Denver City Council Meeting – December 23, 2024: DA Salary Amendment, RTD Ecopass, and Block Votes
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Denver City Council Meeting – December 23, 2024: DA Salary Amendment, RTD Ecopass, and Block Votes
The Denver City Council met on Monday, December 23, 2024, at 3:30 PM in the Cathy Reynolds City Council Chamber, with 11 members present and two absent (Councilmembers Hinds and Romero Campbell). The meeting lasted 20 minutes and included approval of prior minutes, a late filing suspension, introduction of new bills, debate and amendment on the District Attorney's salary, and a block vote on multiple resolutions and ordinances. The meeting adjourned at 3:50 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approved: Minutes from December 16, 2024 (24-1844) were approved unanimously.
- Block Vote – Adopted/Paused Resolutions and Bills: The following items were approved en bloc (11-0):
- Resolutions: 24-1771 (Cherry Creek North BID appointments), 24-1774, 24-1777, 24-1779 (public street dedications), 24-1700 (Elevation Community Land Trust agreement, $2,500,000), 24-1745 (Colorado Coalition for the Homeless rehousing contract extension).
- Bills on final consideration: 24-1710 (General Fund rescission of $4,610,000), 24-1760 (High Line Canal/Yale Ave fund, $500,000 from Arapahoe County), 24-1761 (Ryan White Part A grant), 24-1762 (City Council fund transfers), 24-1731–24-1734 (dissolution of four pedestrian mall maintenance districts), 24-1726 (easement relinquishment at 2763 Blake Street).
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments or testimony were offered.
Discussion Items
- Late Filing – Council Bill 24-1807: The council voted 11-0 to suspend rules to allow late introduction of a bill amending purchasing thresholds (formal bidding to $150,000, informal to less than $150,000). Councilmember Kashmann explained the delay was due to a clerical error; failure to file by January 6 could impact purchasing. The bill was subsequently ordered published.
- RTD Ecopass Program – Council Bill 24-1776 (Introduced): Councilmember Lewis called out this bill, noting that transit ridership is still below pre-pandemic levels and that initiatives like the Ecopass (an intergovernmental agreement with RTD for $250,778 through 2025) can help bring riders back. The bill was ordered published without opposition.
- District Attorney Salary – Council Bill 24-1763 (Final Consideration): Councilmember Torres introduced an amendment to set the DA's 2025 salary at $244,816 (no increase), aligning with past city employee merit increases and accounting for a state contribution increase mid-2026. After debate, the amendment passed 11-0. The amended bill then passed 9-2, with Councilmembers Lewis and Parady voting no. Councilmember Parady argued the process was rushed and that the DA salary should be tied to the same formula as other elected officials, citing equity concerns with the public defender's salary (~$180,000).
Key Outcomes
- Late Filing Allowed: Rules suspended to introduce 24-1807. Bill ordered published.
- RTD Ecopass Introduced: 24-1776 ordered published.
- DA Salary Amendment Adopted: Amendment to set 2025 DA salary at $244,816 (no increase) passed unanimously; final bill passed 9-2.
- Block Vote Approved: All resolutions and bills on the consent agenda passed unanimously (11-0).
- Next Meeting: Scheduled for Monday, January 6, 2025.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to your Denver City Council. Please stand by. Full coverage of your Denver City Council begins now. I don't know. It's Christmas, I guess. Hi, everybody. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us. That was really weird. Um, thank you for joining us for tonight's meeting, December 23rd. Um, tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish by Sam or Alejandro. Would you please introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices? Yes, of course. Thank you for having us. Hello, everyone. My name is Sam Guzman with the CLC. And along with my colleague Alejandro, we will be interpreting today's meeting into Spanish. Um starting to uh I'll now give the instructions in Spanish. Uh si uno conosotros atraves the Zoom virtualmente. Uh, por favor que dice interpretación. Muchas gracias, and thank you very much. Thank you very much, Sam. Welcome to the Denver City Council meeting on Monday, December 23rd, 2024. Council members, please rise as you are able and join Councilmember Cashman in the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members, please join Councilmember Cashman 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 Arapahoe 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 through generations. We also recognize the government, academic, and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of indigenous peoples. May this acknowledgment 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. Madam Secretary, roll call. Here's good. Here Heinz. Here Parity. Here. Romero Campbell. Sawyer. Here. Torres. Here. Watson. Here. Madam President. Here. Eleven members present. There are 11 members present. Council has a quorum. Approval of the minutes. Are there corrections to the minutes of December 16th? Seeing none.
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