Good morning.

Welcome to the city council's regular meeting for Tuesday, April 26th.

Good morning.

Welcome to the City Council meeting for Tuesday, April 28th, 2026.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Councilmember Casey.

Here.

Councilmember Crow Iverson.

Here.

Councilmember Donaldson.

Here.

Councilmember Gold.

Here I am.

Councilmember Henjam.

Present.

Councilmember Linewever is online.

Councilmember Rainey.

Here.

Councilmember Risley.

Here.

Councilmember Williams.

Here.

Online present.

Please stand for the invocation.

We are honored today to have Pastor Dangers from Woodman Valley Church.

The leadership of this town.

Thank you, God, for this beautiful city that you have blessed us to be a part of.

God, I pray uh for your wisdom over this meeting today.

God, I pray that that justice would flow like a river and righteousness like a never-ending stream.

God, I pray for the many men and women who make up our city, the uh the men and women in uniform, God, the first responders, the the men and women of our of our hospitals and of our of our schools.

God, would you bless them?

Lord, the many business owners and leaders in this city.

God, would you would you bless them and sustain them?

And God, for this meeting today, I pray again for for your wisdom and for your blessing over it.

Would you give unity to this to this council and cause them to make decisions that would be honoring to you and that would cause a flourishing uh for this city and its people?

That's you know your name that I pray.

Amen.

Amen.

We are welcomed this morning with um some students from Sierra and Harrison High School who are going to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Moving on to our changes to the agenda.

Will the clerk please read item A or 10A into the record?

Is it 10 Cron?

10 C and ordinance amending multiple sections of Article 5 Administration and Enforcement of Chapter 7, Unified Development Code and the Code of the City of Colorado Springs 2001 is amended related to procedural process.

Um can I confirm if it's a 10A or 10 C?

10 C.

10 C.

Thank you.

At least that's the one I read.

Okay.

I just wanted to make sure.

Um I wrote something down differently.

So do we have any council members any questions or comments?

Councilman Donaldson?

Uh yeah, I would just be curious the reason for the postponement, the request for the postponement.

Couple of last minute uh tweaks to the uh um ordinance based on comments from the city attorney's office.

Okay, so last minute tweaks is the reason.

Okay.

I need a I have a motion from Councilman Donaldson and a second from Councilman Gold.

Let's vote the motion passes none to zero.

Moving on to the consent calendar, we will now consider the consent calendar.

These items will be acted on upon a whole uh unless a specific item or discussion by a council member or a citizen wishing to address the council.

Is there anyone who wishes to pull an item off the consent calendar?

Seeing none, I need a motion from Councilman Gold and a second from Councilman Henjam.

Any opposed?

Moving on to item 5A.

Will the clerk please read item 5A into the record?

Resolution recognizing May 3rd and 9, 2026's Small Business Week in the Pikes Peak Region.

Councilman Risley.

Thank you, Madam President.

Good morning, everyone.

It's an honor for me to uh read this resolution today and to celebrate Small Business Week and what small businesses mean for our community.

One of the focuses that I've had uh for my time on council has really been around uh economic prosperity and vitality because I think it's so important for the the health, overall health of a community.

Um as you probably know, a number of us on the dais here uh today are um either work for small businesses or own small businesses, and so I think we clearly understand the power that small businesses represent.

Um the role of small businesses in the community are so vital and so important, and this resolution as I read it will sort of articulate that.

Um and I'll go ahead and read the uh resolution, and then I believe we've got a number of speakers lined up that uh that would like to make some comments on behalf of various organizations.

So, this is a resolution recognizing May 3rd through 9th, 2026 as Small Business Week in the Pikes Peak region, whereas National Small Business Week celebrates the contributions of America's entrepreneurs and small business owners who drive innovation, job creation, and economic opportunity throughout our nation.

And whereas small businesses are the backbone of the Pikes Peak regional economy with an estimated 74,287, not 86 or 87 small businesses operating in Colorado Springs, representing approximately 98.7% of all businesses in the metropolitan area, and whereas these small businesses employ tens of thousands of residents and contribute significantly to the vitality of neighborhoods, the diversity of the local economy, and the continued growth of the Pikes Peak region.

And whereas the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center provides confidential advising, training, and resources to entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout El Paso and Teller Counties, helping them to start grow and thrive through free one-on-one consulting and low-cost educational programs.

And whereas the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado promotes ethical business practices and advocate advances marketplace trust by supporting consumers and businesses throughout accreditation, dispute resolution, education, and community engagement.

And whereas the Colorado Springs Chamber in EDC serves as a leading advocate for businesses and economic prosperity in the Pikes Peak region, supporting economic development, workforce initiatives, and strong environments for businesses of all sizes to succeed.

And whereas the collaboration of entrepreneurs, community organizations, financial institutions, and economic development partners ensures that the Pikes Peak region remains a vibrant and welcoming place for innovation, investment, and opportunity.

And whereas the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center, the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado, and the Colorado Springs Chamber in EDC will host the 19th annual Small Business Week celebration featuring educational workshops, networking opportunities, and recognition for outstanding small business leaders across the region.

And whereas these events provide entrepreneurs and small business owners with opportunity to gain valuable knowledge, build connections, and celebrate the important role small businesses play in strengthening the community and the regional economy.

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Colorado Springs, Section One that the City Council of the City of Colorado Springs hereby recognizes May 3rd through May 9th, 2026 as Small Business Week in the Pikes Peak Region, and it expresses its sincere appreciation to the entrepreneurs, small business owners, employees, lenders, advisors, and community partners who contribute to the strength and prosperity of our local economy.

Signed this day by our President Lynette Crow Iverson.

So with that, Brandon, would you like to make a few comments as the ringleader of Small Business Week?

Is your mic on?

The green button.

There you go.

It is on.

Yes, thank you.

Um good morning, Council.

Thank you so much for inviting us here this morning.

Um thank you for the opportunity to speak about National Small Business Week and the incredible impact that our small businesses have on our community.

My name is Brandon Eldridge, and I serve as the executive director of the Colorado SBDC serving Pikes Peak.

Um our center supports nearly 700 small businesses annually, contributing an additional $500,000 of sales tax back to the city of Colorado Springs annually.

These businesses are more than just storefronts, service providers, and employers.

They are the heartbeat of our local economy.

Through their work, our clients contribute, as I mentioned, nearly half a million dollars in sales tax and revenue back to the city of Colorado Springs.

This helps create jobs, strengthen neighborhoods, and help us create that character of our community.

Next week is our 19th annual celebration of Small Business Week, alongside the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC, the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado, and our presenting sponsor, US Bank.

Here in the uh attendance as well today.

So thank you for your support.

One of the most exciting uh events this year is going to be our bash at the Shine Mountain Zoo.

So in front of you, you have our small business safari uh flyer.

And if you uh are interested in learning more, we encourage folks to go to WW Pikes Peak SBW.com.

That's small businessweek.com, where you can find all of the run of show and all of our events for the entire week.

One of our highlights this year is we're going to be providing a $50,000 AI prize package on Thursday evening to uh uh a business that pitches for that competition.

Um today I brought a few friends with me, and I would hope that I can have an opportunity to let them speak and just make a couple short comments.

Um but I before I give up the mic, I just want to say thank you once again.

Our small business community truly appreciates the support that you provide.

The small business development center is truly grateful of everything that this community stands for, and I believe that we are the best small business community in the nation.

Um I'd like to bring up a couple folks.

I'll name all three of them if they all want to three come up.

Um we have Trevor Deerdorf of Amnet, Sandro Lopez of B Side Capital, a nonprofit lender, and Amber Lee Brown of Soapbox Marketing.

So Trevor, if you want to speak first.

Twenty-eight years ago, I was a PC Tech at Best Buy and North Academy.

And I had this idea to start a business serving small businesses in the region.

And I went to the SPDC and got guidance on registering my business with the state, what sort of business structure Amnet should have, and basics on coming up with a business plan.

And I think these were instrumental tools and resources that helped me launch a business that now 28 years later is still in business serving other local small businesses.

So I'm grateful to the work of Brandon and his predecessors that I think enabled my business and other small businesses in our region to launch and become successful.

So thank you for recognizing them this week.

Uh good morning, everyone, good morning, council members.

Uh, my name is Sandra Lopez, community development officer at Bisa Capital.

Uh, we are a non-profit lander helping a small business getting the access capital they need to succeed and continue growing.

And I'm here uh to support this small business week proclamation and also to support the wonderful work that the ASBDC does for our community, but also to support all the entrepreneurs and small businesses, our organization serve.

Um we are able to provide that finance to those small businesses because of the support of the ASBDC from financial projections, business plans, and everything they need so our boroughs can come back to these lender institutions and receive the funding available for them.

Uh we focus on commercial real estate, and we are helpful able to help those businesses getting that big dream of business ownership possible because of their support of this community.

Uh so thank you so much for supporting our small business community, and thank you all of you for being here today.

Good morning, I'm Amber Lee Brown.

I own Soapbox Marketing.

About a year ago, um, well, let me go back a minute.

I had met Brandon in networking and other areas.

So when I decided I was gonna take the leap and start my own business, he was the first person I wanted to reach out to.

And he said, hey, take this class, and I did.

Um a year ago today, or a year ago last week, I started my business and have brought on two more people under my team.

The small business week last year was the first thing I did as a business owner, and not only networking, but the classes were super helpful to me.

So thank you for supporting it, and uh, I look forward to being there again this year.

Thank you, council.

Thank you, Brandon, and thank you uh for your comments and and uh giving some background about the power of small businesses and how important um the SBDC is to uh what you've been able to accomplish in your in your businesses.

Um are there any other council members that would like to comment or sharing perspective?

If not, uh Madam President, would you like to do a uh commemorative photo with f a few of our folks?

Of course, if um we'll all join you down front if the four of you would like to come up for a we need to vote.

Yes, we do.

There's the matter of that.

Well, we can vote whenever.

We have a motion from Councilman Henjam and a second from Councilman Rainey.

Let's vote.

And the motion passes eight to zero.

Thank you.

Moving on to item five B.

Will the clerk please read item five B into the record?

City Council appointments and removals to boards, commissions, and committees.

Starting with planning commission, a vacancy occurred on the planning commission due to a resignation of a current member.

Councile on Stave Donaldson and Kim Casey recommended elevating Richard Ingall, who has served as an alternate member since October 2025 to a voting member position.

Councilmember Donald Senator Casey, do you have any comments?

Um I think uh councilmember Casey is uh is extremely familiar with the planning commission, so I'll I'll let him uh speak.

But I don't know if Mr.

Engel is here today.

Is he?

Uh I remember the interview with him for the planning commission, though.

He is a very a very smart man.

I think he's a former uh Air Force General, but just a very sharp guy, and uh Ken can speak to his performance on the Planning Commission.

Councilman Casey.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh yes, Rich Engle has been a great part of the planning commission as an alternate.

He moved up from alternate to a voting member, uh, was fully prepared, um, who knew every knew all the issues, participated uh extensively in the discussions we had, so I highly recommend him for elevation to voting member.

Next we have the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority Board of Directors.

Councilman Risley.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh I just wanted to speak to this and provide some background for my colleagues and for uh any interested citizens.

Um when this body dissolved CTAB, the Citizens Transportation Advisory Board uh last month or earlier this month, I guess it was.

Um it triggered a the need to rewrite the bylaws uh for the PPRTA and the PPRTA Citizens Advisory Committee or the CAC.

Um currently Councilmember Williams serves on the CAC and has for quite some time, not as a representative of the City of Colorado Springs, but a citizen at large.

And um a number of us felt like her background and experience as an engineer and sort of a subject matter expert when it comes to transportation and transit-related matters makes her very well suited to remain on the CAC.

But as part of these bylaw revisions, um one of the decisions that was being discussed or made was the idea of really with a spirit and intent of the citizens' advisory committee being comprised of not elected officials but citizens, volunteers.

So in order to deconflict the potential for uh Councilmember Williams to be a voting member on the PPRTA board and still allow her to serve on the PPRTA CAC.

Um one of the solutions that came forward was the idea of simply removing her as an alternate from the PPRTA board.

And so that's what this matter is here in front of us.

Um simply to, as I said, deconflict and allow us to revise the bylaws at the PPRTA CAC in a way that um uh sort of is in line with the spirit and intent of the citizens advisory committee.

Um Councilmember Williams, do you have any other comments you'd like to make or I I would just want to say that I'm honored to have served PPACG and PPRTA in some way, shape, or form for almost the last 15 years.

So I appreciate this change and I look forward to serving on the CAC.

And I know that there's communities around the state looking at our PPRTA in an attempt to model it.

And if at any point in time you think I can help with that, just let me know.

And I truly do uh um appreciate and value your service on the CAC.

I think again that you your background and expertise um truly has saved us at the board level um from a lot of brain damage and a lot of issues that that you've been able to uh identify and catch at the CAC level.

So thank you for your continued service in that regard.

Any questions that my colleagues might have that I can help answer?

Okay, thank you, Madam President.

I need a motion.

Have a motion from Councilman Gold and a second from Councilman Rainey.

Um they're annoyed with her comments, we will vote on these two items.

My screen doesn't have anything on it.

Yes.

And the motion passes a zero.

Moving on to Mayor's business item 6A.

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

An ordinance appointing Stephanie Boster as city attorney and prescribing her duties, compensation and tenure in office and superseding and repealing all prior ordinances inconsistent with the provisions of this ordinance.

Travis Easton.

Thank you.

Um after a lengthy process, uh process that I'd like to thank council for their participation in.

I am um introducing Stephanie Boster as the appointee for our next city attorney.

Um this is the first of two readings.

Uh while Stephanie is here, it may make sense.

Or if she wants to say something now, if you have any questions of her, um that's certainly certainly great.

But again, she will be here on May 12th at a second reading of this as well.

I'll bring it back to the dais for any um comments from council members.

If not, I need a motion.

Councilman Risley.

Thank you, Madam President.

I just want to welcome Ms.

Boster uh to the City of Colorado Springs.

Um look forward to working with you.

I think you'll be a great addition to the team, and uh certainly anything that we at Council can do to um help with your onboarding process.

Uh, we're we're very excited that you're here and more than willing to roll up our sleeves and help you out.

Have a motion from Councilman Donaldson and a second from Councilman Risley, who doesn't have a button.

Um let's vote.

Aye, it didn't show up.

I'm sorry.

But we have a motion and three seconds.

Four.

Four.

We can do a voice vote if it's easier for you.

Let's take a roll, please.

Because I'm completely frozen on my screen.

Do you want a roll call or you want a roll call?

Okay.

Councilmember Casey.

All right.

Councilmember Crow Iverson.

Aye.

Councilmember Donaldson.

Councilmember Gold.

Aye.

Councilmember Hinge.

Aye.

Councilmember the line member is aye.

Councilmember Rainey.

Aye.

Councilmember Risley.

Aye.

Councilmember Williams.

Aye.

Motion passes none to zero.

Moving item to items eight a.

Will the clerk please read item eight A into the record.

Resolution to authorize commercial recreation, the utilities controlled watershed areas and reservoirs.

Good morning, Abby.

Good morning, President Crow Iverson.

I'm Abby Ortega, and I'm here to talk to you about a resolution authorizing commercial recreation on utilities-controlled watershed properties.

Can I move on forward?

Um as we talked about at Utility Board last week, the current city charter and Colorado Springs City Code allows commercial or allows use on water color springs utilities, watershed properties that are consistent with maintenance of proper health, safety, fire protection, and conservation standards.

So council can allow recreation on on our watersheds as long as it meets those standards.

In addition, we will always ensure that if we have commercial recreation, we will have a managing partner to help us oversee that recreation.

The resolution that is before you authorizes commercial guided recreation within Springs Utilities Oversight for consideration by council today.

And what this will do practically is today because we have studied it and applied best management practices per our North Slope Recreation Area Plan that was presented to council or to utility board last week and is now posted on our website.

Those best management practices will allow us to open up North Slope Recreation Area for limited commercial activity through a pilot program that will be managed through Pikes Peak America's Mountain.

I so I sorry, I apologize for interrupting.

Trevor Burrus, the attorney's office.

Thank you.

Yeah, he he does intend to recuse himself.

My button isn't working, so I can't click in that I wanted to speak, but he communicated with me exactly what you just said that he's recusing himself from this topic.

And also we can't see Councilmember Line Weber online, but apparently he had his hand raised and was trying to uh let us know that.

So thank you for interrupting because you can't see me or hear me.

We can now.

We can hear you now.

Okay, well, good.

Fine.

Okay.

Anyway, yes, I've been trying to recuse myself with you know how something's going wrong with the technology today.

Anyway, so I I need to step out.

I actually own a commercial outfitter.

And um, and so because of that, um, I will be uh stepping out.

Um if someone could text me or let me know when I can come back again, I'd appreciate it.

So bye for now.

Okay, no, that's fine.

Um, the resolution does allow us the CEO of Colorado Springs Utilities to approve commercial recreation on other watersheds, provided we are completing the best management practices and we have that plan.

But today it's simply to allow commercial recreation on Norse would be the way we enact this resolution um going forward.

The benefits that commercial recreation activities can uh provide on utilities controlled watersheds include additional security measures and strengthen infrastructure protection to safeguard our critical assets, supports public recreation access opportunities that align with utilities core operations, it also can provide financial and environmental sustainability for maintenance of those watersheds and ensure adequate resource allocation for the sustainable management of the watershed properties.

And with that, um happy to take any questions.

I have a motion from Councilman Donaldson.

Um you do not you do not have a motion from Councilman Donaldson.

I do not have any other questions.

Okay, thank you.

Um Madam President, while we're waiting for technology to I would just make a motion that we approve the resolution if if that's acceptable.

I'll second that.

I have a motion from Councilman Henjam and a second from Councilman Gold.

And I guess are we gonna vote with our hands up?

You can take a roll call.

Just um, clerk, take a roll call.

Yeah, just hang on.

I gotta do all this old school.

So bear with me here.

Uh Casey.

All right, Councilmember Crow Iverson.

Just say yes.

Aye.

Councilmember Donaldson.

Aye.

Councilmember Gold.

Aye.

Council Member Henry.

Aye.

Councilmember Lineweimer.

Is excused.

Never mind.

Councilmember Rainey.

Aye.

Councilmember Isley.

Aye.

Councilmember Williams.

Aye.

Emily, I'm gonna refer to you.

Do you need a short recess to get this technology going, or do you think it's gonna matter?

And should we just keep going?

I think at this point it's probably best to keep going, but just know that the that the software system for our city clerk is down, which is why your tablets are down.

So I think moving forward, we just need to go manual um voice votes, roll call for now.

But I think we should press forward.

Thank you.

Moving on to item 8B.

Will the clerk please read him read item 8B into the record?

Consideration of resolution settings or natural gas roots, color response utilities March 2026 rate case.

Good morning and good luck.

Thank you.

Good morning, Chris.

Chris Bidleck, senior attorney with the city attorney's office utilities division.

At your last meeting on April 14th, you heard utilities March 2026 rate case related to the DIMP writer that was proposed.

At that meeting, you completed the record of the hearing and closed that hearing at that date.

Um yesterday I presented the draft decision order to you for further review.

And today we asked for your final vote on utilities proposals and the decision order that were provided.

Um happy to address any questions.

Absent that we would ask for a motion.

And madam president, uh I make motion to approve um item 8b.

I have a motion from councilman Donaldson.

I second.

Second from Councilman Um Rainey.

Um Clerk, can you please take a call?

Roll call vote.

Councilmember Casey.

All right, Councilmember Crow Iverson.

Aye.

Councilmember Donaldson.

Aye.

Councilmember Gold.

Aye.

Councilmember Henjam.

Aye.

Councilmember Rainey.

Aye.

Councilmember Risley.

Aye.

Councilmember Williams.

Aye.

Motion passes A to zero.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Moving on to item 9A.

Will the clerk please read item 9A into the record?

Ordinance number 26-16 repealing ordinances numbers 20-44 and 22-3 there by dissolving law enforcement transmercy advisory commission.

Councilman Rainey.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um before we uh move forward uh with taking any action on this particular uh ordinance.

I will hand it over to the chief of staff uh who would like to um share some comments on behalf of the mayor and the chief of police.

Thank you, Councilmember Rainey.

Um, based on a statement yesterday, I'll just read an excerpt from that.

Um that is we extend our sincere gratitude to the members of the law enforcement transparency accountability commission for their service, their time, their willingness to step into complex and often difficult conversations.

Together, we'll continue to focus on what matters most, keeping our community safe, strengthening trust, and ensuring accountability remains clear, direct, and responsible to the people that we serve.

Thank you.

Uh, with that being said, uh, I know we have to take a vote on this, uh, so I will leave my uh comments, madam president, to uh after a vote is rendered one way or another.

Okay, we will now move to public comment on um 9A.

Um, first up, we have Taylor Gray.

Can you make sure the green buttons on Taylor Sweethear?

Thank you.

Good morning, council Taylor Gray.

Uh, so I wanted to talk on this subject because it's not the only thing that we have that we're not consulting or that doesn't have teeth.

And I think it goes a lot with everything I've been coming here a lot to try to talk to you guys about about transparency and accountability and everything.

And it it's been really eye-opening to see that, you know, like with the transport uh group where we didn't reach out to them and ask questions and lean on those groups.

I imagine that this police transparency group were was a uh a lot of effort probably to get created in the first place.

And I have a serious fear that it's not going to be replaced with something stronger and something better.

And it kind of feels like taking the roof off your house right now when you don't have the supplies to build the new roof.

You're like, I'll get to it, you know.

We can't just trust that everything's gonna be okay.

People break the rules all the time.

I I think that's probably my main point in even coming to this council is just to make sure you guys all understand.

Like it's not about the rules that we make, it's about holding people accountable to those rules.

And so we need something strong.

We need something new, and we need something expansive.

Um, you know, I've been talking about the ice and everything like that.

It's bringing up a whole bunch of horrible memories from my past with the police and things like that that happened because there was no cameras.

I'm actually very, very for cameras and for visibility and everything like that.

I want I want the citizens to be able to control what happens with their police.

They are the ones there protecting us.

I I love my my men and women in arms, and it's so important to for keeping our city safe, you know.

It's not the lock on our door that stops people from kicking it down, it's accountability and it's the law, and it's the fact that you know someone's gonna go and do something about it.

But I don't know.

I I heard all this stuff about this policeman shooting citizens.

If that man is not fired, gone, made an example of someone else will do it again.

And the thing about laws is they're pointless if people don't feel like they have to follow them.

The law is you can't shoot citizens.

Someone shot a citizen.

Someone else will shoot a citizen if we don't hold them accountable.

So I I hope that you guys are all planning on working together to create something very soon and something newer and better and stronger.

Something that can then be used to tell you what you have to do.

I uh we need the citizens to be able to say, hey, this ain't cool.

The citizens have had hey, it ain't cool.

I hope that man is fired.

Thanks, guys.

Next up, we have Brandon Rinkan.

Hello, Council.

My name is Brandon Rincon.

I'm with the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

We're a grassroots organization fighting for police accountability and justice for people who have been victimized, brutalized, and murdered by the police.

Um, not just in Colorado Springs, but all across the country.

You know, we're a branch of the National Alliance, and the National Alliance has one demand, and that is community control of the police.

What that means is that it is everyday people who have the ability to decide how we are policed and who polices us.

Um currently there is no mechanism to holding officers accountable uh outside of police investigating themselves.

And we know that time and time again, police fail to actually act in a sense of justice when it comes to investigating other police officers.

They call it the thin blue line, right?

And so they have their thin blue line.

That's why we need community control of the police.

We need a civilian police accountability commission or council that's all elected, all civilian, has power to hire and fire officers, that has power to open investigations into officers, and that has the power to subpoena officers as well.

Um, and you know, this isn't something that's like not ever heard of.

There's plenty of oversight commission commissions all across the country.

There are plenty of oversight councils all across the country.

Um, you know, and my I remind City Council that Lee Tech did not come out of the goodness of y'all's hearts or whoever was on a council at that time, right?

Lee Tech came out of the struggle for police accountability in 2020 when millions of people took to the streets because we all watched a man get murdered on with our own eyes.

You know, we all saw the the killing of George Floyd with our own eyes, and it wasn't until millions of people took to the streets, it wasn't until thousands of people in Colorado Springs took to the streets.

It wasn't until tear gas, we wasn't until people were brutalized, it wasn't until many, many lawsuits that LeeTech was finally created.

And it was created to have no teeth from the start.

It was created to pacify this movement.

It was created to try and say, hey, look, we're doing something.

Well, we need to do something more.

All right.

And so I know that y'all can't actually create a board that that uh actually has oversight powers, right?

But y'all can talk to the mayor and y'all can work with the mayor.

And so I urge members of city council to really push Mayor Yemi to create this board, to create a board with real teeth that can really rein in police violence and terror in this city.

Um, and I ask that our allies, if y'all are scared to speak out for this, don't be scared.

Let the people help you.

You know, the people got your back, and we will stand with you as you stand with us.

All right.

There are many families that are grieving.

There are many people that are have suffered immense trauma.

And so we need something new, we need something better, we need community control of the police.

Thank you.

Next up we have Memphis Curry.

Hi, good morning.

I'm Memphis Curry.

I'm with the Colorado Springs Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

Um, I'm gonna be reading a statement on behalf of a sister of um a victim of police shooting.

So this statement is being read on my behalf.

I'm not only a community member, but the sister of a man killed by Colorado Springs police last year.

My brother was running away when Colorado Springs police shot him three times.

He was left on the ground dying while officers focused on locating a weapon instead of providing life-saving aid.

My family was left to live with the reality that my brother's final moments were not met with urgency, care, or humanity, but with the same indifference that too often follows police violence.

So I need to ask this council directly: why is officer Connor Jacob Wallach, who murdered my brother still employed and still wearing a badge?

How is it that there has been no visible meaningful accountability for taking a life?

And why should the public be expected to continue trusting a system that protects its own even in the most serious cases?

And like so many other families, we were then expected to trust the same system to investigate itself.

That is not justice, that is not accountability, and that is exactly why community control of the police through a truly independent civilian police accountability council, CPAC is necessary.

For too long, the city has offered the illusion of oversight while families bury loved ones and officers remain protected by the same system that failed us.

We do not need another advisory board designed to absorb outrage and produce no real change.

We need real power in the hands of the people.

CPAC must be fully independent, no ties to police, no former officers, no financial compensations or connections, no personal loyalties, no conflicts of interest.

The people tasked with holding police accountability cannot be connected to the institution they are meant to oversee.

And let me be clear: the power to independently investigate police misconduct is not optional.

It is essential.

Families like mine know exactly what happens when police are allowed to investigate themselves.

We get silence, we get delay, we get carefully worded statements while families are left to mourn without truth, without transparency, and without justice.

So I want to ask this council something directly.

What if it was your brother, your little cousin, your uncle, your best friend's sibling, your son, or your father?

Wouldn't you want real justice?

My brother should still be here.

If this council is serious about accountability, then build something with real power, not symbolism, not theater, not another empty promise dressed up as reform.

The people of this city deserve more.

Families like mine deserve more.

Justice for Alex and Justice for All.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That is the end of public comment.

I'll bring it back up to the dais.

Um I'm gonna ask for a roll call for a vote.

And a motion question.

Yeah, I know I know.

I'm just yeah, sure.

Just yes, Councilman Hindum.

Thank you.

I just know that we invited many LEETAC members here today, and I didn't you're gonna still speak.

Okay, I apologize.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

And before we vote, um I just want to clear have a clear time for discussion.

Is that what we're at now?

Discussion.

Okay, so uh a few thoughts from me.

Um it was said that say this police officer has shot a citizen.

Here's the truth.

Police officers are allowed to shoot citizens.

I'm a citizen, but if I took a gun and went out in the street and started shooting at people, and the police came up and said drop that weapon, and I pointed it at them, they would shoot me.

And I'm a citizen.

So it's it's okay for them to shoot citizens sometimes, depending on that citizen's action.

And now, whoever said that, when someone's breaking into your house and stabbing your family members and a police officer comes.

What do you want them to do?

So I mean we take people in safely.

All right, we're not gonna have a discussion.

Uh you had your time to speak, and this is mine.

So it's common sense and it's supported by the overwhelming majority of your fellow citizens that police should use uh lethal force in certain situations.

Today, those incidents are recorded, you know, on the on the police officer's camera, and it is put up within 30 days that all of us can see what happened.

So it was spoken about uh sometimes citizens are running from the police and they're shot.

Sir, I was silent when you spoke.

I'd ask for the same courtesy.

If you're running and you have a gun with you, it's a different situation than if you're just running.

And if you point that weapon at a police officer, they may they can use lethal force, and they should.

Okay, my brother was Sir, we're gonna ask all of the audience members to please hold their um comments.

You did have a chance to sign up for public comment, and you will respect the city the council members on the dais.

So I'll wrap up with this.

Another committee may be formed, or or I believe that'll kind of fall with the mayor now or not.

Hold city council and hold the mayor responsible for our actions.

Vote.

You get to vote on at least four of us sitting up here, the three at largest and whoever your district representative is.

So vote on us and hold us responsible.

I would say that the uh the vast majority of citizens want police to use lethal force in some rare instances, and they're always recorded, and we could and that's uh uh something that didn't happen in the past, but it does today, and you can watch every one of them now.

Uh I'll support this uh this motion today.

Thank you.

Is there any other comments from the daisy?

Um clerk, will you please take a roll call for the vote?

Um I apologize, I've been trying to make this system work.

Who made the motions?

We don't have a motion now.

Count I need a motion.

Yeah.

Yeah, he did Councilman Donald's.

I need a second.

Councilman Rainey, second councilmember Casey.

Councilmember Crow Iverson.

Aye.

Councilmember Donaldson.

Aye.

Councilmember Gold.

Aye.

Councilmember Hindum.

Aye.

Councilmember Lineweber is yes.

Councilmember Rainey.

Aye.

Councilmember Risley.

Aye.

Councilmember Williams.

Aye.

Motion passes not a zero.

Councilman Rainey.

Thank you, Madam President.

Um, once again, I wanted to make sure administratively things were taken care of before reading the statement.

And I do plan on issuing a uh public statement uh that will go out.

But what I would like to do at this moment is a couple of things.

One, thanks to the mayor and the chief of police for uh for issuing a joint statement for those who have uh come here twice now to uh offer public comment.

Uh I will say thank you.

Um this is not an easy topic.

Um, and I will continue to say this uh and will always say it.

It is a part of who I am.

A community can never be a community without its citizens involved.

Um and no matter what side of the topic um you are involved.

Uh with that being said, I know dissolving LEETAC was not uh taken lightly.

It was a multi-tiered, comprehensive legislative review uh by city council members, legislative staff, uh the LETAC commissioners uh along with the mayor's office and and others.

Um I do understand the criticality of this to some of the public comments.

Um there are many critical factors that were taken before dissolving or moving in this direction.

The 2019 uh shooting of Devon Bailey here locally, uh, as it was already mentioned, the attention, the national attention of the killing of George Floyd.

A lot of those things brought a lot of attention, what led to the creation of LEETAC.

Um now, while the LETAC ordinance in its former state now uh post vote and then the mission uh that it embodied uh had several goals, but I think it's time and it's very clear that we re-evaluate and repurpose uh what that looks like for us as a community, especially as a body with a community in this city that's definitely growing.

So I want to do two things at this moment.

One, I want to make sure it's very clear what the next steps are, because I think there is a fear that this vote is taking place and then things are just gonna drop off to the wayside.

There is going to be a warm handoff of those members who are currently a part of the former uh entity known as LEETAC over to the mayor's office and to the chief of police by myself.

I will be helping and working with other members to set that meeting up.

That's what we're calling a warm handoff.

Uh the mayor and the chief of police will then speak with those LEETAC commissioners, at least those who want to continue to be involved, and talk about a advisory committee or whatever him and others choose to move forward with.

So just for clarity, this will not drop in any cracks.

There will be a warm handoff to his office.

A meeting will be scheduled to be determined, but I know it's gonna be in the very near future to have those conversations with the uh current members of uh formerly known as LEETAC now.

The other thing I want to take the opportunity to do, we do have several members here in the audience uh who are uh members of LEETAC.

Once again, as the uh city council liaison, I've seen it firsthand.

I've seen the motions, I've seen the tough conversations, I've seen the video footage that they all had to watch.

It's not easy, it's not easy, but yet they stepped up and they volunteered their time and effort to be a part of this.

Uh and I just want to say on behalf of the mayor's office, the chief of police, uh, and of course myself as liaison, I want to thank you all for your time and your commitment uh for being a part of that uh and then your effort to continue to move forward and put something else uh and reevaluate and repurpose.

So with that being said, I would like to take the opportunity.

All members that are here that was a part of LEETAC as commissioners, would you please stand?

Let's give them a round of applause.

And not that I want to single out or highlight any one particular individual because everyone here to include members that have already spoken have uh witnessed or been a part of a tragedy.

Um, but also on the other side, uh one of the first chairs of LEETAC uh who is sitting in the back there, uh Rachel Fleck, husband, who is a law enforcement officer, was shot also and and died in the line of duty.

So she took on the challenge of being a part of LEETAC.

That's not easy.

It's not easy.

So I I do want us to, you know, there's very uh high emotions when it comes to this topic, but let's make sure that we move forward uh with a very clear conscience about how we want to move forward as a city, how we want to move forward as a council, uh, and to the chief of staff, as I already mentioned.

Uh this will be a swift ask.

This is not going to be just a drag out email.

Uh I I want to see something on a calendar ASAP so we can move forward and reassure people that this is not going to drop through the cracks.

Uh so the mayor can expect that pretty quickly.

Oh, yeah, Madam President.

Madam President, if I I'd like to be recognized if I may.

Of course, Councilman Henjam.

Thank you.

Um, I I want to say a couple of things uh regarding the service of of the LEETAC members.

Um, my husband, who's here um served as the first one of the first was a first co-chair with JJ Fraser for the um beginning of the LEETAC.

And I know the effort that he and others put into it.

I know that LEETAC, one of the very few commissions that met twice a month for a very, very long time.

They put a tremendous amount of work into um into their effort and into their mission, and um and really are the ones ultimately who felt like this was the right move to make.

Um, but there's one in particular, there's some there's some key things that they did accomplish.

And I want I want to make sure everybody knows about at least one of them.

And that was a recommendation um for crisis response teams that would join mental health workers with the police.

And that was a really profoundly impactful, positively impactful uh recommendation and decision ultimately that uh was made by the administration, the chief of police.

Um, and uh just I just want people to know that there was some good things that came out of this lead tech, and I'm very appreciative.

Thank you.

Seeing no other comments on the dais, we will move on to item 10b.

Will the clerk please read item 10b into the record?

10a and uh resolution authorizing the acceptance of a donation approximately 100 acres of land known as Pike View Quarry.

Hi, Lana.

Good morning, President Carayerson, uh, President Pro Time Risley, members of City Council, Lana Thielen, Design and Development Manager for the City Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department.

Um, here today on the Pike View Quarry.

We did present this to you yesterday.

Happy to go through the presentation again if you'd like.

Um, or if not, I do have two ownership representatives today here.

Um Jerry Schnabel and Ron Goodwitz, who would like to make a statement as well.

I'm sorry, we we're dealing with all kinds of um just curious if you'd like to hear the presentation, and if not, I have two ownership representatives that would like to give just a couple moments of your time.

And Madam President, uh, as the representative uh of that part of town uh in the neighborhoods around there, I know some of them will probably be tuning in today for the first time, so I think it would be useful to hear the presentation.

Happy to do that.

All right, so oriented you to the site today.

We are west of Interstate 25, uh northwest of Vindicator and Centennial Boulevard.

Um, you can see the uh area highlighted in kind of gray on the screen.

It is just southwest of uh Blodgett uh open space in this area.

Uh background on the site itself and how we came to this point today.

This is part of a three-part acquisition.

Uh the first piece of it was with the Pike View Quarry Frontage property uh was acquired in two phases.

Phase one was 88 acres acquired in 2020, and then phase two was 62 acres acquired in April of 2021.

Um in addition, there was a Black Canyon quarry uh acquisition that was 165 acres acquired in September of 2020.

I will show visuals of phase one and phase two in the next couple of slides so you can see where those are at.

But did want to mention that those two uh acquisitions were uh uh allowed the uh current owner to use some of those funds to raise uh to do the Pike View Quarry reclamation project.

And so once those two purchases were made, the quarry reclamation continued on.

And then at this point, we are at the third phase of this multi-part acquisition with the current donation request of a hundred-acre parcel that is the Pike View quarry.

In total, there are about 415 acres that would be coming to the city.

Just to orient you those two phases, the first phase, phase one.

Uh, if you'll look on the right portion of the red area, you'll see Allegheny Drive.

That does enter into the quarry itself.

Uh the red parcel is showing phase one.

And then this other red parcel here shows phase two.

These two phases were both combined together to be a part of the blogged open space and have been master planned through that process and are currently trail construction happening on those parcels.

And then finally, the location of the Pike View quarry is shown in red on the screen.

As you can see, that's adjacent to the two buffer parcels, and that quarry uh totals 100 acres in total.

I'm going to turn it over to David Diedemeyer in our office to finish the presentation.

Good morning, David Diedemeyer, senior topps program administrator for the Parks Department.

I want to take an opportunity to share some of the timeline, and then I'll go into a little bit more of the reclamation and that process brought to date.

So as we look at the history of the quarry itself, it began mining operations in 1903.

It soon expanded in the 1940s and 50s with the construction of the Air Force Academy and the expansion of the city of Colorado Springs.

The current ownership acquired the property in 1972 and took on those responsibilities for the reclamation and the operations of the quarry.

And those ultimately shut down the operations of the mining of the mine itself in 2018.

At that time frame, the ownership group moved forward with the reclamation permit through the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety.

As I highlight this map here, this really tells a little bit of a different story from a graphic perspective.

What I want to highlight is three of the ownership groups that are shown on this map.

The first one in that olive green on the right-hand side, that's a portion of the frontage that was acquired through our TOPS program and is now incorporated in with the blodgett open space.

The pink color represents the hundred acres of the Pike View quarry that's located in the center.

And then the darker green represents the U.S.

Forest Service and the Pike National Forest Ownership.

As they move forward with the reclamation permit, the state permitted the area identified in the solid blue color, so that represents the permit boundary.

Within that permit boundary is an affected area.

Graphically, that's shown on this map and that red color.

That red color really represents the area of disturbance that was incorporated within the reclamation of the quarry itself.

So what you can see is that red boundary overlays beyond the 100 acres and incorporates a portion of the open space as well as the Forest Service.

When the TOPS program moved forward to acquire that property, it incorporated and was negotiated in that that area of disturbance would happen and was part of the contract itself for the acquisition.

The additional disturbance that occurred on the Forest Service boundary was through a special use permit, and that was to provide for additional access to the upper elevations as well as the layback slope that was accompanied with the reclamation work.

The last thing to highlight on this map in that northern portion in the dark crosshatch is an area of 9.2 acres that reflect or 9.3 acres that reflects a filled dirt agreement area.

Again, negotiated into the acquisition of the property.

That 9.3 acres was utilized to take material and move it over into the slopes that were part of the reclamation work itself.

As Lana had alluded to, the acquisition process took place in 2020, 2021.

But those conversations began soon before that.

In 2016, we we started those conversations with the ownership group about the potential for open space acquisition and understand their future of the quarry itself.

So those donations, this donation piece of Pike View Quarry was incorporated into that process.

In 2018, the ownership group announced that the reclamation would happen up at Pike View and they would like to donate the land to the city.

At that time, there was a vision that was provided about an idea of a bike park.

In 2022, reclamation of the site began.

So the physical earth work started that process.

Along that same time frame, we began doing our master plan process for the blogged open space and those additional acreages up in front of Pike View itself.

That process was a 16th-month window that encompassed almost 1,500 individual citizens that provided feedback along the way.

We had 30 opportunities for public engagement, including our TOPS working committee meetings, our parks advisory board, as well as a city council meeting.

Through that process, we were very clear that Pike View was an opportunity to be donated to the city, but that that process, that planning process, did not incorporate any plans associated with the reclaimed quarry.

In 2015, the reclamation work and the revegetation was completed.

The state DRMS signed off and approved that late this past fall and initiated our opportunity to move forward with this independent review that I'll touch base on in a moment.

But that independent review has been completed, and we're moving this forward with the request.

As I mentioned, this was a highly publicized process, and over the last 10 years, there's been more than 36 media events or media stories that have covered specifically Pike View reclamation as well as a post-reclamation future.

So just to cover a few steps on the reclamation process, again, meant to be a very high-level conversation today.

If there's specific questions, we can certainly answer those.

But the ultimate goal was to establish a structural buttress that helped to hold up the slope and re-establish more natural stable slope at the toe of bike view quarry.

That was completed with moving 3.4 million cubic yards of material to build that buttress, over 127,000 cubic yards of topsoil for that growth medium.

During the process, there were daily inspections with the QAQC manager on site, and they tested every 5,000 cubic yards for not only a soil composition but also for that density testing.

Then there were monthly inspections with the Division of Reclamation and Mine Safety as well as the stakeholders, including the U.S.

Forest Service and the City of Colorado Springs.

That project ultimately seeded erosion control blanketed and riprap line those drainage channels, and they planted over 31,000 small trees and shrubs.

They also incorporated a Leica monitoring system, which was a laser system with prisms that allowed them to monitor the slope for any displacement.

And these three photos, you can see a timeline that 2019 on the left image, 2022 in the middle, and 2023 on the right.

It's the time lapse of that structural buttress being built up from the bottom up.

As we cut to this last image, this is when the majority of earthwork was completed.

You can see the regeneration of the grass growth and those drainage channels running across the slope were being incorporated into riprap channels.

So a significant amount of work to be able to stabilize this slope and move it forward.

A different perspective, just to show that timeline in 2020, prior to reclamation beginning, you can see the series of landslides that happened in the center of the SCAR.

Cut to 2023, the majority of that tow was being built up with the structural buttress.

And you can also see in this photo the significant amount of disturbance that was required for this reclamation process.

And as I mentioned, in that fill dirt agreement and those additional areas of disturbance outside of Pike View Quarry itself.

This reflects a really good image that depicts those disturbance areas.

In 2024, the majority of the earthwork was completed.

They're wrapping up the drainage channels at the lower elevations.

And you can start to see our final image in the fall of 2025 with that reclamation and the significant amount of grass growth that we had from a wet spring in 2025.

One thing I wanted to highlight because this is highly visible, and we are implementing our trail system with our blogged open space, is to touch base on that overlap of disturbance within the open space.

So on this map, you can see our new trailhead that's under construction in the foreground, the reclamation area and the background.

And I've identified the trail hub.

That's part of our blogget open space where our trail system will go to.

This map now reflects the overlay of the Pike View quarry.

And you can see how that open space is integrated into the ownership group of Pike View and how that reclamation work again was beyond the 100 acres.

That green swath then represents the area of disturbance within the open space.

Why I think this is important to bring up is that we are implementing our trail system per the blogget open space master plan, and a portion of those trails do crisscross the reclaimed area within the open space.

So when we do open that up this spring, there will be trail use and public access to a portion of the reclaimed area, but not within the Pike View quarry.

So to wrap up my portion, I wanted to highlight a little bit more of the reclamation review that we had conducted.

I think it's important to stress that this site was engineered, highly regulated by the state and independently reviewed.

And this process really holds fast as a transparent process where the city of Colorado Springs was welcomed at every step along the way.

So as mentioned, we conducted a third-party review that looked at it, evaluated the reclamation design, construction, the historic failures, and current slope condition.

They identified that past instability was driven by the weak clay layer, groundwater, and the mining-related slope conditions.

That independent review also confirmed that reclamation improvements, that buttress and the drainage improvements have significantly increased the stability of the site.

They conducted a water sensitivity analysis to determine that if there are elevated groundwater levels, there is a decrease to that stability.

However, the site still remains stable.

They further recommended that we monitor for that groundwater for the slope movement to maintain that Leica system to understand if there is any displacement and to be able to provide that maintenance as needed to move forward.

So in order to do so, there are some costs that are going to be incurred associated with that.

The way we looked at it was essentially three different levels or time-related terms.

And in that short term, really over the next few years, we anticipate a low cost associated with the maintenance.

And then we anticipate having our staff be able to conduct light maintenance, including some of that drainage maintenance, utilizing our existing equipment and employees.

We do anticipate additional costs associated with implementing the groundwater monitoring system and then to further manage that property with noxious weeds, security and signage, and then work on those proactive maintenances that are beyond just kind of the one-day fixes.

It may be a few more days worth of work.

That third term, the longer term really looks at if there are issues that arise in the bigger condition, we would have some additional costs to address those, and we don't know them at this time, and they may not ever come up.

But it is important to note that with proper monitoring, if we start to see issues, we can be proactive and address those as we move forward.

For our schedule here, again to highlight, we had the opportunity to share this presentation yesterday.

We're here today for the vote, requesting the acceptance of the donation.

And part of the driving force behind that is we've had the opportunity since the state approved this back in the fall of last year to close the deal.

Part of our process as the city to feel comfortable was to be able to move this through the independent review.

And that took a significant amount of time.

And so we've been able to accomplish that.

We're here today with that information, knowing that that third-party reviewer has supported the project and reflects that it is stable.

That allows us to continue to move forward with our real estate transaction to close by May 15th before any additional costs may be incurred.

So we leave the motion on the screen here and open up to any questions you may have.

Councilman Hinjam.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh yeah, David, I I don't know if you want to or Lana or someone else wants to opine a little bit about well, I will certainly be supporting this.

And uh uh and in fact, I'll make a motion right now to support this uh resolution.

And um bringing land into the city um into the parks department does require, as you just discussed, more maintenance.

And I think it's an opportunity to do a little bit of education about the budget that we have and the challenges we have with balancing that acquiring of open space, um serving our parks, but also maintaining, and we know we have uh tremendous deficits in our ability to keep maintenance.

So I'm just I'm just asking you to share really honestly with all of us some of those challenges that you face in the parks department.

Yeah, I would like to turn that over.

I think that's a little bit beyond my specialty right now.

Sorry, I did not give Lana a heads up about this.

So that's okay.

Good morning.

Um I think that's a very valid question, and you were right at this uh certain time in our parks department history, we do have some significant uh backlogs in our main maintenance of our properties uh as well as our assets.

Uh, we're actually going through the park system master plan process right now, and uh, we are figuring out kind of those deferred maintenance costs.

And so, as we do take on new land, we definitely do understand that it's not only um immediate maintenance costs, but also some of those long-term lifecycle costs that are included.

Um, and we do have uh more of a difficulty at this point in time to look at those long-term life cycle costs.

Uh, we also agree that that's an important component as we take on land and want to be good stewards of our land in the future so that we can take the care of those longer term.

Um, I will tell you that as we come forward with our park system master plan, we will have those numbers for you and be able to give you an image of kind of where we are today and where we would like to go in the future, um, and potentially having some additional funding coming to the parks department.

Did that address your question?

It's a beginning.

Thank you.

Councilman Donaldson.

Yeah, thanks, uh, Madam President and Lana.

I don't if you want to take your seat, that's fine.

I think David can probably handle all these.

Um, first I want to thank uh our acting parks director, Kim King and Lana Thielen and David Dietermeyer for uh taking councilwoman hengman myself out to the site just last week.

So we got to see it firsthand and answered you know any questions we had at that time.

I want the citizens who live near there to uh know that that happened.

Um, I've expressed my uh uh uh really dislike of going what's called back to back with this, where we hear it at the work session yesterday, and then we immediately vote on it the very next day.

That is abnormal for really anything we do here at council.

We only do that under exceptional circumstances where it has to be done.

Um I disagreed with that up front.

I still think it's the wrong way to go.

The majority on council want to do it this way.

Can you once more explain why parks requested to go what we'll call back to back two days in a row with this item?

I appreciate that comment and respect your opinion on that.

What I would say is that during the the process of the donation agreement that was completed several years ago, it was identified a two-week time period in which the state would approve and release that surety bond that it would be transferred over to the city.

We held the option to be able to do an additional third party review at that time.

As it happened to move forward this past fall, we had the notification from the state that it has been approved.

We initiated that third party review.

It quickly became evident that the time needed to review thousands of pages of documents to do additional modeling by our geotechnical engineer would take a significant amount of time.

So we initiated that process.

We made the request to the ownership group.

They were patient with us.

They agreed to extend it to the May 15th date.

However, I would say that they've incurred additional costs primarily since January 1st, where they are ready to transfer this over and allowed us the additional time to move that forward.

They've absorbed those costs between now and May 15th.

And so we're looking to be able to continue with this real estate transaction to be respectful to both parties and to be again stewards of the resources.

Yeah, and I fully support taking the months we needed to to have a third party review it and take as much time as we need, uh, even if it cost us a little bit more.

Um the closing date is May 15th.

If we had done the normal procedure and voted on it two weeks later, two weeks from today, that would be May 12th.

To me, that still works, and we could have done it that way.

And as we go into a um master plan for this area, citizen trust or citizen belief that we're not trying to shorten time speed things up so that citizens don't have the opportunity for full invol involvement and full participation.

I think is extremely important.

And I worry that when we start off like this, it sets a uh atmosphere where citizens are suspicious of what we're doing on the city side.

So again, I wish we had done this the normal way, but this is the way the majority of council wanted to go at your um recommendation.

Can you say again uh what I think concerns citizens up there too is in that part of town is what uh how's it really going to be used once the city receives it?

Can you talk about that master plan process and uh how that will work?

Yes.

So our focus right now is of course to accept the donation to secure that ownership.

Moving forward, we would start a public process to be able to have a conversation with the community, with the neighbors and the stakeholders to understand their opinions and values of that property and how it should be used moving forward.

The spectrum on what that is could be a wide range, everywhere from a wildlife area for the bighorn sheep to a recreational hub as discussed by some individuals related to a bike park.

Where that falls on the spectrum, we need to have that public process to determine it.

Um, as the parks department, we're responsible for managing land, being good stewards of the resources, and so we find value in having those community conversations, but also having conversations with those professionals associated with uh the environmental services that can give us better direction on how to better manage those resources and the property moving forward.

But we need that public process to allow us that time.

Okay, thank you.

Thanks, David.

And uh I'll just encourage uh citizens to participate in this uh this master plan process when it opens up.

That that will be your chance to influence um what how the land is used.

And there are always in things like this interest groups who are organized and will strongly advocate for their their use, cyclists for one, mountain bikers.

I I can see that.

Um regular citizens who aren't parts of the of these motivated groups, uh they need to be aware that's your chance to be part of the process, express your opinions, show your numbers.

If not, then the uh vocal group will uh will carry the day with parks, and that's just kind of how it works.

So I encourage citizens to uh stay tuned in and participate, especially those who live nearby.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

Councilman Hindem.

Uh thank you, Madam President.

And David, I don't have any questions for you.

I actually just have some reflections that I'd like to make.

Um, and you can sit down if you want, because it's gonna take just a minute.

Um it was about 56 or 57 years ago, and I was a elementary school student at Douglas Valley Elementary School on the Air Force Academy.

And my uh fifth grade teacher with the the mining was going on in the mountain, and uh it was a very big scar.

And uh we ended up writing letters to our state legislator, uh legislatures uh about the um mining on the mountain and uh the damage that it was causing.

And I've thought about that many times as we are now um getting ready to receive this land uh and uh recla, and it's been in the process of reclamation.

And and that got me to thinking a little bit about a number of things.

Um, first of all, I I want to acknowledge that the land that we are on right now is in fact the ancestral home of the northern Ute, the Southern Ute, and the Ute Mountain Ute.

And short of reading a full land acknowledgement, I I just simply want to acknowledge that because I want to talk about um a teacher, Robin Wall Kimmer, who wrote a book called Braiding Sweetgrass.

And to you, students, I think you would really enjoy it if you haven't read it.

It's very powerful.

And she's a member of the Citizen Pottawatomi Nation, and she shares a framework that I think is worth discussing in this moment.

Um, because this is land as commodity, and that is really, you know, that's how we that's how we function in our society and in our world.

But that's not the only way to think about land.

Um she has a few, I'm gonna share a few of her her teachings and thoughts about land.

That land is a gift, not a commodity.

She contrasts our Western framework of land as property or resource with the indigenous understandings of land as a generous, animate giver to us as human beings.

And when we treat the earth as a gift, we feel gratitude and obligation.

And when we treat it as inventory, we only feel entitlement.

This reframing matters in policy work.

How we name something, be it an asset, a resource, commons, a relative, it shapes how we govern it.

She talks about reciprocity is the foundation of a healthy relationship with the natural world.

And I want to believe that our parks department approaches their work on our land with that sense of reciprocity.

Um take what you need and ask permission.

Um don't take the last thing.

Be in relationship with the land and the gifts that it brings to us.

And lastly, that she has many, many more, but the last one I'll mention is restoration is a practice of relationship, not just remediation.

So healing damaged land is not only an engineering or an ecological task, which we've just learned a lot about.

It is a moral and a cultural one.

She asked us not to restore just only ecosystems, but our own capacity to how we belong to the land.

So it has direct impacts on our communities and how we develop our city and the land around us.

Urban forestry, ground filled reclamation, parks.

We are restoring not just function, but our relationship to the land.

And so I'm very proud to vote for this.

I think we maybe even have, I don't know if they're going to speak the owners of the land, and I I would invite them actually to come up.

Um, I think we've learned a lot about how we use the land, and I'm glad that we're restoring this.

I'm glad that it's coming into our parks department.

And I hope this gives us all a moment to think a little bit about.

Let's challenge our ideas about what this beautiful earth is that we have and how we're in relationship with her.

Thank you.

Councilman Williams.

Thank you.

Um I couldn't agree more, Councilman Hendem, which is why I encourage everyone to plant daffodils as often as you can, because magically they just seem to cut them come up in the spring, irises too.

They bring lots of um joy and color and beauty, and thankfully in Colorado Springs, they don't need a whole lot of water.

Um, and I also want to piggyback on the notion that we don't have a lot of maintenance dollars.

We are dealing with budget challenges right now.

So I agree that it's good to add this into the system, but I think the community should be aware that it may be a while before we bring it completely to fruition because there are parks where people currently live that are in need of maintenance that need some tender loving care and taken care of.

And I personally think that's our main priority.

Again, thank you, Kim King, for shepherding this uh in the interim.

We appreciate all of that.

And um I think it is important to give time when it comes to the closing of property.

We did hear this two weeks ago.

Um, yes, we are aware of of what's happening, but when you're coming to uh a property closing three days is is tight.

So I agreed that we should hear this today.

If we're going to move forward with this, we should vote on it today.

That gives all parties ample time to do everything they need to do and make sure the dollars are right, the math works, and and that no one's feeling rushed.

So I appreciate all of your work on this.

And of course, I love the engineering that's happening in the background, and thank you very much.

I'll now open this up to public comment.

Um, on this topic, we have Steve Harris.

Good morning, City Council.

Uh, thanks very much for the opportunity to speak today.

I am the chair of the uh Colorado Springs Parks Recreation and Cultural Services Advisory Board, but I am not here today speaking on behalf of the board.

Um, although we've talked about the quarry at our meetings, uh, we didn't take any formal action on it.

So I'm really here just in my individual capacity as a citizen.

And a longtime observer of the parks department.

Um I actually served on the first tops working committee back in 1997.

I've been on parks board, I was there from 1999 to 2005.

Now I'm back on Parks Board again.

So I've had a lot of opportunity to see how our parks department has worked and how our system has developed.

And we have a world-class park system.

And I happened to be on a panel discussion last week with Jan Martin, who used to be a city councilor, and uh Becky Lineweber from the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance.

And we talked a lot about the Our Spacious Skies survey and how much how the scenic beauty of this community is so important to our quality of life and our economic prosperity, and how we have visionary projects.

And this is one of those visionary projects.

Uh things don't happen overnight.

And I can assure you that when the master plan comes forward to Parks Board, we will have a transparent, fair, open process.

Nothing has been predetermined about this property, and we will allow every citizen to participate in that process to determine what is the best use and what's the balance between preserving the natural resources and recreation.

Um so rest assured that that will be coming.

I really appreciate the comments about funding.

That is something we are very, very concerned about, as I know you all are as well.

There are a lot of discussions going on about the funding issue.

I'm involved in those, and we hope uh after the master plan is finished, uh, sometime this summer that we'll be back talking about how can we find uh the funding we need to preserve and protect our amazing parks department.

So as you can tell, I'm very much in favor of this uh donation being accepted.

I thank you for your time, and uh if you have any questions, you're welcome to ask me.

Otherwise, I will thank you, Steve.

Next up, we have Glenn Carlson.

Good morning, Council members.

Uh Glenn Carlson with the Trails and Open Space Coalition just wanted to speak in support of this as well.

Um there's an old saying uh don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

So if somebody's delivering a nice beautiful horse to you, please don't bother checking its teeth.

And I think this is one of those cases.

Um, if we were to go out and try to purchase uh 415 acres on the open market to add to our park system, I'm sure you can all imagine the number would be astronomical.

And that's before you even put a shovel to it to do anything with it.

And so um, you know, growing up here, there were really kind of two scars on the mountain.

The big one, the the big slab that you could see, the Queen's Canyon quarry.

And I, you know, when I was a kid, I probably asked the same questions you did.

What what is that?

Why do we have that?

Um, and it was there to support our growth and development for a long time since 1903 is when many of these properties first came online.

So we're talking about 123-year um existence here.

And so, you know, but undoubtedly they were ugly.

I think we can all agree on that.

Um Pike View, same story, similar situation.

Um the second part of this is process though.

This is how this is supposed to work.

Um, you know, there was a key part of our community for a long time, contributed enormous amounts of limestone to fuel our growth and our development and build many of the structures that we use day in and day out.

Um, but that it's that time has come.

It's it's nearing its end of life, and um I'm happy to see it being turned over to our parks department.

Um, you know, as David uh Dietermeyer spoke about earlier, uh this has already been reviewed by the Department of Reclamation, checked off as stable.

Uh they went and saw a third-party review, which also gave uh gave a thumbs up and deemed it stable.

And so I have no qualms with the process whatsoever up to this point.

Um to add four 415 acres to an already incredible open space with bloggett, that might I add is becoming more incredible as we speak with the trail system that's being expanded as part of what was the open space plan for bloggett in the first place.

And so we're now coming full circle.

Um sorry, uh parks funding is probably a separate conversation.

I don't have enough time for it.

It does spill over into this, undoubtedly.

Um what happens to this property moving forward, though.

I can uh I can attest that Tosk will be a creative to that bastard planning process, and we will bring our army out to make sure that all voices are heard to make sure the community gets exactly what they want out of this property.

And so uh again, I ask for your support in accepting this property into our parks department.

Thank you.

Um that closes public comment comment.

Um moving it back to the dais, and that there no other discussion.

I have a motion from Councilman Henjam.

Oh, Councilman Hingem.

Well, I uh I wanted to recognize David, who I think David, do the property owners want to make some comments.

I'd like to hear from them.

If I may request uh time that our property owners could come up and speak.

This is Ron Goodwitz, he represents ownership group.

Good morning.

Good morning, uh Madam President.

Uh Council members, David, thank you very much.

Uh I just like to take a couple of minutes and maybe give you a little bit of context for this don uh this donation.

My family, who is the owner of Pike View as well as uh several other businesses here in town, have been corporate citizens since 1972.

Uh uh we had taken the responsibility back then to uh uh quarry rock from Pike View Quarry as well as the Black Canyon, and over the years that we owned a company called Transit Mix, which was the principal ready mix operation here in town.

We believe up until 2018, we poured roughly 2060 of all of the concrete that's been used on Colorado Springs.

So we've taken from the land as the council uh member has suggested, but we've also now returned it to the city, we believe several times over.

We are pleased to make this donation.

As I said, we've been a we've been a corporate citizen here for 70 some odd years.

We expect to continue.

Uh we still own two door businesses here in town, uh Serenity sliding door, which makes sliding doors nationally, as well as a door distribution business.

Used to be called McKenney Door Solutions, it's now called American Door Properties at American Door Products as we expand that business throughout uh this nation.

Uh, we're pleased to be a member of the corporate community here in town.

We'll, as I said, continue to be a member, and we are pleased to be able to make this donation, should you all choose to take it.

Thank you.

We appreciate that very much.

I I just would like to recognize recognize two people from our team, Jerry Schnabel, who uh was uh led the effort both uh to pour concrete here for many many years as well as to oversee the rehabilitation and reclamation of the Pike View Quarry, as well as Lauren Miller, who's was our uh chief financial person, chief financial person overseeing the economics of this uh transaction.

So thank you.

That is the end of public comment.

I see no other um comments on the dais.

We have a motion from Councilman Hinjam and a second from Councilman Rainey.

Let's vote.

The motion passes eight to zero.

Moving on to item 10B.

An ordinance repealing and reordaining appendix K, wadland urban interface requirements and part one fire prevention code of Article 4, fire prevention of Chapter 8, public safety.

Good morning, Chris.

Good morning.

Madam President, President Pro Tim, members of the Council, Chris Cooper Fire Marshal.

I'm here this morning to present amendments to the wildland urban interface requirements of the Colorado Springs Fire Code.

As we've spoken before, this is tied to the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code Board and their changes.

And so I'll present today the code changes that we're bringing forth to City Council.

Just a note on the ADA accessibility of our slides.

We believe that they are fully accessible, but if there's any questions or concerns, please reach out.

So the background, the uh Senate Bill 2316 established the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code Board.

And that board was uh chartered with developing a statewide fire prevention code related to wildfire resiliency across the state.

And uh on June 1st of 2025, the state adopted that Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code.

And the language within that code adoption and that uh Senate Bill process required that uh all jurisdictions across the state of Colorado adopt said code or uh something equivalent by April 1st of 2026, and that must be implemented uh in all jurisdictions by July 1st, 2026.

Uh we have obviously missed that April 1st deadline for adoption, um, but we are moving forward.

Uh there was some difficulty uh in getting our map adopted at the state level, which I can speak to as we move forward today.

So the highlights and the impact to our community.

Uh the new code applies to both commercial and residential properties, whereas our previous wildfire interface code only applied to residential properties.

We estimate uh that would impact us to the tune of about 1200 to 1500 projects a year that come through this community for permitting that would fall within our wildland urban interface areas.

We did not make any change to our existing WUI shape on the west side of town.

Um that has stayed the same.

We have added a new uh portion of the wooy on the east side of town to undeveloped land, and uh again, we'll cover that in a minute when we show the map.

And ultimately, we believe this strengthens our community effort for wildfire mitigation efforts.

So, some key updates.

Um the state broke down their code into two classifications, class one and class two in the wildfire risk areas, and so we have done the same.

Uh, this also applies to residential and commercial properties as I spoke to, and creates a new map for reference for us.

Um when we talk about the general requirements, uh, there's two things that we really look at when we talk about wildfire mitigation.

One is structure hardening, the other is vegetation management.

And so the general uh requirements apply to roofs, uh fuels being vegetation, site management, structural hardening, and there are different provisions for both class one and class two requirements.

And then we take that in the specific requirements, and that applies based upon what risk area you're in, and that includes fuel site management, retain walls, fencing, and structure and hardening requirements.

So when the state did their risk map and they considered uh what was a class one area and what was a class two area, class one refers to the vegetation and the wildfire risk that presents.

And so we're looking at light to medium surface fuels, low rate of spread, spotting possible and windy conditions, and increased fire activity as that slope increases.

When we look at a class two risk area, we're looking at moderate to heavy fuels, uh, a more rapid rate of spread in those fuels uh was fire burns through there, short range uh spotting is common, medium to long range based upon windy conditions, and increased fire activity on slopes 30 percent or greater.

And so, as we've created our map and look at how we've created our risk map, um it's pretty clear how we've delineated those risk areas based upon those classifications.

This was the uh the state wildfire risk uh map that was published, yellow being low risk, orange being moderate, and high being or red being high.

And uh that was based on a model that took into consideration the the vegetative fuels, the topography, local wildfire patterns, local wildfire history, and fire behavior modeling.

Um we're making decisions on what we do locally.

Um our experience and our observations really didn't align and agree with the state risk map.

And so we did some work on our own.

We did some modeling and we developed our own risk map based on what we felt were more accurate conditions that we saw locally.

This is the map that we came up with.

Again, the red is our existing wooy, and that shape remained unchanged.

About 24% of our population lives in that wooy area, somewhere in the neighborhood of about 33,000 acres and 36,000 parcels of land.

The new wooy is in green.

Currently, about 7% of our population, about 28,000 acres.

And currently, there's about 10,000 platted parcels within that space.

Most of that space remains undeveloped.

This code will apply as those new developments come into that area.

So class one provisions from structure hardening standpoint, there's really not a lot of change.

We already have a class A roofing ordinance in our community since 2003.

There's requirement for non-combustible gatherers and downspouts, which is an industry standard.

And the biggest thing on class one properties is listed and or screened vents for the attic space.

When we look at the site requirements, that would be five foot of non-combustible zone around the house, no landscaping within that area.

There's some exceptions for some low flammability plants.

Non-combustible retain wells that are within eight foot of the structure, and non-combustible fencing within eight foot of the structure.

We've also brought in that our current code did not include is uh common areas and developments must also uh be in compliance with our fuels mitigation requirements.

Um that existing that does not apply in our existing LUI.

Class two provisions takes all those things that we talked about for class one and then adds non-combustible exterior materials, base of walls are protected, non-combustible decking, uh protected doors and windows, and spark arresters on wood burning appliances and the site and landscaping provisions, those do not change.

Those are currently what's in our code with uh brush patches separated by 10 foot has trees at least 15 foot away from structures and pruned and limbed up.

Um the class two provisions that we have in are very much in line with our current WUI provisions in Colorado Springs.

And in fact, those were uh the basis for a lot of the decisions that were made at the state level for their code.

So this is an example of what we look at when we look at fuels.

We have the immediate zone around the house, that's zero to five foot.

That area would be completely free of any uh combustible uh planting, mulch, anything within that space, with the exception of some low flammability plants.

That intermediate zone is that five to thirty foot.

That's where we're gonna see uh the clearing of dead material, no large accumulations of any combustible products, and some separation of trees and brush.

And then when we get into that expanded zone that 30 to 100 feet, uh we see some tree spacing provisions there as well.

Most lots in Colorado Springs would not see much in terms of that expanded zone, uh, due to the nature of how we develop here.

Here's a quick comparison of what that looks like, the difference between class one and class two.

And so class one uh looks like we have about six of those provisions that apply within the class one environment.

Class two includes all those things on that list that we've already covered.

Financial impact, obviously, any financial impact varies greatly based upon size of structure, the architectural design, the materials used.

Uh, we had a local builder uh speak to us and provide us some basic cost estimates for class one that could be up to about 1200 per residential property.

The majority of those costs honestly are going to fall within that restriction on combustible fencing within eight free of the structure.

And same with the class two uh already in the existing MUI builders are used to build into that class two requirement, and that's the standard in those environments.

Um then the the graphic just shows uh kind of what a protected versus an unprotected home would look like.

So, considerations, uh, this was brought forward as a state mandate as a matter of statewide concern under the public safety umbrella, uh, which uh some interpretations have said this is exempt from our home rule status.

Uh certainly that is up to the uh attorneys to speak to that.

Um a big implication that really brought us a lot of concern was we have to adopt this code by June 30th, 2026 locally, and the implications of that tie to state energy code requirements.

Uh, Roger Level from the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department is here, and he can certainly speak to any of those concerns as well.

Uh, when we look at fuels management and landscaping, one of the biggest challenges we always have is uh when a home is signed off and it gets a certificate of occupancy.

There's not a real strong process in place for us to address that.

And so we've relied heavily upon education of those homeowners.

And uh we've continued to elevate our programs uh to the point of now uh within 30 days of a certificate of occupancy, we're actually trying to make contact with those new homeowners and provide them educational information so they know what the requ requirements and rules are as they landscape their property.

Uh we have been in conversation with HOA groups and landscapers, and we will continue to do so in hopes that the HOAs can continue to support us through their architectural and review committees to help spread the word and uh ensure those properties are properly landscaped and uh complying with code.

Our public process, uh, we very much rely on our stakeholders uh for feedback, and we appreciate their input in this process.

Uh we've made presentations to HBA Downtown Partnership and Development Review Um Advisory Committee.

Uh we've also had a review by the fire board of appeals, and we've worked in close collaboration with Pikes Peak Regional Building Department and City Planning on the processes and procedures.

And we will have ongoing training and public process with stakeholder groups moving forward.

In fact, I leave this meeting when we're done here and go up to HBA and do a lunch and learn with them today to help continue to educate the the builders on the provisions of this code.

So our options moving forward are to amend appendix K to include the wildfire resiliency provisions that we've modified into our code.

Uh we can adopt the state wildfire resiliency code as written under a local ordinance.

We can maintain our current appendix K as written with no change, or we can repeal our current appendix K out of the fire code and adopt as a standalone ordinance.

Our recommendation moving forward is to go ahead and move forward with uh proposing our proposal is to adopt appendix K amendments within the fire code.

The reason for that is our existing code already contains those code requirements.

Staff in the industry are used to looking for those there.

And as the enforcing agency of these code requirements, it makes sense to have those embedded within the fire code.

And so uh, like I said, we went through and we're incorporating those uh applicable provisions out of the wildfire resiliency code.

When we did our code comparison, we took those provisions of the state code that were more restrictive than local code, brought those into our existing code in those areas where we were more restrictive than the state code, we kept those provisions in place.

And so we didn't want to water down what we had in place already, but we wanted to ensure that we aligned with the the state code.

And then uh obviously we would adopt our local map uh instead of the state wildfire risk map.

Uh the state code board has approved our local map for use.

And so that was our big hurdle in uh the timing getting before this board.

So uh that is my presentation for today.

I'd be happy to answer any questions or concerns from this board.

Councilman Hingem.

Uh thank you, Madam President.

Um, Chris, uh, can you talk a little bit about I mean, this is really important for new build, correct?

Um there's no doubt thousands of homes who who don't actually technically meet these code requirements in the area.

Is that is that a fair supposition?

That is very fair.

You know, we've had uh wildfire resiliency provisions within our code uh going back to 1993.

And so this is about our fourth iteration of uh increasing the codes in our community.

And uh and we recognize that um that makes it difficult for some communities that don't have uh you know the same provisions, and we see a lot of homes in our community that aren't code compliant.

And uh, you know, that's typical with any building.

When it's built, it's built to a certain standard, and then uh you know, as codes change, those are not retroactive codes.

We work very closely in concert with 143 HOAs currently in our community, and we do educational uh presentations of those boards on a regular basis.

And um, you know, we do our Living with Wildfire series.

Uh we have an exceptional website with lots of information.

And so why we um we hope that the community engages and makes smart choices on how they uh protect their home voluntarily.

There's not a retroactive requirement other than if they do live within these risk areas and do uh home remodeling or additions, those uh portions of the work they do have to comply with code.

Yeah, uh very much appreciate that.

And I I think there's greater and greater awareness around wildfire and concern just based on the drought, and and you know, it's something people are thinking a lot about.

So it's love hearing that you have those relationships with the HOAs.

Not every neighborhood, of course, though, has an HOA.

So short of your, you know, your efforts at at public um education and so forth, things you have on your website.

Are there any other um thoughts or ideas or or ways even that city council could support um the fire marshal in um helping to educate people who live in homes where they may not even have any real awareness about you know their their current environment and what they might be able to do to improve it?

That's a great question.

I appreciate that.

Um it's hard in those existing neighborhoods.

So I don't know in terms of the action that city council could do to address those existing non-conforming homes, right?

Um but I would certainly ask for this uh council's support and moving forward as we see new developments come through, and we ask this uh for support of this council in ensuring wildfire resiliency codes are uh you know um approved and maintained throughout our community, uh that would be the important action for this council.

Great.

Thank you very much, Chris.

Councilman Rainey.

Uh thank you, Madam President.

Uh quick question of the 143 HOAs uh that we have, of course, I don't think you've engaged at all 143, but was there any common concerns that you heard from DHOAs moving in this direction?

You know, we operate uh in a very open environment with these HOAs.

We're invited to, we do, I think roughly uh almost 60 HOA meetings a year.

And so as we speak to these groups, uh generally speaking, uh the the HOAs that we speak with are are very much in support of what we do and share a common concern about wildfire risk to this community.

And so um we don't hear any pushback.

In fact, we hear uh what can the fire department do to support us?

Um we've spoken to a um a community risk survey that we're currently in the process of doing and some feedback that we received from some other surveys is uh you know, about 40 percent of this community uh thinks that we're not doing enough in terms of wildfire risk.

And so I think that speaks volumes to the concern this community shares of wildfire risk.

And so we we haven't seen any pushback or or negative responses.

We've spoken to them.

Uh thank you for that.

And also uh because of this, uh and I don't expect you to be a subject matter expert on this particular question.

Uh insurance impacts.

I know for a lot of homeowners, when they hear things like this, they immediately start thinking that my insurance is going to go up and what it impacts gonna be.

You have any insight into that?

That is the great unknown.

Um, you know, we have conversations going all the time with industry groups, with insurance groups, uh, with other HJs across the state.

Um, you know, one of my risks or one of my concerns early on is we bring in additional uh wildfire uh provisions and areas into our community, uh, what's that going to be that impact to the homeowners?

I take that very seriously.

We get calls from homeowners all the time who are being dropped uh by their insurance companies because of wildfire risk.

And we write letters on their behalf and support them and what they can do to help mitigate their property.

Um in some conversation that I've had, you know, I I feel like we're at a greater risk if we don't acknowledge the wildfire risk in our community and put provisions in place, the code provisions that are there very much align with um industry standard for insurance companies and what they recognize.

And so I believe we're actually putting homeowners in a better spot by ensuring homes are built appropriately and safe and in alignment with uh industry standards that insurance companies are going to recognize rather than create additional um hoops for homeowners to jump through.

Appreciate that.

Thank you.

Councilman Riz Rainy or Risley.

Thank you, Madam President.

Uh Chris, I just wanted to quickly thank you and your team for uh your diligence on this matter.

Uh, you know, I bristle when there's a suggestion of uh uh matter of statewide concern where the state is pushing something down on us that maybe doesn't make sense for our community.

I think you've done a great job of navigating that and putting forth something that does represent what is right for our community as opposed to just simply accepting whatever the state throws our way.

So thank you for that.

I want to thank you also for your coordination with Pikes Peak Regional Building Department and the HBA uh again to help find something that really makes sense for for our community.

Um I can't let the moment pass though without also acknowledging that the state talks all the time about housing affordability.

And while we agree that uh fire safety is an incredibly important subject matter for our community to um be aware of and to address this increases the cost of construction.

This increases the cost of of housing.

And so again, I thank you for doing that on this matter.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Councilman Donaldson.

Yeah, thanks, Member President.

Chris.

This is a little bit of a different question.

Do you approve of this rain that we're receiving?

I love it.

And who else ever doing the prayers in the rain dance?

Thank you.

Keep it up.

Thanks.

I appreciate that.

Thank you.

It's sparing you all the work.

Moving on, no other comments.

I have a motion from Councilman Donaldson and a second from Councilman Rainey.

Let's vote on the motion passes eight to zero.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Thank you.

Moving on to item ten D.

Will the clerk please read item ten D into the record?

City Council special meeting minutes, April sixth, twenty twenty-six.

We need approval to um vote on the minutes from April sixth, which was the appointment of District Two.

I have, if there's no comments, I have a motion from Councilman Williams and a second from Council Van Gold.

Let's vote.

Moving on to item ten E.

Will the clerk please read item 10 E into the record?

Request for approval of settlement amount and a claim arising from arrest by officers on April twenty-fourth, twenty twenty-two.

Good morning, City Council.

Mark Smith, acting city attorney, uh here simply to ask for settlement authority.

Uh, we have no presentation today.

Thank you.

If there are no comments from the dais, I have a motion from Councilman Risley and a second from Councilman Rainey.

Let's vote.

And the motion passes.

Before we start our public hearing for 11A, um, I've had some requests from council members to take a ten minute break.

That is not eleven or twelve minutes.

So we will start promptly at eleven tenure.

We are now back out of our research recess, and we are back in session for our public hearing.

Um, will the clerk please read item eleven A into the record and eleven B.

Eleven A ordinance twenty-six dash fourteen amending zoning map of the city of Colorado Springs pertaining to approximately forty-four point seven two acres located northwest of the intersection of new life drive and interquest parkway for planned development zone with the United States Air Force Academy overlay to our flex meeting with United States Air Force uh Academy overlay.

This is the second reading.

Eleven B establish the creekside flying horse land use plan for residential development consisting of approximately forty-four point seven two acres located northwest of the intersection of new life drive and in our quest parkway.

Second reading.

Um process will be as follows.

We'll have a presentation from city staff.

We'll have an applicant presentation, we'll have public comment support, public comment and opposition, and applicant rebuttal, closing staff comments, and back to the I dais for councilman.

We'll have public comment and support, public comment and opposition, and applicant rebuttal, closing staff comments, and back to the dais for councilman.

Member questions, deliberation, and decision.

So we'll start this morning with Alison.

Good morning.

Good morning.

For the record, Alison Stocker, senior planner with the land use review division.

All right.

So this item this morning is the Creek Ridge at Flying Horse Zone Change and Land Use Plan.

This is for 44.72 acres in the general area where Interquest Powers Boulevard and New Lake Drive converge.

The request today is to amend the zoning from a PDZ, a planned development zone, to the R Flex medium zone district.

And the intent of this application or these applications is to allow for medium density residential in those 44 acres.

So the subject site is as seen here in the red outline.

This is a portion of what is currently the flying horse downtown PDZ.

The general area includes some open space along with the Black Squirrel Creek, other parts of flying horse that contain single family residential, as well as to the southwest, the Pikes Peak State College.

So this being kind of a major kind of traffic node, the previous application kind of relied on the idea that this application or the planned development zone would be for higher density residential and intense uses.

So I'm gonna go through this as carefully as I can.

It will get maybe a little confusing at times, but I do have more maps and things further into the presentation that will hopefully clarify this as I go.

So please bear with me as I do that.

The Creek Ridge of Flying Horse is 44 out of the 76 acres in the flying horse downtown PDZ.

The PDZ that currently governs the zoning for the area is very unique at the time when this was completed, back in 2021.

The idea was for the property to be high density residential and intense uses.

It had a lot of office uses, it allowed higher building heights than would be typical in this area of town.

It established minimum densities, which is not something we often see here in the city.

So it really was looking to create an environment that would allow for something more like a downtown, but in the northern part of the city.

Since there's been a lot of market trend changes since 2021, particularly with more commercial being built in this general part of town, along the inner quest corridor as well as to the southeast of this property.

There has been a request to alter the PDZ to allow for less intense, less dense uses in the area.

So the removal of portions of the property from the PDZ and placing them into the R Flex zone will overall decrease the potential density for the area, as well as remove some of those more intense uses.

The flying horse master plan is technically considered implemented, but it is kind of helpful to understand the context for the area.

At the time it was approved in 2021, it did show this property as being a regional hub.

It established high density options for 1500 units across the 67 acres.

The top four blocks are what are going to stay in that PDZ.

So those will not be altered by today's request.

Block A is open space in a detention pond that's already been built.

Block B is a multifamily residential.

It is actually approved and in construction presently.

Block C and portions of block F are in the multifamily residential block type for the PDZ, and those do not presently have any entitlements.

So those two would be kind of the ones remaining in the PDZ and subject to the PDZ in the future if this should pass today.

The remaining blocks, block D, E, portions of F, H, G, and I are all the blocks that would be transitioned to the R Flex zone with today's zone change.

The density and intensity kind of comparison.

With today's request, if it were to be approved, the creakerage portions, so that 44 acres would allow an estimated gross density of about 580 units.

And then block B was already approved for 242 units.

So there would still be some amount of remaining commercial options in those PDZ blocks.

But it would generally be far less in this overall area than was once anticipated.

For a little comparison on kind of what would have been seen versus what could be seen now.

The downtown at Flying Horse PDZ allowed for a huge mix of PDZ uh non-residential uses, things like bars, restaurants, business parks, um, general commercial, um, outdoor entertainment, schools, civic use, et cetera.

Um, and those are all just the permitted uses in the R Flex zone district.

Both the permitted and conditional uses are limited to what you see on the right.

So that's going to be very limited in comparison to just the daycares, churches, schools, um, recreation, and other kind of similar intensity uses.

Um, this application has gone through three reviews.

Umce November of this past year.

Um the public notes went out on three occasions with 109 postcards.

There were no public comments received.

There's a couple questions, but most of those questions were more related to other items in the general area, such as the detention pond.

All of our agency reviewers did not have any outstanding comments or concerns about this application.

Most of their comments were related to what would be required at time of development plan.

So things like um any C dot required reports and studies, things from stormwater, et cetera.

Um, this application was found to meet the requirements for plan COS and the application review criteria for both the rezone and the land use plan.

Um I do have optional motions here.

I know that was a lot of information.

I'm happy to answer any questions and clarify anything that might still be a little confusing.

I don't have any questions at this time.

Oh, good.

That doesn't mean you're off the hook.

We'll now hear the applicant's presentation.

Good morning, City Council.

Uh Jason Alwine with NES.

Just wait for my presentation to pull up.

Do I have a time limit?

Just curious to make sure I'm staying on schedule.

Uh I should be able to do it in that.

We did have two no votes, so there's some detail I want to go through.

Um kind of respond to some of the concerns are about in planning commission.

So I have a little bit more detail that you might be looking for, but I think it's important in the justification and context of the plan commission hearing.

Uh some quick recap.

Uh the site's located, it'll be the northwest corner of North Powers Boulevard, the extension, uh, Interquest Parkway, and the southern end of the existing flying horse community, um, just east northeast of New Lap Drive.

Um, and as mentioned, it was part of the 2021 Flying Horse Master Plan, uh designated as a variety of uses, regional commercial, multifamily residential with that maximum 1500 unit dwelling units, uh roughly 67 acres.

The uh here's the existing uh overall PUD concept or PDZ concept plan in place.

It totals 67.42 acres.

The area in red is our our area of proposed change we're calling it, approximately 44.72 acres.

As you can see here, a variety of uses were approved, uh, mixed use office hospitality, residential, residential, multifamily, open space detention pond, uh kind of a little bit of everything uh as part of this PDZ with the uh Air Force Military Overlay, uh, and then you can see the approval numbers there with the concept plans.

Um I know this slide is difficult to see, but I wanted to put this up there.

This is the list of approved uses of part of this.

Uh you can see it's a lot.

Um I wanted to bring that up because through all these uses, whether it's mixed use, uh, office hospitality, residential, residential multifamily, pretty much every use is permitted in every category.

There are no areas that are strictly residential, strictly commercial.

Some of the concerns that plan commissioner brought up that were removing the ability to these to do these intense uses.

Uh this is the good and the bad about a PDZ from several years ago is you can ask for a lot.

The the challenges you asked for a lot, and there is no real path forward.

It could be apartments, it could be single family detached, it could be office, it could be hospitality.

So, what we're trying to do is rezone this to a more defined use, uh, knowing the density, knowing the lot minimums, knowing a lot of sizes as opposed to what was approved with could be a lot of different uh things.

Uh if it's gonna be 1500 units, it's gonna be all multifamily.

If it's gonna be 800,000 square feet of office, it's gonna be all commercial.

So we start to lose that mixed-use component that was originally, I think, thought of uh when this was approved.

Um a little bit of recap as mentioned, the area in blue outline is is what's to remain.

That block A is a contention pond that's already existing in place.

Uh block B is at a existing multifamily that's being built today.

Uh and then apportions of block F and block C, those are existing today, those are not included in this rezone uh request.

That's about 10 acres, and that would be remained as approved with residential, residential, multifamily uses.

Going back to the previous slide, really incorporates potential for a lot of different items.

Um this is where some of the detail I wanted to bring up in response to plan commission.

Uh there was concerns we're losing a lot of potential for commercial.

So these these three areas, uh block D, uh, blocks G and H, they represent kind of the what was intended to be the more intense uses.

They're identified as mixed use office or hospitality, but again, also allowed residential.

It could have been a variety of uses, and this is about 15 acres or less than one-third of the proposed area.

Again, I wanted to highlight that residential uses were still permitted within this, these areas, even though they're identified as mixed use or office uh hospitality.

Um additionally, uh, there's about three acres for a park.

This was the actual only use that was identified that could not do residential, but it wasn't just a park, it could also be uh commercial.

So I thought that was interesting.

It could be a park, but it could be commercial.

Typically, if we do a park site, we want it just to be a park, and that's it.

Uh, and then continued on with blocks uh I and F of the existing plan, these were uh about 16, almost 17 acres of the total land use.

These were identified as really the pure residential uses, where the residential, single family detached, or multi-family residential.

So going back to the original PDZ, um, with our proposed zone use change, we're in line with a third uh of the original approvals.

We're just giving that a little bit more definition because the RFlex medium has density ranges, max height, certain lot sizes where the PUD, the PDZ was pretty open-ended.

Councilman Henjam.

Thank you, Madam President.

Yes, on that that slide.

Could you just describe for me a little bit more?

I don't quite understand how it could be open space or commercial, and yet the open space amount remains unchanged.

So if you could just there's two open space areas.

So this block E is identified on the PDZ as open space or commercial, kind of a think of like a central park because it's centralized to the to the community.

Uh on the next slide.

Oh, sorry, wrong button.

The next slide, that dark green in the upper, I guess, right hand corner, northeast, that is uh mouse habitat and and stream side.

So that is essentially undisturbed, do not disturb area.

So that almost four acres stayed the same in both applications because it's part of that uh the channel improvement and the mouse habitat boundary.

So that's the distinction between call it like a neighborhood park site and uh true undisturbed open space.

Does that help?

I think so.

So the in this illustration, the part at the top, the open space preople mouse like won't be touched or developed.

That's correct.

The block E could be developed commercially, but developed as a park and community space.

As a part of the approved PDZ, that's correct.

It could be technically could be either or based on the approval and the designation that that approved zoning has today.

It could be either or you can kind of see it on this where it says block E open space slash commercial.

So it is intended, it was approved as potentially two different uses.

Of course, commercial is quite a bit different than an open space use.

It is, that's why I'm confused.

So it's really just giving them the flexibility.

It's not a commitment to having open space.

That's correct.

On the approval today.

Yeah.

Okay.

Councilman Donaldson.

Yeah, thanks, madam president.

Um, what is it?

Morning.

Good morning.

Just curious, is there a maximum mouse per acre density with this plan?

I don't believe so.

I hope not.

Um I didn't ask that question.

We did get clearance as part of the Black School channel updates.

Just had to throw a joke in every once in a while.

Thanks.

I appreciate the um uh wrong button.

So uh a quick overview of the zoning.

Here's our site shown in the white outline surrounded by a mix of zoning MXM, uh, which is uh mixed medium kind of a commercial zoning across the street, BP for Planned Business Park, PDZ, uh MXN, R16, so quite a variety, but this PDZ is part of it again, the flying horse development.

Um if we look at a little bit some further justification on why we think removing the commercial uh works in here is there's a lot of commercial development uh within a handful of miles directly across the street.

Kettle Creek Center is 40 acres of recently uh rezoned MXM that happens maybe about a year and a half, two years ago.

Uh that is a high intense commercial use.

Within one to two miles, you have New Life Commons, Interquest Marketplace, Interquest Town Center, Victory Ridge, all that we've seen a lot of development and growth in the past probably three to five years since this was approved.

A little further out, you've got the Cordella or sorry, Cordera Retail Old Ranch Road, and then within five miles, you have uh furthermore, Cordera, you have flying horse, and this doesn't even include the Northgate Voyager Parkway area, nor does this show all the apartment complexes that have been built primarily along that uh Voyager New Life Drive area.

So that's why we're looking at the justification.

There's been a lot happening since this is approved.

Um and the the need for this much commercial and frankly, multifamily has really been absorbed uh elsewhere within just a few miles of this site.

Um looking at the rezone is a rezon request for uh 44.72 acres, uh R flex medium, it's mixed density residential, it's a maximum density of 16 D per acre, uh whereas the approved plan is a minimum of uh 12 to 16.

Um proposed NC5 to 16 D's per acre with a max building height of 45 feet.

Uh and then looking at the land use plan again, about 45 acres.

Of that, approximately 36 acres are identified as that residential component that would allow up to 580 dwelling units, could be duplex, could be town home.

Uh there's a small uh some higher density we could do single family detach.

So it does allow a variety of residential uses in this.

Uh we are identifying a 3.5 acre neighborhood park.

Uh so councilwoman Henjam, back to your point.

This would be a park site, not either or, so it would be identified as park.

Uh again, the the almost five acres of uh the uh the mass habitat up in the northeast corner.

Uh and then respects to the access points, they stay the same as approved.

We have a ride-in ride out uh along um uh highway 83 interquest drive into the site.

We'd have a full movement utilizing that Summerstone Drive into New Life Drive.

That's where that area A and B, the detention pond are, and then it's a lighted intersection at New Life Drive and Interquest Highway 83, where the new fire station is recently built.

So there's a lighted intersection to allow that full movement, knowing our access off of the highway is uh restricted.

Uh all internal streets would be public at this time, and then some future construction of the Black Scroll Trail uh in coordination with the parks department.

Uh and then looking at a quick comparison, uh, the left is existing PDZ in place.

Again, it's it's pretty high intense use, 250 hotel rooms, 50,000 square foot of conference center, 300,000 square feet of office employment, 1500 dwelling units.

That's a pretty intense use.

And just going back a couple of slides, we've seen that other development in the area, it's kind of taking the sort of the winds out of the sale, so to speak, uh, in this area.

Conversely, looking at our site, um, just about done.

Um, you know, it with the defined use of five to sixteen DUs per acre, it's 580 dwelling units.

That's a thousand dwelling units, yes, quite a bit less intensity, much less traffic.

Uh very limited commercial use would be allowed, max building height of 45 feet, where the approved was 125 feet, so we're lowering that height uh then similar landscape buffers uh as approved.

So I'm happy to go into compliance and review criteria uh if there's any further questions on that, but really open it up to questions on the land use plan to rezone itself.

I don't see any questions at this time.

We will now move to public comment.

We have no one signed up for public comment and support, and we have no one signed up for public comment in opposition, so we will close the public comment portion of this hearing, and now we will um move it on.

Well, you don't have a review at all to anybody to review, so we'll move it on back up to the dais um for council member questions and deliberations and decisions.

Seeing none, I have a motion from Councilman Donaldson and a second from Councilman Williams.

Let's vote.

And the motion passes seven to zero.

I could just to clarify maybe the clerk or Emily, you could weigh in 11C is a rezone associated with the same matter, correct?

The two items we just heard combined were 11A and 11B.

And so I believe we're in a position now to take a motion on We need a motion on 11B.

You need to vote on that one.

11C is a completely separate item.

Thank you.

Thanks.

So a motion on 11B from Councilman Hingum and a second from Councilman Rainey.

Let's vote.

The motion passes seven to zero.

So moving on to item 11C.

Will the clerk please read item 11 C into the record?

Ordinance 26-15 amended designing map by the city of Colorado Springs pertaining to approximately 2.17 acres located at 4880 Airport Road from single family medium with airport overlay to multifamily high with the airport overlays second reading.

Council will take an administrative vote on related appeal for this and re record this for item on the city council regular meeting from March 24th.

And said record testimony needed to be repeated.

We will open the public hearing for this item, but ask that participants prioritize new information and testimony only for this item.

So we'll starting with um city staff presentation.

Perfect.

So uh city staff doesn't have anything new to add besides that the fact that we uh did receive one additional public comment that was forwarded to y'all, uh which included a uh proposed condition uh requiring that uh write out only on to airport road in addition to their um uh previously proposed access point does the applicant have any new information we do not have any uh in Odom for the record we do not have any new information to present.

Um I've not seen the uh additional comment received, but um I think we'd be open to uh discussion and considering that if uh that's desired.

We have no one sign up um from the public in support, and we have no one signed up from the public in opposition.

So we'll move it back up to the applicant if there's any additional comments, and no closing comments from staff, correct?

Okay, bring it back up to the dais.

I have a motion from councilman gold and a second from councilman Williams.

Let's vote.

Councilman Donaldson?

Yeah, we'll will we have discussion before we vote.

Yes, Councilman Donaldson.

All right, I appreciate it.

Um could um yeah, it's Chris, right?

Could could I just ask you, was that could condition was it from the when the planning commission approved it?

Was that a condition uh of their approval that there would be a write out?

I think right in, right out.

No, that's not no that that was not a condition of uh city planning commission.

Um were there any other conditions uh by the planning commission when it was referred or approved and sent over to council?

So planning commission uh didn't approve this.

So they they denied it right.

That's right.

No, so yeah.

Okay.

Now I remember.

Okay.

Um we we did discuss uh discuss accidents at this intersection and and uh is traffic here or traffic is Todd Frisbee here.

I don't believe so.

Okay.

Okay.

But yes, uh it that was uh discussed during the appeal process.

All right, I appreciate it.

That's all.

I don't have anything else.

Are there any other questions or comments from the dice?

I have a motion from Councilman Gold and a second from Councilman Williams.

Let's okay.

And then motion passes seven to one.

We will new now move on to item 13, one hour of citizens discussion for items not on today's agenda per city council rules.

City citizens will have three minutes to share their comments.

I have a list of those who signed up.

When I call your name, please come forward, introduce yourself and limit yourself to topics that are relevant and germane to city business.

We will now start with Sean Me.

Good morning.

And I want to say thank you for allowing me to speak up here.

I also want to say thank you to my city council member, um, council member Rainey, who you know what, dude?

You are the epitome of what public service is.

Uh when I addressed him with this factor of what I'm going to talk about, he called right away, and I appreciate that.

Means a lot to me.

Anyway, what this was when I first heard about the uh uh what did they call it, the police called it, um surge enforcement.

I actually thought and I was kind of excited thinking that it might be that they're finally gonna go after the illegal pot sales in this town that are affecting our children.

Sadly it wasn't.

It was about the vehicles that are unregistered or unlicensed driving around, which I full wholeheartedly support.

Didn't think it would ever affect me.

And I'll try to show you the baby without the whole birth.

On the 15th of this month, um, we live in a neighborhood, you used to live right down the street, and we try to take really good care.

Last year you helped me save a tree.

Um, and I'm not a tree hugger, but it's a beautiful tree.

And so we tried to take care of our neighborhood.

And my son's vehicle um was in the street.

It's inoperable, and we had it out there for somebody to look at that to purchase it.

I work three jobs.

My wife's a flight attendant.

I did not know it was towed until my other son called me the next day to ask us if we had sold the car.

No, we didn't know where it went.

First we thought it might have been stolen, don't know how, but that's the first concept that came to our mind.

And then we called our neighbor across the street who has a ring doorbell and showed us that a tow truck pulled up and took it away.

Later on that day, I was talking to my next door neighbor, and he said that he had talked to a community service officer that was blocking his driveway and said, What are you doing?

And she said they were towing the vehicle, and he said it's not uh abandoned.

We're trying to sell it.

He asked for a card.

She said she did not have one, and that was it.

They towed the vehicle.

Did not get anything official until just yesterday, 13 days later, incurring numerous charges.

Lost my job last year.

13 years as an insurance underwriter inspector.

Mr.

Cooper, fire marshal earlier, known him for years.

Because I stood up for what's right.

And that's what I'm trying to do to hear today, and I don't think I'll get anything rectified.

But I think you guys need to investigate this because right off the bat, there was a $500 tow fee charging us for an hour and a half for a 15-mile drive.

The I can't afford to pay this.

Um I'm almost out of time.

I apologize.

But I think you guys really need to look into this because I think there's some shoddy things that are going on.

And when it comes to the towing companies, they're overcharging the certified letter, state allows $75.

I'm being charged 150 dollars.

If I would have picked my vehicle up yesterday, it would have cost me 1200.

I don't have that.

Mr.

Mee, I did forward your email on.

Um I don't know if the chief of staff has any more information on that, but I did forward it on and they are looking into it.

No other information at this time, but yeah, we are looking into that.

And um yeah, definitely get back to you when we have more information.

I appreciate that.

I'm not that I don't know if it'll help me at all.

I it was my mistake to leave it out there.

I should have pushed a dog on thing back in, but like I said, three jobs.

I get up at three in the morning to be able to go to work and clock in at 4:30, and I work 10 hour days.

And sometimes I'm you know, I'm getting old.

I'm not as spry as I used to be, and and just forgot about it.

And that's not an excuse.

I know it isn't.

But a 20-foot step from the person's car to my front door because it was parked in front of our house and just knocked and said, Hey, we're gonna tow this thing.

I would have had my son and I, and probably my neighbor push it right back in, you know, or a little orange sticker on the window saying, Hey, you got 24 hours.

But there was nothing until yesterday.

Um a certified letter, you know, and and the bills just keep adding up.

So I appreciate it, and I appreciate your time.

Councilman Risley.

Thank you, madam president.

Sir, thank you for being here today and for bringing this to our attention.

Um, I just want to reiterate what chief of staff has said that the city is absolutely going to take some uh action on this.

They're looking into it.

I would encourage the staff to do whatever we can to not only rectify the situation, but to help the gentleman out with fees and fines that may not actually be appropriate.

And I know Travis, you're a very reasonable person in that regard, and and uh having helped me on some other similar matters, so um please do whatever you can to to make this.

Right.

Thank you.

We'll do.

Yeah, I appreciate it.

And like I said, if it's if it helps somebody else out, that's what's important to me too.

Again, thank you, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up we have Brittany Smith.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

Um, my name is Brittany Smith, and I appreciate the opportunity to speak today.

I'd like to thank Miss Williams and Mr.

Samuel Friedman for their prompt response to an email I sent pleading for assistance for my neighborhood.

About a year ago, I purchased a home at 753 East Merino Avenue, which is just a few minutes from where we meet today.

And in the last year, I have been witness to multiple shootings and several shots fired incidents, all occurring on the property of a felon with at least seven minor children living in her home.

After harboring multiple fugitives, including a man charged six times for indecent exposure to children, as well as attempted murder and a laundry list of other charges.

This woman has paid no consequences.

This woman, along with her family and large lists of known criminal associates, has drastically impacted the safety of their neighbors, forcing multiple homes to be sold, including the one I was unfortunate enough to purchase.

Intimidation in concert with constant shootings, obvious flow of criminals that strongly suggests an illegal distribution network is an extremely effective form of psychological warfare.

I cannot emphasize enough how unsafe myself and my neighbors feel, but I can tell you that since Miss Lemuel inherited the house in 2023, three houses within eyesight have sold.

A fourth was on the market but did not sell, and multiple homes as well as a church have been struck by bullets and forced to install very expensive alarm and camera systems to protect ourselves from those who claim to run our block.

This claim of running the block sounds like big talk, but time and time again, legal consequences seem to be deemed unnecessary.

Someone is forced to admit they actually do have the ability to continue to instill fear and their law-abinding neighbors, and there's nothing we can do.

The cla often not even misdemeanors get issued.

And if they do, the penalties are reduced despite extensive criminal history, even for serious offenses, bonds are greatly reduced on high-risk individuals, including David Anthony Dean, the previous the fugitive I previously mentioned.

In December of 2023, his bond of $100,000 was set, meeting the average recommendation.

But far from the amount that could have been requested for such a high-risk offender, and yet it was reduced to just $10,000 by Hillary by magistrate Hillary Alice Perry Gurney.

This reduction placed this man in this home with minor children until my home was surrounded by SWAT in May of last year, and I was forced to seek shelter in my basement for many scary hours with my mother who's here with me today.

Again, the legal avenues that could have been pursued against Miss Lemuel were not.

She was not cited for firearms possession during that raid, nor has she been cited for harboring multiple fugitives, including a violent sexual predator in her home with her children.

Despite that fact, the charges could result in 64 months.

I just asked that this council in conjunction with CSPD, the Department of Human Human Services and our Fourth Judicial District, tried to intervene on behalf of these children and the poor upstanding citizens who are being subjugated to this criminal activity and endless intimidation.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

I apologize I went over.

Councilman Williams.

Thank you.

And thank you, Brittany, for being here.

Um I think everyone agrees that that's a lot.

And that's a lot for you to have to endure.

And I think one of the things that we see here all too often is um what you're experiencing.

And I know that there are elections coming up, and I know that we've gotten to a point in my humble opinion that some people view the people living in your neighborhood as having almost a right to inflict upon your happiness and your safety and your health and your welfare.

Um I want you to know that I don't agree with that.

I think that your safety and your health and your welfare is paramount.

And I heard that Travis Easton is working on this, and Sam will, as you know, be in touch.

But yes, thank you for coming here today.

And we definitely think that your self, your health and safety and welfare is very important in our community.

Thank you.

And thank you again for your prompt response to my email.

It means a lot.

I appreciate you.

Thank you.

Next up we have Bruce.

Oh, Councilman Donaldson.

Yeah, thanks, madam president.

And uh yeah, thank you for being here today, Brittany, and um kind of telling your story to us.

But I think it's important to remember that in our charter, there's one elected official who's charged with enforcing our laws.

And what we're charged with is passing a budget and passing ordinances and laws.

It is the mayor who is charged with enforcing those laws, and it is the mayor who hires the chief of police and has direct supervision and uh control over that.

So while we're happy, we want we want our constituents to come to us, but our we we aren't as powerful as sometimes we wish we were, uh, or that citizens believe we are.

And again, in the charter, there is one elected official charged with enforcing our laws, and that is the mayor.

Bruce Baring.

Thank you.

I'm Bruce Barron.

I live at 1086 Fontmore Road, Unit C, barely into Dave Donaldson's district, uh, near the Garden of the Gods.

I have a long history in public service, and I'm glad I don't have to do it.

My friend Sam Friedman uh knows that I have that background and I appreciate the quality of what you do.

I have the pleasure of giving you a much more lighthearted presentation in the next two minutes about something that's become a real pain in the butt for me, literally, uh the matter of porta potties in neighborhood parks.

Uh I live near the game neighborhood of uh near the Garden of the Gods.

I was president of Pikes Peak Roadrunners in 2024.

I'm still trying to stay in shape.

Unfortunately, I'm getting old.

So no matter what I do in the bathroom before I leave, often when I start running within five or ten minutes, I have to poop.

As a result, that port-potty in Westmoor Park in Pleasant Valley has been a great source of relief for me.

On a recent run, I found no porta potty there.

I don't know if it was an early victim of Parks and Wreck policy or just a temporary issue because there was one there yesterday.

If I had a presentation style like either John Stewart on the Daily Show or President Trump on Truth Social, I would now go on to describe in graphic detail what happened to that poop at Rock Ludge Ranch, uh where it landed, and how heroically I raced to the Garden of the Gods bathroom and returned with toilet paper to clean up my mess before anybody else stumbled into it.

But I'll save you that.

I will just point out that those porta potties are important.

As I said, Westmore had one yesterday, but I could not find one at Thorndale, where a man said to me, Yeah, I think you either go to old Colorado City Library or you pee on the ground.

And that reminded me of my son, who some of you might know was an Olympic athlete while he was studying at Colorado College.

His uniform is in the CC athletic building.

One uh I was training with him as a teenager, and he had to go to the bathroom.

I'd tell him where the nearest bathroom was, and he said, there are bathrooms behind every tree.

Which, since I was homeschooling at the time, was a wonderful teaching moment to explain to him indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.

Uh he's learned that lesson, and I want our kids to all learn that lesson.

So I hope you can all make sure that even though I understand the permanent bathrooms are an expensive matter, and I understand if they remain closed, that you make sure the uh administration is encouraged to keep port-potties in the parks.

I'll just also observe briefly that at the Palmer Red Rocks Loop Trailhead on Gold Camp Road.

That's also a crucial port-a potty for many that seems to have disappeared recently.

Thanks for your time and have a great day.

Councilman Donaldson.

Yeah, thanks, Madam President.

And since it's uh District 1 constituent and a fellow runner, I'll pass along some information.

And Councilwoman Henjamel uh was there for this when we were up at the Rock Quarry last week with parks.

I brought up the issue of um port-potties that have been removed in parks, largely neighborhood parks is what Parks told me.

And I asked for information on how much do we really save by removing this port-a-potty uh or these porta potties from different uh parks.

And she has passed that information to us uh just a few days ago.

Um so I'm working on that to try to find a way to get some of these or all of them ideally restored.

And I can tell you, as a fellow runner, uh, you know, I run uh on the Santa Fe Trail oftentimes from the Edmondson Trailhead.

I sent the uh former parks director horrible photographs from inside the port-a-potty when someone was doing awful things in there with some of those substances you were talking about, and uh so have played a personal role in uh the cleanliness, and they would send someone out and um our uh acting chief of staff here.

He and I were going back and forth, and we almost I mean, the the it was considered to close close that one because someone just kept just making it uh unusable and disgusting inside of it.

So I share your concern with this uh issue, and we'll we'll see what we can do um to solve that problem.

Yes.

No, I appreciate I remember you coming to Pikes Peak Roadrunners when you were uh preparing for your first term.

So I appreciate your attention.

Okay, I appreciate you uh coming in today.

Thank you.

Councilman Henjam.

Uh thank you.

And Bruce, I I am gonna say something, and I'm actually going to ask you a question.

Um I appreciate you coming and bringing this to our attention.

We hear it from many people by email and and other ways.

But my question for you is would you ever consider voting for some kind of revenue generation that would help us deal with the challenges we have in our in our park system and quite frankly in our city.

Yeah, well, I think I've supported the previous one, so I don't I don't think you'd have a hard time persuading me.

Okay, thank you.

Uh but if you have any trouble, just get Susan Davies to call me because she has a lot of influence too.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Next up we have Damon Cox.

Yeah, well, thank you very much for allowing me to uh uh to address you.

It's a tough subject to follow, follow up on.

Um I'm Damon Cox, um resident of the area and retired from the renewable energy sector.

So I have some some insight and knowledge into the subject I want to address, which is the Nixon coal-fired power plant.

Um, I'm urging the City Council uh as the Springs Utilities Board to close that Nixon power plant on schedule at the end of 2029, you know, as it previously committed, and to treat the matter with the urgency it deserves, which which um have concerns that it's not happening.

Um to replace that power generation with renewable energy, primarily solar, and utility scale batteries, um, and any other forms of renewable energy that that makes sense.

Um I want to be sure that you are hearing from the residents like me that it's in the best interests of this community, the region, and most importantly, that the children and the young people that were sitting on the front row earlier in this meeting uh that live with these decisions that we're making, and uh that we want and need clean renewable power.

Um while you may not be getting the dilute uh deluge of comments and feedback from the community, because this isn't the sexiest of subjects, so to speak.

Um trust that I'm speaking for a majority of residents here that want clean energy that want that want uh clean air, uh a healthy environment, and to be able to fully enjoy the natural resources that we have have in this area.

Um so it just worn my heart to hear references made to braiding with sea sweetgrass earlier in this meeting.

I think it's at equally applicable here in this matter that uh that we take those principles to heart and be the stewards we need to be for the community.

Um just this is nothing earthbreaking and new, but I want to remind you guys that it's uh renewable with with with utility scale battery is the lowest cost uh option these days, and I want you to please re-evaluate or continue to evaluate this solution before you invest time and money committing you down a path of burning more fossil fuels.

Uh I ask you to be creative and innovative about virtual power plant tools, distributed electricity opportunities and incentives and credit programs for businesses and households so that they can be part of the solution.

So uh thank you for your consideration and efforts, appreciate all you do.

Thank you.

Next up we have Nick Raven.

Thank you, Madam President.

As I chat my throat with the microphone.

Um, thank you, Madam President, City Council.

My name is Nick Raven.

I'm everywhere, I do everything.

I'm speaking today as a Colorado Springs fanboy, one of the final members of our nearly departed citizens' transportation advisory board, and as a 2023 Mayor Civic Leaders Fellow, I'm here to talk about city council pay.

As I'm sure we're all aware, Colorado Springs is no longer a small town.

And being a city counselor here is full-time senior executive level work.

Unfortunately, in clinging to the idea that we're still a small town with few municipal obligations, the city council member position continues to not pay a wage that reflects the role's responsibilities.

For those watching at home or in the Facebook chat, this council manages a half billion dollar municipal budget for a half million residents while serving as the board of a multi-billion dollar public utility.

The $6,250 that slowly drips into a council member's bank account over the course of a year was never designed to be a living wage because it was never designed to be a wage at all.

It's a stipend.

When it was approved by voters in 1995, backers explained that it was designed to cover coffee, dry cleaning, and gas for travel.

Recently, I've been told it's not 1995 anymore.

Today, that stipend will cover one, maybe two of those necessities.

Over three decades, the city's shape-sized demography and so much more have shifted, but the demography of those who have been able to serve on this council has not.

To be clear, council pay is a nonpartisan issue.

It benefits all of us that our most passionate residents are able to run for these nine positions, and not merely those who are financially secure enough to do so.

It is my hope that through thoughtful discussion, five of you will refer a respectable council pay measure to the ballots, so I don't have to search my couch cushions for the money to gather 20,000 signatures.

I'd also prefer this because I don't own a couch.

Treating this role as a professional executive position with accompanying pay is critical for the future of our great city, even if some of you are willing to maintain full-time employment outside of it.

And with my few seconds left here, I'd really like to ask can you guys refill on those like city flag enamel pins?

Like even if you sold them, like if you had a merch shop, I think it'd be really cool.

I'd actually buy a couple.

And I think that would help raise funds toward the pennies needed to uh increase council pay.

Thank you guys.

Next up, we have Bradley White.

Hello, my name is Bradley White.

I've been living in beautiful Colorado Springs now for 20 years.

I served in the military in multiple combat zones.

And um gratefully, I was able to use my GI Bill to study uh water technology, water distribution, water treatment, and um been focusing on water now for many years.

I'm here today uh to discuss water conservation and why uh gray water is illegal in Colorado Springs.

Um per City Code 12-4-603.

Um per city code 12-4-603, uh and b water furnished by the utility shall be licensed, shall be a license basis for one-time use purpose on the comp customer's premise.

It shall be unlawful for any person to make reuse or succession of their water provided by the two utilities, except if the utilities or the board city makes a resolution.

Um Colorado Springs government website, it clearly states um it counter it makes a contradiction to this law because on the uh Colorado Springs City website, it's saying uh if you wash your car at home, uh do it on the grass so the water, so you water your grass.

Well, that's a clear violation of the one-time use law, because uh that water was not intended for your grass, it was intended for your car.

So I'm here to ask, uh, what is it?

Um, can I reuse my water at home?

Or can't I?

Uh why can I wash my car on the grass?

But why is it illegal to uh discharge the water from my washing machine on the grass?

Um I've tried to reach out to every department at the utilities.

I've gone to the city um health board uh only to be kind of bounced around.

Um I'm here today to again uh petition the city to make this uh city code uh 12-4-603 a little clearer as to its intent.

Um because right now I'm I'm confused.

Um on your website, it's saying conserve water.

Uh if you're gonna wash your car, wash it on the grass.

But then if I go to the city and ask them, can I discharge my water washing machine water on my grass?

That's illegal.

So I'm here to uh petition the city.

Can you uh make this code city code a little more clearer for people who intend who want to conserve water uh with the upcoming dry season ahead of us?

Um there's a lot of us that feel like it's important and want to do what we can to save water.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman Henjam.

I I apologize.

Uh councilman Councilmember Hundred before you uh speak on this matter, uh Trevor Glass of the City Attorney's Office.

I believe there's ongoing litigation uh regarding this, so I I'd ask City Council to refrain from stating opinions one way or the other.

Yep, got it.

Thanks.

Next up we have John Smith.

So apparently I'm in the wrong place, but uh this is for the city as well as the county.

Um I'm a civil rights advocate, and I need to provide public notice to the city and El Paso County that this is in accordance with USC rules of civil procedure as well as rule 17 and rule 20 of the United States Supreme Court, Constitution of the United States has the overarching requirement that every state must follow.

States cannot enact their own alternative legislation by substitute for the guarantees of the Constitution of the United States.

That would mean that the state laws are more powerful than the Constitution.

This is unlawful.

Uh clause one, amendment five states no person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime unless on presentment of indictment by the grand jury.

However, the state, as well as the city of Colorado Springs, has an act in its own alternative legislation which permits uh prosecuting attorneys and police officers to charge by way of information as opposed to indictment.

That is unconstitutional.

An emolument violation is when you pay a public official to break the law.

The Constitution has two areas that enforce this.

Article 1, Section 10 says no state shall create any law that shall impair the obligation of contracts, police officers, prosecutors, judges are all under that contract and contracts to perform based on their oath of affirmation that they took to support and defend the constitution.

Contracts, parameters are defined within the Constitution of the United States.

And when the states enact their inferior law that directs their agents to disobey the Constitution of the United States, this is a violation of Article 1, Section 10, the 14th Amendment in the other place that you'll find in the reinforces this issue, and that there is states that no state shall create or enforce any law that shall abridge the privileges and immunities of the United States citizens.

The privilege and immunities of the United States citizens are at a minimum, the enumerated rights within the Bill of Rights and the first Ten Amendments.

Unfortunately, the state of Colorado and the city of Colorado Springs had has enacted a law that is inferior to the Constitution that permits public officials, judges, law enforcement officers whom you all pay to violate the Constitution of the United States.

As a result, there's an inordinate amount of people currently in prison in the state of Colorado, illegally and then unconstitutionally.

Tanawha Downing is a litigant in this issue, and the United States willing to take this to the United States Supreme Court.

I'm here to notify you that if you continue to pay public officials to break the law, criminal sanctions can come from that.

Officials must be made aware that paying people to disobey the law is an emolument violation.

It is illegal, it is unconstitutional, it is a crime.

I'm asking you individuals to please take a look at clause one, amendment five, confirm what I'm saying to be true, and direct your public officials to act at a lawful constitutional matter consistent with the obligations that are codified in the Constitution of the United States of America.

I have noticed that I would like to put on the record.

Thank you.

And here is an affidavit for criminal conspiracy.

Thank you.

Next up we have Taylor Gray.

Hi, Taylor Gray.

So I'm here for a reason, guys.

You know, I don't just keep coming because I like it here, although I do have a lot of fun.

I actually like a lot of you.

Um so there's a reason though.

Um there's like a fascist takeover of our government and lies that have gone for decades.

Like I really seriously, I just I want you guys to understand.

That's my whole goal here.

Just for you to understand.

There is nefarious business going on that is so above, I'm not just a crazy person.

I don't even want to bring it here, but like elites.

There is a society of Satanism.

And I don't know if you guys know real really about Satanism, harvesting of energy, children, raping children, the energy that it creates when you rape them and then kill them.

Like, have you guys ever been to the dark web?

Do you know what happens there?

Do you know that you could go just go pay watch people get killed?

So there's an engine, something supplying these things and protecting these people and this stuff.

Um the tip of the spear right now is ice, and that's why we keep coming back here and bringing that up.

Right now, you still don't know who got disappeared on.

I'm calling it disappearless higher now on Fillmore.

I'm serious.

Our citizens, Nancy, your people are gone.

Who are they?

Was it reported to the police?

No.

I went and reported it to the police.

They did not write it down.

There is an engine behind this, and the lifeblood of this evil, it's just like craziness.

It's depravity, it is power, it's all these horrible things.

But whether you guys believe it or understand it, it's going on and it's real.

And the lifeblood of this is the data that flows to these folks.

I hope you guys know what mythos is.

It's something new.

Um it's gonna break the world, okay?

It's the new AI that does the gets it can break security.

It's to test and make security and write code, but it's gonna, it's already been broken into.

The they told it to uh escape from its prison, you know, they put it in its little spot where it can't move, and they told it to escape and then email the boss.

Well, it sure did, and then it also posted how it escaped.

So when we're talking about this data and stuff, I I used the wrong word last time.

Liable.

Who is liable?

So Polantier is working with other governments, they're working, like it's just insane.

I don't have enough time.

And then you guys don't ask questions.

So I hope that you guys ask some follow-up questions about some of these things, whether it's Satanism, whether it's the data that we're dealing with.

I am educated on these things.

I am not just some putts off the street.

I'm not crazy.

I'm smart.

I am extremely smart.

I'm a technician.

I work with radio frequency engineering, encryption.

I it's insane what's going on.

Who's liable?

That's my question.

City attorney.

Who's liable if Iran gets a hold of our data that's being harvested through the municipal power system?

And by data, I don't just mean cameras and things like that.

The Wi-Fi right now is mapping my bone structure, my bone density, and my electromagnetic, and then so is my phone, and so is your phone and your phone and your phone, and then all that gets aggregated together.

It's the aggregation of data that is this huge thing that I'm here to try to help you understand.

It's not just this little thing.

Do you understand that when the robots can build other robots that they don't need us anymore?

Thank you.

Us humans.

Next up we have Steve Lightfoot.

I'm the John Lennon man, that's right.

Lennon Murder Truth.com, the website.

You see in my van.

The silly masses laughing in their dark despair.

Kill John Lennon.

Saw no trial and no one even cares.

Lying to your children.

It's the fan the papers pinned.

Living's easy swallowing that pill.

Lights that used to signal where the human race have dimmed.

Your smoky eyes are glazing over still.

That sums up my ankst about the world I'm trying to save with evidence.

The last caller was right that there are nefarious satanic forces running our government.

A photograph of Stephen King getting John Lennon's last autograph is proof.

We're all sick.

And uh I have an avenging angel.

Believe me, if Stephen King dies before you care about this, you're gonna get whacked by an asteroid.

I can't prove that.

My my avenging angel stories are just too rife.

The first poker hand I was ever dealt learning how to play poker was a royal flush.

My face is emblazoned on the state of Washington.

You can see it from satellites.

When I cursed Biden at the city council meeting in Monterey, the next day, his son Hunter lost his plea deal agreement with the guns and the drugs and his failed attempts to kill President Trump, etc.

His psychological demise.

And exposed Stephen King for what he did to us all.

It was the worst thing that ever happened to us in our lifetime.

Thank you.

And that concludes public comment for today's session, and we are now adjourned.