Brighton City Council Study Session Summary – September 8, 2026
Brighton City Council Study Session – September 8, 2026
The Brighton City Council held a study session on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 6:00 PM. The session covered a range of administrative and policy items, including a presentation from E-470, acceptance of a federal grant, refinancing of debt, a proposed rate and fee package for 2027, contracts for water treatment chemicals, and revisions to the board appointment policy. No formal votes were taken; most items are scheduled for action at upcoming regular council meetings.
Consent Calendar
- Executed Contract Listing – July 2026 (ID-257-26): Finance Director Katrina Asher presented the listing. No questions were raised, and the item was concluded without objection.
Discussion Items
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E-470 Presentation (ID-262-26): Joe Donahue, Executive Director of E-470, gave an update on the toll road authority. Key points included: E-470 is a 47-mile, locally owned toll road; average daily traffic of 81,000 vehicles; 2.7 million Express Toll transponders in use; 36 of 47 miles now widened to six lanes; new service plazas opening (with Starbucks, Shake Shack, etc.); interoperability with East Coast E-ZPass; and a widening project from 104th to US 85 (completion by early 2028). Donahue emphasized a new partnership approach with member jurisdictions. Councilmembers expressed strong support, noting the importance of E-470 for commutes and economic development, and appreciated the collaborative tone. Specific questions covered transponder usage, toll misconceptions, and safety improvements. The presentation lasted approximately 45 minutes.
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Edward Byrne JAG Grant Acceptance (ID-255-26): Lieutenant Nick Strzok presented a $12,963 federal grant to fund Flock Safety license plate recognition cameras. The city currently uses eight cameras (seven fixed, one mobile) costing about $24,000/year, with the balance covered by forfeiture funds. Strzok addressed privacy safeguards: data sharing limited to vetted agencies (790 networks), 30-day retention, no sharing with federal government, and monthly audits. Councilmembers asked about forfeiture fund balances and data access controls. The item is scheduled for consent at the September 15 regular meeting.
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2016 Revenue Bond Refunding (ID-256-26): Katrina Asher proposed refinancing the 2016 Water Activity Enterprise Revenue Bonds (originally $30.1M, now $16M remaining) to secure a lower interest rate (estimated net interest cost 3.6%, current rates 3–5%). The plan would save about $59,000 per year over a 10-year term, with same maturity (2037). Savings account for issuance costs. The timeline includes a bond ordinance first reading on September 15, ratings call in October, competitive sale in November, and closing in December. Council expressed support for the fiscal discipline.
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2027 Rate and Fee Proposal (ID-261-26): A comprehensive presentation covering impact fees and utility rates. Key proposals:
- Impact Fees: Recommended 2.5% inflationary increase (instead of 3.9%) for most fees, saving about $459 per single-family home. Storm drainage: additional $0.22/sq ft on commercial to achieve parity with residential. Water Resources Review Fee: new $10,000 escrow deposit for engineering/legal review of water dedications.
- Utility Rates: Water: 12% increase on service and usage charges (about $4/month for average indoor user), with other charges flat. Wastewater: 6.5% pass-through from Metro Water Recovery; Lochbuie no increase proposed. Storm drainage: $3/month per single-family home.
- Sample bills show total increase of $9.62/month for Metro Water customers (≈10% effective) and $7/month for Lochbuie customers.
- Affordability: Water assistance program increased to $600/year (from $500); outreach via social media and bill inserts. Council discussed equity concerns and the need to fund capital projects. City Manager Martinez noted that delaying would cost more long-term. Fees and rates will be part of the October 20 budget presentation.
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Water Treatment Chemicals: Master Price Agreement Awards (ID-258-26): Director Scott Olson presented two awards: Univar Solutions USA (up to $900,000) and PVS DX Inc. (up to $1.6 million) for water treatment chemicals. The contracts are for one year with optional four-year extensions. Staff recommended placing on consent for the next regular meeting.
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Policy Regarding Interview and Appointment Procedures for City Board, Commission, and Authority Members – 2026 Second Revision (ID-263-26): City Attorney discussed minor revisions: (1) allowing applicants to be interviewed on the same night they attend a meeting; (2) clarifying that applications are forwarded to staff liaison even if candidate hasn't attended a meeting; (3) allowing swearing-in at board meetings or clerk's office if council meeting attendance is impractical. A proposed addition to include attendance records for reappointment consideration was endorsed. Council discussed performance evaluation; existing practice includes board recommendations. The policy will return for adoption at a regular meeting.
Key Outcomes
- All discussion items are scheduled to return for formal action at upcoming regular council meetings (consent or ordinance readings).
- E-470 presentation received positively; partnership approach welcomed.
- JAG grant and water chemical MPAs to be placed on consent at September 15 meeting.
- Bond refunding ordinance first reading set for September 15.
- 2027 rate and fee proposal to be further refined; final resolution expected October 20.
- Board appointment policy amendments to be finalized and presented for adoption.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. I want to call to order our city council study session for Tuesday, September eighth, twenty twenty six. Gonna have let's have council member today lead the pledge of allegiance. Hope everyone's having a great well feels like a Monday. It doesn't feel like a Tuesday, it's weird. But first off, we'll do the uh executive contract listing for July. City Manager Martinez. Thanks, Mayor. Good evening, Mayor Mayor Pro Tim, and members of council. Here to answer any questions you may have about the information that was presented to you in your packet is our finance director, Katrina Asher. Any questions for our finance director, anyone? I see none. Excellent. Thank you. Thanks for coming over. You got like ten more steps on your counter today. She'll be back. Next is the E four seventy presentation. City Manager Martinez. At this time, I will ask the executive director of E four seventy, Joe Donahue to have a seat, and I welcome him to the City of Brighton. And I will turn it over to Joe. That was a pretty easy presentation. I mean, she just had the attachment in the back of that. All right. I'll take up all my time with presentation. How's that sound? Well, Mr. Mayor, uh, Council members, thanks uh for the invite to come up and give an update on E four seventy. Um, my name is Joe Donahue, executive director. I've been in this role for about two years, just over two years. Um, I've been involved with E four seventy for much, much longer. I served as the finance director from two thousand to two thousand twelve. And then I left E four seventy and traveled the world, moved to Texas, and was a consultant working with toll roads around the country, and then came back in late twenty twenty-three in the interim uh CFO role, and then uh was selected to be the new uh executive director. So I've been in this role just like two years, like I said. Um just taking this opportunity uh tonight and to really make the rounds with our member jurisdictions, uh, Brighton being one of them. Um, just to give an update on what's happening at E470, um, talk about partnerships. Um, that's sort of the the new lingo you're gonna hear from E470 is partnering and really being engaged in the community and really being uh a regional transportation partner and and not just being a 47 mile toll road that we are. Give some updates on what we have going on operationally, but um more projects coming your way, and then updates on what's happening in the state of Colorado with tolling with the CTIO and HPTE or uh plenary on US 36 and sort of how that operation, how it works today, and how it's gonna start changing here in the near future with hopes of maybe not fully converting to what they're trying to do, but I'll give some updates on what's happening there. So just a real quick about E470. E470, um, as I said, it's a 47 mile toll road. It was sort of thought up in the late 80s. There's a public highway authority law passed. Um we're local government owned. Um, we're sort of a government-owned business with no recourse to the cities and counties that sit on our board. Um, but it means that the board, which is made up of council members, uh, mayors, uh, county commissioners from each of the jurisdictions makes all the policies, makes all the decisions, and then it's all carried out by the staff, um, funded solely by tolls. Um, and that is a a little bit of a white lie. If anybody that's been in the state any amount of time knows that early on in E470 in the early 90s, there was a vehicle registration fee assessed in Adams, Arapaho, and Douglas counties. It was voter approved. It was a $10 fee added to your registration for which E470 got $8.50 of. And that actually supported 40 million dollars in bonds and the original financing.
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