Colorado Springs City Council Special Meeting 2025-10-29
Colorado Springs City Council Special Meeting (October 29, 2025)
City Council convened for a special work session to finalize the 2026 budget, focusing on mill levy certifications, administrative fund adjustments, and debates over revenue projections and expenditure priorities. The meeting featured significant discussion regarding the potential shift of sales tax forecasts from a 1.4% growth projection to a flat budget, the restoration of positions across various departments, and the allocation of Recreational Marijuana (RMJ) tax revenues.
Consent Calendar
- Mill Levy Certifications: Council considered resolutions to fix mill levies for the Briar Gate, Platte Avenue, and Woodstone Special Improvement Maintenance Districts (Items 2A-2G), which remain unchanged from the prior year. An ordinance was read to fix the general city mill levy at 3.009 mills (Item 2H), comprising a general operating levy of 4.279 mills offset by a temporary credit of 1.270 mills to comply with Tabor limits and refund excess 2024 revenue.
- Salary Structure: An ordinance was read to adopt the 2026 salary structure for civilian and sworn municipal employees (Item 2I), which matches the schedule contained in the October 6th budget document with no proposed changes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Community Concerns: Members of the public were not present as direct speakers during the formal public comment section; however, the Chief of Police, Chief Royal, and Chief Vasquez joined via telephone to address specific budget items, providing clarification on public safety priorities, crime lab operations, and academy funding.
Discussion Items
-
Sales Tax Revenue Projection:
- Position: Councilman Risley expressed strong support for budgeting sales tax revenue flat (zero growth) rather than the proposed 1.4% increase, citing correlations between flat employment growth and declining sales tax revenue, as well as caution regarding the economic uncertainty of a potential federal government shutdown. He argued for a conservative approach to avoid mid-year cuts.
- Position: Council members Donaldson, Lineweber, and Hingum expressed opposition to the flat projection at this time, preferring the CFO's data-driven 1.4% forecast. They noted that immediate cuts would impact staff morale and services during a recovery period and suggested monitoring revenue trends in the first quarter to make reactive adjustments if necessary. Councilman Williams expressed conditional support for the conservative approach given the government shutdown uncertainty.
- Outcome: The council voted to retain the proposed 1.4% sales tax growth projection in the budget.
-
Administrative Budget Adjustments:
- Fleet and Facility Consolidation: Council approved administrative changes to move utility, garbage, and janitorial expenses from police and fire departments to the Support Services department (General Fund), effecting a net-zero change but centralizing management.
- City Council Budget Restoration: Council agreed to restore $38,000 to the City Council budget by adjusting a slight reduction in the IT camera refresh project within the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).
- Municipal Court Clerk: Council President Cryne-Everson proposed adding one full-time municipal court clerk position to support Judge Kane. After Judge Kane appeared to request that the position be deferred until all currently authorized vacancies were filled, the council suspended the decision to add funding for this position pending further discussion with the judge regarding caseload capacity.
-
Specific Department Funding Requests:
- Homelessness and Housing: Council members Gold, Hingum, and Lineweber discussed the program. Gold and Hingum deferred support for additional staffing to outsourcing, noting prior funding decisions. Lineweber suggested setting priorities if any additions were made.
- Abandoned Vehicles: Council members Donaldson and Gold supported maintaining or increasing the towing contract to address public order, requesting the administration to report back if funding is insufficient to meet citizen requests.
- Crime Lab Position: Council considered restoring a crime lab position. Chief Vasquez clarified that while the position was removed due to low usage, external partners (DA, Sheriff, CBI) have agreed to handle the caseload. Councilman Rainey raised concerns about potential backlogs for the DA's office not visible to the police department; the council decided to gather further information before voting.
- Fire and Police Academies: Discussions confirmed that RMJ funding would be utilized to restore the Fire Academy and support Police training equipment and overtime, avoiding delays.
-
LART Fund Reallocation:
- Proposal: Council President Cryne-Everson proposed reallocating unallocated LART funds (specifically $30,000 + $15,000 = $45,000 from the 2026 cycle) from the "Arts and Cultural Destinations" bucket to "Outdoor Recreation" to support the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Association (PPORA) in managing a new $2.5 million state grant.
- Position: Council members Bailey and Lineweber expressed concern about the deviation from the original sector funding process and the lack of a transparent prioritization mechanism for unused funds. Council members Williams and Donaldson expressed support for the flexibility, provided the funds are used to maximize regional impact.
- Outcome: Council voted to hold the decision pending edits to the supporting memorandum and further clarification on the process for unallocated funds.
-
RMJ Fund Allocation:
- Distribution: Council discussed the 2026 RMJ allocation: $700,000 for the Downtown Clean and Safe pilot program, $3.2 million for Public Safety Priorities (technology, overtime, equipment, academies), and $200,000 for Mental Health/PTSD services.
- Position: Councilman Lineweber expressed frustration that the council was not sufficiently engaged in 2026 planning and felt the proposal lacked strategic balance across the three voter-mandated buckets. Councilman Bailey expressed general support but desired more specificity on how funds would be spent. Councilman Gold and Hingum supported the allocation while acknowledging communication issues with the Mayor's office.
- Outcome: Council expressed general support for the buckets, though with noted frustration regarding the process. The allocation is set to proceed to the regular meeting for final adoption.
Key Outcomes
- Voting on Sales Tax: Council voted (via thumbs up/down) to maintain the 1.4% sales tax growth projection for the 2026 budget, overriding the request to switch to a flat budget.
- Budget Modifications:
- Approved the consolidation of fleet/facility expenses to Support Services.
- Approved the restoration of $38,000 to the City Council budget.
- Pending: The $71,000 municipal court clerk position was suspended for further assessment with Judge Kane; Council agreed to identify a $71,000 reduction source (with Councilman Risley suggesting Public Works) but deferred final action pending the discussion with the Judge.
- Pending: The LART reallocation of $45,000 was put on hold for administrative edits.
- RMJ Allocation: Council approved the conceptual buckets for the 2026 RMJ distribution ($700k Clean and Safe, $3.2M Public Safety, $200k Mental Health/PTSD) pending final ordinance.
- Next Steps: The final budget appropriation ordinance, incorporating the approved changes, will be presented at the regular City Council meeting on November 10, 2026. Council requested a redlined version of the 2025 to 2026 salary schedule changes and confirmation that the Clean and Safe contract is specific to the downtown area. The meeting adjourned with a directive for improved communication between the Mayor's office and the Council regarding strategic budget planning.
Meeting Transcript
Across the city. They handled 18,000 graffiti tags in 2024, and they're on track to clean up more than 25,000 this year. Stay connected with us on social media or visit Colorado Springs.gov for the latest city news and events. Together, we are Colorado Springs. Streets of Colorado Springs, you'll find Gina. She fills potholes and does other street maintenance and repairs as part of a team of 12 that covers the south side of the city. Several teams work together to fill nearly 90,000 potholes each year. Colorado Springs, we shoot for the moon. We train the defenders of air and space. We secure American freedom. We compete on the world stage. We launch balloons, rockets, careers. We conquer America's mountain and spend time in a garden fit for the gods. We power the future and protect the past. There is greatness within each of us and all around us. We are Colorado Springs Olympic City USA. Inside this courtroom, you'll find Eric. He's a probation officer for the city, helping clients comply with court orders by connecting them to classes, resources, and more. He's part of the municipal court team, the legislative branch of our local government. With the arts.com. Here are my top three takeaways from the state of the city right from my desk to you. Number one, public safety progress. You see, a safe city is the foundation for everything else. This year we crossed a big milestone. You see our police department crossed more than 800 officers. We are fully staffed with our 911 operators, so our response times are faster. Simply put, a safe city is a great city, and a great city is a safe city. Number two, we are navigating some economic headwinds, higher costs, inflation, and uncertainty. But here's the good news. We are still building momentum. Since June of 2023, we've landed 16 economic development agreements, the most in our city's history. That means 2700 new jobs, 1.1 billion in investments, and 69 million in projected new city revenues. We are helping entrepreneurs grow and succeed right here at home. Finally, building a city of great neighbors and great neighborhood. In our city, neighbors look out for each other. People take pride in keeping our city clean. And partners across the city are stepping up to help tackle mental health. And we have seen an 18% drop in suicide rates and a 60% drop among our youth. This is incredible. That is it. For this month, please have a fun Halloween and a safe Halloween. And as always, onward and upwards Colorado Springs. I'm Apollo Ono and you're watching Springs TV in Colorado Springs, Olympic City USA. Water at Prospect Lake, you'll find Ashley. She works for the city's therapeutic recreation program, or TRP, which provides opportunities for kids and adults with disabilities. This is TRP's 27th year of adaptive water skiing at Memorial Park. How would you know? Sign up to receive emergency alerts, such as fire evacuation notices and police activity. You can receive alerts via text, phone call, or email by going to PeakAlerts.org. Include multiple addresses when you sign up, such as your home, work, and school.
openpublica.com