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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Denver City Council Meeting - July 29, 2024

City Council — Monday, July 29, 2024
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, July 29, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:21:53

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.

0:22

Everybody, thank you for joining us today on Monday, July 29th.

0:27

Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish.

0:30

Alejandro, would you please introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices?

0:39

Thank you very much.

0:40

Hello, everyone.

0:41

Thank you for having us.

0:42

I'm gonna provide instructions in Spanish.

0:45

Thank you for your patience while I do that.

0:47

Hello, my name is Alejandro Arrieta, del Espanol Gado with my colleague.

1:03

I'll apparecer asegures selectionarmies of Espaniol.

1:17

Muchas gracias.

1:18

Thank you very much.

1:20

Thank you very much.

1:23

Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of July 29th, 2024.

1:29

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

1:43

One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

1:54

Council members, please join Councilmember Lewis as they lead us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgement.

2:00

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.

2:17

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

2:23

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

2:33

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 communities in Denver.

2:46

Thank you, Councilmoon.

2:48

Madam Secretary, roll call.

2:52

Elvides.

2:54

Here.

2:56

Here.

2:57

Gilmore.

2:58

Gonzalez Gutierrez.

3:00

Heinz.

3:01

Here.

3:01

Cashman.

3:02

Here.

3:03

Lewis.

3:03

Present.

3:04

Parody.

3:05

Here.

3:05

Romero Cannibal.

3:07

Here.

3:09

Sawyer.

3:10

Here.

3:11

Flores.

3:12

Here.

3:13

Watson.

3:14

Here.

3:15

President.

3:16

Here.

3:19

Eleven members present.

3:21

There are lever there are 11 members present.

3:24

Council has a quorum.

3:26

Approval of the minutes.

3:28

Are there any corrections to the minutes of July 22nd?

3:34

Seeing none, the minutes stand approved.

3:37

Council announcements.

3:39

Are there any council announcements this evening?

3:47

Pro Tim Romero Campbell.

3:49

First up.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████26%
Business Improvement Districts█████████████████████21%
Homelessness████████████████16%
Public Engagement████████████12%
Community Planning█████████9%
Community Engagement████4%
Downtown Development Authority████4%
Affordable Housing██2%
Public Safety██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Denver City Council Meeting - July 29, 2024

The Denver City Council met on July 29, 2024, at 3:30 PM in the Cathy Reynolds City Council Chamber. Council President Amanda P. Sandoval presided. Eleven members were present (Alvidrez, Flynn, Hinds, Kashmann, Lewis, Parady, Romero Campbell, Sandoval, Sawyer, Torres, Watson); two were absent (Gilmore, Gonzales-Gutierrez). The meeting included approval of the July 22, 2024 minutes, council announcements, consideration of resolutions and bills, and two public hearings on Business Improvement District renewals. Several items were postponed, and a block vote approved multiple resolutions and bills on final consideration.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved en bloc (11-0): Resolutions 24-0926 (appointment of Danielle Moe to Board of Transportation and Infrastructure), 24-0927 (appointment of Dorothy Shapland Rodriguez to Head Start Policy Council), 24-0928 (Mayoral reappointments to Metro Water Recovery Board), 24-0865 (Swansea Recreation Center construction contract with FCI Constructors, Inc. for $20,958,364), 24-0910 (dedication of two parcels as public right-of-way), 24-0993 (settlement of $125,000 for Morgan Riss v. City involving Parks and Recreation), 24-0880 (grant agreement with DOLA for $7,049,000 for Denver Navigation Center), 24-0881 (grant agreement with DOLA for $17,388,719 for Denver Navigation Center), 24-0925 (correcting indirect expense reimbursement rate for WellPower from 20% to 15%), 24-0992 (settlement of $75,000 for Aaron Hernandez v. City involving Denver Police Department), and Bills 24-0907 (charter amendment for firefighter binding arbitration referred to November 2024 ballot) and 24-0893 (revoking revocable permit for Peerless Apartments, LLC) were placed upon final consideration and do pass.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Colfax Mayfair Business Improvement District (Bill 24-0897): Five speakers signed up in favor: Michael Bruntz (business owner), Hilarie Portell (executive director of the BID), Daniel Murray (business owner, Suburban Toppers), Nathan Beal (property owner, La Vista Motel), and Jesse Parris (virtual, representing several organizations). Jesse Parris spoke in opposition, citing concerns about BIDs' impact on unhoused neighbors and cultural integrity. The public hearing was held and closed.
  • Santa Fe Business Improvement District (Bill 24-0898): No public hearing was held; the second reading and public hearing were postponed to August 12, 2024, at the request of businesses within the district for additional engagement time.

Discussion Items

  • Downtown Area Plan Update (Resolutions 24-0913 and 24-0914): These resolutions, approving contracts with Sasaki Associates, Inc. and Downtown Denver Partnership, Inc. for $1,000,000 each to update the Downtown Area Plan, were discussed at length. Councilmember Torres expressed opposition, noting the exclusion of the Burnham Yard area and that other neighborhoods lack plans. Councilmember Flynn requested a one-week postponement to allow time for questions about the plan's boundary map. The postponement was granted.
  • Parks and Golf Course Equipment (Resolutions 24-0919, 24-0920, 24-0921): Councilmember Parady called out these three master purchase orders (totaling $25.5 million across three vendors) for a one-week postponement due to questions about the quantity of gas-powered equipment.
  • Recovery Support Services (Resolutions 24-0922, 24-0923, 24-0924): Councilmember Lewis called out these three amendatory agreements with Tribe Recovery Homes, Inc. (+$207,153.94), Mile High Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (+$381,434.72), and The Empowerment Program, Inc. (+$193,472.16) for a one-week postponement because no one was available to answer questions.
  • Community Correction Program (Bill 24-0882): Councilmember Lewis called out this revenue agreement with the Colorado Department of Public Safety for $8,212,671.40 for a one-week postponement to allow time to review documents not filed on material.
  • Santa Fe Drive Pedestrian Mall Dissolution (Bill 24-0909): Councilmember Alvidrez moved to postpone this bill to August 5, 2024, after working with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. The motion passed 11-0.
  • Charter Amendment on Salaries of Elected Officials (Bill 24-0929): Councilmember Sawyer explained that this bill, which resubmits a charter amendment to the November 2024 ballot, is a technical re-submission requested by the Clerk's Office during the ballot certification period. It was ordered published.
  • Zoning Change for 641 South Pearl Street (Bill 24-0917): Ordered published with a required public hearing scheduled for August 26, 2024.
  • South Platte River Flood Control (Bill 24-0883): Ordered published.
  • Vacating Right-of-Way at West Colfax and North Knox Court (Bill 24-0912): Ordered published.
  • Settlement Tracking: Councilmember Lewis noted that with the approval of resolutions 24-0992 and 24-0993, the 2024 total for taxpayer dollars in city settlements reaches $3.356 million. Councilmember Parady stated she will reach out to individuals who have settled claims to discuss their experiences.

Key Outcomes

  • Block Vote: All resolutions and bills on final consideration listed in the consent calendar were approved en bloc (11-0).
  • Postponements:
    • Resolutions 24-0913 and 24-0914 (Downtown Area Plan) postponed to August 5, 2024.
    • Resolutions 24-0919, 24-0920, 24-0921 (Parks equipment) postponed to August 5, 2024.
    • Resolutions 24-0922, 24-0923, 24-0924 (RISE program contracts) postponed to August 5, 2024.
    • Bill 24-0882 (Community Correction program) postponed to August 5, 2024.
    • Bill 24-0909 (Santa Fe Drive Pedestrian Mall dissolution) postponed to August 5, 2024.
    • Bill 24-0898 (Santa Fe BID renewal) second reading and public hearing postponed to August 12, 2024.
  • Amendments Adopted: Both Bill 24-0897 (Colfax Mayfair BID) and Bill 24-0898 (Santa Fe BID) were amended to change the renewal term from an additional ten-year period to continuation in perpetuity, consistent with state statute. Both bills were republished as amended.
  • Firefighter Binding Arbitration: Bill 24-0907 was placed on final consideration and will appear on the November 2024 ballot.
  • Public Hearing Set: A required public hearing for Bill 24-0917 (zoning change at 641 South Pearl Street) will be held on August 26, 2024; protests must be filed by noon on August 19, 2024.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:58 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to your Denver City Council. Please stand by. Full coverage of your Denver City Council begins now. Everybody, thank you for joining us today on Monday, July 29th. Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish. Alejandro, would you please introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices? Thank you very much. Hello, everyone. Thank you for having us. I'm gonna provide instructions in Spanish. Thank you for your patience while I do that. Hello, my name is Alejandro Arrieta, del Espanol Gado with my colleague. I'll apparecer asegures selectionarmies of Espaniol. Muchas gracias. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of July 29th, 2024. Council members, please rise as you are able and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Council members, please join Councilmember Lewis as they lead us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgement. 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 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 people. 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 communities in Denver. Thank you, Councilmoon. Madam Secretary, roll call. Elvides. Here. Here. Gilmore. Gonzalez Gutierrez. Heinz. Here. Cashman. Here. Lewis. Present. Parody. Here. Romero Cannibal. Here. Sawyer. Here. Flores. Here. Watson. Here. President. Here.

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