Brighton City Council Meeting - July 7, 2026: Hauler Licensing Approved, DDA Appointments Debated
Brighton City Council Meeting - July 7, 2026
The Brighton City Council met on July 7, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers, with Mayor Pro Tem Peter Padilla presiding in the absence of Mayor Gregory Mills. The meeting included a contested Downtown Development Authority (DDA) appointment, adoption of a new hauler licensing ordinance, approval of a right-of-way vacation, and multiple ceremonial items. The council also entered executive session for personnel matters.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes (ID-193-26): Approved 8-0 (one absent).
- Real Property Purchase Agreement (ID-204-26): Resolution approving purchase and sale agreement with Platte Land and Water, LLC for real property, water shares, and reservoirs. Approved 8-0.
- DDA Appointments (ID-194-26, ID-196-26 through ID-199-26, ID-209-26): Most appointments passed 8-0, except ID-194-26 (Councilmember Green as DDA member, Mayor Mills as alternate) was pulled from consent and later failed 5-3. The other appointments (ID-196-26 through ID-199-26 for DDA members Cox, Geiger, Strohmeier, Zygielbaum, Horiuchi, and ID-209-26 for BHA member Tracie Morris) all passed 8-0.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Tom Lampo offered a prayer, invoking blessings on the city, the nation, and firefighters affected by wildfires, and requested moisture to alleviate drought conditions.
Ceremonies & Proclamations
- Swearing In of Board Members: Inaugural DDA Board members (Michael Cox, Dhiren Nautiyal, et al.) were sworn in, followed by Tracy Morris for the Brighton Housing Authority.
- Proclamations: July recognized as Parks and Recreation Month; July 17 as Parks and Recreation Professionals Day. Parks and Rec Director and staff highlighted upcoming events (e.g., Baskets and Baskets at Benedict Park on July 11, a promotional video).
Discussion Items
- Right-of-Way Vacation (ID-203-26): Associate Planner Gray Shipman presented a proposal to vacate approximately 0.495 acres of excess right-of-way along North Golden Eagle Parkway to allow construction of a private roadway for Brighton Crossing Filing 9. Staff found no future widening plans and recommended approval. Motion to approve passed 7-1 (one dissenting).
- Hauler Licensing Ordinance (ID-207-26): Sustainability Coordinator Tracy McLean and consultant Audrey Wheeler (Eco-Cycle) presented the first reading of an ordinance to regulate solid waste haulers. Key features: no license fee, exemption for junk haulers, mandatory recycling service for residents (at no extra cost due to Colorado's producer responsibility program), open market maintained, container labeling requirements. During discussion, council raised concerns about labeling—specifically the requirement for a phone number on residential carts. Councilmember Fiedler moved to approve with an amendment removing the phone number requirement from container labeling. Motion to approve as amended passed 8-0.
Reports & Updates
- Mayor Pro Tem Padilla: Reported attending the Colorado Municipal League (CML) conference; noted upcoming BHA meeting.
- City Manager: Updated board and commission vacancies, highlighting critical need for Historic Preservation Commission members (no quorum). Praised police and fire for safe 4th of July events. Thanked Utilities Department for water conservation outreach.
- City Attorney: Announced election as president of CML Attorney Section.
- Councilmember Reports: Highlights included CML conference attendance, Downtown improvements (fixes before Burrough expires, new signage hindered by CDOT color objections), Youth Commission activities, and updates on Talon Ridge Middle School construction (opening 2027-28) and Rocky Vista High School (78% complete).
Key Outcomes
- DDA Appointment Failed: ID-194-26 (appointing Councilmember Green to DDA) failed 5-3; will be revisited.
- Right-of-Way Vacation Approved: Passed 7-1.
- Hauler Licensing Ordinance Approved (First Reading): Passed 8-0 after amendment to remove phone number from container labels; final reading scheduled for July 21.
- Executive Session: Council voted 8-0 to recess for executive session (personnel matters); no action reported upon return.
- Next Steps: Hauler ordinance second reading, DDA reappointment, and possible CDOT permit for downtown signage to be addressed in upcoming meetings.
Meeting Transcript
And welcome to the July 7th City Council meeting for the City of Brighton. The mayor is out of town this evening, so you are stuck with me, and we have the promotion of Aaron Kelm to be our city clerk for the evening. Let's begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. Councilman Green, would you lead us in that, please? We'll see if we end up normalizing our pace over the course of the next three years. Okay, the first item up is the roll call. Madam City Clerk. Mayor Mills. He is out of town this evening. Mayor Pro Tempadilla. I am here. Councilmember Carvajal? Present. Councilmember Collins? Here. Councilmember Fittler? Here. Councilmember Green? I am here. Councilmember Snyder. Here. Councilmember Tadeo. President. Councilmember Wirth. Here. Thank you very much. The next item up is our consent agenda. And I believe Councilman Carbalhall wanted to make the motion this evening. I'd like to move to accept the consent agenda without item two C and schedule that for an upcoming meeting. That would be a date certain of July twenty-first. Sounds great. Okay. Do we have a motion to approve the consent agenda sends item two C. Okay. In the interest of time, I'm seconding that motion. Call for a roll call vote. Yes. Yeah, my reason around that is just that I'd like to have a discussion around it, and I could have asked to move it to eleven C tonight. However, since the mayor is not here, I think that we should wait so that we can have a discussion inclusive of everyone. Okay, with a seven to one vote and the consent agenda requiring an unanimous decision. Do we have a motion to approve those minutes? Councilmember Fiddler. Thank you, Acting Mayor. I move to approve item two A. Thank you. Councilmember Wirth. I'll second that. Thank you. Uh roll call vote for item two A. That passes eight to one.
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