Car Springs City Council Work Session - November 24, 2025

The City of Car Springs City Council convened a work session to hear presentations from the Trails and Open Space Coalition and Joint Initiatives for Youth and Families, alongside routine administrative reviews. The session focused on regional trail systems, early childhood education infrastructure, drainage fee adjustments, and intergovernmental agreements. While several presentations received broad support and recognition from council members, significant deliberation occurred regarding the procedural logistics of public citizen comment to ensure equitable access for all residents.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes Approval: No changes were requested to the City Council Work Session Minutes from November 10, 2025.
• Agenda Planner Review: No changes or additions were made to the upcoming agenda planner.
• Resolution 8A (Drainage Fees): Recommended by the Drainage Board for a 2.2% increase in construction fees and 22.2% increase in detention pond land fees to align with parkland fee adjustments and CPIU data; the Park Vista drainage basin was formally closed as no further infrastructure costs remain. (Moved to Consent).
• Resolution 8B (Airport Agreement): Approved the intergovernmental agreement for reimbursing the Peak Metropolitan District #2 for 48.1% of the Phase 1 design and construction costs ($481,658.85) for the Milton E. ProB Parkway at the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport. (Note: This item is scheduled for back-to-back consideration at the regular meeting).
• Resolution 8C (District Dissolution): Consented to the dissolution of the College Creek Metropolitan District, which is fully built out, holds no debt or assets, and has no ongoing maintenance obligations.
• Resolution 8D (EV Charging): Established that the City of Car Springs does not intend to adopt a new ordinance for electric vehicle charging system permitting, opting instead to utilize the existing regional building department review process.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Trails and Open Space Coalition (Glenn Carlson & Alan Beauchamp):
  • The Coalition, a 38-year-old nonprofit, presented its mission of advocating for the creation and conservation of regional trails and parks. Glenn Carlson expressed that the organization receives no government funding and relies on member grants and donations.
  • Alan Beauchamp described the "One Bag Challenge," a micro-cleanup initiative that surpassed 100 events, collecting over 7,000 pounds of trash with 800 volunteers, and highlighted the use of creative education methods like "litter critters" to engage families.
  • On the Legacy Loop connectivity: Beauchamp stated that 9.2 miles of the 10-mile loop are currently continuous, leaving only a challenging quarter-mile gap over railroad tracks near Royer Street expected to be closed in late 2026. He noted that no legal or safe crossing currently exists for that specific gap once Royer Street closes.
• Joint Initiatives for Youth and Families (Sherry Lynn Boyle):
  • Boyle expressed that 70% of families would utilize quality child care if available, yet a gap of 15,000 to 16,000 spots exists in El Paso County with 48,000 children under six.
  • She highlighted that the average cost of child care has risen to $20,000, while worker wages remain around $29,000, creating a lack of incentives for providers.
  • Boyle presented data projecting a $308 million annual economic loss for the Colorado Springs area due to child care unavailability.
  • The organization indicated strong community support for a November 2026 ballot measure, citing a recent poll where approximately 74% of voters identified child care affordability as a problem and 61% previously supported universal preschool via tobacco tax.
  • Boyle outlined four key funding strategies for potential ballot measures: capital investment for infrastructure, teacher stipends, emergency tuition assistance, and parent education/program support.
• Councilmember Gold: Expressed sadness that a nurse was forced to leave a toddler alone due to child care failure and shared a personal story about his mother, a single parent soldier, who was forced to drive him to childcare, resulting in a traumatic accident.
• Councilmember Hincham: Echoed the sentiment that child care is crucial as public safety and economic infrastructure, noting that 90% of brain development occurs between ages zero and five.
• Councilmember Donaldson: Stated that the current citizen comment system is broken, arguing that it forces working citizens to wait indefinitely while city employees sit idle. He expressed that the current system changes who is able to participate, favoring those who can wait hours over working parents.
• Councilmember Henjam: Expressed openness to exploring quarterly evening town halls devoted solely to public comment to accommodate working families, while also advocating for a fixed time for citizen comment during regular sessions.
• Councilmember Lineweber: Stated that the current system provides necessary efficiency but acknowledged the need to ensure citizens have time-certain opportunities to speak. He proposed a quarterly evening session as a complementary measure to the existing agenda-based comment periods.

Discussion Items

• Legacy Loop & Park Connectivity: Council discussion focused on the final quarter-mile gap of the Legacy Loop. Councilmember Gold stated his goal is to get the paperwork finalized and leverage relationships with railways to secure a box culvert under the tracks. Councilmember Hincham noted the complexity of working with railways but emphasized the importance of the project for future generations.
• Volunteer Engagement: Glenn Carlson proposed a more formal partnership layer where the Trails and Open Space Coalition could manage volunteer networks for park maintenance, arguing this would alleviate staffing shortages and leverage the "civic pride" of volunteers working on weekends.
• Botanic Garden Vision: Carlson stated that TOSC is in the exploration stage for a botanic garden, identifying a potential need for 23-25 acres. He expressed that the Drake site is no longer viable due to infrastructure, but suggested the Union Printer's Home as a potential site due to existing trees and open space.
• Child Care Accessibility: Council members discussed the "child care desert" maps provided by Joint Initiatives, noting that while some zip codes show 100% need met, downtown area businesses report high demand for after-hours care not visible on the residential map. Councilmember Lineweber asked about navigating the political spectrum of child care funding, noting past controversies with programs like Head Start. Boyle clarified that their coalition supports a mixed-delivery system, including church, private, and home-based care, focusing on quality and choice.
• Regulatory Barriers: Board member Sherry-ann discussed legislative efforts with state senators to address "overkill" regulations, such as conflicting state and local codes regarding building fountains in child care centers. They plan to introduce legislation addressing zoning and state building codes to lower barriers for new providers.
• Citizen Comment Procedure: A robust debate ensued regarding the timing of citizen comment. Councilmember Gold and Henry advocated for a fixed time or evening sessions for public trust, while Councilmember Bailey and Lineweber defended the current system's efficiency but acknowledged the need for additional mechanisms, such as quarterly evening forums, to ensure equity without sacrificing workflow.

Key Outcomes

• Consensus on Public Comment Review: The Council unanimously agreed to discuss the creation of a dedicated quarterly evening public comment session during the January lunch meeting to improve accessibility for working families.
• Ballot Measure Exploration: The Joint Initiatives team was granted support to proceed with polling and draft language for a potential ballot measure regarding child care funding, with the goal of presenting the proposal to Council for approval.
• Fee Adjustments Approved: The 2.2% increase in drainage basin fees and the 22.2% increase in detention pond land fees were accepted for implementation on January 1, 2026.
• Legacy Loop Priority: The Council recorded a shared directive to prioritize the railway crossing resolution to finalize the Legacy Loop connectivity by 2026.
• Volunteer Partnership: The concept of a formal volunteer management partnership between the City and the Trails and Open Space Coalition was accepted for further discussion with Parks staff.
• Item 8B Deferral: The intergovernmental agreement regarding the airport parkway was referred to the regular meeting for a formal vote (Item 10C) to handle reimbursement details and potential legislative nuances.