OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Colorado Springs City Council Work Session - October 13, 2025

City Council — Monday, October 13, 2025
BodyColorado Springs, Colorado
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, October 13, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:29:30

Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

Good morning.

0:05

We're gonna start this City Council of Car Springs Work Session meeting for Monday, October 13th.

0:10

Will the clerk please read?

0:13

Call the roll.

0:14

Don't read the roll.

0:15

Call the councilmember Bailey.

0:19

Here.

0:19

Councilmember Crow Averson.

0:21

Here.

0:21

Councilmember Donaldson.

0:23

Here.

0:23

Councilmember Gold.

0:24

Here.

0:25

Councilmember Hendrum.

0:26

Present.

0:27

Councilmember Williams.

0:29

Here.

0:30

Councilmember Lion Webber.

0:32

Here.

0:33

Councilmember Rainey.

0:34

Here.

0:34

Councilmember Risley.

0:36

Here.

0:37

All nine present.

0:39

Changes to the agenda.

0:40

Do we have any changes to today's agenda?

0:44

Seeing none.

0:45

Regular meeting comments.

0:46

Are there any changes to the regular meeting for tomorrow?

0:51

Seeing none.

0:51

We'll preview previous meeting minutes.

0:53

Will the clerk please read item 4A into the record?

0:57

Review uh City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes, September 22nd, 2025.

1:02

Do we have any changes to these minutes?

1:05

Seeing none, we will move on to um we have no presentations for general information six staff and appointee reports.

1:14

Will the clerk please read item six A into the record?

1:17

Agenda planner review.

1:18

Do we have any comments on the upcoming agenda planner review?

1:23

Seeing none for the record, there are no comments on the agenda of planner review.

1:28

Moving on to item seven.

1:31

Will the clerk please read item 7a into the record?

1:34

A resolution approving the 2025 budget for Pikes Peak Regional Building Department.

1:41

Good morning, Roger.

1:49

Can you turn the green button on?

1:51

There we go.

1:52

There you go.

1:53

Thank you.

1:53

Good morning, Roger Lovell Building Official for Pikes Peak Regional Building Department.

1:57

I do have our director of finance here, Lauren Burris, with us today, in the event any questions come up.

2:05

But thank you, Council, for hearing us today and uh for allowing me to present the budget.

2:11

And I'm proud to present the fiscal year budget for 2026.

2:16

Um the department is a is a very important part of the city of Colorado Springs, and we value the partnership to ensure safe and sustainable development throughout the city.

2:26

Each year we work very hard to develop a budget following for the following year based on projections and specific economic factors.

2:36

Uh just as a reminder, the department is self-funded uh through permit fees, plan check fees, and licensing fees, and this budget does not have a direct impact on the city of Colorado Springs.

2:48

We began the budget process in uh I believe it be we begin.

2:53

We began in July.

2:54

We presented to our advisory board and the building commission as a work session in August, and we received a recommendation for approval from the advisory board on September 11th with an approval by the building commission on the 25th of September.

3:10

Um I I'm gonna give you just a just a brief uh well, maybe I'll just start with a little tidbit.

3:18

We really anticipate 2026 to mirror 2025 in a lot of respects.

3:24

So I'm gonna go through some of the details that we've seen so far throughout 2025 because I think that that will be a reflection on 2026.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████████28%
Budget Equity Analysis█████████████████████████25%
Procedural██████████10%
Business Improvement Districts████████8%
Public Safety███████7%
Affordable Housing█████5%
Tourism█████5%
Economic Development███3%
Public Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Colorado Springs City Council Work Session - October 13, 2025

The City Council Work Session was held on Monday, October 13, 2025, at 9:00 AM in Council Chambers. All nine council members were present. The session covered the 2026 budget for the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, service plan amendments for Peak and Hancock Metropolitan Districts, the Development Review Enterprise fee schedule, and 2026 operating plans for 18 Business Improvement Districts. The meeting concluded with an executive session and adjournment at 11:50 AM.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes of September 22, 2025 Work Session – Approved by consensus.
  • 7A: PPRBD 2026 Budget – Resolution approving the 2026 budget for Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. Presented by Roger Lovell. No fee increases; budget anticipates a draw from fund balance. Placed on consent for the regular meeting.
  • 7B & 7C: Peak Metropolitan Districts 1-3 and 4-7 Service Plan Amendments – Amendments to add stormwater maintenance services. Supported by the airport. Placed on consent.
  • 7D & 7E: Hancock Metropolitan District Service Plan Amendment and Property Inclusion – Minor language changes and inclusion of a 7-acre parcel for 69 single-family homes. Council confirmed compatibility with the service plan. Placed on consent.
  • 7G through 7X: 2026 BID Operating Plans and Budgets – 18 Business Improvement District budgets presented. All to be forwarded for formal approval on October 28, 2025. Placed on consent unless council requests further discussion.

Discussion Items

  • 7A: PPRBD 2026 Budget – Council discussed the 36% increase in average single-family home valuation since 2023, high material costs, staffing levels, and a revenue spike in June 2022. PPRBD maintains the lowest fees in the state and tracks plan review turnaround times (2-3 weeks).
  • 7B & 7C: Peak Metropolitan Districts – Council confirmed the amendments are supported by the airport and will facilitate development at Peak Innovation Park.
  • 7D & 7E: Hancock Metropolitan District – Council discussed a letter from WBA Local Government Law Firm regarding compatibility; staff confirmed the amendments address the concerns. The future realignment of Hancock Expressway was noted.
  • 7F: Development Review Enterprise Fee Schedule – Proposed 16% average fee increase for hillside and sign permits due to inspection costs. Council questioned the reserve fund (currently ~$3 million, down from $6 million) and requested a detailed analysis of past drawdowns. The item was not placed on consent; further discussion anticipated at the regular meeting.
  • 7G-7X: BID Budgets – Council discussed mill levy changes, Public Improvement Fees, and the 5.25% property tax waiver. Councilmember Henjum requested information on privately placed debt. A spreadsheet of BID data was requested.

Councilmember Reports

  • Councilmember Leinweber reported on the Colorado Outdoor Leadership Summit, noting outdoor recreation contributes $65 billion to Colorado's economy and 404,000 jobs. He also celebrated the release of 20 hostages.
  • Councilmember Donelson recognized the new CSPD officers sworn in, attended the Bentley Commons ribbon cutting, and highlighted UCHealth's reimbursement challenges.
  • Councilmember Henjum called for a more strategic use of tourism tax dollars to support outdoor recreation.
  • Councilmember Rainey thanked CSPD graduates, attended the Fostering Hope event, and participated in pothole filling with Public Works. He noted an upcoming fire department graduation.
  • Councilmember Gold thanked colleagues for affordable housing efforts, acknowledged COSILoveYou, announced the acquisition of Pikes Peak Bulletin by Juaquin Mobley, and recognized Indigenous Peoples Day, Hispanic Heritage Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Filipino American History Month.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent items – The majority of introduction items were placed on the consent agenda for the October 28 regular meeting, including the PPRBD budget, Peak and Hancock service plan amendments, and all 18 BID budgets.
  • DRE Fee Schedule – Not placed on consent; council requested additional information on reserve fund history and will revisit at the regular meeting.
  • Executive Session – Held in closed session from approximately 10:20 AM to 11:50 AM to discuss real property sales, intergovernmental agreements, economic development incentives, and legal advice on public camping. Two-thirds of council consented.
  • Next Steps – Formal approval of BID budgets and other consent items scheduled for October 28, 2025 regular meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. We're gonna start this City Council of Car Springs Work Session meeting for Monday, October 13th. Will the clerk please read? Call the roll. Don't read the roll. Call the councilmember Bailey. Here. Councilmember Crow Averson. Here. Councilmember Donaldson. Here. Councilmember Gold. Here. Councilmember Hendrum. Present. Councilmember Williams. Here. Councilmember Lion Webber. Here. Councilmember Rainey. Here. Councilmember Risley. Here. All nine present. Changes to the agenda. Do we have any changes to today's agenda? Seeing none. Regular meeting comments. Are there any changes to the regular meeting for tomorrow? Seeing none. We'll preview previous meeting minutes. Will the clerk please read item 4A into the record? Review uh City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes, September 22nd, 2025. Do we have any changes to these minutes? Seeing none, we will move on to um we have no presentations for general information six staff and appointee reports. Will the clerk please read item six A into the record? Agenda planner review. Do we have any comments on the upcoming agenda planner review? Seeing none for the record, there are no comments on the agenda of planner review. Moving on to item seven. Will the clerk please read item 7a into the record? A resolution approving the 2025 budget for Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. Good morning, Roger. Can you turn the green button on? There we go. There you go. Thank you. Good morning, Roger Lovell Building Official for Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. I do have our director of finance here, Lauren Burris, with us today, in the event any questions come up. But thank you, Council, for hearing us today and uh for allowing me to present the budget.

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