City Council Work Session - August 10, 2026

On Monday, August 10, 2026, the Colorado Springs City Council held a work session at 9:00 AM in City Hall. The meeting focused on updates to the downtown Clean and Safe program, an overview of the City Parking Enterprise, and proposed code amendments for claims management and workers' compensation. All nine council members were present. The session began with calendar approvals and an executive session item.

Consent Calendar

• Meeting Minutes: Approved the work session meeting minutes from July 27, 2026, with no changes.
• Executive Session (Item 5A): City Attorney Stephanie Boster reported that the Civil Action Investigation Committee voted to recommend providing legal representation for an officer in the case Acacia Lyn-Darr v. John Pannunzio, et al. (Case No. 26-cv-02187), with the city reserving the right to decline payment of punitive damages. Council authorized representation unanimously.

Discussion Items

Clean and Safe Program Update (Item 6A)

• Chelsea Gondeck (CEO, Downtown Partnership) and Pat Rigdon (Director of Downtown Environment) presented a 19-month pilot program update. The program includes supplemental security, ambassador services, and outreach.
• Key Statistics (Aug 2025–June 2026):
  • Security managed 2,850 incidents; only 2% required police intervention. Merchant calls for assistance rose from 35/month to 55/month.
  • Ambassadors had over 10,000 touches (visitors, businesses, homeless).
  • Outreach (Homeward Pikes Peak) engaged 221 unique individuals; 24 reached stability, 135 accepted case management, and 158 were actively seeking housing.
• Pulse Survey (~70 respondents, mostly business owners): Two-thirds saw a positive impact; 43% valued all program components equally; 94% rated security's cessation as a negative impact.
• Challenges: Persistent waste cleanup, lack of enforcement tools for non-criminal behaviors, consistency of CSPD presence, and limited ability to compel engagement for the “same ten people” (STPs) with mental health/addiction issues.
• Council Discussion: Councilmembers expressed support and debate. Councilmember Donaldson called for stronger enforcement of ordinances (e.g., sleeping in doorways) and criticized the mayor for not enforcing laws. Councilmembers Lineweber and Henjam emphasized the need for behavioral health solutions and alternative tools to jail. Amy Cox (Chief Housing & Homelessness Response Officer) noted ongoing efforts to convene stakeholders. Travis Williams (Springs Rescue Mission) highlighted the program's value and suggested more outreach by the mission.
• Future Funding: Pilot ends December 2026; ongoing funding from the city will be needed. Councilmember Rainey asked about business community contributions; Downtown Partnership stated BID/DDA funds already support downtown.

City Parking Enterprise Overview (Item 7A)

• Alyssa Alt (Parking Enterprise Manager) and Richard Mulledy (Public Works Director) presented the enterprise's mission, budget ($10.5 million, funded by fees, no taxpayer money), and operations.
• Operations: 2,700 on-street and 2,700 off-street spaces; 21 staff; issues ~50,000 citations/year. Monthly parking is $95. Fees are $1.00–$1.50/hour; free Sundays after 1 PM and in garages on Sundays.
• Revenue Decrease: Changing paid hours from 7 AM–10 PM to 8 AM–8 PM and making off-street parking free on Sunday reduced revenue by ~$700,000–800,000/year.
• Capital Projects: $10 million in FY2026, including $6.6 million for Tejon revitalization, parking meter replacement ($2 million, completed June 2026), and garage maintenance. Reserves of ~$14 million are set aside for potential Kiowa Garage replacement (~$40 million) or a future downtown transit center.
• Council Discussion: Councilmembers asked about labor costs, enforcement staffing (7 enforcement officers), EV chargers, and parking occupancy data (garages ~80% full Tue–Thu). Concerns were raised about parking availability perception and clarity of signage. Councilmember Donaldson requested annual updates.

Code Amendments: Claims Management & Workers' Compensation (Items 9A & 9B)

• John Hunter (CSU) presented two ordinances to formally separate the city's and utilities' claims reserve funds and workers' compensation funds, and to transfer management of the utilities' funds from the city CFO to the CSU CFO.
• Councilmember Donaldson requested that the items follow the normal procedural sequence (not back-to-back) to avoid public perception of rushing. Council agreed; the ordinances will be introduced at the August 25 work session, with first reading on August 26 (regular meeting). No vote was taken; a postponement motion will be made at the August 11 regular meeting.

Councilmember Reports & Open Discussion

• Councilmember Rainey reported on interviews for municipal court administrator and PPACG CAC positions, participation in public safety working group, and recent military change-of-command ceremonies.
• Councilmember Casey participated in a CSPD operation against illegal street racing and will attend library district and drainage board meetings.
• Councilmember Henjam celebrated the city's sesquicentennial events and corrected a recent Gazette article, stating that Constitution Avenue reopening is not under consideration.
• Councilmember Lineweber attended a wildfire mitigation tour on Old Stage Road and is involved in interviewing candidates for the Visit COS CEO position.
• Councilmember Gold announced a town hall on August 20.

Key Outcomes

• Executive Session: Authorized legal representation for officer in civil case.
• Code Amendments: Postponed to August 25 work session; will follow normal procedure (not back-to-back votes).
• Clean and Safe Program: Council acknowledged progress and challenges; ongoing funding discussions to continue as budget season approaches.
• Parking Enterprise: Council requested annual updates and further data on occupancy and labor costs.
• No Formal Votes on Policy Items: All actions were informational or procedural.