining agreement (IAFF Local 1290): The item was removed from the consent calendar for a separate vote. City staff and the city attorney said a continuance could create severe legal issues because the unions had already approved the contracts and deadlines had passed. A motion to call the question passed 9-2, and the main motion passed 10-1, with Councilmember Jackson opposing.
• Item 10A2 – Police collective bargaining agreement (FOP Lodge 49): The item was approved 9-2, with Mayor Pro Tem Coombs and Councilmember Jackson voting no.
• Item 12A – Comprehensive plan amendment (Ordinance 202644): Staff said the 18.03-acre parcel east of South Lewiston Way, north of East Arapaho Road, and west of South Olaf Street was previously part of the Centennial de-annexation and is unincorporated. The amendment assigns a commercial hub place type in anticipation of a possible annexation application. No testimony was offered; the item was approved unanimously.
• Item 13B – Equipment lease-purchase financing (Ordinance 202646): Treasury Supervisor Andrew Jameson presented the ordinance authorizing up to $10 million in lease-purchase financing at a maximum interest rate of 5.5% for a term not exceeding 60 months, covering fire equipment and public works dump trucks. It was approved unanimously.
• Council reports: Mayor Pro Tem Coombs, Councilmember Horton, and Councilmember Wiles apologized for taking up police and fire raises on the anniversary of Elijah McClain's death. Councilmember Jackson said the Joseph Jones case was a disgrace and that research showed the only citation appeared to be against Joseph Jones himself; she said she would follow up. Councilmember Horton said he would work with the RTD board on the case and announced upcoming events, including the Central Library renaming for Edna Wilson Mosley and a Ward One town hall. The mayor's closing report criticized Tay Anderson for gavel-smashing during a prior meeting.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes and amended agenda adopted unanimously; items 11A4 and 13A continued to September 14, 2026.
• Consent calendar items 10C1 and 11A1 through 11A3 adopted unanimously.
• Firefighters' collective bargaining agreement approved 10-1.
• Police collective bargaining agreement approved 9-2.
• Ordinance 202644 and Ordinance 202646 approved unanimously.
• The council unanimously suspended the timer beep for the Joseph Jones family and extended the public comment period.
• Councilmembers said they would follow up on the Joseph Jones case and collected contact information related to the 56th Avenue closure.