OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Denver City Council Meeting Summary - January 22, 2025

City Council — Wednesday, January 22, 2025
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, January 22, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Transcript — Verbatim
1:50

Welcome to your Denver City Council.

1:56

Please stand by.

1:58

Full coverage of your Denver City Council begins now.

2:23

Thank you for joining us.

2:24

Tonight's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish.

2:27

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

2:34

Yes, of course.

2:35

Thank you for having us.

2:36

Hello, everyone.

2:41

And along with my colleague Alejandro, we will be interpreting today's meeting into Spanish.

3:41

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

5:00

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.

5:10

Thank you.

5:11

Madam Secretary, roll call.

5:15

Flynn.

5:18

Here Sawyer.

5:24

Here.

5:27

Here.

5:28

Gonzalez Gutierrez.

5:29

Here.

5:30

Heinz.

5:31

Here.

5:31

Cashman.

5:33

Lewis.

5:35

Parity.

5:36

Here.

5:36

Merrow Campbell.

5:38

Here.

5:39

Torres.

5:40

Here.

5:40

Watson.

5:41

Here.

5:42

Madam President.

5:43

Here.

5:44

13 members present.

5:46

There are 13 members present.

5:48

Council has a quorum.

5:50

Approval of the minutes.

5:51

Are there any corrections to the minutes of January 13th?

5:58

Seeing none, the minutes stand approved.

6:01

Council announcements.

6:03

Are there any council announcements this afternoon?

6:11

Councilmember Lewis, go ahead.

6:14

Um, thank you.

6:15

I just have one quick announcement.

6:16

So my council office will be having our first first town hall, excuse me, on February 8th, um, from 1130 to 130.

6:26

Uh, we will be uh discussing our community panels there, and uh are kicking off our community panels, excuse me.

6:33

Um so would love to have our community join um for our town first town hall.

6:37

Uh the location is to be determined.

6:40

Thank you.

6:40

Councilman Parady.

6:44

Um, yeah, I uh without having put a lot of forethought into this, I just want to recognize that um we're seeing uh uh what I would say is a large disruption at the federal level right now.

6:54

Um, and I know that a lot of people are afraid, and that's um we all up here know that.

6:59

I've heard everyone on this day is um thinking really hard about how we make sure that we know what's happening, that we respond, um, and that we make sure that people's safety and security here in Denver um remains what it's always been.

7:11

So I just want to recognize that.

7:13

Um not terribly articulate, probably a lot more to come, but um I know folks are feeling it.

7:18

So thank you, Madam President.

7:20

Thank you.

7:20

Um Councilmember Watson.

7:24

Uh thank you, Madam President.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████24%
International Relations█████████████████17%
Public Safety█████████████████17%
Public Engagement████████████12%
Community Engagement███████████11%
Human Rights█████5%
Zoning████4%
Community Planning████4%
Affordable Housing███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Denver City Council Meeting Summary - January 22, 2025

The Denver City Council convened on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at 2:00 PM for a regular session. All 13 council members were present, establishing a quorum. The meeting included the approval of the consent calendar, council announcements, and a public comment session covering a range of local and international issues. No formal votes were taken on the public comments, but several routine items were approved.

Consent Calendar

  • The minutes from the January 13 meeting were approved without corrections.
  • All resolutions and bills on final consideration were passed unanimously (13-0). These items included:
    • Resolutions: 24-1873, 25-0007, 24-1872, 24-1795, 24-1796
    • Bills: 24-1847, 24-1851, 24-1870, 24-1862, 24-1863, 24-1848
  • Bills introduced for public hearing (scheduled for February 18, 2025):
    • 24-1794: Zoning change for 4507 North Rifle Way in Gateway Green Valley Ranch.
    • 24-1866: Ordinance amending zoning code concerning gas stations.
    • 24-1867: Ordinance amending Chapter 59 zoning for limitations on certain automotive uses.

Council Announcements

  • Councilmember Lewis announced a town hall on February 8, 2025, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM (location TBD) to discuss community panels.
  • Councilmember Parady acknowledged the large disruption at the federal level and expressed commitment to ensuring residents' safety and security in Denver.
  • Councilmember Watson announced a barbershop talk on January 22, 2025, from 5:30 PM to 7 PM at House of Hair (5023 East 28th Avenue), focusing on MLK holiday and Black History Month.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • David Pardo (Technical lead, Nook House; Education lead, MB Denver): Described delays in building an ADU in the Spear neighborhood, citing six-month wait for Xcel to move an overhead line, a silently closed sewer plan update, and additional costs ($4,000) due to inspection requirements. He argued that CPD inspectors lack guidance, causing delays that hinder housing production to solve homelessness.
  • Arnie Carter: Urged council to pass a resolution for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, stop arming Israel, and divest from Israel.
  • Shari Luce: Thanked council for their work but urged them to focus on local challenges (addiction, mental health, crime, homelessness) rather than world events.
  • Matt Most (Jewish Community Relations Council of Colorado): Welcomed the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, but expressed concern about local anti-Semitism and urged council to focus on local issues. He emphasized that Middle East conflict is not a municipal issue.
  • Mary Hansen: Called for Denver City Council to end international support for Israel, divest from companies linked to Israel, and redirect funds to local needs (elderly care, veterans, education).
  • Brandy Majors: Asked about street and sidewalk safety in downtown Denver, and suggested that EV chargers are underused and could be made accessible for power chairs.
  • Roderick Marshall (District 8 resident): Highlighted volunteerism and the Excel Center (adult high school), inviting council members for a tour. He emphasized community unity.
  • Jesse Paris (representing Black Star Action Movement, Unity Party of Colorado, Northeast Denver Residence Council, Frontline Black News, Revolutionary Agenda): Supported mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, stating they hurt the black community. Criticized council for inaction and for not fixing internet issues at CCA Fusion Studios despite a $1 million allocation.
  • Eric Gross: Disputed the ceasefire, noting nine Palestinians were killed in the West Bank on the day of the meeting. He accused council of ignoring the genocide and called out specific council member (Amanda Sawyer) for smirking. He referenced a lawsuit in Michigan regarding speakers' rights and warned of fascism under Trump.
  • Ashley: Urged council to lead on world change, emphasizing equality and the need to move beyond survival.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimously passed all consent items (13-0)
  • Scheduled public hearings for February 18, 2025, on zoning and automotive use ordinances.
  • No formal council action taken on public comments; comments were acknowledged for follow-up.

Note: The agenda and minutes were not available for this meeting; information is based solely on the transcript.

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, 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. And along with my colleague Alejandro, we will be interpreting today's meeting into Spanish. Council members, please rise as you are able and join Councilmember Torres in the Pledge of Allegiance. 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. Madam Secretary, roll call. Flynn. Here Sawyer. Here. Here. Gonzalez Gutierrez. Here. Heinz. Here. Cashman. Lewis. Parity. Here. Merrow Campbell. Here. Torres. Here. Watson. Here. Madam President. Here. 13 members present. There are 13 members present. Council has a quorum. Approval of the minutes. Are there any corrections to the minutes of January 13th? Seeing none, the minutes stand approved. Council announcements. Are there any council announcements this afternoon? Councilmember Lewis, go ahead. Um, thank you. I just have one quick announcement. So my council office will be having our first first town hall, excuse me, on February 8th, um, from 1130 to 130. Uh, we will be uh discussing our community panels there, and uh are kicking off our community panels, excuse me. Um so would love to have our community join um for our town first town hall. Uh the location is to be determined. Thank you.

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