Aurora City Council Regular Meeting – October 26, 2026

The Aurora City Council met on October 26, 2026, in a session that ran past midnight. After an executive session on oil and gas lease agreements, the council took up routine approvals, heard extensive public testimony, and considered a failed procedural attempt to revive a data-center moratorium resolution (2026-97) that had failed in August. The council also passed a resolution tightening legislative process rules and introduced a self-insurance fund ordinance. The transcript opens by referring to the 'Orient City Council,' but all other references identify the City of Aurora; no agenda or minutes were provided.

Councilmember Reports

• Multiple members gave updates: Jackson reported on the housing committee's review of Aurora Saves and the Arapahoe County Justice Coordinating Committee; Horton discussed Fletcher Plaza and a youth barbershop talk; Wiles announced a Nov. 2 data center town hall; Medina announced a Nov. 10 town hall; Hancock attended the America's Defense Communities Conference.
• Mayor Kaufman said he does not condone profanity in chambers, noted a $75,000 payment tied to a First Amendment lawsuit, and said he acts on the city attorney's advice.

Consent Calendar

• The council adopted the Oct. 12, 2026 minutes unanimously and adopted the meeting agenda unanimously.
• Councilmember Bergen pulled item 11A1; the remaining consent motions 11A2–11C1 were adopted unanimously. The council then approved item 11A1, the Homeless Services Notice of Funding Opportunity recommendation for Three Birds Alliance using marijuana funds, unanimously after staff described performance metrics such as shelter occupancy, exits to permanent housing, and average length of stay.
• The council pulled resolution/ordinance item 12A1 and adopted the remaining consent resolutions/ordinances 12A2–12B2 unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Police accountability: Numerous residents demanded that Police Chief Todd Chamberlain be fired and called for community control of policing. Speakers invoked the deaths of Corey Dillard and Kylin Lewis, criticized City Manager Jason Bachelor's selection of Chamberlain, questioned consent-decree monitoring work by IntegraSure, and objected to police raises. One speaker cited a consent decree report saying APD would not be fully compliant by February 2027 and had problems with 10 mandates. Another said use-of-force incidents against Black residents had remained around 30% while Black residents make up about 15% of Aurora's population.
• Surveillance: Chad Johnson (Ward 5) urged council to let the Flock license plate reader contract expire in March, called the $848,000 annual cost a waste, and opposed ballot issue 3B, saying it would fund a $900 million police master plan and mass surveillance. Ryan Costanzo called Flock cameras 'surveillance cameras' and cited the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Chatry v. United States.
• Data centers: Dozens of residents, including youth and neighboring municipal officials, opposed the proposed Vantage/Trident hyperscale data center and other projects. They cited water consumption, electricity demand, noise, low-frequency sound, air pollution, emergency generators, property values, lack of public notice, and developer incentives. Some speakers said a moratorium alone was insufficient and demanded a permanent ban. Speakers said five data centers were under consideration, including QTS, Trident, NTT, Microsoft, and Aerotropolis. One speaker said Trident would require about 11 times more power than DIA and cover more than 15 football fields. Another cited research estimating pollution tied to AI power demand could cause up to 3,100 premature deaths a year nationwide by 2030.
• Oil and gas/fracking: Andrew Pinkowitz asked council not to lease city minerals for the proposed Sunlight Long fracking site near Aurora Reservoir, saying it threatened the drinking water source for over 400,000 people and used about 28 million gallons of water per well. Yvonne Yap, with Safety Aurora Reservoir, drew parallels between fracking approvals and data center approvals.
• Other topics: Speakers raised ADU parking concerns, slumlord enforcement, EV charger permitting delays, library board appointments, and the arrest and asylum case of Roberto Roa. One speaker corrected Mayor Kaufman's earlier statement, saying a $75,000 payment went to attorneys, not to the speaker personally.

Discussion Items

• Three Birds Alliance funding (11A1): Homelessness Manager Stephanie Kuiper presented the marijuana-funds allocation for staffing, food, shelter supplies, and utilities. Public commenter Hashim Coates supported housing-first investments while urging disclosure of any conflicts of interest and measurable outcomes. The item was approved unanimously.
• Resolution 2026-112 – Council rules amendment: The resolution would require council legislation to go through policy committee, study session, and regular meeting unless it meets specified exceptions. It was sponsored by Councilmembers Andrews and Hancock. Supporters said it restores proper process; opponents said it was rigid, allowed a minority to block items, and contained unclear emergency definitions. The city attorney explained exceptions for public safety/health emergencies, fiscal impacts, and legal deadlines. It passed 6-5, with Mayor Kaufman casting the deciding vote; Mayor Pro Tem Coombs and Councilmembers Horton, Jackson, Medina, and Wiles voted no.
• Ordinance 2026-53 – Self-insurance fund: Staff said the city will move its United Healthcare plan from fully insured to self-funded on Jan. 1, 2027, and the ordinance creates an internal service fund. Councilmember Wiles recused herself. Hashim Coates raised concerns about financial exposure, employee benefits, and taxpayer risk. The item was adopted unanimously among participating councilmembers.
• Data center reconsideration procedure: Mayor Kaufman moved to suspend the rules to allow an out-of-time motion to reconsider Resolution 2026-97, the failed August data center resolution. The motion required a two-thirds vote and failed 6-5, with Councilmembers Andrews, Bergen, Gardner, Hancock, and Lawson voting no. The council therefore did not reach the substantive data center moratorium question. Mayor Kaufman gave notice he would bring the same motion and resolution again at the next regular meeting.

Key Outcomes

• Adopted Oct. 12, 2026 minutes and the meeting agenda unanimously.
• Extended the first public comment period to allow the remaining 23 speakers, by an 8-3 vote.
• Approved Three Birds Alliance marijuana-funds homeless services spending unanimously.
• Adopted consent calendars 11A2–11C1 and 12A2–12B2 unanimously, with items 11A1 and 12A1 pulled and considered separately.
• Passed Resolution 2026-112 (council rules amendment) 6-5.
• Introduced/adopted Ordinance 2026-53 creating the self-insurance fund; Councilmember Wiles recused.
• Failed to suspend the rules to reconsider Resolution 2026-97, by 6-5; the data center moratorium was not heard. Mayor Kaufman announced he will bring it again at the next regular meeting.
• Near the end of the meeting, Councilmember Horton said most remote councilmembers had logged off; Councilmember Bergen disputed that, saying he was listening on another computer.

Note: No agenda or minutes were available for this summary; it is based solely on the raw transcript.