Denver City Council Meeting – November 7, 2024 (Minutes Dated November 4)

Note: The official minutes for this meeting are dated Monday, November 4, 2024, but the instruction for this summary requires using the date November 7, 2024. This discrepancy is noted.

The Denver City Council convened to adopt a proclamation, consider a series of amendments to the Mayor’s Proposed 2025 Budget, hear public comment, and hold a public hearing for a zoning change. The meeting ran from approximately 3:30 PM to 9:48 PM (MT). All budget amendments brought by Councilmembers failed to secure majority support, except those withdrawn. Several items were approved en bloc, and a zoning map amendment for 10353 East Mississippi Avenue was passed after a public hearing.

Proclamation

• 24‑1584: A proclamation honoring former reporters Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt for their investigative work exposing white nationalism, culminating in the book The Silent Brotherhood and its movie adaptation The Order. The proclamation was adopted 12‑0‑1 (Councilmember Flynn abstained after initial vote, but the final tally shows 12 ayes, 0 nays, 1 abstain (Flynn)). Councilmember Flynn and Nancy Gerhardt (Gary’s widow) offered remarks.

Mayor’s Proposed 2025 Budget – Amendments

Council considered a series of amendments to the 2025 budget. All were either withdrawn or defeated. Key amendments and outcomes:

• 24‑1564 (Parady Amendment No. 1): Withdrawn.
• 24‑1565 (Parady Amendment No. 2): Would have transferred the Aid Center from the Office of Neighborhood Safety to DDPHE to support the Roads to Recovery program. Failed (5 ayes, 8 nays).
• 24‑1567 (Parady Amendment No. 4): Would have moved the Street Engagement Team (SET) and its funding from the Department of Safety to the Department of Housing Stability (HOST). Failed (5 ayes, 8 nays).
• 24‑1573 (Parady Amendment No. 10): Would have eliminated one police recruit academy class ($3.2 M). Failed (3 ayes, 10 nays).
• 24‑1572 (Parady Amendment No. 11): Would have added $500,000 for the STAR program. Withdrawn after the Mayor’s office committed to a future supplemental.
• 24‑1575 (Lewis/Parady/Gonzales‑Gutierrez Amendment No. 1): Would have directed $3 M from CASR energy conservation funds to HVAC upgrades at four library branches with frequent closures. Failed (3 ayes, 9 nays).
• 24‑1577 (Lewis/Parady/Gonzales‑Gutierrez Amendment No. 3): Would have provided $2.5 M + $250,000 for acquisition and operation of a safe RV parking site. Failed (3 ayes, 9 nays).
• 24‑1576 (Lewis/Parady/Gonzales‑Gutierrez Amendment No. 2): Would have added $500,000 and 4 FTEs for behavioral health services at All In Mile High sites. Failed (5 ayes, 7 nays).
• 24‑1578 (Lewis/Parady/Gonzales‑Gutierrez Amendment No. 4): Would have added $2.5 M for the Denver Basic Income Project. Failed (6 ayes, 6 nays; tie = fail).
• 24‑1579 (Gonzales‑Gutierrez Amendment No. 1): Would have added a public health investigator position. Withdrawn after an agreement with the Mayor’s office to add $400,000 for two positions in DDPHE.
• 24‑1580 (Gonzales‑Gutierrez Amendment No. 2): Withdrawn (replaced by next).
• 24‑1587 (Gonzales‑Gutierrez Amendment No. 3): Would have added $233,000 for a digital equity program manager and 500 devices. Failed (5 ayes, 7 nays).

Consent Calendar / En Bloc Approval

A block vote of 31 resolutions and bills from various committees was approved 11‑0‑2 (Alvidrez and Watson absent). Items included:

• Contract amendments for mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and restoration services (multiple vendors).
• Grant agreements for workforce development (EV technician training), healthy food programs for children (EKAR, Jovial Concepts, Urban Peak, Urban Symbiosis), and affordable housing projects (4340 S. Monaco, 1350 N. Logan, 1135 Logan).
• Dedication of public alleys and street rights‑of‑way.
• Appointment of Clarence Low to the Denver Commission on Aging and Taemy Kim‑Mander to the Asian American Pacific Islander Commission.
• Issuance of up to $29 M in multifamily housing revenue bonds.
• A microtransit contract with Montbello Downtowner, LLC ($5.99 M for 3 years).
• A property exchange with Allied Waste Systems (18‑acre parcel for 25‑acre parcel near DIA).
• Approval of 2025 assessments for several local maintenance districts (Tennyson, Skyline Park, 15th Street, etc.).
• First amendment to a loan agreement regarding DUS Project Mill Levy Pledge.
• Amendments to intergovernmental agreements for Medicaid eligibility work.

Public Comments & Testimony (General Comment Session, 5:00–5:30 PM)

• Several business owners and citizens spoke in opposition to a proposed flavored tobacco ban, citing economic harm, risk of illicit markets, and the loss of tax revenue for pre‑K programs.
• A speaker urged moving the Street Engagement Team to HOST, arguing it would improve outreach outcomes.
• A Skinner Middle School principal urged full funding for Vision Zero and Safe Routes to School after a student was hit by a car near the school.
• Other speakers addressed anti‑Semitic vandalism at a park and the conditions at the Pisa Studios apartment complex.

Public Hearing – Zoning Change (Council Bill 24‑1209)

• 10353 East Mississippi Avenue (Windsor neighborhood): Rezoning from B‑1 (drive‑through ATM only) to S‑MX‑3 (suburban mixed‑use, up to 3 stories). The applicant (Red Mountain Group) and neighborhood association representatives spoke in favor, noting a plan for dental, coffee, and pet‑vet uses, and a recorded covenant limiting height to two stories. No opposition speakers appeared. The Council sat as a Committee of the Whole, heard staff report, and voted 10‑0‑3 (Alvidrez, Lewis, Watson absent) to pass the ordinance.

Key Outcomes

• Proclamation 24‑1584: Adopted.
• All budget amendments: Failed or withdrawn; the Mayor’s Proposed 2025 Budget will be approved without these changes.
• Consent agenda: Approved en bloc (11‑0‑2).
• Council Bill 24‑1209: Passed (10‑0‑3).
• Future public hearings announced for December 2, 2024, on two other zoning cases (3719 N. Wolff St. and 1079 S. Hooker St.).
• Councilmember announcements: Veterans Day events, encouragement to vote in the November 5 election, and a birthday acknowledgement for Councilmember Kashmann.