Colorado Springs City Council Work Session Summary - August 24, 2026

The Colorado Springs City Council held a work session on Monday, August 24, 2026, at 9:00 AM. The agenda included mid-year updates on Lodgers and Auto Rental Tax (LART) contracts from Visit COS and COPPeR, a proposal to dissolve the long-inactive Civic Engagement Program, a comprehensive business license code scrub (Articles 1, 3, and 4), and a resolution supporting a grant application for the COS Creek Plan feasibility study. All items were presented and discussed, with several slated for formal action at the September 8 regular meeting.

Consent Calendar

• The Council approved the minutes of the August 10, 2026 work session.
• Items 7A (dissolution of the Civic Engagement Program) and 7E (GOCO grant resolution) were moved to the consent calendar for the September 8 meeting by unanimous agreement.

Discussion Items

5A. Visit COS Mid-Year LART Update April Perez (Finance Director) and Melissa Williams (Marketing Director) presented on behalf of Visit COS. Key metrics included a 5.43% year-over-year increase in revenue per available room (RevPAR) to $70.70, and a roughly 8% decline in group room nights booked due to economic and political uncertainty. Domestic tour bookings dropped significantly because one large operator booked 17 tours in 2025 versus none in 2026. Estimated economic impact from conventions rose despite fewer room nights, attributed to higher average daily rates. Marketing engagement increased, with organic website traffic engagement at 70% and a 140% increase in visibility on large language models. Social media views and engagements were up, notably YouTube views due to a new short-form video strategy. Councilmembers asked about definitions, performance benchmarks, and adaptation to AI-driven search.

5B. COPPeR Mid-Year LART Update Angela Seals (Executive Director) reported on the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPeR). PeakRadar.com promoted 1,483 events and served 26,700 tourists in the first half of 2026, with 84% of users from outside the region. A user survey found 99% agreed PeakRadar helps connect to arts and culture, 92% attended an event because of it, and 14.25% planned a trip to the region, yielding an estimated 38,718 hotel room nights. Marketing campaigns generated 7 million impressions through $48,000 in cash and $65,000 in Google Ad Grant in-kind support. Cultural tourists spend 17% more on average. The office coordinates cultural grants and is working with Visit COS to standardize room-night attribution. Councilmembers praised the program and discussed the value of cultural tourism.

7A. Dissolution of the Civic Engagement Program Blongshia Lindsay (Boards and Commissions Program Administrator) explained that the program, established in 2014, had been inactive since December 2021 due to the creation of a paid staff position that absorbed its functions. Stakeholders, including former volunteer Eric Phillips and interested councilmembers, supported formal dissolution. Councilmember Donaldson emphasized that citizens can still engage through the website and the board administrator. The resolution will be placed on the consent calendar.

7B-7D. Business License Code Scrub Lee McRae (License Enforcement Officer) and Sarah Johnson (City Clerk) presented a multi-year effort to reorganize and update the city's business license codes (Articles 1, 3, and 4 of Chapter 2). Changes include renaming the general business license to the city business license, restructuring for clarity, updating insurance requirements, and specific modifications: background checks for all massage business employees, renaming private security officer to private security guard, reducing temporary permit period from 90 to 60 days (average processing three days), extending mobile food vendor hours in residential zones to 9 PM, removing the bond requirement for pawnbrokers, and renaming sexually oriented business to adult use business. No changes are proposed for statutory licenses (liquor, marijuana). Over 70% of the nearly 5,000 active licenses are security-related. The ordinances are scheduled for first reading on September 8.

7E. Resolution Supporting GOCO Grant for COS Creek Plan Erin Powers (Stormwater Enterprise Manager) presented a resolution to support a grant application to Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) for the COS Creek Plan feasibility study, a partnership with Pikes Peak Waterways and Colorado Springs Utilities. The resolution is required for the application and does not commit city general funds or stormwater enterprise funds; funds would flow through the city to consultant HDR but be paid by Pikes Peak Waterways. Councilmember Risley sought and received clarification on the expenditure authorization clause. The item was placed on the consent calendar.

Key Outcomes

• Resolutions to dissolve the Civic Engagement Program (7A) and support the GOCO grant (7E) will be considered on the consent calendar at the September 8 regular meeting.
• The three business license code ordinances (7B-7D) will have a first reading on September 8.
• The LART updates from Visit COS and COPPeR were informational; no formal action required.
• Councilmember reports included updates on the Pikes Peak Library District joint appointment committee and community engagement activities.