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Record of Proceedings

Denver City Council Meeting Summary - July 11, 2024

City Council — Thursday, July 11, 2024
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, July 11, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:33:59

Original source
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0:00

Welcome to your Denver City Council.

0:06

Please stand by.

0:08

Full coverage of your Denver City Council begins now.

0:33

Good afternoon, everyone.

0:35

Today's meetings being interpreted into Spanish.

0:37

Uh Sam, would you like to introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices?

0:45

Hello, everyone.

0:46

Thank you very much for having us.

0:47

My name is Alejandro Barrieta.

0:49

I will be one of two interpreters today working with my colleague Sam.

0:52

Thank you for your patience as I provide instructions in Spanish.

0:56

Gracias por tenerme aquí con ustedes.

0:58

My nombre is Alejandro Arrieta.

1:25

Thank you very much.

1:26

Thank you so much, Alejandro.

1:28

Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of Monday, July 8th, 2024.

1:33

Council members, please rise as you're able and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:53

Thank you very much.

1:54

And Councilmember, please join uh Councilmember Parity as she leads us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgement.

2:00

Thank you, Madam President.

2:01

Uh the Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho peoples.

2:09

We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado.

2:16

We honor elders, past, present, and future, and those who have stewarded this land throughout generations.

2:21

We also recognize that government, academic, and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of indigenous peoples.

2:30

May this acknowledgement demonstrate a commitment to working to dismantle ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities, and recognize the current and future contributions of Indigenous.

2:41

Thank you very much.

2:42

Madam Secretary Roca, please.

2:50

Here.

2:52

Here.

2:52

Gilmore.

2:53

Here.

2:53

Gonzalez Gutierrez.

2:55

Here.

2:55

Heinz.

2:56

Here.

2:56

Cashman.

2:57

Here.

2:57

Lewis.

2:58

Present.

2:59

Parody.

3:00

Here.

3:00

Romero Campbell.

3:02

Here.

3:02

Sannibal.

3:04

Here.

3:05

Sawyer.

3:06

Here.

3:06

Watson.

3:07

Mayor.

3:08

Madam President.

3:09

Here.

3:10

Thirteen members present.

3:12

There are 13 members present.

3:13

Council has a quorum.

3:14

Approval of the minutes.

3:15

Are there any corrections to the minutes of June 24th?

3:20

Seeing none, the minutes stand approved.

3:22

Council announcements.

3:23

Are there any announcements today?

3:30

Councilwoman Lewis.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████27%
Data Management██████████████████████22%
Contracts And Procurement███████████11%
Personnel Matters████████8%
Pending Litigation████████8%
Workforce Development███████7%
Public Engagement██████6%
Zoning███3%
Community Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Denver City Council Meeting Summary - July 11, 2024

Note: The transcript identifies the meeting date as Monday, July 8, 2024, but the provided date is July 11, 2024; this summary uses the provided date.

The Denver City Council convened with 13 members present, achieving a quorum. The meeting included approval of minutes, council announcements, introduction of bills, extensive amendments to a collective bargaining charter amendment, adoption of a resolution for migrant sheltering, approval of liability settlements, and a debate on auditor subpoena powers.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of the minutes from June 24, 2024, with no corrections.
  • A block vote on multiple resolutions and bills on final consideration, passed unanimously (13-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were heard in this portion of the meeting; the public comment session was scheduled to begin at 5:00 PM, after the adjournment of this session.

Discussion Items

  • Council Announcements: Members announced upcoming events, including District 8 town hall, Black Arts Festival, South by Southeast Festival, and a free yoga series in Highland Park.
  • Council Bill 24-0716 (Charter Amendment for Collective Bargaining): Five amendments were introduced and passed unanimously (13-0 each). The amendments established binding arbitration for Denver Water and Denver County Court employees, phased in bargaining unit formation, revised strike findings, altered bargaining agent selection, and adjusted disciplinary procedures. The bill, as amended, was postponed to the 5:30 PM session for a public hearing.
  • Resolution 24-0598 (Migrant Shelter Contract): Director Sarah Plastino of the newcomer program stated the city retains data stewardship. Councilwomen Parity and Lewis voted no, citing inadequate data tracking. Passed 10-3.
  • Resolutions 24-0873 and 24-0874 (Liability Claims): Councilmember Lewis noted these settlements (against Denver Police Department) bring 2024 total to $3.156 million. Approved as part of the block vote.
  • Council Bill 24-0813 (Auditor Subpoena Power): Extensive debate. Auditor Matthew (likely Auditor O'Brien) argued the need for subpoenas to resolve information disputes with contractors, citing two instances in five years. Councilmembers Watson, Sandoval, and Flynn opposed, expressing concerns about expansion of powers and burden on entities like Denver Preschool Program. Supporters, including Councilwoman Sawyer, emphasized the need for a neutral dispute resolution mechanism. The bill was ordered published (first reading) with 9 ayes and 4 nays.

Key Outcomes

  • CB 24-0716 amended and postponed to 5:30 PM session.
  • Resolution 24-0598 adopted (10-3).
  • Resolutions 24-0873 and 24-0874 approved as part of block vote.
  • Bill 24-0813 ordered published (9-4); returns for second reading next week.
  • All other items on the consent block passed unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to your Denver City Council. Please stand by. Full coverage of your Denver City Council begins now. Good afternoon, everyone. Today's meetings being interpreted into Spanish. Uh Sam, would you like to introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices? Hello, everyone. Thank you very much for having us. My name is Alejandro Barrieta. I will be one of two interpreters today working with my colleague Sam. Thank you for your patience as I provide instructions in Spanish. Gracias por tenerme aquí con ustedes. My nombre is Alejandro Arrieta. Thank you very much. Thank you so much, Alejandro. Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of Monday, July 8th, 2024. Council members, please rise as you're able and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you very much. And Councilmember, please join uh Councilmember Parity as she leads us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgement. Thank you, Madam President. Uh the Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho peoples. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado. We honor elders, past, present, and future, and those who have stewarded this land throughout generations. We also recognize that government, academic, and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of indigenous peoples. May this acknowledgement demonstrate a commitment to working to dismantle ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities, and recognize the current and future contributions of Indigenous. Thank you very much. Madam Secretary Roca, please. Here. Here. Gilmore. Here. Gonzalez Gutierrez. Here. Heinz. Here. Cashman. Here. Lewis. Present. Parody. Here. Romero Campbell. Here. Sannibal. Here. Sawyer. Here. Watson. Mayor. Madam President.

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