Denver City Council Meeting - November 12, 2024: Budget Adoption, Proclamations, and Consent Agenda
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Denver City Council Meeting - November 12, 2024
On November 12, 2024, the Denver City Council convened at 3:30 PM in the Cathy Reynolds City Council Chamber. The meeting included the adoption of the Mayor's Proposed 2025 Budget, two proclamations honoring veterans and a historic fire station, and approval of a large consent agenda of resolutions and bills. All votes were unanimous (13-0) with 13 members present.
Consent Calendar
- Mayor's Proposed 2025 Budget (24-1453): Adopted unanimously (13-0) after Council President Sandoval thanked Councilmember Torres for leading council efforts to incorporate community priorities, noting increased support for rental assistance, youth programs, and local businesses.
- Resolutions and Bills: A block vote approved all remaining resolutions (24-1177, 24-1475, 24-1481, 24-1431, 24-1456, 24-1457, 24-1463, 24-1485, 24-1459, 24-1460, 24-1482, 24-1484, 24-1489, 24-1275, 24-1276, 24-1474, 24-1476, 24-1477, 24-1479) and bills for final consideration (24-1441, 24-1447, 24-1388 through 24-1401) en bloc. All passed 13-0.
Discussion Items
- Proclamation Honoring Veterans (24-1629): Sponsored by Councilmembers Flynn and Watson. Councilmembers shared personal military family stories. Councilmember Flynn noted that Fort Logan National Cemetery in District 2 holds approximately 150,000 veterans. Councilmember Sawyer acknowledged the lasting trauma of war, referencing her great-grandfather's struggle after WWI. The proclamation was adopted 12-0 (Alvidrez absent).
- Proclamation Recognizing Fire Station 3 (24-1630): Sponsored by Councilmembers Lewis and Watson. Fire Station 3, Denver's oldest continuously used firehouse, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 14, 2024. Councilmembers highlighted its history as the first all-black fire company (1897) and its role in Five Points. The proclamation was adopted 13-0.
- Resolution 24-1456 – Foreclosure Case Management Software: Councilmember Lewis asked whether the new software ($800,000, ending 10-14-2029) would improve the system or just track data. Ben Schler, Clerk and Recorder's Office, explained that Denver is the last county in Colorado using the outdated "benchmark" software, which will soon lose vendor support. The new system, used by 57 other counties, will be a significant upgrade for tracking foreclosures and public access. No opposition.
- Resolution 24-1275 – Charter School Kitchen Upgrades: Councilmember Lewis confirmed that the $549,020.39 contract with the Colorado League of Charter Schools (part of the Healthy Food for Denver's Kids Initiative) also partners with Denver Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services for installation and training. Jess Mearson, program fiscal and contract admin, elaborated that DPS FNS will assist with kitchen upgrades.
Key Outcomes
- Adopted the Mayor's Proposed 2025 Budget (13-0).
- Adopted two proclamations: Veterans Day (12-0) and Fire Station 3 historic designation (13-0).
- Approved all consent agenda resolutions and bills en bloc (13-0).
- Ordered publication of multiple bills for introduction (including classification and pay plan changes, a Downtown Development Authority fund, a traffic signal condemnation at Federal Boulevard and Amherst Avenue, and a park contribution in District 11).
- Announced a public hearing on December 9, 2024, for Council Bill 24-1314 (rezoning 1401 North Fairfax Street in Hale). Protests due by noon on December 2, 2024.
- Adjourned at 4:33 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to your Denver City Council. Please stand by. Full coverage of your Denver City Council begins now. Thank you for joining us. Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish. Sam or Alejandro, would you please introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices. Thank you very much. We want to thank all of the veterans that are watching us, the veterans who are in the office in the the chambers tonight. And I want to turn it over to Scott Merchant. Um he's the executive director of the Denver Municipal Band. Um the Denver Municipal Band is the longest running municipal band in the country. It was uh founded in 1980. 1861, which is before Colorado became a state, uh, which is amazing. So with no further ado, I'll turn it over to Scott Murch. Thank you very much to the distinguished council members. You'd like me to come forward. Yes, please. And if you don't mind going to one of the mics while you're yes, you just can talk in the microphone, because then our audience could hear us. Thank you very much. And we want to say thank you to all of our service people who have uh given so so much for our freedoms in the country. We're very happy to be here. Uh today I wear a pin for my grandfather who was a tech uh sergeant in the Marines, and also my uncle who served in the Vietnam War. And the Denver Municipal Band is very proud to be here with you and to celebrate this really amazing moment to thank our veterans. And we've been with you almost since the very beginning, before like you said, before Colorado was even Colorado. So we're very pleased to be here again this year. We thank you all for your support of this organization. Thank you all for that wonderful performance. And um, although City Council is often told we don't have great sound, like you can't hear us, it's a great performance venue. So thank you for that. What do you do? Okay, sure. Go ahead. I apologize. Thank you all. Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting of Tuesday, November 12th, 2024. Council members, please rise as you are able and join Councilmember Gilmore in the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members, please join Councilmember Gilmore as they lead us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgement. The Denver City Council acknowledges and honors that the land on which we reside is a traditional territory of the U, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe peoples. We also recognize the forty-eight 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 the 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 inequalities and recognize the current and future contributions of indigenous communities in Denver. Thank you, Councilwoman. Madam Secretary, roll call. Torres here, Flynn. Here Gilmore. Here Cashman? Here. Lewis. President Parity.
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